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Why the standard 3-fund portfolio might not be enough + Download our 2026 Tax Reference Guide.

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Hi Reader,

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Happy 2026 from Arnold & Mote!

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Before we say a final goodbye to 2025, and in keeping with tradition for our first newsletter of the year, we wanted to first recognize the reasons our clients had a lot to be grateful for last year. Here are a few important milestones we helped our clients prepare for and celebrate this past year:

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Arnold & Mote Client Milestones for 2025

• Retirements: 9 clients clocked out for the final time in 2025.
• Charitable Giving: Our clients donated $902,601 via QCDs (Qualified Charitable Distributions) and DAFs (Donor Advised Funds) to support the organizations they care about, and reduce their tax liability.
• Additions to the Family: 5 clients welcomed new children or grandchildren to their families.
• Tax Planning: 19 households performed Roth Conversions.
• RMDs: 6 clients had their first year with required minimum distributions from their retirement accounts.
• Estate Planning: 10 households updated or created their estate documents using our new free estate document generation service, Wealth.com

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As your dedicated financial advisor, it is both an honor and a pleasure to embark on another year of collaboration, growth, and financial success together.

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Regards,

The Arnold & Mote Team

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As a reminder, if there are other topics you’d like to see covered in a future newsletter this year, or if we can help you implement any of these topics in your financial plan, simply reply to this email and we’ll be in touch.

January Webinar: The Danger of Today's "Total Market" Funds

Many investors who have saved trillions into today's "Total Market" funds believe that buying these funds means they own a balanced slice of the entire economy. The reality is much more lopsided. Due to current market weightings, these broad funds leave you surprisingly under allocated to thousands of smaller companies and international opportunities that have historically driven long-term growth. These total market funds are used heavily in many target date retirement funds, and have been popularized in strategies such as the "Vanguard 3 fund portfolio".

In this webinar, we will break down exactly what these index funds are missing and demonstrate how adding specific, targeted index funds can fill those gaps to create a more diversified portfolio.

In this webinar, we’ll cover:

• Why one of today's most popular "Total Market" funds allocates less than 2% of your money to the thousands of small companies that have been an important part of long-term investor returns.
• Importance of international and emerging market exposure.
• When retirees may need an additional bond holding beyond today's 'Total Bond Funds'
• How breaking your portfolio into separate components allows you to systematically capture gains, tax loss harvest, and ensure a portfolio remains allocated to your liking.

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Join us for the live broadcast at noon Central Time on Friday January 23rd, streamed on our YouTube channel here:

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Want a reminder before we go live? Click the button above and subscribe to our channel to be notified as the webinar begins:

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If you can't attend live, a replay of the webinar will be accessible immediately after and available alongside recordings of all previous webinars on our YouTube channel.

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If there are questions you'd like to have answered, simply reply to this email and let us know!

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From the Arnold & Mote Blog

PDF: 2026 Important Numbers​

A new year means new tax brackets, account contribution limits, tax deductions, and much more. This handy two-page PDF summarizes the important retirement and tax related numbers for 2026.

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Video: I'm Retiring - Do I Still Need Life Insurance?​

People nearing retirement don’t usually have the same financial obligations as younger folks, who may be raising kids while working for decades to come. This reduced obligation to others usually means that new retirees drop their life insurance policies. We generally support this view, but want you to consider a few factors in your overall financial plan.

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Arnold & Mote Featured in the Press

Kiplinger: I Don't Need My RMD - Should I Use it to Pay Down a Mortgage?​

We were recently featured in a Kiplinger article addressing a common dilemma for retirees: whether to use an unneeded Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) to pay down a low interest mortgage.

In the article, our answer focuses on why maintaining liquidity is often safer than locking up cash in home equity, especially when safe investments offer competitive yields. We also outline alternatives to consider before paying more aggressively towards a mortgage, or other low interest debt.

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See our other recent press mentions on our Press Page.

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Looking for Something From a Prior Newsletter?

As a reminder, you can now find the last 12 months of our newsletters here:

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Whether you’re new and want to browse newsletters you missed or are trying to follow up on a topic from a few months ago, we’re now publishing all newsletters at the link above. We'll also keep this link at the bottom of all future newsletters.

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Quinn and the Arnold & Mote Wealth Management Team

(319) 393-4020

​Send us a message​

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​Contact Us | Blog | arnoldmotewealthmanagement.com​

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You are receiving this newsletter because we've talked with you in the past about financial planning and wealth management. Privacy Policy​

The information herein was obtained from various sources. Arnold & Mote Wealth Management does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information provided by third parties. The information given is as of the date indicated and believed to be reliable. Arnold & Mote Wealth Management assumes no obligation to update this information, or to advise on further developments relating to it. This is for informational purposes only. Investing may involve risk including loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.