Fall 2025 Newsletter

Welcome to our Fall newsletter!

Most of the economic headlines over the last few months have been remarkably positive. We have near-record market levels, resilient consumer spending, and easing inflation pressures in many areas.  So everyone is feeling fantastic right?  Well, as many of you have shared with us, that’s not necessarily the case. If you’re feeling less than wonderful about markets and the economy, you’re not alone. Across the country, confidence remains surprisingly low for an economy that appears, on paper, to be quite strong.

​So why the disconnect?

​Part of the problem is that economic gains have not been felt evenly. Some households and industries are thriving, while others continue to feel pressure from high prices or slower growth. At the same time, the rapid rise of new technologies like AI brings long-term promise but short-term uncertainty about how jobs, industries, and daily life may change. And layered on top of this is continued political polarization, which adds to the sense of instability even as markets remain steady.

Despite these challenges, our view remains one of cautious optimism. Markets have demonstrated remarkable resilience, corporate balance sheets remain generally strong, and many of the pressures of the past few years, such as supply-chain disruptions and surging inflation, have eased meaningfully. As always, the path forward will not be linear, and short-term volatility should be expected. But the long-term fundamentals that underpin sound investing have not changed.

During this period of complexity and opportunity, we have continued to invest in StraightLine itself. Our team has grown, adding depth and experience to better support you. We have also expanded our technology and planning tools so that we can deliver clearer insights, more efficient processes, and an even higher level of service. Our goal is simple: to make sure you feel informed, prepared, and supported – not just when markets are calm, but especially when they are noisy.

As always, we encourage you to reach out if you would like to talk through the markets, your financial plan, or anything on your mind. Thank you for your continued trust in StraightLine, and we wish you a wonderful and peaceful holiday season. 
​
--- Mike

Michael Bisaro, AIF®
​President and CEO

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Your trust means everything to us. If you know a colleague, friend, or family member who could benefit from clearer guidance on retirement and financial planning, we’d be honored to be a resource for them.

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Fi360, a Broadridge Retirement and Workplace, Inc. owned company, licenses the designation marks Accredited Investment Fiduciary® and AIF® in the United States. Attainment of the AIF® Designation demonstrates initial and ongoing understanding of the Prudent Practices® and methodology. Designation requirements include training, exam, experience, ethics and standards components -- more information is available at https://www.straightline.com/professionaldesignations.html

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Don’t miss our educational blogs and videos!

StraightLine clients are staying informed and empowered by our frequent blogs and videos. The latest content features an introduction to contribution options in a workplace retirement plan and understanding FDIC Insurance, another talking about Pretax vs. Roth. 

​These resources are designed to support your financial goals and informed decision-making.

Understanding FDIC Insurance: Maximizing Your Coverage with a Single Bank
​
Pretax vs. Roth: An Introduction to Your Contribution Options in a Workplace Retirement Plan

Share this newsletter and link with a friend who you think will value our insights: Subscribe today!

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Join us in welcoming our new team member

Musa Abdul-Basser joins the StraightLine team as our Chief Compliance Officer.
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Musa’s expertise in regulatory oversight, risk mitigation, and ethical investing will help StraightLine navigate the evolving financial landscape and keep our compliance practices ahead of the curve—all to support our clients’ goals and protect what matters most. ​

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StraightLine Celebrations

The StraightLine anniversaries have stacked up since we last updated you.

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Join us in celebrating another Team Achievement! 
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Kyle Zammit, AIF® has earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) designation! 

This nationally recognized credential reflects Kyle's commitment to the highest standards of fiduciary excellence and client care. 

With specialized training in ethical investment management and responsible best practices, Kyle is even better positioned to guide clients at every stage of their financial journey.

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We’re proud to announce that StraightLine’s CEO and President, Mike Bisaro AIF®, is a finalist for the 2025 ThinkAdvisor Luminaries Awards in the “Luminaries With a Heart” category. 
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This distinguished recognition honors individuals who go above and beyond in empowering endeavors that have a highly beneficial impact on communities locally and globally. Honorees in this category set a model for industry excellence through both qualitative and quantitative results.

​Mike’s work exemplifies these standards. His mentorship of emerging financial professionals, educational outreach at schools and Universities 

around the country, and leadership in spotlighting ethical, client-focused service continue to raise the bar for our industry. Mike’s efforts have made a tangible difference for aspiring professionals in the past year – and inspired even more across the profession with his commitment to meaningful change.
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Congratulations, Mike! Your dedication is what Luminaries With a Heart is all about.

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Mike was also named to the 2025 InvestmentNews Hot List for his devotion over the last 12 months to mentoring the next generation.
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Ironically, he was presenting to the Michigan State University Wealth Management Association on April 8, the day that capped the S&P 500’s steepest four days of losses since the index was created in the 1950s, following the tariff fallout.

“Over the past year, the mentoring aspect of what we’re doing has really defined our corner of the industry. It’s become central to how we grow, not just as a firm, but as individual professionals,” explains Bisaro.

“Mentorship allows us to expand our capabilities beyond ourselves and ensures that knowledge and experience are carried forward. I see it as a responsibility to the broader industry.”

Mike Bisaro was named to the InvestmentNews Hot List 2025 in November of 2025 using 2025 calendar year data by InvestmentNews. Neither Mike Bisaro nor StraightLine Group LLC provided compensation for inclusion in this list.
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Read more about Mike's accomplishment here.

