Investing & Markets

I realize this isn’t quite a formal “blog post” in the traditional sense, but I wanted to take a minute to share something that’s been on my heart recently. I feel a sense of relief as I write this before the markets open on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. The Dow futures are up 1,000 points […]

Welcome to LifeGuide’s Market Minute, where we recap what’s happening in the markets and how we stay grounded through it all. What we’re watching… The Strait of Hormuz being reopened and the outcome of the cease fire: The global stock markets have been on a strong rebound for over a week now with the hopes that […]

If recent headlines have you wondering what’s next for the markets, you’re not alone. Geopolitical tension like the conflict in Iran, as well as shifting trade policy and economic uncertainty have all led to increased market volatility lately. For many investors, it raises familiar questions: Is this the start of something bigger? How long will […]

Welcome to LifeGuide’s Market Minute, where we recap what’s happening in the markets and how we stay grounded through it all. What we’re watching… Oil volatility: The Strait of Hormuz (a channel for roughly 20% of the world’s oil) remains closed. Prices jumped above $100/barrel last week, then dropped back near $88 after reports of productive […]

 Note: This video was originally produced for our monthly client newsletter, Guidepost.

What’s that saying again? “The only thing certain in life is death and…?” Yep—”taxes.” And while they’re rarely anyone’s favorite topic, they are important. After all, integrated tax planning is one of the ways we make sure our clients’ Financial LifePlans reflect the full picture of their lives! So, in this article, we’ll share some […]

If you’re a Christian nearing retirement age or are currently retired, you may be wondering, “How do I tithe in retirement?” This is a great question and one worth wrestling with! Before we discuss this topic in-depth, let’s be clear: There is no one-size-fits-all “best” answer about how Christians should tithe in retirement. What makes […]

We’ve been hearing some great questions in our meetings lately surrounding the current market conditions and the upcoming election. Let’s dive into two of these today: “The U.S. stock market is doing great…so, when will it crash? “What’s going to happen if ________ wins the election??”

Zak Lutz here, partner and Chief Investment Officer at LifeGuide. Today, I want to share Part 2 of our two-part mini-series on how we manage portfolios in “up and down” markets. In Part 1, we talked about how we proactively prepare for ups and downs rather than trying to predict exactly what will happen next—primarily […]

Zak Lutz here, partner and Chief Investment Officer at LifeGuide. Today, I want to share how we manage portfolios in “up and down” markets. After all, helping our clients and their families navigate market turbulence is a major part of our commitment to them! And, by having a clear understanding and plan ahead of time, […]

Zak Lutz here, partner and Chief Investment Officer at LifeGuide. I was skiing with a friend recently and, on the ride up between runs, our conversation kept coming back to the markets. (Which I’m sure is the center of your conversations during ski outings as well!) My friend was eager to know, ”What’s driving up […]

Zak Lutz here, Partner and Chief Investment Officer at LifeGuide. I was talking to a client the other day about how stocks and bonds are both going down right now, making this an unusually challenging investing environment. And they asked me, “The markets seem really weird right now…why are things going down if the economy […]