Estimating Your Retirement Income Needs

by Julie Long | Oct 8, 2026 | General, Income, Retirement Planning, Retirement Savings, Retirement Strategy

You know how important it is to plan for your retirement, but where do you begin? One of your first steps should be to estimate how much income you’ll need to fund your retirement. That’s not as easy as it sounds, because retirement planning is not an...

HSAs: A Triple-Tax Perk with Short and Long Term Benefits

by Julie Long | Sep 24, 2026 | General, Health Savings Accounts, HSA Benefits, Retirement Planning, Tax Planning

A health savings account (HSA) is one of the most powerful savings and investment vehicles available to individuals and families; however, in order to take advantage of one, you must be enrolled in a qualified high-deductible health plan (HDHP). According to health...

Evaluating Plan Proposals: Look Beyond the Total Cost

by Julie Long | Sep 17, 2026 | Financial Planning, General, Investment, Retirement Planning

  For retirement plan sponsors, fee benchmarking can seem deceptively simple. Put provider A next to provider B, compare the numbers, and identify the lower-cost option. In reality, it rarely works that way. One of the biggest obstacles in evaluating plan fees is...

Qualifying Small Business Stock Rule

by Julie Long | Sep 10, 2026 | Financial Planning, General, Small Business, Stocks, Tax, Tax Planning

  What is qualified small business stock? Qualified small business stock is a type of tax-favored investment in certain small businesses. Section 1202 of the Internal Revenue Code allows a taxpayer other than a corporation to exclude some or all of the gain from...

401(k) Day Helps Workers Understand Their Retirement Plan

by Julie Long | Sep 3, 2026 | 401k, 401K Planning, Financial Planning, General, Retirement

  Each year following Labor Day, the Plan Sponsor Council of America (PSCA) observes 401(k) Day to remind workers of the benefits of saving and investing through a 401(k) plan and to provide employers with related educational resources. This year marks the 30th...

Making It Make Sense: The Roth 5-Year Rule

by Julie Long | Aug 27, 2026 | 401k, Financial Planning, General, Retirement, Roth, Roth IRA, Tax Planning

  The Roth five-year rule states that a distribution from a Roth IRA or Roth 401(k) is tax and penalty free only if the account has been held for five years and a qualifying event has occurred. Qualifying events include reaching age 59½, becoming disabled, and...