A condominium is often seen as an ideal structure for a seasonal residence or as the next step for empty nesters who want space and location, but not the hassle of maintaining a suburban house. Condominiums were initially marketed as offering a carefree lifestyle in which maintenance and upkeep were overseen by professional management. The predictability of owner costs also made condominium ownership attractive to retirees with fixed income streams.

However, purchasing a condominium requires significantly more due diligence than buying a single-family home. While you are acquiring ownership of your individual unit, you are also becoming a member of a homeowner's association (HOA) that shares financial responsibilities, maintenance obligations, and legal liabilities. Understanding the nuances of reserve studies, insurance structures, association finances, and ownership restrictions can mean the difference between a sound investment and a financial nightmare.

Before purchasing a condominium in 2026, it is important to understand several often-overlooked factors that could affect your long-term financial plan.

As we approach mid-summer, investors find themselves navigating two powerful forces: excitement and expectations. From headline-grabbing IPOs to the continued enthusiasm surrounding artificial intelligence (“AI”), markets are once again being shaped by a combination of innovation, optimism, and speculation. While these themes have helped propel stocks higher, they also serve as a reminder of an enduring investing principle: enthusiasm alone is not a substitute for fundamentals.

In our July commentary, we want to devote time examining the surge in mega-cap IPO activity, what earnings season may reveal about AI-related valuations, the evolving interest rate landscape, and where opportunities may exist beyond the technology sector.

Following the Federal Reserve's most recent meeting on June 17, 2026, it appears increasingly likely that the Fed's next move will be to raise interest rates rather than cut them. New Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh underscored that possibility with a clear commitment to fighting inflation, stating:

"The Committee will deliver price stability."

He went on to acknowledge:

"We've missed for five years, and we're going to fix that."

Those comments suggest the Fed's primary focus remains controlling inflation, even if that means maintaining higher interest rates for longer or raising rates further. While interest rate policy can seem like an abstract topic discussed by economists and financial markets, Fed decisions ultimately affect nearly every consumer.

Inflation was largely an afterthought for many years. The dollar experienced an average inflation rate of 2.1% per year between 2000 and 2020. During that period, retirees rarely had to worry about inflation eroding their purchasing power. That changed during the COVID-era inflation surge, when inflation averaged 4.7% in 2021 and 8.0% in 2022, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

While inflation has moderated from its recent highs, the experience served as an important reminder that rising prices can present a significant risk for retirees. Unlike those still in the workforce, retirees generally cannot rely on salary increases to offset higher costs. Instead, retirement income and investment portfolios must support spending needs over what may be a retirement lasting 20, 30, or even 40 years.

As we move into the summer months, investors continue to navigate a market environment shaped by rapid technological change, geopolitical uncertainty, and shifting economic expectations. While markets have remained resilient beneath the surface, there are growing signs that investors should remain thoughtful and disciplined in how they approach risk and opportunity in the second half of the year.

This month we examine the growing concentration around artificial intelligence investments, the evolving interest rate outlook, the changing consumer landscape, and what the current economic environment may mean for younger workers entering the labor force.

A 401(k) account at a former employer is like a financial storage unit: important assets are sitting there, but they are out of sight, hard to coordinate, and may be disconnected from the rest of your retirement plan. The question for many investors is whether that old account still belongs there, or whether it should be rolled into an IRA as part of a more coordinated retirement strategy. A rollover to an IRA can turn that dormant account into a more flexible, better-managed piece of the overall portfolio.

For many retirees, deciding whether to downsize is an important part of retirement planning. In the past, selling a larger family home and moving into something smaller often seemed straightforward. Today, however, higher home prices and mortgage rates have made the decision far more complex.

In some cases, staying in your current home may make better financial sense. In others, relocating can improve cash flow, simplify daily life, and provide greater long-term flexibility. The right decision depends on balancing both financial and personal considerations.

A recent report from The Wall Street Journal highlighted that OpenAI fell short of some of its internal expectations for user growth and revenue in 2026. In addition, ChatGPT did not reach its goal of one billion weekly active users by the end of 2025, instead finishing the year with an estimated ~800 million.

I work at a Registered Investment Advisor firm. I am not, however, a financial person. I’m a regular person. I do not manage portfolios. I do not read prospectuses for fun.

I play a supporting role at Carnegie Investment Counsel. As Marketing Coordinator, my job is to draw out the insights and guidance from the big brains of the financial professionals around me and get it out in front of the people who actually need it. That's you. Blogs, videos, emails, educational content. That kind of thing. I'm an ideas-and-words person in a room full of math-and-numbers people.

One thing we absolutely share, though: A genuine desire for clients to get the objective, transparent, and personalized investment services they deserve. Not to be dramatic, but I love my job.

So, even though I’m not a financial person, I am adjacent to some of the smartest financial minds around, and I soak up as much as I can. Naturally, I assumed some of that had to be rubbing off on my own financial life. I've done the things. I have a will. I have beneficiaries named. I have signed important-looking documents in important-looking offices.

Plus, I’m young.

Okay, yeah, I was born in the 1900’s but still… estate planning is a problem for future me. I was not worried.

So imagine my surprise on a random Thursday when I showed up to what I thought was just another workshop to take notes for content ideas and walked out texting my husband: "WE NEED TO SCHEDULE A MEETING WITH AN ESTATE PLANNER, like yesterday!"

Here’s what happened: