Wedbush Announces Departure of Dan Ives to new Venture; Remains Committed to its Global Technology Banking and Research Platform
Pasadena, CA – July 1, 2026 – Wedbush today announced that Dan Ives, MD, Global Head of Technology Research, has departed the firm to establish a new investment banking venture. “Dan has been an exceptional team member of Wedbush, helping bring our firm valuable prominence and expertise in the technology equity markets. We are grateful for his eight years of contributions. It’s a natural step for Dan to seize an entrepreneurial opportunity and I wish him success and look forward to future partnerships with his new venture,” said Gary Wedbush, President and CEO of Wedbush. “Most importantly, I’m proud that Wedbush offers a unique culture and modern platform where distinctive talents like Dan can develop their voice and build their individual brand. This is where Wedbush differentiates itself from the rest of the crowd and is central to how we will operate and grow our businesses.” This transition will mark the next phase of growth for the firm’s technology research and investment banking franchise. Wedbush is committed to continued world-class global sector expertise and a client-centric service focused on delivering proprietary, high-quality research and advisory services. “We remain committed to relentless client service and see this as an opportunity to further build on our long-standing technology research and award-winning team,” added Seth Basham, Director of Equity Research. Wedbush Fund Advisers will continue to manage the successful IVES and IVEP ETFs without interruption ensuring continuity for clients and investment partners. About Wedbush Securities Wedbush Securities is the largest subsidiary of Wedbush Financial Services. Since its founding in 1955, Wedbush is widely known for providing our clients, both private and institutional, with a wide range of securities brokerage, clearing, wealth management, and investment banking services. Headquartered in Pasadena, California, the firm focuses on client service and financial safety, innovation, and the utilization of advanced technology. Securities and Investment Advisory services are offered through Wedbush Securities Inc. Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC. Media Inquiries: Serina Molano [email protected] 213-688-4564
Getting Ahead of Open Enrollment: What to Review Before Fall 📋
Medicare’s Annual Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, but the decisions made during that 54-day window require preparation that begins well before it opens. For retirees and those approaching Medicare eligibility, July is a practical starting point: close enough to the enrollment period to be relevant, and far enough away to review options without the pressure of an imminent deadline. The stakes are higher than many enrollees realize. Premiums, drug formularies, provider networks, and out-of-pocket costs all shift from year to year. According to KFF, roughly 70% of Medicare Advantage enrollees have access to a lower-premium plan offering similar benefits, but do not switch during Open Enrollment, often simply because they did not compare.¹ Auto-renewal is the default. It is also, for many people, the most expensive option. What Open Enrollment Allows During the October 15 through December 7 window, Medicare beneficiaries can make changes that take effect January 1, 2027. This includes switching between Original Medicare and Medicare Advantage, changing standalone Part D prescription drug plans, or moving from one Medicare Advantage plan to another. It is the primary opportunity of the year to make these changes outside of a Special Enrollment Period.² One significant update worth knowing for 2026: the Inflation Reduction Act introduced a $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs under Medicare Part D, replacing the previous coverage gap structure known as the “donut hole.” For enrollees with high drug costs, this change meaningfully alters the value calculation across Part D plans and warrants a fresh comparison even if coverage has felt adequate in prior years.³ Understanding IRMAA: The Income-Medicare Premium Connection For higher-income retirees, Medicare planning intersects directly with income planning in a way that surprises many people. The Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount, known as IRMAA, is a surcharge added to Medicare Part B and Part D premiums for beneficiaries whose income exceeds certain thresholds. In 2026, the surcharge applies to individuals with Modified Adjusted Gross Income above $109,000 and married couples above $218,000.⁴ The critical detail is the two-year lookback. Your 2026 Medicare premiums are based on your 2024 tax return. Your 2027 premiums will be based on your 2025 return, meaning that income decisions made last year are already determining what you pay for Medicare today, and the income decisions you make this year will affect your 2028 premiums.⁵ IRMAA is also a cliff surcharge: crossing an income threshold by a single dollar triggers the full surcharge for the entire bracket, not just on the excess. For a married couple, the difference between staying below a threshold and crossing it can amount to thousands of dollars in additional annual premiums. Events that commonly trigger an unexpected IRMAA surcharge include Roth conversions, large IRA distributions, capital gains realizations, and the sale of a home or business.⁶ This is precisely why withdrawal sequencing strategy is so closely linked to Medicare cost planning. The income decisions made in any given year cast a long shadow. Appealing an IRMAA Surcharge If your income has declined since the tax year used to calculate your IRMAA, whether due to retirement, the death of a spouse, divorce, or a significant reduction in work, you have the right to appeal. The Social Security Administration allows beneficiaries to request a redetermination based on more recent income, and the appeal window is generally 60 days from receiving the IRMAA notice.