To Our Stakeholders,

Each year, this letter gives us space to pause, reflect, and realign our hearts before pressing forward. It is never written lightly. It is written with gratitude, humility, and a deep awareness of the trust you place in us.

As I reflect on 2025, one word rises above all others: pruning.

Pruning is never easy. It is often uncomfortable, sometimes painful, and rarely visible to others. Yet pruning is essential for healthy growth. It removes what no longer serves, strengthens what remains, and prepares the ground for future fruit. This past year was exactly that. A year not of retreat, but of refinement. Not of stagnation, but of preparation.

At Insight Folios, we believe God prunes what He intends to grow.

Throughout 2025, we saw God’s hand at work, even in moments that stretched us. Personally, ongoing health challenges reminded me daily that this company is not built on my strength. It is sustained by God’s faithfulness. Professionally, we navigated organizational growth, leadership transitions, and deliberate restraint. Each moment reinforced a simple truth: meaningful, lasting impact requires patience, conviction, and trust.

Still Day 1

Even as Insight Folios continues to grow, we remain firmly convinced that it is still Day 1.

We have never lacked ideas. Reinvention is part of our DNA. But we refuse to ship for the sake of speed or adopt change without discernment. In 2025, some initiatives moved more slowly than anticipated, not because of hesitation, but because we are committed to building things the right way. Strong foundations matter more than fast headlines.

That patience is about to bear fruit.

We are just getting started with what this company can become and how deeply it can impact the lives of the people we serve.

Complacency, for a firm like ours, would mean standing still while the world changes around us. Technology, artificial intelligence, and client expectations are evolving rapidly. We do not believe in chasing every trend, nor do we believe in resisting change out of fear. Instead, we choose conviction. We grow in knowledge, sharpen our tools, and meet clients where they are with what they truly need.

A Long-Term Bet on People and Purpose

One of the most significant long-term decisions we made in 2025 was expanding and strengthening our technology team. This investment may not show immediate results, but it has fundamentally changed our capacity as an organization. We are now more agile, more capable, and better positioned to deliver tools that create clarity, confidence, and peace for our clients.

Chief among those efforts is TaxMap.

Much like Simplicitree reshaped how we think about investing and income, TaxMap is redefining how we plan for taxes. It is already changing the way we see the relationship between income, planning, and legacy. While its broader impact will unfold in the years ahead, early feedback has been profound. We believe TaxMap will not only serve our current clients, but future generations as well.

This is work we believe stakeholders will one day look back on with gratitude.

Clients at the Center

In 2025, a client shared something with me that I will never forget. They said it had been a privilege to watch us grow. When we first worked together, taxes were not a central part of our conversations. Today, we are leading thoughtfully and intentionally in that space, with tools and strategies that will impact their family for generations. They thanked us not just for what we built, but for who we became.

That moment reminded me exactly why we do what we do.

Early in 2025, global markets experienced sharp volatility following significant tariff changes. The market declined roughly 20 percent. While our clients were largely protected financially through income-focused strategies, emotions still surfaced. This is an important reminder. Numbers may be logical, but people are emotional. Our responsibility is to steward both.

We do not simply manage portfolios. We walk alongside families. We help provide peace of mind in uncertain moments and clarity when headlines feel overwhelming.

If a client were to read this letter aloud to their spouse, my hope is simple: that they would say they love working with this company and would not want to work with anyone else.

A Maturing Culture

One of the most encouraging developments in 2025 was the growth of our team. As we added new members, we also saw increased ownership, collaboration, and leadership emerge across the organization. Ideas are no longer centralized. Team members are training others, launching initiatives, and shaping how we serve clients and advisors.

This is a sign of health.

Cross-training, shared responsibility, and freedom to lead have strengthened our culture. What makes me most proud is not what we accomplished, but who we are becoming. Insight Folios is increasingly a place where leaders are built, trust is extended, and servant leadership is practiced daily.

Technology With Guardrails

Technology did not dramatically change the client experience in 2025. That was intentional.

We chose to slow down. We chose caution. We chose stability.

Artificial intelligence and automation hold tremendous promise, but they must be implemented thoughtfully. We are committed to using technology to deepen understanding, not overwhelm with data. Simplicitree remains the bedrock of our philosophy, and new tools are being designed to complement it, not replace it.

Our guardrails are clear. Technology serves people. People do not serve technology. Personal connection is non-negotiable. Clients remain at the center of everything we build.

Faith, Calling, and Responsibility

My faith influences every decision I make, though I do not use it as a crutch. It informs conviction. It shapes responsibility. It grounds perspective.

Each month, I intentionally spend time in solitude, praying over our clients, our employees, and the direction of this company. Our goal has never been to simply build a successful business. Our goal is to build something meaningful, something worthy of the trust placed in us.

Philippians 2:3–4 remains our foundation. It is not decorative. It is operational. It defines our fiduciary responsibility and our posture of humility.

We carry more than money. We carry trust. That responsibility is sacred.

As the company grows, I guard against pride by staying grounded, surrounding myself with trusted people, and remembering that leadership is about service, not control. Success has never been about money. Today, more than ever, success means impact.

Looking Ahead to 2026

As we enter 2026, we do so with excitement and resolve.

We anticipate faster, more reliable delivery of technology. We see the potential for deeper tax impact than ever before. We believe technology will allow us to grow closer to clients, not farther away. 2025 was a year of pruning. 2026 will reveal the fruit.

We believe God is preparing this company for growth and for a deeper industry impact, not just in what we build, but in how people are served. The effects of the unseen work done in 2025 will begin to show themselves in the years ahead.

Our promise to you is simple. We will stay grounded. We will act with intentionality. We will manage with excellence. And we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our clients.

With Gratitude

To those who have been with us since the early days, thank you. Thank you for trusting us, for growing alongside us, and for allowing us to do the work we love. Without you, Insight Folios would not exist.

To those who joined us this year, welcome. While our history together is shorter, our commitment to you is no less meaningful.

When this letter is read years from now, I hope it reveals a simple truth. That this company was never driven by money. That it existed for a greater purpose. And that it relentlessly pursued impact that extended beyond numbers, beyond markets, and into the lives and generations of the people we serve.

Thank you for being part of the Insight Folios family.

With gratitude and anticipation,

Paul Durso
Founder
Insight Folios