The Santa Claus Rally reflects sentiment, not destiny. Mortgage rates reflect the price of money, not holiday cheer. But sentiment matters. It shapes expectations, generates momentum, and forms the psychological backdrop for the year ahead.

As year-end approaches, review your financial and estate plan with Ascend’s Family Love Letter approach and 12 updated tax-saving tips for 2025.

The new tax bill, signed into law on July 4, 2025, introduces significant changes to the U.S. tax code, primarily by making permanent many provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that were set to expire at the end of 2025, while adding new provisions. Taxes and changes to law affect every one of our clients, so we must highlight some key points and changes from what we have been used to for the last few years of tax code.