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StraightLine In the Community

We have added a page to the StraightLine website devoted to the charities and causes that mean the most to all of us at StraightLine.
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See our new In The Community Page here: https://www.straightline.com/inthecommunity.html

We have been busy in the Community!
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In early October, StraightLine sponsored a golf tournament in support of The John Drypen Foundation. They support education and inspiration to families that have faced a life-altering health event. ​

StraightLine has also sponsored the Detroit Metro Football Club.

Check out our commercial:

StraightLine is also sponsoring the Michigan State University Wealth Management Association (MSUWMA), a student-led organization of over 100 individuals preparing for careers in wealth management and financial planning.

​By partnering with MSUWMA, StraightLine has the opportunity to build lasting relationships with potential future advisors. StraightLine is proud to partner with MSUWMA to strengthen the next generation of financial professionals.

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StraightLine In the News

The StraightLine team has been busy attending conferences and visiting with journalists about some of today's important topics.
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Mike and Elizabeth attended the Schwab IMPACT Conference in Denver from November 3–6. During the event, Elizabeth spoke with Marie Swift of Impact Communications, Inc., StraightLine’s PR and marketing partner, to discuss how StraightLine empowers clients to manage a variety of retirement accounts. She emphasized the firm’s commitment to hands-on education, underscoring how directly supporting both employees and employers aligns with StraightLine’s core mission of making financial literacy accessible and actionable for those who need it most.

Mike attended the Advise AI Conference in Las Vegas, October 28-29, and shared his thoughts about AI in this article titled AI can whip up a financial plan in seconds. But can advisors trust it? by Financial Planning following a session at the conference.
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Elizabeth was recently interviewed for a Financial Planning article about how firms are using social media (subscription required).

Mike has been a regular for Barron's Advisor. He was interviewed for an article about alternative investments coming to 401(k) plans and another one about what the government shutdown means for investors, plus he was profiled for StraightLine’s specialized focus on serving retirement-plan participants as an RIA. (subscription required). ​

Mike participated in this Quartz.com article about 7 Tips to Shore Up Your Finances, where he discussed ways to protect your finances during a recession. He also contributed to this Financial Planning article about charitable giving under the OBBBA as well as this article about Tax Planning for Parents (subscription required).
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And, StraightLine's Chief Growth Officer Rob Rickey shared some thoughts on why estate planning isn't just for the wealthy in this video interview.

Please visit our website to take a look at all the recent media attention.

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StraightLine Goes Social

Find StraightLine on Facebook and Instagram.
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Find and follow the pages so you don’t miss posts sharing financial education, celebrations, and fun family activities.

StraightLine's approach to social media was recently featured in Financial Planning's article Like, share, subscribe - how should RIAs best approach social media?, with Elizabeth sharing insights on how regular, educational posts help build trust and credibility with clients and partners while staying true to StraightLine's mission.

​Read the full article here (subscription required).

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StraightLine Financial Snacks

Our new snackable educational posts from the StraightLine Advisory Team have been popular, covering everything from probate, FDIC Insurance, 529 accounts, HSA tax benefits, identity theft, and more.
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Be sure to follow us on social media so you don't miss any of the shared snacks!  ​

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StraightLine Market Updates

Our next Quarterly update meeting is scheduled for Thursday, December 11th at 2pm. Click here to watch the live presentation, or you can find previous updates by going to our website.

Can’t get enough of StraightLine’s Market Updates?
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Be sure that you are subscribed to receive the Weekly Market Updates directly into your inbox each Tuesday.
Subscribe here: https://www.straightline.com/straighttalk.html

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Third Quarter Update
​From your Investment Strategy Team

​There is no shortage of topics we could write about; however, the biggest news might be the lack of volatility over the last few months, as markets enjoyed fairly uninterrupted growth. It often feels like the volume is turned all the way up on any number of issues, but markets sometimes can tune out the noise and take things at face value. Of course, this does not mean that risks are absent or that everything happening in markets is good, but when you have a quarter like the one that just passed, it is worth taking some time to appreciate the calm.

Read the full Update here. 

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Index Descriptions: The Standard and Poor's 500, or simply the S&P 500, is a stock market index tracking the stock performance of 500 of the largest companies listed on stock exchanges in the USA.
The Russell 2000 Index is a stock market index that tracks roughly 2000 US small companies and is considered a key benchmark for US small cap stocks.
The MSCI EAFE Index is a stock market index that measures the performance of large- and mid-cap companies across 21 Developed markets countries around the world. Canada and the USA are not included. EAFE is an acronym that stands for Europe, Australasia, and the Far East.
The MSCI Emerging Markets Index captures large and mid-cap representation across 24 Emerging Markets (EM) countries. The Bloomberg US Aggregate Bond Index, or the Agg, is a broad based, market capitalization-weighted bond market index representing intermediate term investment grade bonds traded in the USA.
Disclosures: Information presented is for informational purposes only. StraightLine Group, LLC (“StraightLine”) is a registered investment adviser. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investing involves risk, including the possibility of loss of principal. The ideas and opinions expressed herein do not constitute legal, tax, or investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security or strategy. Before making any investment decision, you should seek expert, professional advice and obtain information regarding the legal, fiscal, regulatory and foreign currency requirements for any investment according to the laws of your home country and place of residence. Any forward-looking statements or forecasts are based on assumptions and actual results may vary. Information presented from third parties is believed to be reliable, but no warranty is provided. StraightLine is not required to update information presented, unless otherwise required by applicable law. For more information about StraightLine, including our Form ADV Part 2A Brochure, please visit https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/127401 or contact us at 248-269-8366.
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