Financial Planning
Articles and Insights
Changing Employers? Your Retirement Account Is Only One Part of the Transition
Changing employers affects more than an old retirement account. Vesting, health coverage, retirement contributions, and payroll withholding can all change on different timelines—and the most important issue may be the one that is easiest to overlook.
Your 401(k) Is Not Your Retirement Plan
Retirement Planning A 401(k) is a retirement plan in the legal sense. It's an account with rules about contributions, investments, and withdrawals. What it isn't is a plan for...
Is Your Tax Plan Still Based on the Income You Expected in January?
A tax projection can be mathematically correct and still be irrelevant when its assumptions are outdated. Before year-end, revisit income, withholding, and estimated payments using what actually happened—not what you expected in January.
Age 50+? Your Catch-Up Contribution May Work Differently This Year
Employees age 50 and older may face different catch-up contribution rules in 2026. See how age, prior-year FICA wages, Roth requirements, and plan provisions can affect the amount and tax treatment of additional retirement-plan contributions.
Are You Actually on Track to Max Out Your Retirement Plans?
A retirement-plan contribution percentage does not guarantee the year-end result. Learn how year-to-date contributions, remaining payrolls, and employer plan rules can affect whether you are actually on track.
Your Benefits Enrollment Is a Financial Planning Decision
Open enrollment decisions can affect more than your health insurance. See how HSA/FSA choices, insurance, taxes, cash flow, and other benefits can interact with your broader financial plan.
The Financial Plan You Never Followed
Case #010 • Financial Decision Follow-Through Why This Matters It is common to agree with a piece of financial advice, intend to act on it, and never fully carry it out. A...
What Are You Agreeing To When You Sign an Advisory Agreement?
Case #009 • Advisory Relationship Decisions Why This Matters An advisory agreement usually arrives at the end of a process that already feels decided. Conversations have...
When Does a Roth Conversion Actually Make Sense?
Case #008 • Roth Conversion Decisions Why This Matters A lower-income year can make a Roth conversion look especially attractive. The current tax rate is visible, and the...
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