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Announcements - July 2026
Dear Clients, Friends, and Colleagues,
Major Developments for the quarter:
Personal Updates
Q2 was a full one — both professionally and personally. On the social front, I made a short trip to the Northern Hemisphere in late April with a memorable family reunion trip that took us through Calgary and Boulder, Colorado to spend time with my three brothers and Dad. As a business owner, even personal trips are never entirely personal. It was in Calgary I met with Moody’s Tax, the world’s largest US expatriation firm and learned more of their capabilities. Presently, I’m here in Minneapolis, MN making our way through our annual summer US trip, reconnecting with family and a number of our US-based clients and professional contacts along the way.
Back home in Australia, Easter was spent at Cabarita Beach on the NSW coast — a beautiful stretch of coastline that is much less developed than many other parts of the Gold or Sunshine Coast’s. I made it a base camp for some serious training ahead of the Tour de Brisbane. Q2 is always the peak of my cycling calendar, with the TdB, the MND and Me Valley Velo gravel ride, and the MS Brissie to the Bay all stacking up in quick succession. The Tour de Brisbane went very well — where I set a PB and qualified for the UCI World Championships once again. I treated both the Valley Velo and the MS Brissie to the Bay as training blocks rather than races proper. The reason? All roads this quarter have been pointing toward the real highlight of the cycling year: the Oregon Trail Gravel Grinder, which kicks off next week in Bend, OR. Five days, roughly 100km per day, through the high desert and mountains around Bend. I’ll be doing the OTGG as a ‘Settler’ and not a ‘Pioneer’ meaning touring, not racing. My goal this year is straightforward: finish upright, and avoid the broken bones that made last year's edition more memorable than intended. Wish me luck.
Business and Professional Updates
The second quarter marked a meaningful step forward across several fronts. Areté now serves approximately 110 client households with roughly $170M USD in assets under management — a milestone that reflects both the quality of the relationships we've built and the trust you've placed in us to manage increasingly complex cross-border situations.On the advice infrastructure side, our long-anticipated Australian capability officially went live this quarter. I am now operating through IMFG in Australia and have begun onboarding our first clients through that arrangement. Our relationship with IMFG in Australia continues to streamline how we manage cross-border wealth. This unique arrangement allows me to provide personal wealth management to wholesale clients only down under —cutting out the friction and "advice gaps" that usually happen when coordinating with separate firms overseas. We’ve developed an innovative solution that allows American tax residents (US citizens, green card holders etc) to invest in Australian holdings without fear of breaching the Passive Foreign Investment Company (PFIC) rules. In connection with that launch, I spent time in Sydney with the IMFG team in early May— an important step in strengthening what is a genuinely differentiated capability: the ability to provide coordinated, integrated advice on both sides of the Pacific under one relationship.
I was also formally onboarded into the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) this quarter. EO gives me access to a peer network of high-calibre entrepreneurs and learning opportunities from around the world — a group I expect will provide valuable perspective on business strategy, firm-building, and best practices as Areté continues to grow.
Finally, after running a due diligence process, I'm pleased to have added a significant new specialist to our professional services network. Meghan Warren of Burke Lawyers is a dually qualified Estate Planner in both Australia and the United States. For our clients with cross-border estate planning needs — which is most of you — having an Australian based and suitably qualified estate planner who understands both jurisdictions is a real plus.
Warm Regards,
Ashley Murphy, CFP® GFP Fellow
Principal & Founder
Areté Wealth Strategists Australia
Minneapolis, MN, USA (leaving 7/12/26)
Q2 2026 Investment Report: Cutting Through the Macro Headwinds
After a volatile opening to the year, the second quarter turned into a story of stabilization and cautious recalibration. Markets worked hard to digest those initial macro shocks. The initial volatility surrounding the conflict in Iran definitely triggered sharp moves in energy and fuel costs, but the market has since found a steadier baseline. Here is what we are tracking closely right now: Read More Here
Q3-26 Upcoming Areté Webinars
Please keep an eye out for the registration emails closer to the date.
Q2-26 Private Client Events
Q2 2026 Private Market Update
We held our private quarterly market review to break down the exact "why" behind our recent asset management decisions. During this session, we provided direct economic and market commentary detailing how global portfolios are performing in light of current policy turmoil. We also analyzed year-to-date performance data, mapped out what to expect from the Federal Fed for the remainder of the year, and reviewed the tactical allocation adjustments we executed to keep your capital insulated.
A Quick Reminder for Private Client Sessions: If you can't make these sessions live but still want to catch the recording, please make sure to register anyway so the system automatically emails you the replay link.
As always, all presentation slides and materials from our private events are uploaded directly under the "Investments" Tab on your personal Client Notion Page.
Q2-26 Areté Webinars
How to Bring your US Retirement Accounts (e.g. 401(k), IRAs) Home to Australia in 2026
This technical session explored practical and compliant strategies for Australians returning home or already residing in Australia with US retirement accounts. We broke down the exact treatment of various US structures—including 401(k)s, traditional IRAs, and Roth accounts—under Australian tax law, alongside the severe tax and currency implications of transferring or rolling over these international funds. We also examined strategic timing considerations for repatriation given current 2026 market and exchange rate dynamics, options for consolidating these assets while maintaining dual-jurisdiction compliance, and ongoing US tax reporting obligations after your move. Key takeaways focused on identifying and avoiding common, high-cost traps—such as triggering early withdrawal penalties or double taxation—using real-world case studies and planning frameworks for effective cross-border retirement asset management. Click Here to Watch Now
Domestic Content
The Bond Market Reset Nobody Is Talking About Correctly
While most investors are still fixating on bond-market pain, this article reveals why the dramatic shift to 5% yields is actually the best news for your retirement strategy in over a decade.
Social Security’s Deepening Crisis
In just six years, the Social Security trust fund is projected to run dry—discover the staggering benefit cuts and tax hikes looming on the horizon if Congress keeps waiting.
Equities Are Celebrating, Bonds Are Worried — and AI Is Rewriting the Script
Stocks are throwing an AI party while bonds brace for the hangover—discover how this high-stakes market divide is rewriting the rules for your portfolio.
Slow Growth Ahead — But Has That Ever Actually Stopped the Markets?
Global growth is pacing toward a 60-year low, but a century of market data reveals why the headlines screaming "lean years ahead" are missing the most important piece of the puzzle.
Tariffs and Inflation: The Full Picture Through Mid-2026
Beyond the doomsday headlines, discover the surprising reality of how the historic 2025–2026 tariff shock actually reshaped inflation, industry prices, and your wallet.
International Content
Australia Is on the US Tariff List. That's Not the Whole Story.
Think US tariffs will crush Australia's economy? Look past the headlines—the real threat isn't what's on the tax list.
Access our comprehensive, unbiased financial guides here.
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