It has been my experience people tend to have some of the same basic needs. They must be fed, clothed, housed and shod. Or as my father told my sister and me on much more than…
Thought Leadership
We believe communication is the key to successful client relationships. While sharing useful information is beneficial, regardless of source, Oakworth believes in the value proposition of developing and having its own experienced financial professionals and ideas. By generating our own market commentaries, economic newsletters, topical subject analysis and serials, and even conversational podcasts and videos, our clients know we are using our knowledge, creativity and experience to help them succeed.
Everyone has their own way of ‘winding down’ when they get home at the end of a workday. It could be having a drink, cooking, watching television, scrolling through their social media, listening to music or…
I have been around the financial services industry since 1991, and a lot has changed since then. The Internet wasn’t widely available for general consumption. Most people didn’t have an email address. Smartphones didn’t exist. My…
For many high-income and high-net-worth families, tax planning often centers on familiar, year-end techniques: deferring income, maximizing deductions, and harvesting capital losses. These strategies can be valuable tools. However, they are typically focused on a single…
At the end of 2025, my forecast for the upcoming year was: “if you liked the U.S. economy this past year, there is a good chance you will like it in 2026.” There was little in…
As I sit here on the morning of April 1, it seems like April Fool’s Day is a fitting day to write about the stock market. It is amazing to think about the amount of news…
The first quarter of 2026 unfolded in dramatic fashion. Volatility, which began to emerge late last year, intensified and created a more challenging environment for investors. What first appeared as brief disruptions in the fourth quarter…
The federal funds futures market has recently behaved as though the rise in crude oil prices will be sustained. That may not be the case. In our opinion, if tensions in the Middle East ease, oil…
Geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have escalated, though whether the situation qualifies as a formal war remains a matter of interpretation. Regardless of the label, financial markets have begun to price in rising risk, with…
We’ve all seen it: a game that looks competitive on paper but is effectively decided in the opening minutes. I’m not talking about the typical David vs. Goliath matchup that college powerhouses schedule early in the…