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Ask a room of University of Michigan employees what worries them most about retirement. It usually isn't the market. It isn't taxes. It's health care. That makes sense. The retiree health benefit at the University of Michigan is genuinely good, but the rules are not intuitive. There are two cliffs and a service schedule buried in the fine print, and the retirement date you pick determines what they cost you. Here's the map. Eligible to Retire Is Not the Same as Eligible for B

Some of the best financial news arrives quietly. While national headlines focused on Washington, a Michigan law finished doing its work this year. If you're retired (or planning to be), it directly affects how much of your money stays in your pocket. A quick history lesson. From 2012 through 2022, Michigan taxed most pension and retirement account withdrawals based on the year you were born. Retirees born after 1952 got little or no deduction at all. In 2023, the Lowering MI

It Takes Eight Games to Win - Not One A few weeks ago, my family and I sat in AT&T Stadium in Texas and watched Japan and the Netherlands play to a 2–2 draw in their opening World Cup match. If you missed it, here's what happened: Japan fell behind, equalized, fell behind again, and then equalized one more time in the 88th minute. They never led for a single second of the match, but they were able to capture a point to try and move on to the knockout stage. It got me thinki

Hard to believe it's June 1st! Hope everyone enjoyed Memorial Day weekend. My kids are as excited about summer as I am... maybe more. This month I want to walk through two key events shaping 2026. Interest Rates & Mid-Terms A new Fed Chair. Kevin Warsh was sworn in as the 17th Chair of the Federal Reserve on May 22nd, replacing Jerome Powell after his term expired on May 15th. Powell led the Fed through COVID and the inflation surge that followed. He'll be remembered for call

If you're a Michigan University employee over 50 earning more than $150K, this post is for you. It's called the SECURE 2.0 Act Roth Mandate. And if you're contributing catch-up dollars to your 403(b) SRA or 457(b), it directly changes your 2026 tax bill. This one rule has generated more confused conversations than any retirement change I can remember. Here's the plain-English version. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ FIRST — KNOW YOUR BUCKETS Michigan University employees actually have three

Ever think about how someone would get access to your online life if you were to pass away? It’s a real concern that many of us think about but take no action to address. Our digital lives have expanded beyond what many believed was possible just 5-10 years ago. How does someone get logged into your iPhone? Email? Google Drive? Facebook? The list goes on and on. This month’s blog post will cover some basic things we can all do today to prepare for an unexpected death, to help

Over the past two years, it’s been a family ritual to watch an episode of Little House on the Prairie before bedtime for the kids. For those familiar with the show, I’m sure you can recall Pa’s constant endeavor to secure employment and farm his land to help the Ingall’s family live in modest comfort. For those who have never watched the show, I highly recommend! The Failed Crop In his youth, Pa made a big bet. He borrowed money to plant seed for his farm. With a big payout

Most people have a 401(k), 403(b), IRA, or Roth IRA. This is the most common way to save for retirement since most employers offer these plans. On average, people will have 10–12 jobs throughout their working careers, which often leads to rollover IRAs or Roth IRAs along the way. If you’re saving for retirement, it makes sense to use retirement accounts, right? However, there is a powerful alternative that many individuals overlook. I’m talking about an after-tax investment a

Over the past 5 years, investors have lived through the COVID crash, high inflation and Fed rate hikes in 2022, Russia/Ukraine tensions, bank crisis (SVB collapse), and Tariffs. Even with all the challenges, we see US equity markets at near all time highs. What are some important things to consider during times like this? One of the most important aspects to investing is “when in doubt zoom out”. For long term investors planning for retirement, it’s best to consider a longer

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act created a new pathway for kids in America to get introduced to investing. Like anything else that is beneficial for children (reading, writing, math, science, sports, etc.), the way to get them excited about a topic is to introduce them to the concept and then actually get involved! Getting the youth involved with equity markets is a wonderful thing, and hopefully will lead to more financial education and wealth creation for their futures. So wh

With a New Year comes new goals! Here are some simple action items you can implement to improve your financial picture for 2026. Retirement Savings Adjustments With higher contribution limits for 2026, this is a great opportunity to review your 401(k) or 403(b) contributions and consider increasing them to take full advantage of the new limits. Employee Contribution limit: $24,500 Catch-up (age 50+): $8,000 Higher catch-up: (ages 60-63): $11,250 instead of $8,000 Tradit

As we close out 2025, I want to share a broader reflection on what this year taught us about investing— and more importantly, about maintaining a long-term mindset in a world filled with noise, predictions, and uncertainty. Markets transitioned through interest-rate debates, election year volatility, AI-driven growth, inflation improvements, and media headlines that seemed to contradict one another week after week. In April, we saw tremendous volatility when Tariffs were anno

Last month we covered the new tax rules for overtime pay. This month, we will look at another key update from the OBBBA - the new Senior Deduction. One of the major talking points in this year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was the question on how it would impact taxes on Social Security. While Social Security benefits remain taxable under current rules, the bill introduced a new “bonus” deduction for taxpayers over the age of 65 to help reduce their tax liability. Acco

With the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) passing this summer, what does this mean for those with overtime pay? For tax years 2025 through 2028 (yes, it’s retroactive for 2025), you can deduct qualifying overtime pay from your federal taxable income. The deduction applies only to the overtime “premium” portion — the “half” in “time-and-a-half.” Annual Cap: $12,500 per filer, or $25,000 if married filing jointly. Example: If you earn $50/hour normally and $75/hour for overtime, t

A strong financial plan starts with the basics. Think of it like building a house. Without a solid foundation, everything above it is at risk. Before focusing on investments or retirement, it's important to secure your base. Cash reserves, debt management, and smart spending habits are the foundation. These fundamentals create confidence and flexibility no matter what life brings. Emergency Fund Targeting three to six months worth of living expenses is a great place to start.