The Loneliness of the Goalkeeper: Managing Risks

“The essence of investment management is the management of risks, not the management of returns.”  — Benjamin Graham The World Cup has arrived in North America. June and July are filled with over a hundred games featuring four dozen of the world’s best teams. The World Cup is a pinnacle of athleticism on a global […]

Taxes, Retirement and What’s Ahead in 2026

As we bid farewell to 2025 tax year filings (mostly), at Sterling, we have our eyes firmly on the road for 2026 planning opportunities. There are changes to be aware of, as well as smart tax related decisions to make in the year ahead. Tax Law Provision Changes: A Quick History 2026 is a year […]

Who Gets the Golf Clubs

My grandfather was born in 1905. He was a pharmacist in San Antonio, TX. I never got the chance to meet him, but I grew up playing with his golf clubs. They were wooden and in an old leather bag. He had about a dozen of them, hickory golf clubs from the late1920s. Every time […]

Building a Balanced Year of Growth, Connection, and Joy

The most fulfilling years we’ve witnessed in our decades of working with families and successful individuals aren’t the ones where people achieved just one big goal. They’re the years when people found balance…when financial success walked hand-in-hand with deeper relationships, and when carefully planned stability made room for spontaneous moments of joy. The Three Pillars […]

The Power of Tax-Efficient Investing

“You can’t predict. You can prepare.” – Howard Marks The headlines this year have been relentless. Trade tensions escalate and de-escalate. AI investments soar to dizzying heights, then stumble amid concerns about valuations or Chinese competition. Geopolitical storms rage from Eastern Europe to the South China Sea. For many investors, this creates an uncomfortable paradox: […]