⁷ If your circumstances have changed meaningfully, this is worth discussing with your advisor before the window closes. What to Review Before October A productive pre-enrollment review covers several questions: Has anything changed in your health or prescription needs since last year? Are your current providers still in-network under your plan? Has your plan’s formulary changed in ways that affect your medications? And, given IRMAA’s two-year lookback, are there income planning decisions this year that could affect your 2028 Medicare premiums? The last question is the one most likely to require your financial advisor’s input. IRMAA management, withdrawal timing, and Roth conversion decisions are interconnected in ways that reward coordinated planning rather than decisions made in isolation. Bottom Line: Open Enrollment is a few months away, but the preparation that makes it useful starts now. Reviewing your coverage needs, understanding how your income affects Medicare premiums, and coordinating with your advisor before the window opens can reduce costs and prevent surprises well into 2027 and beyond. Sources: https://boldremind.com/medicare-enrollment/medicare-open-enrollment-2026/ https://www.medicare.gov/basics/get-started-with-medicare/medicare-basics/when-does-medicare-coverage-start https://boldremind.com/medicare-enrollment/medicare-open-enrollment-2026/ https://savantwealth.com/savant-views-news/article/understanding-irmaa-how-to-manage-rising-medicare-costs-in-2026/ https://thefinancebuff.com/medicare-irmaa-income-brackets.html https://openwindowfs.com/insight/what-to-know-social-security-and-medicare-irmaa https://www.humana.com/medicare/medicare-resources/irmaa Disclosure Wedbush Securities does not provide tax or legal advice. Please consult your tax or legal advisor. These materials are provided for general information and educational purposes based upon publicly available information from sources believed to be reliable — we cannot assure the accuracy or completeness of these materials. The information presented is not intended to constitute an investment recommendation for, or advice to, any specific person. The information presented here is not specific to any individual’s personal circumstances. To the extent that this material concerns tax matters, it is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by a taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by law. Each taxpayer should seek independent advice from a tax professional based on his or her individual circumstances. The information in these materials may change at any time and without notice. Third-party entities, companies, and organizations that may be referenced on this page are not affiliated with Wedbush Securities or any of its affiliates. Opinions mentioned are that of the third-party and not of Wedbush Securities, the financial adviser and/registered representative, or any of our affiliates. Investment products involve investment risks including potential loss and are not insured by any federal agency, are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed by any financial institution and may involve loss of value. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Any implementation of recommendations or investment strategies may generate fees, expenses, charges or commissions, based on the products and services. Any organization, company, individual, or third-party entity that are referenced on this page are not affiliated with Wedbush or any of its affiliates. The content on this page might not necessarily reflect the expertise of the investment professional and should be used for informational purposes only; the information provided on this page is not intended to be used as a recommendation of any kind, as it does
Making Your Retirement Income Last: A Withdrawal Strategy Review
For most working Americans, accumulating retirement savings is the primary financial focus for decades. But the moment retirement begins, the challenge shifts, and it shifts dramatically. The question is no longer how much to save, but how to turn what you have saved into reliable, tax-efficient income that lasts as long as you need it to. The order in which you draw from different types of accounts, including taxable brokerage accounts, tax-deferred accounts like traditional IRAs and 401(k)s, and tax-exempt accounts like Roth IRAs, has a meaningful and lasting impact on your tax bills, your Medicare premiums, and ultimately how long your portfolio lasts. Research from T. Rowe Price found that retirees who tailored their withdrawal strategy rather than following a conventional account-depletion approach saved $35,000 or more in federal taxes, and in some modeled cases left $106,000 more to heirs.¹ The Conventional Approach — and Its Hidden Cost The traditional guidance on retirement withdrawals goes roughly like this: spend down taxable accounts first, then tax-deferred accounts, then preserve Roth assets for last. The logic is intuitive — let tax-advantaged money compound as long as possible. The problem is that this approach, applied without flexibility, can create a significant tax problem later. If a large traditional IRA or 401(k) balance sits untouched during the early years of retirement while taxable accounts are depleted, that balance continues to grow. By the time Required Minimum Distributions begin at age 73, the account may be substantially larger than it was at retirement, producing mandatory withdrawals that push taxable income into higher brackets, increase Social Security taxation, and trigger IRMAA Medicare premium surcharges.