Education
A working library on the questions we hear most from clients and prospective clients — what a trust is, when a Roth makes more sense than a Traditional, the math behind compounding, and the legal ways to keep more of what you earn. We add to this as we go.
Everything here is educational. Specific advice is what we do in the room, not on a webpage. If something below raises a question about your own situation, start a conversation.
What is a trust, and when should you consider one?
Plain-English guide to what a trust actually is, who’s involved, the common types (revocable living, ILIT, CRT, special needs, dynasty), and the situations where one usually pays for itself.
Roth vs Traditional IRA: which one (or both)?
The actual mechanics — not a fluffy overview. Decision framework, the Backdoor Roth and its pro-rata trap, the conversion ladder retirees should know about, and the mistakes that cost the most.
Legal ways to reduce your tax bill: a value-investor’s checklist
Tax efficiency is one of the few free lunches in investing — if you’re disciplined about the basics. The order of operations, the math behind tax-loss harvesting, asset location, charitable strategies, and what we don’t recommend.
The Math (and Discipline) of Compounding
A foundational white paper on why time is the investor’s greatest asset. The math, the cost of fees and tax drag, the geometric vs arithmetic distinction, and why the behavioral tax is the largest hidden cost in investing.
More pieces forthcoming — sequence-of-returns risk, safe withdrawal rates, beneficiary designations, the HSA as a stealth retirement account, and more. If there’s a question we should answer next, tell us.
What “Fiduciary” Actually Means — and Why It Matters
The legal definition (duty of loyalty, duty of care), how RIAs and brokers differ under Reg BI, the three public documents that settle the question (Form ADV, BrokerCheck, Form CRS), and what a fiduciary adviser cannot do.
Sequence-of-Returns Risk — Why the Order of Your Returns Matters in Retirement
Why two retirees with identical averages can have radically different outcomes. The retirement red zone, the four defenses (cash reserve, flexible withdrawals, equity sizing, sequence-aware income), and the difference from market risk and inflation risk.
Safe Withdrawal Rates — The 4% Rule, What It Actually Says, and Why It’s a Starting Point
Where the 4% rule came from (Bengen 1994, Trinity study), the narrow claim it actually makes, the assumptions that move the number up or down, the modern refinements (Guyton-Klinger guardrails, VPW, floor-plus-upside, funded-ratio), and how a real retirement plan uses it as one input among several.
Required Minimum Distributions — How RMDs Work, the SECURE 2.0 Changes, and the Mistakes That Cost the Most
When RMDs start under current law (73 or 75 by birth year), how the amount is calculated, the SECURE 2.0 penalty changes, and the high-leverage planning moves around them: Roth conversions in the pre-RMD window, QCDs, in-kind transfers, IRMAA coordination, and the “still working” exception.
Inherited IRAs and the 10-Year Rule — How SECURE Changed Everything
The end of the stretch IRA, the SECURE Act 10-year rule, the Eligible Designated Beneficiary carve-outs, the IRS 2024 Final Regs that resolved the annual-RMD question, inherited Roth IRAs, spousal options, see-through trusts, and the planning levers for both beneficiaries and original owners.
Social Security Claiming Strategies — When to File and the Spousal/Survivor Math
How benefits are calculated, the actuarial math of claiming at 62 vs FRA vs 70, spousal benefits and the often-decisive survivor-benefit lever, the earnings test for those still working, the tax-torpedo effect, and the eight common claiming mistakes.
The Backdoor Roth — How It Works, the Pro-Rata Trap, and When It Pays Off
The four-step mechanics of contributing to a Roth IRA when income limits exclude direct contributions, the pro-rata rule that quietly destroys the strategy for most high earners with pre-tax IRA balances, the workarounds (reverse rollover, solo 401(k), bracket-fill cleanout), and the Mega Backdoor Roth.
Beneficiary Designations — The 15-Minute Audit That Saves Your Heirs Six Figures
Why beneficiary forms override your will and trust, the five common mistakes (ex-spouse still listed, missing contingents, stale life-event updates, per-stirpes vs per-capita, unqualified trust), and the annual audit checklist that catches them.
The HSA — The Most Tax-Advantaged Account in the Code, Used as a Stealth Retirement Account
Why the HSA is the only triple-tax-advantaged account in the code, the HDHP eligibility rules, the stealth-retirement strategy of paying medical expenses out of pocket and letting the HSA compound for decades, the qualified-expense list, and the Medicare-at-65 trap.
The Case for Owning Bonds in Retirement — Why “Just Stocks” Is the Wrong Answer
The three jobs bonds do that equities can’t (volatility absorption, predictable income, capital preservation), what bonds don’t do (long-horizon inflation hedging), the kinds of bonds that work for retirees (Treasuries, ladders, TIPS, IG corporates, munis), and the bond-tent in the red zone.
Real Estate in Retirement Portfolios — REITs, Direct Ownership, 1031 Exchanges
The four ways retirees actually hold real estate (residence, REITs, direct rentals, private partnerships), what each contributes, the tax features (depreciation, 1031, step-up, §121), and the eventual exit decisions for direct rental owners.
Charitable Giving Under the New Tax Law — Bunching, DAFs, QCDs, Appreciated Stock
Why the standard-deduction era broke routine charitable giving for most households, and the four strategies that restore the tax leverage: bunching with a Donor-Advised Fund, Qualified Charitable Distributions from an IRA after 70½, gifting appreciated securities, and Charitable Remainder Trusts.
