Trump Accounts: What Grandparents Should Know About the New Retirement Savings Option for Kids
If you have been hearing about “Trump Accounts” lately and wondering whether they might be a good tool for your grandchildren, you are not alone. Clients have been asking me about these since the legislation passed, and it is a fair question. There is a genuine opportunity here, but also real complexity, especially for families […]
Your 60s Financial Checklist: How to Retire Early, Confidently, and on Your Own Terms
Your 60s are not a countdown to retirement. They are the decade when everything you have built starts to come into focus, and the decisions you make now will shape what the next 20 or 30 years actually look like. In more than 35 years of working with pre-retirees and retirees in Pasadena, I have […]
Equity Compensation at 50+: Strategic Moves for Late-Career Tech Professionals
If you’re in your 50s or 60s working at a tech company in Southern California, you’ve likely accumulated a complex web of stock options, RSUs, and perhaps even ESPP shares. You’re also probably closer to retirement than you’d like to admit. The question I hear most often from late-career tech professionals in Pasadena: “What do […]
The Two RMD Trap: Why Delaying Your First Distribution Could Cost You Thousands
Picture this: You just turned 73, and you’re finally facing your first required minimum distribution. You’ve heard you can delay it until April 1st of the following year, so you decide to wait. Smart move, right? Not so fast. That delay could mean taking two RMDs in one year and pushing yourself into a higher […]
Your Financial Fire Drill: Why Pasadena Retirees Should Prepare Before the Market Alarm Sounds
Most of us remember fire drills from elementary school. The alarm would sound, and without thinking too hard, we’d line up, walk calmly to the exit, and gather outside. No panic. No chaos. Just a practiced response to a stressful situation, because someone had the foresight to prepare us before the emergency happened. That preparation […]
The Hidden Tax Time Bomb in Your RSU Grants: California Edition
When I sit down with tech professionals and engineers here in Pasadena, the conversation about Restricted Stock Units often starts the same way: “My RSUs are vesting, and I’m excited about the extra income.” Then I ask, “Do you understand how much tax you’ll owe when they vest?” The silence that follows tells me everything […]
The Fear of Running Out of Money Is Real – And It’s Changing How Pasadena Retirees Plan
Sixty-four percent of Americans say they are more afraid of running out of money than they are of dying. Let that sink in for a moment. That striking finding comes from the 2025 Retirement Survey published by the Allianz Center for Retirement Studies. And if you’re a pre-retiree or retiree in the Pasadena area, chances […]
Before Tax Day: 5 Strategic Moves California Retirees Should Make Before April 15th
The countdown to Tax Day is on, and if you’re like many retirees I work with here in Pasadena, you might be thinking it’s too late to do anything meaningful about your 2025 tax bill. Here’s the good news: April 15th isn’t just a deadline; it’s also an opportunity. Several important tax planning moves for […]
Avoid These 5 Equity Compensation Mistakes at Tax Time
When David, a software engineer at a Pasadena tech firm, sat down with his tax preparer last April, he expected a modest refund. Instead, he owed $47,000. The shock wasn’t just the amount but the fact that he had no idea it was coming. “I have RSUs that vest quarterly,” David explained when he called […]
Medicare Premium Surprises: How IRMAA Could Cost You Thousands (And How to Plan Around It)
When Robert called our Pasadena office last spring, he was frustrated and confused. He’d just received a letter from Social Security informing him that his Medicare Part B premium would be $594 per month, instead of the standard $185 he expected. That’s an extra $4,908 per year. The culprit? Something called IRMAA that he’d never […]