Sam Forsyth - MMB Advisors

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Sam Forsyth - MMB Advisors Specialized in investment management, insurance needs and retirement planning. No offers may be made or accepted from any resident of any other state.

Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC finra.org sipc.org"

Third party posts found on this profile do not reflect the views of LPL Financial and have not been reviewed by LPL Financial as to accuracy or completeness. The financial professionals associated with LPL Financial may discuss and/or transact business only with residents of the states in which they are properly registered or licensed.

10/14/2026

📉 Two People Retire With $1,000,000. Who Ends Up With More Money?

Let's look at a completely hypothetical example.

Imagine two people retiring at age 65.

Both have:

💰 $1,000,000 invested

🏖️ $50,000 in annual withdrawals from the account

📈 The exact same five annual investment returns

There's just ONE difference…

The ORDER in which those returns happen.

🔵 RETIREE A: THE MARKET STARTS STRONG

Their first five annual returns are:

Year 1: +20%

Year 2: +15%

Year 3: +10%

Year 4: -5%

Year 5: -10%

After withdrawing $50,000 at the end of each year, their remaining investment balance is approximately:

💰 $1,059,036

🟢 RETIREE B: THE MARKET STARTS POORLY

Their first five annual returns are:

Year 1: -10%

Year 2: -5%

Year 3: +10%

Year 4: +15%

Year 5: +20%

After making the EXACT same $50,000 annual withdrawals, their remaining investment balance is approximately:

💰 $970,885

WAIT A MINUTE… 🤯

Both retirees:

✅ Started with $1,000,000

✅ Withdrew $250,000 over five years

✅ Experienced the exact same five investment returns

But after just FIVE YEARS…

Retiree A has $88,151 MORE than Retiree B!

And the only difference was the ORDER of their investment returns.

This is called SEQUENCE OF RETURNS RISK.

Here's why it matters…

When you're still working and contributing to retirement accounts, a market downturn can actually provide an opportunity to purchase investments at lower prices.

But when you're RETIRED and withdrawing money to pay your bills?

A significant market decline early in retirement can be much more damaging.

You're withdrawing money from an already reduced portfolio, leaving fewer dollars invested to participate in a potential recovery.

And here's the part I really want people to think about…

You could have a million dollars saved, earn the average investment returns you were expecting, and STILL experience a very different retirement than you planned.

That's why retirement planning isn't just about reaching a certain account balance.

It's about having a strategy for what happens AFTER you retire.

💰 How much can you sustainably withdraw?

📉 What happens if the market drops 20% during your first year?

🏦 Where will your retirement income come from?

🛡️ How can you manage the risk of selling investments during a downturn?

The biggest investment risk in retirement isn't always how much the market falls.

Sometimes it's WHEN the market falls.

And THAT is why a retirement income strategy can be just as important as the investments themselves. 📈

Disclaimer: Hypothetical example for educational purposes only. Assumes $1,000,000 initial investments, the stated annual returns, and $50,000 withdrawals at the end of each year after investment returns. The 6% figure is the arithmetic average of the five annual returns, not the compounded annual growth rate. Excludes taxes, fees, and inflation. Actual investment returns and outcomes will vary.

10/10/2026

🤔 ROTH vs. TRADITIONAL — Which One Actually Leaves You With MORE Money?

Most people have an immediate answer…

"ROTH! Because you get tax-free money in retirement!" 📈

But what if I told you that under certain circumstances, a Traditional retirement account could actually leave you with MORE money?

Let's look at a completely hypothetical example.

THE ASSUMPTIONS:

💰 You have $10,000 of pre-tax income available to invest.

📈 Your investments earn an 8% annual return for 30 years.

🧾 Your tax rate is 20% today AND 20% in retirement.

🔵 OPTION 1: ROTH

You pay your 20% income tax upfront.

That leaves you with $8,000 to invest.

After 30 years at an 8% annual return, your investment grows to approximately:

💰 $80,501

Because it's a Roth account, that money comes out TAX-FREE.

You keep $80,501.

🟢 OPTION 2: TRADITIONAL

Instead of paying taxes upfront, you contribute the entire $10,000 to your Traditional retirement account.

After the same 30 years at an 8% annual return, your investment grows to approximately:

💰 $100,627

WOW! Traditional wins by over $20,000!

Not so fast… 😂

Remember, you haven't paid income taxes on that money yet.

If your tax rate in retirement is the same as your current hypothetical 20%:

$100,627 × 80% = $80,501

Wait a minute…

THEY'RE EXACTLY THE SAME?! 🤯

Yep.

Under these assumptions, both accounts produce the exact same after-tax result.

BUT HERE'S WHERE IT GETS REALLY INTERESTING… 👀

Your tax rate in retirement might look VERY different from your tax rate today.

And one of the biggest factors to this scenario is how much taxable income you'll actually need to withdraw from your investment accounts in retirement.

Think about these two scenarios.

🏠 SCENARIO 1: YOU NEED LESS INCOME IN RETIREMENT

Maybe your house is paid off.

Your kids are grown.

Your expenses are lower.

And you don't need to withdraw nearly as much from your retirement accounts.

If your tax rate in retirement ends up being LOWER than it was during your working years…

Traditional contributions could actually leave you with MORE after-tax money!

💰 SCENARIO 2: YOU NEED MORE INCOME IN RETIREMENT

Maybe you've accumulated significant retirement savings.

