“Inflation is when you pay fifteen dollars for the ten-dollar haircut you used to get for five dollars when you had hair.”
– Sam Ewing
Welcome to the July Edition of Ryan’s Retirement Ramblings – The monthly newsletter that will bring you the latest developments from the qualified plan space & provide updates for the retirement team at Wheeler Retirement Plans.
On A Personal Note…
I think July is the month most of us get into our Summer routines. The grad parties end and family time becomes a must. The Coole’s spent the 4th of July in Hibbing. It was great to sit back and take a few days to literally CHILL. My three daughters participated in the Side Lake 5K for the first time together. As you can see they take their 4th of July outfits serious. I enjoyed a gold beverage while they sweated through the course. Ha.
Have a great month of August and soak up every bit of summer…..you deserve it.
Engaging the Tik Tok Generation on Retirement
Nearly a quarter of all Gen Z employees aren’t enrolled in a company retirement plan, according to BenefitsPro. That’s three times the rate of millennials, Gen X, and Boomers. In addition, 12% of Gen Zers don’t take advantage of any workplace benefits at all, twice the rate of other generations….
Rethinking Pension Surplus Dollars: Avoiding the Termination Trap
As rising interest rates have reshaped pension funding dynamics post-COVID, many corporate defined benefit (DB) plans are now experiencing significant surpluses. According to actuarial firm Milliman, the 100 largest corporate DB plans, in aggregate, held an estimated $62 billion in excess assets as of December 2024….
Stretching the Match
Summer has begun and now you can relax, right? Maybe not… this is actually a great time for you to do a midyear check on your organization’s plan design to see how it is performing among your employees. Are they participating in the plan? Are they increasing their contributions every year? One way to adjust your plan design to say….
Participant Corner
Don’t Leave Your Retirement Behind
Starting a brand new job is exciting and full of a lot of new benefits, but don’t forget about the retirement plan you left behind. There are many different ways to handle an old retirement account and here are your four options:….
Mr. C’s Movie (Show) Review
Ballerina – the first John Wick spin-off movie is so much more than a money grab—it’s a viciously bullet ballet with a darker tone. Ana de Armas steps in as Rooney, and she absolutely kills it (no pun intended). She’s not just a vengeance-driven assassin; she’s the titular Ballerina orphaned at the hands of the Chancellor (an excellent Gabriel Byrne).
If you have any experience with the John Wick franchise then you know it packs ACTION. Brutal killings beautifully choreographed. Think of the original “Wick” fights but with true rage and a soundtrack that inserts the movie goer into every scene. Ana leans into the action sequences with such truth that you begin to feel sore for her. She’s kindling dipped in gasoline. It’s leaner than the main franchise but also more personal—Rooney’s revenge story has real teeth.
It wouldn’t be a John Wick franchise without Keanu Reeves’ cameo as the Baba Yaga—the Boogeyman himself—to bring fans to their feet. He doesn’t hog the spotlight, but his presence anchors this film solidly in the Wick-verse and adds a little extra menace to the proceedings. John and Rooney’s “dance” is what makes us all fanatics.
This movie is 90 plus minutes of stylized violence but; violence none the less. I came for creative mayhem, style, and seeing Ana de Armas carve out her place as a top-tier action star.
On a scale of: “Like It”, “Love It”, or “Gotta Have It”; it’s a “Gotta Have It” for me. I’m a huge John Wick fan so my opinion my be a little over played but this movie hits HARD. You can’t help but grin and wince at the same time. Sign me up for dance lessons…ASAP.