² The issue is not the RMD itself. The issue is the compounding effect of postponing withdrawals too long. The Pre-RMD Planning Window For retirees who are no longer earning income but have not yet begun Social Security or RMDs, there is often a stretch of years, sometimes a decade or more, during which taxable income is unusually low. This window is one of the most valuable in all of retirement planning, and it is frequently underused.³ During this period, intentionally drawing from tax-deferred accounts or executing Roth conversions at favorable tax rates can meaningfully reduce future RMD pressure. Paying modest taxes today on controlled withdrawals or conversions is often far less costly than facing large, mandatory distributions later at higher rates. As Morningstar’s Director of Personal Finance Christine Benz has noted, the pre-Social Security, pre-RMD years are often the best opportunity retirees will have to reposition assets at an advantageous tax rate.⁴ A Framework for Smarter Sequencing Rather than following a rigid account-depletion order, a more effective approach coordinates withdrawals across all three account types each year based on current circumstances, from bracket position, spending needs, and projected RMDs to charitable intent. A general framework: Taxable accounts are drawn first for high-basis assets and tax-efficient holdings. Tax-deferred accounts are tapped strategically to fill lower income tax brackets, manage RMD projections, and fund spending needs before Social Security begins. Roth accounts are preserved for late-retirement flexibility, large one-time expenses, and as assets for heirs, since inherited Roth accounts remain tax-free for beneficiaries.⁵ This is not a set-it-and-forget-it plan. The right withdrawal mix changes each year as income sources, tax brackets, account balances, and spending needs evolve. The annual review process is where much of the value is created. Social Security Timing and the Income Stack One of the most consequential decisions in retirement income planning is when to begin Social Security. Delaying beyond full retirement age increases the monthly benefit by approximately 8% per year through age 70: a guaranteed, inflation-adjusted return that is difficult to replicate elsewhere.⁶ But the decision is not made in isolation. Delaying Social Security means funding early retirement years from savings, which affects how much is drawn from which accounts and in what sequence. Coordinating Social Security timing with withdrawal strategy and Roth conversion planning is exactly the kind of integrated analysis that benefits from working with a financial advisor. Bottom Line: The difference between a coordinated retirement income strategy and a conventional one can amount to tens of thousands of dollars over the course of retirement — not from taking more risk, but from drawing income more deliberately. If you have not recently reviewed the sequencing of your withdrawals, this is a valuable conversation to have with your Wedbush advisor before year-end RMD and tax planning decisions arrive. Sources: https://investormint.com/investing/retirement/tax-efficient-withdrawal-sequencing-retirement https://www.kiplinger.com/taxes/retirement-tax-traps-to-watch-this-year https://landsbergbennett.com/blogs/insights/a-tax-smart-withdrawal-strategy-for-retirees-turning-accounts-into-a-coordinated-income-plan https://www.morningstar.com/retirement/retirement-withdrawal-sequencing-rules-road https://www.troweprice.com/personal-investing/resources/insights/tax-efficient-retirement-withdrawal-strategies.html https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/agereductio Disclosure Wedbush Securities does not provide tax or legal advice. Please consult your tax or legal advisor. These materials are provided for general information and educational purposes based upon publicly available information from sources believed to be reliable. We cannot assure the accuracy or completeness of these materials. The information presented is not intended to constitute an investment recommendation for, or advice to, any specific person. The information presented here is not specific to any individual’s personal circumstances. To the extent that this material concerns tax matters, it is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, by a taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by law. Each taxpayer should seek independent advice from a tax professional based on his or her individual circumstances. The information in these materials may change at any time and without notice. Third-party entities, companies, and organizations that may be referenced on this page are not affiliated with Wedbush Securities or any of its affiliates. Opinions mentioned are that of the third-party and not of Wedbush Securities, the financial adviser and/registered representative, or any of our affiliates. Investment products involve investment risks including potential loss and are not insured by any federal agency, are not deposits or obligations of, or guaranteed by any financial institution and may involve loss of value. Past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Any implementation of recommendations or investment strategies may generate fees, expenses, charges or commissions, based on the products and services. Any organization, company, individual, or third-party entity that are referenced on this page are not affiliated with Wedbush or any of its affiliates. The content on this page might not necessarily reflect the expertise of the investment professional and should be used for informational purposes only. The information provided on this page is not intended to be used as a recommendation of any