Financial Planning & Investment Management for Families with Special Needs

Hi everyone, my name is Aaron Osterberg and I will be kicking off our new monthly series where we share a tip from our top 10 special needs planning tips.

Tip number 1: Connect with other families facing similar challenges, both locally and nationally. Building a support network can make a huge difference. Look for organizations and nonprofits, join social media groups, and participate in community events. These connections can provide valuable insights and support.

Stay tuned for tip #2 coming next month. If you want to learn more, feel free to contact us – we’re here to help! Thank you.

Hi, I’m Mike Walther, Founder and President of Oak Wealth Advisors, with your 2026 year-to-date market reflection.

As we look back over the last few years, we can see that the global stock market has been very strong and delivered impressive returns. The best performing area has been large U.S. companies, commonly represented by the S&P 500. In both 2023 and 2024, the S&P 500 delivered returns of more than 25% in back-to-back years, and in 2025 it also performed very well with an 18% return. All of these results are well above the long-term average performance of the index, which is closer to 10%.

In 2023 and 2024, U.S. large-cap stocks significantly outperformed both small-cap stocks and international stocks—companies headquartered outside the United States. However, in 2025, international stocks performed much better. That outperformance was largely driven by two factors. First, U.S. stock prices had risen significantly in recent years and were trading at higher valuations than their international counterparts. Second, the U.S. dollar declined relative to foreign currencies in 2025, which helped boost returns for international investments.

The key question for investors now is whether this trend will continue into 2026 and where it makes sense to allocate new investments. One lesson from the past few years is that diversification matters. Investors who maintained exposure to both U.S. and international stocks benefited from that diversification over the last three years.

Looking at the start of 2026, the market leadership has shifted somewhat. Large-cap U.S. stocks, which had already started to trail some of their peers, continue to lag slightly. So far this year, large U.S. companies have been roughly flat. Meanwhile, small-cap stocks—represented by the Russell 2000 Index—are already up about 6% in just the first two months of the year. International stocks have continued their momentum as well, rising more than 10% in the same period despite ongoing global uncertainty.

You might be wondering why large U.S. stocks have been lagging more recently. A big part of the explanation lies in what drove market performance in recent years. In 2023 and 2024, the so-called “Magnificent Seven” stocks—NVIDIA, Meta, Tesla, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, and Apple—played an enormous role in driving the S&P 500 higher. These large technology companies significantly outperformed the broader index. In 2023, several of these companies posted extraordinary gains, with names like NVIDIA and Meta rising close to or above 100% in just one year.

In 2024, the trend continued. Six of the seven Magnificent Seven companies outperformed the broader S&P 500, again helping push the index higher. However, by 2025 that leadership began to narrow. Only two of those seven stocks outperformed the index last year, and that shift has continued into 2026. Many of these large technology companies are now seeing flat or even negative performance in the early part of the year. In part, that’s because they performed so strongly in previous years, which pushed valuations higher and led investors to look for opportunities in other areas of the market.

The key takeaway for investors is the importance of diversification. It’s difficult to consistently predict which sector or group of companies will outperform each year. Having a well-diversified portfolio—including exposure to international markets and small-cap stocks—can provide meaningful benefits over time.

If you have questions about your investments, please reach out to your advisor at Oak Wealth Advisors. We’d be happy to talk with you and answer any questions you may have. And if you’re interested in learning more about planning for families with disabilities, we encourage you to check out our podcast, The Special Needs Voice, where we speak with industry leaders about trends, challenges, and opportunities within the disability community.

You can also follow us on social media to stay up to date on the latest planning insights and opportunities. With that, we wish you a safe and successful 2026. And please remember that nothing we’ve discussed here should be considered specific investment or tax advice for your situation. It’s always best to speak directly with your advisor to determine what is most appropriate for you.

Best wishes.