Blog
Articles
Plain-language explanations of life insurance, taxes, long-term care and retirement income.
How Much Life Insurance Does Your Family Really Need?
Ask most people how much life insurance they carry and you'll get one of three answers: "whatever I get through work," "ten times my salary, I think," or "I'm not sure."
Will Medicare Pay for My Long-Term Care if I Need it?
One of the most persistent—and costly—misunderstandings in retirement planning is this belief:
How Will You Save for a Child or Grandchild’s Uncertain Future?
College may or may not happen. Career paths are less linear. Taxes are likely higher. And flexibility matters more than ever.
Achieving Financial Freedom: A Comprehensive Guide
In today’s fast-paced world, achieving financial freedom is more than just a dream—it’s a necessity for long-term stability and quality of life. Modern challenges such as…
What’s the Biggest Mistake People Make w/ Indexed Universal Life?
Disclosure: I'm a fan of Indexed Universal Life Insurance (IUL) policies, and of course I sell them as a licensed insurance agent.
Your Network Has Redundancy — Shouldn’t Your Income Stream?
If you’re a tech professional, you already know that risk mitigation is second nature in your world. You build redundancies, deploy firewalls, monitor uptime, and have failover…
What’s in Your Tax-Free Retirement Bucket?
If you’re like most high earners, your retirement savings strategy probably looks something like this: max out the 401(k), maybe throw money into an IRA, and then let the…
Where Are Your Emergency Funds?
Life is unpredictable. A medical bill, job loss, home repair, or family crisis can hit without warning. The question is: where will the money come from when it does?
What’s a Volatility Buffer—and Why You Need One Now
When you’re saving for retirement, the ups and downs of the stock market feel like something you can ride out. You’ve got time. But once you need to start living off your…
From Setback to Catch-Up: A Smarter Path Than Roth IRAs
If you’re a successful tech professional, chances are you’ve heard Roth IRAs pitched as the “no-brainer” retirement account: tax-free growth, tax-free withdrawals, and no…
Long-Term Care (LTC) Insurance – How Do the Plans Differ?
This article will give you some basic insight as to how insurance companies pay out benefits, and how that may affect your buying decision. In some cases, people are willing to…
Financial Roadmap Webinar - 4/24/25
Where are you now?
Tax Efficient Roth Conversions?
If you are over the 59.5 age threshold and are looking to convert some of your IRA funds to Roth, you may be interested in one I found that also saved about 70% on the taxes!
Accumulation vs. Distribution - Plan Wisely
Retirement savings has two key stages: building it up (accumulation) and spending it down (distribution). While they’re different, they’re closely connected and need their own…
Received a data breach lately?
In the last couple of months I've received three separate reports of my personal data being leaked to some hacker. The exposed data was very detailed and personal. You know,…
Retirement Risk: Sequence of Returns
Understanding the "Order of Returns", or "Sequence of Returns" Risk in Retirement
5 Strategies to Unlock Tax Savings When Selling Real Estate
When selling property or any asset, taxes can significantly impact your profits, leaving you with a smaller return than anticipated. However, there are effective strategies…
Honoring Sacrifice: Remembering the Importance of Memorial Day
As the summer season ushers in sunshine, barbecues, and time spent with loved ones, it is helpful to pause and reflect on the true meaning of Memorial Day. This solemn holiday…
What's Next? Recovery or Recession?
If you're keeping tabs on the economy, you might be wondering how likely it is that we'll see a recession this year. Well, many folks out there are saying that a recession in…
Manage Your Money Like a Boss
The old adage is, "if you don't tell your money where to go, you end up wondering where all your money went!"
Annuities - Creating Your Own Pension!
In the current environment of bank failures and market downturns, non-variable annuities offer guaranteed returns and protection. For those in the retirement "red-zone", these…
Bridge Tolls & Capital Gains Taxes??
Bridge tolls are usage taxes. You pay the toll when you use it. Seems fair.
Bloomberg Post: Waze To Wealth
Waze to Wealth announced in this posting on Bloomberg:
Are Taxes Complicated? Uh, Yes!
This video highlights why many of us are stumped or just plain worn out by the complication of taxes, and why you just might need a professional to assist you.
Wow! Thanks For Your Recommendation
For several years my husband and I had been saying we needed to meet with a financial advisor to plan for retirement. Several friends had recommended individuals that they had…
December 2020 Changes to IRS Section 7702
Congress included a small change to IRS section 7702 in the Dec 2020 budget bill. The change affects the tax-favored status of Life Insurance contracts. In a nutshell,it allows…
The Fundamentals of Developing a Successful Financial Plan
Catch my interview on this episode of the SimplyAdvised Podcast, episode 7. Topics discussed include various retirement risks and how to avoid them through effective financial…
My Favorite Italian Restaurant & Why I Like Perm Life Insurance
Occasionally I find a really good restaurant. When I do, I rave about it.
Is there a financial iceberg that will sink your retirement plan?
Great plans are often thwarted by unexpected events. Our collective COVID-19 experiences clearly illustrate this principle.
Is Creating Your Own Tax-Free Pension Possible?
The nature of employment in the SF Bay Area has led to quite a bit of mobility. Start-ups come and go; and for those who want significant pay increases, they often come to…
Why Buy Long-Term Care Insurance?
Are you risking your retirement assets by not having Long-Term Care insurance? When health care related expenses occur in retirement, the extra income taken from existing…