Mission Street Wealth Pasadena Archive

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…
Read More

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…
Read More

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…
Read More

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…
Read More

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…
Read More

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…
Read More

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….
Read More

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…
Read More

RSUs vs. Stock Options: Which Type of Equity Compensation Are You Getting (And Why It Matters)

At 56, David thought he understood his compensation package from the technology company where he’d worked for eight years. He knew he had “stock stuff” that vested over time, and he’d been told it was valuable. But when he sat down to review his…
Read More

Social Security 2026: What the 2.8% COLA and New Earnings Limits Mean for Your Retirement Income

When Maria and Tom walked into our Pasadena office last month, they had the same question we hear from many couples approaching retirement: “Should we claim Social Security now, or wait?” Maria, 64, was considering early retirement from her consulting work, while Tom, 67,…
Read More
Skip to content