Pioneer Insights
Why “Good Investment Performance” Is Only One Piece of a Strong Financial Plan
Investment performance is easy to measure. Peace of mind is not.
While returns matter, they are only one input into a much larger financial picture—one that determines whether wealth actually supports the life you want to live.
Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA): Pros, Cons, and When It Actually Saves Taxes
If you have employer stock inside a qualified retirement plan (most commonly a 401(k), profit-sharing plan, or ESOP), the Net Unrealized Appreciation (“NUA”) rules can let you shift part of what would otherwise be ordinary income into long-term capital gains. This sometimes producing meaningful lifetime tax savings. With that said, NUA is not always good. It’s a tax election with strict rules, cash-flow implications, and real portfolio risk. Below is a practical, decision-oriented overview, with specific IRS authority and two numeric examples.
Just Hired at Google? The Financial Playbook Every New Googler Should Know
Getting hired at Google is a major milestone. Along with exciting work and career momentum comes a compensation package that is more complex, and more powerful than many employees realize at first.
The 2026 Tax Crossroads: What High-Income Families Should Be Thinking About Now
For many families, taxes are something that get attention once a year in March or April. However, the next few years are shaping up to be different. The period spanning 2025 and 2026 represented a meaningful planning crossroads, particularly for high-income households, business owners, and retirees. The OBBA made some important tax laws permanent (as permanent as a tax law can be).
Two Tax Traps Google Employees Face: GSU Underwithholding and Tax-Driven Selling Decisions
If you are a Google employee, you’ve probably started paying closer attention to your tax situation over the last few years, especially around tax filing season.
The 5 Most Common Mistakes Google Employees Make With GSUs
Over the five years ending December 2025, Google’s stock price significantly outperformed the S&P 500.
Trump Accounts” (IRC 530A): what families should know before you open one
For folks with young children, there’s recent buzz about the new Trump Account—officially a…
Cost Increases at Private Colleges Outpaced Public Colleges in 2025-2026
Over the past 20 years, average costs for tuition, fees, housing, and food have…
Smart Tax Moves for Family Businesses: Hiring Your Children and Spouse
One of the biggest advantages of owning a small business is flexibility – not
Infographic: Ranking the World’s 20 Largest Economies
This graphic ranks countries by their forecasted gross domestic product…
Young Grads Bear the Brunt of Tightening Labor Market
College graduates looking to join the workforce this year encountered the most discouraging labor market in recent memory. The class of 2025 saw the number of job postings on Handshake (a career platform used to recruit college graduates) decline 15% from the previous year. The number of applications per job increased by 30%.1
Roth Catch-Up Contributions Begin in 2026
For nearly a quarter century, employers have been able to offer their retirement savings plan participants age 50 and older a valuable opportunity — the chance to make additional catch-up contributions to their plan. Thanks to the SECURE 2.0 Act passed in 2022, that opportunity became even more valuable: Employers may now allow plan participants age 60 to 63 to contribute even more than their other catch-up eligible peers through “super catch-ups.” In 2025, the standard plan contribution limit is $23,500. Participants who turn age 50 to 59 and 64 and older in 2025 can contribute an additional $7,500, while those who reach age 60 to 63 can contribute an additional $11,250.
FAFSA Opens October 1, 2025: What You Need to Know
If you or your loved one plans to attend college in the 2026–2027 academic year, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) opens October 1, 2025. Completing the FAFSA is the key to receiving federal grants, work-study, and loans, as well as many state and institutional aid programs.
The Fall Checklist: Balancing College Applications and Financial Planning
For families with high school seniors, fall is crunch time. Between campus visits, final SAT/ACT attempts, and essay writing, there’s also a parallel track that’s just as important: preparing the financial side of the college journey. Getting ahead now can reduce stress and improve the chances of securing the best possible financial aid package.
What the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Means for Student Loan Borrowers
On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act—a sweeping legislative package—was signed into law, bringing with it some of the most significant changes to federal student loans in over a decade.