Valley Wealth Advisors

30/09/2026

Will your future income keep pace with the life you are preparing for?

In October, the Social Security Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) for 2027 will be announced.

The annual adjustment is designed to help benefits keep up with inflation, but the same principle can be applied more broadly.

Your retirement income may need to be adjusted as your life, expenses, and priorities change.

Healthcare, insurance, travel, home maintenance, and support for family members can all affect the income you may need to generate.

Ask yourself:

▪️ Has your expected retirement spending changed?
▪️ Are certain future expenses rising faster than you thought?
▪️ Does your income strategy account for inflation?
▪️ Are you strategizing for the lifestyle that you budgeted for years ago?

A thoughtful retirement income strategy should evolve as your life and expenses change.

30/09/2026

📌 Higher rates sting borrowers, but they can be a real win for savers.

As rates rise, banks may increase the yields they offer on savings products to attract deposits. The average U.S. savings account still pays just 0.64% annual percentage yield. Some high-yield accounts are paying more than six times that, up to 4.2%, for the exact same deposit.

🔎 Certificates of deposit, or CDs, can offer even higher rates, but the tradeoff is access: your money is locked in for a set term, and pulling it out early usually costs a penalty.

Higher yields don’t erase the effects of inflation, and they won’t necessarily transform household finances. But if your savings account is still earning close to that 0.64% average, that gap alone might be worth a second look.

The Federal Reserve recently raised interest rates for the first time since 2023.

29/09/2026

What would you tell your 25-year-old self about money?

Getting insight from people who’ve been in your shoes can be powerful when you are young.

Here’s ours:

💡 Time is more powerful than timing.

At 25, it can feel like you have forever to start investing. But the biggest advantage you have isn't picking the perfect investment—it's giving your money more years to grow.

If we could go back, we'd say:

🔹 Start investing before you think you're "ready."
🔹 Build sound habits over chasing returns.
🔹 Lifestyle inflation is sneaky; don't let every pay rise become a spending rise.
🔹 An emergency fund isn't boring. It can help when you least expect it.
🔹 You don't need to know everything to get started.

What would you add?

Drop your best insight in the comments. Someone who's 25 today may need to hear it.

28/09/2026

🌴 More Americans are deciding that enjoying life now matters just as much as making financial progress for later.

A recent SoFi survey found that 72% of Americans would be willing to make slower progress toward their financial goals so they can spend more time with family, travel more, and prioritize meaningful experiences.

That doesn’t necessarily mean abandoning long-term goals. In fact, 59% of respondents said enjoying life is how they define financial progress, compared with 27% who pointed to owning a home.

The challenge is finding a balance between what matters now and what matters later. ✈️ That can mean making room for a vacation, concert, or family event while still keeping an eye on retirement savings and debt.

But charge that trip to a credit card and carry a balance, and interest can turn a two-week memory into a much longer bill.

What does financial progress look like to you: reaching the next milestone, enjoying more of life now, or some mix of both?

SoFi found 72% of Americans are willing to make slower progress on financial goals to prioritize family, travel and meaningful experiences.

28/09/2026

Happy National Sons Day! ✨ Today is a beautiful reminder to pause and celebrate the incredible joy they bring into our lives. The best parts of the day are the small moments, the shared laughs, and the quiet pride of watching them navigate the world.

25/09/2026

The best parts of the day are the small moments, the shared laughs, and the quiet pride of watching them navigate the world. Happy National Daughters Day! ✨ Today is a beautiful reminder to pause and celebrate the incredible joy they bring into our lives. 🌷

23/09/2026

🛠️ The richest person in your town probably isn't a tech founder or someone in finance. It's more likely the dentist running four offices, or the owner of the HVAC company whose trucks are everywhere.

New research from economists Owen Zidar and Eric Zwick, based on IRS and Treasury data, found nearly 5 million U.S. households worth at least $5 million, holding combined wealth more than 13 times that of the Forbes 400.

A few patterns stood out:
➡️Most started their business themselves rather than inheriting it
➡️Most run ordinary, brick-and-mortar businesses rather than tech or finance
➡️Independence mattered more to them early on than getting rich ever did

🌭 Case in point: Dick Portillo started a hot dog stand in 1963 with just $1,100. Decades later, he sold the business he'd built for $1 billion.

Building wealth often looks much more ordinary and attainable than the headlines suggest. If growing or eventually stepping back from a business is part of your picture, that's worth talking through together.

Getting rich in the U.S. is still possible, but the most common path to wealth doesn't involve working for other people, according to a new book.

23/09/2026

📱 More and more people are now using AI for financial questions.

And with tools like ChatGPT adding bank account integrations, personalized financial guidance is starting to feel more accessible than ever.

So yes, AI can help organize information, model scenarios, and answer technical questions faster than most people could on their own.

BUT… financial insight isn’t just a math problem.

AI cannot talk to you about the pros and cons of making a portfolio adjustment when stock prices are falling. It might struggle to fully weigh your family dynamics, health concerns, risk tolerance, competing goals, or what will actually help you feel confident in your decisions.

🧠 That is where human guidance still matters.

Vanguard’s long-running Advisor’s Alpha research highlights behavioral coaching as one of the most valuable aspects of a relationship.

Not stock picking. Not market timing.

Helping people manage emotion when the stakes are high.

🤝 The future is not AI vs. financial professionals.

The future is for those who use better tools while still bringing judgment, context, and a real understanding of the person behind the strategy.

22/09/2026

🤖📈 What Happens When AI Meets Financial Guidance? Financial advisor Carly Rott shares her thoughts on how AI is changing the financial industry—and why the human relationship still matters.

➡️ Read more here:

Artificial intelligence (AI) has given financial professionals new tools that can make it faster and sharper to do some behind-the-scenes work, from research to scenario modeling of certain portfolios. AI can struggle with the...