Exit 59 Advisory

08/14/2026

SECURE 2.0 is fully phased in now, and I'm still chatting with folks who don't know their
RMD age changed.

If you were born in 1960 or later, you don't touch that pre-tax money until 75. That's not a small thing. It reshapes years of planning.

The missed RMD penalty dropped too. Still hurts, but less than it used to.

And Roth 401(k)s? No more RMDs. Same freedom Roth IRAs always had.

Which of these changes caught you off guard?

08/07/2026

Some retirees overpay taxes not because they made bad decisions, but because nobody told them about the other options. The gap between your last paycheck and your first Social Security check is the closest thing to a sale tag retirement has. Lower income, lower rates, real opportunity to shift money into accounts that won't get taxed again. Most people let it pass without knowing it existed.
What would you do differently if someone had told you sooner?

07/31/2026

The flight attendant said it before we took off: put your own oxygen mask on first.

Same rule applies to giving money to your kids in retirement.

Before you write a check, ask yourself (or your planner) these two questions? Can you actually afford it? That’s the oxygen question. After accounting for 30 years of expenses and a potential long-term care need, your balance sheet may not be quite as robust as it seems today. And, will the money help them? A financial gift can be a rope or it can be quicksand depending on the recipient.

What's the biggest factor your family would need to think through before making that call?

07/24/2026

I watched a couple walk away from selling their “forever home” because they were convinced the tax bill would wipe out too much of the proceeds.

Turns out, they would have owed taxes on about $40,000 of gain. On a $1.2 million sale.

The Section 121 exclusion lets most married couples exclude up to $500,000 of gain from their primary residence. But I've seen people freeze up over imaginary tax bills or, worse, sell without planning and leave money on the table.

If you're thinking about downsizing, have you run the actual numbers on what you'd owe?

07/07/2026

Downsizing in retirement but not sure whether you should sell or rent out your “forever home?” Most people frame it wrong from the start. Keeping it as a rental sounds great until you're fielding a 9pm call about a broken toilet from three states away. That's not passive income. That's a second job. The real questions: Does the rent cover 1% of what the home is worth today? What happens to your tax exclusion if you rent it out for too long? And honestly, is there any chance you move back? What's the one thing making this decision harder for you?

06/30/2026

Most people spend years planning the finances for retirement and about ten minutes planning the life. It’s like spending ten hours searching for flights to a destination but having absolutely no plan for once you get there.

Who are you when the job title is gone? What does Tuesday at 2pm look like? Who are you calling to grab lunch? I urge you to sit with those three questions before you hand in your keys. What's the first honest answer that comes to mind?

06/23/2026

Most people who pay for a trust never actually finish setting one up. They go through the time, the cost, the attorney meetings. Then the assets never get transferred into the trust. The deed never gets transferred. The investment accounts stay titled in their name. A trust that isn't funded is just an expensive piece of paper. And here's the other thing: not everyone needs one. If your wishes are simple and your beneficiaries are named correctly on your accounts, a basic will might do the job just fine. What's one part of your estate plan you've been meaning to finish but haven't gotten around to yet?

06/16/2026

Your family shouldn't have to fight a courtroom just to inherit what you left them. A revocable trust isn't right for everyone, but four situations make one worth serious thought: avoiding probate, controlling how kids receive money, keeping your wishes private, and protecting your family if you become incapacitated. Most estate attorneys will tell you that you need one regardless. I'd rather you understand why before you sign anything.

Which of these four reasons hits closest to home for you?

09/05/2023

Day after Labor Day definitely up there as one of the most depressing for those still working. Ready to call it quits? Figure out if you have enough in five minutes:

https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/605117/find-out-in-5-minutes-if-you-have-enough-to-retire

It’s a common question these days: My portfolio is way down. Can I still afford to retire? To calculate a ballpark answer, here’s a quick and easy exercise.