Are You Ready to Retire?
Retirement can feel exciting and uncertain at the same time. After years of building retirement savings, leaving a paycheck behind turns long-term progress into a real-life income decision. Real readiness is less about hitting a magic number and more about whether your spending, taxes, healthcare, and income sources line up with the life you want. […]
Retirement Planning in South Carolina
South Carolina can be attractive for retirees, but the right plan depends on how state-specific rules interact with federal taxes, account withdrawals, Medicare, Social Security, and long-term lifestyle costs. A tax benefit helps most when it is folded into the full picture instead of being treated as the whole picture. From there, good planning is […]
Required Minimum Distributions Are Coming Whether You’re Ready or Not — Here’s How to Get Ahead of Them
If you’ve spent decades building a large IRA, you may be surprised to learn that the IRS has a withdrawal schedule waiting for you at age 73. For high net worth retirees, RMDs can quietly push you into a higher tax bracket, increase your Medicare premiums, and trigger taxes on more of your Social Security. […]
The Dual-Income Household’s Secret Weapon: How to Shelter $75,000+ in a State Employee Spouse’s Retirement Plans
If your household has a high private-sector earner and a South Carolina state employee, you may be sitting on the most powerful tax deferral strategy available to any American family — and 2026’s higher limits make it even better. The Dual Income Set Up Most high-earning families think about tax planning the same way: maximize […]
The Reverse Rollover: Turning Trapped Non-Deductible IRA Contributions into Tax-Free Roth Funds
For savvy investors and financial advisors, navigating the complexities of retirement planning often involves strategic maneuvers to optimize tax efficiency. Among these, the “Reverse Rollover” stands out as an exceptionally powerful, yet often underutilized, technique to convert non-deductible IRA contributions into a tax-free Roth IRA. If you’ve made after-tax contributions to a Traditional IRA and are now […]
PREMIUM TAX CREDIT CHANGES IN 2026: WHAT TO EXPECT AFTER THE “BIG BEAUTIFUL TAX BILL”
The passage of the “Big Beautiful Tax Bill” has introduced sweeping changes to several components of the U.S. tax code, including significant reforms to the Premium Tax Credit (PTC) system under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Beginning in 2026, households who rely on marketplace subsidies to offset the cost of health insurance should prepare for […]
HOW THE NEW “TRUMP ACCOUNT” WORKS – AND WHY YOU SHOULD THINK TWICE BEFORE CONTRIBUTING
The recently passed “Big Beautiful Bill” (BBB) includes a provision creating a so-called “Trump Account” for all U.S. citizens born between 2025 and 2028. Each eligible child will receive a $1,000 contribution from the government, which must be invested in an index fund tracking the broad stock market, such as the S&P 500. These accounts […]
THE SOCIAL SECURITY FAIRNESS ACT
The Social Security Fairness Act, signed into law in January 2025, repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), restoring full Social Security benefits for public sector employees and their spouses. This repeal eliminates longstanding reductions in benefits for workers with government pensions and opens up new eligibility for spousal and survivor […]
ADVISOR SPOTLIGHT ARTICLES: INSIGHTS ON BASIC LIFE INSURANCE
Last month, Bryan Taylor was featured in two articles published by MoneyGeek, a website dedicated to personal finance content. Experts’ Insights on Basic Life Insurance Bryan Taylor, CFP® Vice President and Fiduciary Financial Advisor at Oak Street Advisors What are the major benefits and potential downsides of purchasing a basic life insurance policy? Basic life insurance […]
Navigating Retirement Plan Choices for Small Businesses: A Comprehensive Guide
Planning for retirement is crucial, especially for small business owners who often have to manage both their business and personal finances. Fortunately, there are various retirement plan options tailored to meet the needs of small businesses. In this article, we explore four popular choices: the SIMPLE IRA, the SEP IRA, 401(k) plans with after-tax contributions […]
