Annual Newsletter 2026

Our clients and friends of the firm know how much we enjoy hosting events. They’re a fun way to connect beyond the office and enjoy good conversation, good food, and maybe a bit of wine. This year, we hosted two great events and sponsored another:

In March, we enjoyed a fantastic evening at Jimmy’s Jazz Club in Portsmouth. Clients joined us in a cozy, private space to enjoy delicious food and refreshing drinks, all while listening to the talented Sam Greenfield and his band. Their lively mix of jazz, pop, and funk created the perfect atmosphere, keeping everyone entertained all night. It was a memorable evening filled with great music, conversation, and plenty of laughter.

For the second summer in a row, we enjoyed a beautiful August evening at Hadlock Field for a Portland Sea Dogs game! Many clients and friends joined us with their families for a night of baseball, ballpark hot dogs, and, of course, the famous Sea Dogs Biscuits. It was a great chance to relax, catch up, and make some fun memories together.

New this year, we had the pleasure of sponsoring the New Hampshire Film Festival in October! While it wasn’t a typical “client event,” we were able to provide access passes to daily screenings and special events across all the festival venues. Clients had a fantastic time enjoying films, mingling, and experiencing the excitement of the festival firsthand.

Events for 2026 are in the works. So, if you were unable to join us last year, we hope to see you at a future outing!

Readers of our weekly newsletter, Financial Advisor Insights, know that 2025 brought an abundance of financial data—and at times, a lack of it—to analyze. Our investment committee, made up of all the firm’s financial advisors, has been hard at work reviewing this information to ensure our clients’ portfolios remain thoughtfully and strategically allocated.
2025 proved to be another rewarding year for investors, though it wasn’t without its challenges. The US stock market once again rewarded those who stayed the course
12/31/25, 12:58 PM Email from Robinson Smith Wealth Advisors, LLC
despite major political news and economic uncertainty, much of it driven by new tariff policies. Developed international stock markets were an even bigger bright spot, outperforming domestic markets by a notable margin. Bonds also contributed meaningfully, providing both income and stability to portfolios.

Our investment committee spends a great deal of time reviewing economic and market data, and to support that work we rely heavily on robust analytics tools. This year, we decided to upgrade our technology and transition to a new provider—YCharts.

YCharts is a leading investment analytics platform that helps us monitor market trends, evaluate client portfolios, and assess investment performance. You’ve likely already seen some of its charts and visuals featured in our weekly newsletter.

Tax Law Updates

What would a year be without a few tax law changes? The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed in July, introduced several updates that our team has been reviewing to understand how they may affect clients—both positively and negatively—and whether any planning recommendations should be adjusted as a result.
In addition, the SECURE Act 2.0, passed at the end of 2022, includes provisions that continue to roll out in 2025 and beyond, bringing further changes to retirement plans that we are actively monitoring.

Cyber Security Resources

As risks around fraud and cybercrime continue to rise, we’ve launched a new initiative to help our clients stay safe in an ever-evolving scam landscape. We’ve already introduced several new resources, including a monthly “Cyber Security Strategy Corner” in our newsletter, new cyber security focused articles on our website (RSWA Blog - Cyber Security)
, and a dedicated folder in client portals where we’ll share tips and guidance to help you stay protected and informed.

Improved Client Portal

We are excited to share an updated look and new features are coming to the RSWA Client Portal. Based on your feedback, we’ve enhanced the portfolio and account-level views and added helpful filtering options. The design mirrors your meeting agenda, so it should feel familiar and easy to navigate.
The new portal experience will go live at the start of the year. If you prefer a simpler layout, we also offer a streamlined version—just let your advisor know and we’ll make the switch for you.

Kjersti Conway earns FPQP® Designation!

The Financial Paraplanner Qualified Professional℠ designation provides a strong foundation in personal financial planning and equips professionals with practical, real-world skills to better support clients. The program covers key areas such as cash management, insurance, investments, retirement planning, and estate planning. - College for Financial Planning
We’re proud of Kjersti’s hard work and dedication to expanding her expertise. This is a great milestone in her professional growth.

Congrats, Kjersti!

Kjersti earning her FPQP® designation is a great example of our team’s commitment to continuous improvement and growth. Our team now proudly holds 10 highly regarded professional designations, including CERTIFIEDFINANCIAL PLANNER® (CFP®), Certified Private Wealth Advisor® (CPWA®),Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®), and Retirement Management Advisor® (RMA®). These credentials deepen our expertise across planning.

Wealth Management - Gold Medal   Financial Planning - Gold Medal

RSWA is honored to have earned Gold Medals in both Wealth Management and Financial Planning in this year’s Best of 207 awards. Being recognized by the public for the third year in a row is truly humbling, and we are deeply grateful for the trust our clients and professional partners place in us. Your support allows us to continue doing the work we love, and our commitment to excellence and continuous improvement remains unwavering. Thank you to everyone who voted for us!

Exciting things happened for the RSWA team outside of work too!

• For David, it was another full and memorable year centered around his family. In June, David and his wife, Wendi, helped their youngest son, Jonah, move out of his college apartment in Edinburgh. Since they were already “close by,” they took the opportunity to explore a bit more, adding side trips to Oban, Scotland, and Dublin, Ireland. In Dublin, their son Alexander joined them, and the family fully embraced the Irish experience, from touring the Guinness factory (pictured) to visiting Kilmainham Gaol. The prison tour was deeply moving and powerful, providing insight into Ireland’s fight for independence.
  
  In September, David took part in the final memorial golf tournament he had been involved with over the past five years. It was a bittersweet conclusion, but an incredibly meaningful and satisfying one, as more than $750,000 was raised to support scholarships at the University of Cincinnati.

