JTL Wealth Partners

Recent data regarding men's health highlight a critical reality that deserves closer attention:

1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

Excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, it stands as the most commonly diagnosed cancer in U.S. men. While that statistic is stark, the turnaround potential is incredible:

🚀 When caught early, the 5-year survival rate exceeds 99 percent.

Here are the most critical facts to know about risk and prevention:

◾ The Age Factor: Approximately 6 in 10 cases are diagnosed in men aged 65 or older.

◾ Family History: Risk increases for individuals with a father or brother who has battled the disease.

◾ The Silent Nature: Early-stage prostate cancer rarely shows any symptoms at all, making proactive screening the ultimate defense.

The American Cancer Society recommends speaking with a healthcare provider to make informed decisions about testing. This conversation typically begins at age 50 for average-risk individuals and earlier (around age 40 to 45) for those with a strong family history.

Consider sharing this information with a colleague, friend, or family member who might need a reminder to prioritize their next check-up.

👉 Roughly 56 percent of IPOs bought at the offer price lost money after 3 years.

That's not the headline you see on day one.

You see the first-day pop. The company goes public, and its stock has averaged a 19 percent gain since 1980. Feels like a moment you should catch.

Here's what actually happens:

1️⃣ Institutional investors get the offering price before trading opens.

2️⃣ You buy at market open, after the move.

Then the real story starts.

🔎 This gap is based on research led by Professor Jay R. Ritter, who authored a 2026 report on IPO performance for the University of Florida. His analysis of 9,300 U.S. IPOs is one of the most comprehensive databases available.

Chasing IPOs can provide a thrill, but there are pros and cons.

A sound portfolio should reflect an investor's goals, risk, and time horizon. The risks of an IPO are not for everyone. 🎯

📋 Past performance does not guarantee future results. The return and principal value of IPOs and other stocks will fluctuate as market conditions change. And shares, when sold, may be worth more or less than their original cost.

Two retirees can earn the same average return and have very different outcomes.

Why?

Because in retirement, timing matters.

An early market downturn in retirement can be more damaging than the same downturn later.

That is the sequence-of-returns risk.

The risk is not simply “the market went down.” It’s “the market went down while income still had to come out.”

A strong retirement strategy should look beyond average returns and address:

🔹 Where income will come from
🔹 How much cash or short-term reserves make sense
🔹 Which accounts to draw from first
🔹 When to rebalance
🔹 How RMDs and Social Security fit into the withdrawal strategy

Sequence-of-returns risk does not make many headlines.

But for anyone entering retirement, it can be one of the most important ideas to understand.

The goal is not to predict the next downturn. It’s about being prepared.

A gas station convenience store may not sound like an obvious place for a weekend destination.

But in Lakeville, Minnesota, The Farmer’s Cellar has turned an empty storefront next to a gas station into an upscale restaurant and hidden speakeasy.

The business, which includes the speakeasy, convenience store, and gas station, brought in almost $5 million in revenue during its first year. The speakeasy alone generated just over $1.7 million from its opening in May 2025 through April.

The concept stands out at a time when restaurant costs remain elevated, and many consumers are treating dining out as more of a special occasion.

For small businesses, the story highlights the value of location, creativity, and customer experience, even in unexpected places.

His gas station speakeasy brought in about $5 million in one year: Behind the hidden door, it's still the 'roaring twenties' Tony Donatell turned an empty storefront next to a gas station into a sophisticated speakeasy, The Farmer's Cellar. Inside, it's still the "roaring twenties."

By 2030, women are expected to control nearly two-thirds of private wealth in the United States, representing roughly $30 trillion, according to a landmark 2020 study by McKinsey & Co.

That shift is already underway.

More women than men now graduate from college. Women-owned businesses generate more than $2.7 trillion in annual revenue.

And because women statistically live longer than men, many also manage the final, and often most complex, chapter of a family’s financial life.

The numbers tell an important story:

🔸 Women make or influence a growing share of household financial decisions.

🔸 Yet many still report feeling less confident, less heard, and less well served by traditional financial preparation.

