Required Minimum Distributions have a way of feeling like a rule someone else invented for someone else, right up until the year it applies to you. Then it suddenly becomes very personal, very real, and very connected to your tax bill. A good RMD review is not just about making sure a withdrawal happens. It is about making sure the withdrawal supports your cash needs, your investment strategy, and your tax planning for the year. Asking the right questions early can keep the p

Tax season is often stressful, but most of that stress comes from one factor. Scrambling. Searching. Wondering whether a form exists and hoping it does not. A smoother filing experience usually starts well before you sit down with your tax software or your preparer. Gathering documents in advance helps ensure your return is complete, accurate, and not delayed by a missing form that arrives after you thought you were finished. Rather than thinking about this as a checklist you

The start of a new year often prompts reflection. Suddenly, we are optimistic, organized, and confident that this will be the year we finally use that budgeting app we downloaded three phones ago. While New Year’s resolutions usually focus on health or productivity, January is also an ideal time to take a thoughtful look at your finances. Not a dramatic overhaul. No drastic moves. Just a clear-eyed review to make sure your plan still fits your life. Think of it as a financial

If you’ve ever stared at your tax return and wondered if it was written in runes, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) won’t fix that, but it does change a lot, starting with the 2025 tax year. Here’s what matters for planning, with the key years and income limits spelled out. Retirees and Near-Retirees Starting in 2025, there’s a new senior deduction of $6,000 per eligible person. It phases out starting at $75,000 of modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) for single filers