• For Tracey, 2025 was a busy but fun year. It started in January with the annual trip to Sarasota to see clients and escape the cold for just a bit. Then in February, Tracey and her husband, Fred, moved a whole mile, from one side of the family farm to the other. She and Fred moved into a house that has been home to four generations of the family. In the process of making the home theirs, they painted, built a rec room, laid a new patio, put in a new septic system, and added solar panels on the barn. And Tracey is enjoying having a new landscape to photograph.
  
  In July to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary, Tracey and Fred went with their children and their partners on a cruise to Bermuda. Fun was had by all, and family pictures were taken!
  
  Professionally, Tracey remains very grateful for the team at RSWA and the amazing clients that make her work so rewarding. She also continues to serve on the board of Making it Home and is thankful for the people that are involved in this great non-profit.
  
  
• Greg crossed the 12-year mark with the firm in 2025. His son Joshua is in the 6thgrade at Holy Cross School in South Portland, and after winning his class spelling bee the past 2 years, is hoping to be part of the Cumberland County spelling bee challenge this year. He was also a hit with the girls at his first school dance. A half-season ticket holder to the Maine Mariners again this year, Greg and Joshua are looking forward to cheering the team on this winter, in hopes of a deeper playoff run than last year.
  

• 2025 was another year of adventures for
  Wendi and the Smith family. As always, their three boys kept them busy traveling and enjoying time together. Leo joined them on some trips, and for others he spent time at Grammy’s house 😊. Coordinating time together has become more challenging as they navigate everyone’s work schedules.
  In early August, Wendi enjoyed a relaxing stay with David and their oldest and youngest sons at the Hotel Coronado on Coronado Island—everything one could dream. They stayed right on the beach, overlooking the water, with long sunny days, gorgeous sunsets, and great food. The family tried their hand at surfing, dined at the Asian restaurant Nobu, learned about a chirori pot used to keep sake cold (Santa got the memo!), and, of course, took a quick trip up to La Jolla to see the sea lions.
  At home, Wendi is proud to report that she successfully added dahlias to the garden. Fellow gardeners know how temperamental they can be. Living in New England, she gardens by the principle of hardy and independent—so while the dahlias were dug up, only time will tell what next summer brings.😊
  
  
  
• For Donovan, 2025 will be very hard to top. The year started off with a bang when he and his wife, Hanna, welcomed their son, Miles, on January 18th. The weeks and months that followed were mostly spent figuring out how to keep a brand-new human alive. Travel took a bit of a back seat this year, but Donovan still managed to squeeze in a few trips, including visits to Philadelphia, Blacksburg, Virginia, to see his sister at Virginia Tech, and several trips to Indiana to spend time with family. Closer to home, the family took advantage of shorter trips around New England, checking out a few spots they hadn’t yet explored. Any free time Donovan managed to find was largely spent running. He joined the Seacoast Track Club and raced roughly a dozen times throughout the year, including the Maine Coast Marathon in early May, bringing his total marathon count up to nine. Lastly, in April, Donovan joined Tracey and David as an equity owner in RSWA. He feels incredibly grateful to be part of such a great team, work with amazing clients, and is excited for what the future holds at RSWA.

• Gerrit and his wife, Katie, added to their personal flock this year with the addition of their daughter, Ottilie (Ottie). This addition brought some changes to Gerrit’s reading, going from ‘The Economist’ magazine to ‘Little Blue Truck’ and ‘Gossie & Gertie’ (‘The Economist’ will still be snuck in from time to time with Ottie). It was another year of juggling home projects, and normal routines (and sleep) were interrupted. The chickens even added to their own flock, with hens hatching their very own chicks for the first time.
  Gerrit and Katie spent multiple weekends in Rangeley, ME: reading, cross-country skiing, and hiking. A trip to Eastport this summer tested the boundaries of how long they could survive a car ride. Gerrit continued to try to add to his cooking skills, experimenting with new ingredients and different regions, focusing on sustainable fish and seafood. Gerrit continues to volunteer with the Town of Monmouth through their Economic Development and Trail Committees. It was a year spent with family and friends, enjoying the new memories made.
  
  
• Wes made it through his first winter in Maine. While spending his first 13months renting an apartment on the west end of Portland, he bought a home in Westbrook back in August. He is enjoying the quietness of Westbrook and getting acquainted with some of the local fare, one of his favorites being a Westbrook staple for over 50 years –Casa Novello.
  
  Some 2025 travels: Wes and his mom spent 10 days in Greece and Italy back at the end of April/first of May. There were special memories made, one of his favorites was taking part in a homemade pizza making class at a centuries-old farm outside of Sorrento. Additionally, the scenery in both Italy and Greece are breathtaking.
  
  He spent Thanksgiving week back in his hometown of Maryville, TN. He was grateful to be able to spend the holiday with his family.
  
  
• 2025 has been a milestone year for
  Kjersti! She proudly celebrated her one-year anniversary at the firm and took an exciting next step in her career by beginning her studies for the CFP exam. The year also included a few memorable trips, including a special family trip to Colorado to visit her sister Hannah—highlighted by amazing hikes in the Rocky Mountains. She also enjoyed many trips to Vermont, spending quality time with her mom, dad, and grandparents. She is a proud pet mom to her cat Stevie. Kjersti is still living in Biddeford with her older sister, Maia, and loving everything Maine has to offer. And when she’s not there, she’s often just 25 minutes north, with her oldest sister, Annika, and her favorite (and only) nephew, Teddy.
  
  

We appreciate you being a part of our year. As always, best wishes for health, happiness, (and some wealth), in the new year!

Thank you!

David, Tracey, Donovan, Gerrit, Wes, Kjersti, Greg, and Wendi