🔸 That gap isn’t about ability. It is about whether the guidance, questions, and process reflect the realities of modern wealth.

Today is Women’s Equality Day.

A financial strategy should reflect the life being built and the goals that matter most for women and men alike: family dynamics, longevity, business ownership, caregiving, legacy, and the financial decisions that shape what is possible.

Does yours?

There is usually no single moment when the roles begin to shift with aging parents.

A confusing medical bill.
A missed payment.
A scam text that almost got clicked.

When and how do you step in without taking over?

The goal is not to take control.

The goal is to make sure helpful people, information, and safeguards are in place before decisions have to be made under pressure.

One potential conversation starter you could try…

“We are reviewing our own estate documents and realize we should understand where everything is.”

Sometimes, that is enough to open the door.

The families who tend to feel best about how this chapter goes are the ones who approached it as a proactive exercise rather than a response to a problem.

We are glad to be part of that process at whatever stage a family is ready to begin.

A personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine is showing promise in a late-stage melanoma trial.

Merck and Moderna said the individualized vaccine, paired with the existing immunotherapy Keytruda, significantly reduced the risk of cancer returning or spreading in high-risk melanoma patients whose cancer had been surgically removed.

Earlier Phase 2b data showed a 49% reduction in melanoma recurrence after surgery and a 59% reduction in the cancer spreading to distant organs.

The vaccine is not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Regulators still need to review the full data once it has been collected and submitted.

For now, the results mark another step in the study of mRNA technology for cancer treatment.

Personalized mRNA cancer vaccine shows promise in extending lifespan in melanoma trial Merck and Moderna announced Wednesday that a personalized mRNA-based cancer vaccine succeeded in a large, late-stage trial among patients with melanoma.

As today is National Senior Citizens Day, we wanted to draw attention to something that can sometimes fall through the cracks: the Medicare Part B late enrollment penalty.

Most don’t know that if you miss your Initial Enrollment Period (the 7-month window around your 65th birthday), Medicare tacks on a 10 percent surcharge to your monthly premium for every 12 months you delay enrollment.

No cap. No expiration date.

Delay two years, pay 20 percent more. Delay by five years, you pay 50 percent. Every month. For life.

How to manage it?

You are only exempt from this penalty if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP).

This usually means you delayed signing up because you (or your spouse) were still actively working and had "creditable" health insurance through that active employer.

If you’re concerned, ask your financial professional where to find the most up-to-date Medicare information.

Early estimates for the 2027 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment have moved lower as inflation moderates.

New projections suggest the 2027 COLA may fall between 3.4% and 3.6%.

The official adjustment has not been announced yet. The final number will depend on inflation data for July, August, and September.

Social Security COLAs are calculated using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, known as CPI-W.

July data showed CPI-W rose 3.4% over the past 12 months. The broader consumer price index also rose 3.4% year over year.

One estimate from AARP suggests a 3.5% COLA would raise the average retired worker’s benefit by about $73 per month.

For retirees and near-retirees, the COLA is an important reminder that inflation can affect income, purchasing power, household expenses, and long-term financial decisions.

Social Security COLA estimates for 2027 fall as inflation moderates New estimates show just how much Social Security benefits may increase in 2027, based on new government inflation data.

Donating appreciated stock to charity has pros and cons. So, most donors still write the check.

When you contribute appreciated securities directly to a donor-advised fund (DAF), you can manage capital gains tax on the gain and perhaps deduct the full fair market value.

The charity receives the full amount. Nothing is lost to taxes in between.

From there, you can focus grants to any eligible nonprofit on your own timeline. The funds can stay invested and may grow while you decide.

💡 If you're holding appreciated positions and giving is part of your strategy, how you give matters as much as how much you give.

📋 **Some donor-advised funds are considered mutual funds and are sold only by prospectus. The prospectus will provide information on charges, risks, expenses, and investment objectives and should be reviewed carefully before investing. Investment companies can provide a prospectus, or you may prefer to ask your financial professional.**

💡 Consider asking your financial professional to work with your tax, legal, or accounting professionals if a DAF sounds interesting.