The Safe Harbor 401(k) Adoption Deadline: What Business Owners Should Know
Safe harbor design often comes up as business owners plan for year-end testing and next-year administration.
Oct 16, 2026·7 min
Stocks rebound as yields tumble despite hot wholesale inflation
After a shaky, tech-led open, US equities finished higher as a late slide in Treasury yields steadied risk appetite: the Dow led, the S&P 500 eked out gains, and the Nasdaq hovered near flat.
Oct 15, 2026·2 min
Hot CPI knocks tech as rate jitters return while oil stays firm
U.S. stocks finished lower with the Nasdaq leading losses after September inflation ran hotter than expected, reviving odds of another Fed hike and pressuring long‑duration tech.
Oct 14, 2026·2 min
Keeping a Testing Calendar So Deadlines Don't Sneak Up on You
A testing calendar does not replace technical administration, but it can make a business owner’s compliance responsibilities more visible.
Oct 14, 2026·7 min
GOOD NEWS FROM MEMPHIS - GOOD NEWS FOR MEMPHIS OCTOBER 13, 2026
Let’s keep sharing the good news! I know many of you are on fall break, but the good news in Memphis doesn’t stop. So we need to keep sharing it FOR MEMPHIS.
Oct 13, 2026·2 min
Coverage Testing Explained: Making Sure Your Plan Serves the Right Employees
A retirement plan is built around eligibility and participation rules, but those rules also create a compliance-testing question: whether the plan is benefiting the employee groups it is designed to serve under applicable requirements.
Oct 13, 2026·7 min
Banks steady the tape, chips wobble, indexes drift as earnings season opens
U.S. stocks finished little changed as a steady—if mixed—start to bank earnings met a fresh wobble in semiconductors.
Oct 13, 2026·2 min
Oil-fueled rotation lifts the Dow while chip selloff weighs on the Nasdaq
Stocks chopped into the close as rising crude and a memory‑chip slump split the tape: the Dow rose, the S&P 500 was little changed, and the Nasdaq slipped, with traders staying cautious ahead of midweek inflation data and the bank-earnings kickoff while the bond market was shut for the holiday.
Oct 12, 2026·2 min
Highly Compensated Employees: How the Definition Affects Your Testing
During October’s compliance-testing focus, the definition of a highly compensated employee is an important item for business owners to understand at a high level.
Oct 12, 2026·7 min
Stocks rebound into the close as oil cools and breadth improves
U.S. equities finished higher, recouping part of Thursday’s AI-led selloff. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq each rose around two‑thirds of a percent, with the S&P back near record territory as gains broadened beyond mega‑cap tech. Oil prices eased and long‑term Treasury yields held near—but a touch off—recent highs, setting the stage for bank earnings next week.
Oct 9, 2026·2 min
Reviewing Preliminary Testing Results Before the Fourth Quarter Rush
October is a useful point in the compliance calendar because preliminary testing information can turn year-end surprises into a planning conversation.
Oct 9, 2026·7 min
Stocks climb as cooler jobs tilt Fed calculus; tech and consumer names lead while energy slips
Equities pushed higher after a softer September payrolls print eased fears of another near‑term rate hike, helping growth stocks regain their footing.
Oct 2, 2026·2 min
A Difficult September: What Rising Yields Mean for Investors
September ended with a challenging reminder: stocks and bonds can both lose ground when inflation concerns intensify.
Oct 1, 2026·5 min
Stocks steady as yields blink; S&P 500 edges higher as energy leads
After an early scare from Treasury yields spiking to multi‑decade highs, rates eased and stocks managed small gains, breaking a three‑day slide. Leadership rotated toward energy while defensives lagged, as a softer manufacturing read and steady jobless claims nudged odds of an October rate hike lower.
Oct 1, 2026·2 min
Stocks split as cool inflation runs into hot yields
Wall Street ended mixed as a softer core PCE reading eased odds of an October Fed hike, but long-dated Treasury yields pushed to cycle highs on firm growth and spending, keeping pressure on most sectors.
Sep 30, 2026·2 min
Setting a Plan Design Review Meeting Before Year-End Deadlines Arrive
A plan design review meeting is one of the simplest governance habits a business owner can establish before year-end. It creates dedicated time to look at the 401(k) as part of the company’s total-rewards program rather than as a set of isolated administrative tasks.
Sep 29, 2026·7 min
Auto-Enrollment and Auto-Escalation: Is It Time to Add These Features?
As benefits season approaches, business owners often review whether their 401(k) plan is easy to explain, administer, and integrate with the company’s broader rewards program.
Sep 29, 2026·7 min
Stocks soften as yields firm and confidence slips; oil cools, energy lags
U.S. equities finished mixed-to-lower as a fresh rise in Treasury yields and a drop in consumer confidence to the weakest since 2014 kept buyers cautious.
Sep 29, 2026·2 min
Stocks slide as oil pops and yields punch higher; AI jitters hit tech into the close
U.S. equities fell broadly, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq leading to the downside as a fresh jump in Treasury yields and another leg up in crude revived inflation worries; the Dow also finished lower.
Sep 28, 2026·3 min
Auto-Enrollment and Auto-Escalation: Is It Time to Add These Features?
As benefits season approaches, business owners often review whether their 401(k) plan is easy to explain, administer, and integrate with the company’s broader rewards program.
Sep 25, 2026·7 min
Stocks climb as oil cools on Hormuz progress; yields stay lofty but steady
U.S. equities finished higher after crude prices eased on signs of movement toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz, taking some pressure off inflation fears even as Treasury yields hovered near multi‑decade highs.
Sep 25, 2026·2 min
Stocks finish mixed as rising long-end yields cap risk; energy steadies the tape
A rates-led session kept equities in check as the 30‑year Treasury yield pushed to multidecade highs, pressuring growth pockets while oil strength helped energy offset some of the drag. The major indexes ended broadly mixed near the flat line, reflecting a tug‑of‑war between higher discount rates and resilient macro reads, including another low jobless‑claims print.
Sep 24, 2026·2 min
Nasdaq ekes out another record as oil’s slide cools and yields hold steady
A tech-led tape stayed aloft even as the early tailwind from cheaper oil faded into the close.
Sep 22, 2026·2 min
GOOD NEWS FROM MEMPHIS - GOOD NEWS FOR MEMPHIS SEPTEMBER 22, 2026
This past weekend was the 38th Annual Cooper Young Fest. There was also live music at Live at the Garden, Satellite Music Hall, Clue at the Orpheum, Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, a Tigers football game which we won, and so much more.
Sep 22, 2026·2 min
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