June 27th, 2025 | Chinese Stock Scam, Outdated 401(k)s, S&P 500 Risk, Investment Income Tax, Fiserv, Inc. (FI), Pinterest, Inc. (PINS), Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) & General Mills, Inc. (GIS)

Watch Out For This Chinese Stock Scam!Yes, there’s another scam out there trying to part you from your hard-earned money. This has happened many times in recent years and it’s occurred in very small Chinese stocks that are vulnerable to manipulation. For some reason some US investors see these and think they’ve hit it big. US regulators try their best, but typically cannot get access…Is The Current 401K System Out of Date?The current 401(k) system was first established 42 years ago in 1978 when the use of normal pension plans was in place and when people still worked for a single employer for most of their career. This change in 1978 was beneficial to both the employees and employers, because it gave employees control over their retirement plan and reduced the long-term financial risk for many companies with underfunded pension plans that caused multiple problems form companies during the 2008 financial crisis. Today, times have changed and employees might experience over their 40 years plus work career different jobs that may include side gigs, the launch of a business or… The Unknown Risk of the S&P 500Many people love investing in the S&P 500 because the recent performance has been very strong. We have talked in the past about the over concentration of technology in the index, but I was shocked to learn that…Financial Planning: What is the Net Investment Income Tax?The Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) is a 3.8% federal surtax that began in 2013 under the Affordable Care Act, targeting high-income individuals. It applies to any net investment income that exceeds a single taxpayer’s modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of $200,000 or $250,000 for married couples filing jointly. Crucially, these thresholds are not indexed for inflation, so while they may have seemed high in 2013, today they would equal roughly $270,000 and $337,500 in 2025 had they been indexed for inflation, meaning…Companies Discussed: Fiserv, Inc. (FI), Pinterest, Inc. (PINS), Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) & General Mills, Inc. (GIS)