Our Quarterly Insights

AUGUST 2026

OPTIVEST INSIGHTS

AROUND THE OFFICE

Summer always brings out the travel bug around here, and this year was no exception. Our team scattered far and wide over the past few months — reeling in a big catch offshore, chasing sunsets on the rocks in Hawaii, exploring the reef a few fathoms down, and settling for a friendly (if hard-fought) round of mini golf closer to home. We also had a family escape room adventure, a round of golf with old friends, a summer wedding to celebrate, and — biggest news of all — a brand-new addition to one of our families! It's always fun to come back to the office and swap stories, photos, and a few too many souvenirs. Here are a few of our favorite snapshots from the summer:

Sunset by the lava rocks in Hawaii

A round of golf with old friends

Family escape room night in Lake Elsinore

Deep-sea fishing, big catch

Welcoming a brand-new niece to the family

Mini Golf on Catalina

Scuba diving on the reef

All dressed up for a summer wedding

DIFFERENT RISKS, SAME PLAYBOOK

The first half of 2026 had no shortage of factors that drove markets down and then back up again. We witnessed increased volatility from the war in Iran, oil prices pushing inflation to multi-year highs (and then back down), and a new Fed chair taking the helm. Now in August, markets have had new concerns to digest, from AI investment questions, rising treasury yields, renewed oil price volatility, and a more fragmented Fed. Many of these are longer-term themes that could keep driving volatility in the months ahead. Yet these same trends have also propelled markets this year, which underscores how much diversification still matters within portfolios.

THE BEST ESTATE PLAN STILL NEEDS FULL TABLES AT THANKSGIVING

Most of the conversations we have with grandparents start with a legal question: how to structure a trust, how much to gift this year, whether a 529 plan or a custodial account makes more sense for a grandchild's education. Those questions matter, and we spend a great deal of time helping clients get the technical details right. But almost every one of those conversations eventually drifts toward a different, more personal question — usually asked a little more quietly than the tax questions: how do you actually stay close to the people you're planning for?

GIVING FROM YOUR IRA: A GREAT TOOL JUST GOT EVEN BETTER

If you're 70½ or older and love supporting the causes you care about, here's some good news: the Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) is more valuable in 2026 than ever. The dollar limits went up, new tax rules make it even more attractive by comparison, and we've got clear answers on how it plays out at the state level for California, Utah, Virginia, and Tennessee. Let's walk through it.

"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples."

Mother Teresa