You have a pension, Social Security, or other sources of income.

And you plan on making substantial withdrawals to support your lifestyle.

Larger Traditional retirement account withdrawals could push portions of your income into HIGHER tax brackets.

If your tax rate in retirement ends up being HIGHER than it was when you contributed…

Roth contributions could actually leave you with MORE after-tax money!

And here's another wrinkle…

Traditional retirement accounts generally have Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), which can eventually force taxable withdrawals whether you need the money or not.

Roth IRAs, on the other hand, don't have lifetime RMDs for the original owner.

SO WHICH ONE IS BETTER? 🤔

That's the million-dollar question.

And the answer isn't necessarily Roth OR Traditional.

For many people, having BOTH can be an incredibly valuable financial planning strategy.

Why?

Because having different types of retirement accounts can give you more flexibility when deciding where to take income from in retirement.

You may be able to manage your taxable income more effectively rather than having every dollar come from the same type of account.

HERE'S THE BIG TAKEAWAY:

Retirement planning isn't just about building the biggest account balance possible.

It's about understanding how much income you'll need, where that income will come from, and how much you'll actually KEEP after taxes.

The account that saves you the most taxes TODAY isn't necessarily the one that will save you the most taxes over your LIFETIME.

And THAT is why financial planning is about a whole lot more than simply picking investments. 📈

Disclaimer: All figures are hypothetical and for educational purposes only. Assumes 8% annual compounded growth over 30 years, identical investment performance, and flat 20% tax rates in the example. Actual returns, tax brackets, deductions, and retirement income will vary. The example assumes deductible Traditional contributions, qualified tax-free Roth withdrawals, and equal pre-tax dollars available for saving. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances.

10/02/2026

🤔 Social Security at 62 or 70 — which one actually pays you more?

Here’s a hypothetical that I think is pretty interesting.

Let’s assume someone was born in 1960 or later and their Social Security benefit at their full retirement age of 67 is exactly $2,000/month.

Under current Social Security rules:

🔵 Claim at 62: about $1,400/month

🟢 Claim at 67: $2,000/month

🟠 Wait until 70: about $2,480/month

So in this example, waiting until 70 gives you an additional:

👉 $1,080 every month compared with claiming at 62.

Sounds like waiting is the obvious choice, right?

Not so fast.

The person who started at 62 has already been collecting $1,400/month for 8 YEARS before the other person receives their first check at 70.

That’s approximately:

💰 $134,400 already collected.

From age 70 forward, the person who waited receives $1,080 more each month.

At that rate, it takes roughly 10 years and 4 months for the higher monthly benefit to make up that $134,400 head start.

That puts the simple break-even point around:

🎂 Age 80 years and 4 months.

Live beyond that point, and the cumulative benefit from waiting begins to pull ahead under this simplified example.

But here’s what makes Social Security planning interesting:

The biggest monthly check isn’t automatically the best claiming decision for every person.

Your health, longevity expectations, marital situation, other retirement income, whether you’re still working, taxes, and what you plan to do with the money can all matter.

There isn’t one magic claiming age that’s right for everybody.

Sometimes the more important question isn’t “How do I maximize my monthly Social Security check?”

It’s:

“How does Social Security fit into the rest of my retirement plan?”

This is a hypothetical example for educational purposes only. Assumes a $2,000 full-retirement-age benefit for an individual born in 1960 or later and compares nominal cumulative benefits without accounting for COLAs, taxes, investment returns, Medicare premiums, spousal/survivor benefits, or other individual circumstances.

09/25/2026

📈 One of the biggest financial mistakes might be constantly moving the goalpost.

You finally get the raise you wanted.

Then you need the nicer car.

You finally build up your savings.

Then suddenly the house needs an upgrade.

You hit an investment milestone you once thought was HUGE…

And two days later you're already thinking about the next one. 😂

There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting more.

Goals are a good thing, and there is a quality of life factor as well.

But I think there's something important about occasionally stopping and realizing:

You're probably living through financial milestones that an earlier version of you would've been incredibly excited about.

Maybe you finally:

💰 Built an emergency fund
📈 Started investing consistently
🏠 Bought your first house
💳 Paid off a debt
💼 Got the job or raise you wanted
🏖️ Took a vacation without putting it on a credit card

Financial planning isn't only about figuring out what's next.

Sometimes it's also about recognizing how far you've already come.

Keep setting bigger goals.

Keep improving.

But every once in a while…

Take the win. You've earned it. 👏

09/23/2026

💰 You can have a great investment portfolio and STILL have a bad financial plan.

Sounds strange, right?

Imagine someone who has:

📈 $500,000 invested for retirement

🏠 A beautiful home

💵 A six-figure income

💼 A successful career

From the outside, they're doing GREAT financially.

But here's what you might not see…

They have no emergency fund.

They haven't updated their beneficiaries in 15 years.

They have no idea how much income they'll actually need in retirement.

And if something happened to them tomorrow, their family might be left trying to figure everything out.

Having money and having a financial plan are two VERY different things.

Investing is important, but it's only one piece of the puzzle.

A financial plan should help answer questions like:

🛡️ Is my family protected if something happens to me?

💰 Am I saving enough for my goals?

📉 What happens if the market takes a significant downturn?

🏖️ When can I realistically afford to retire?

📋 Is my money going where I actually want it to go?

Here's something worth thinking about…

If you had to explain your entire financial plan to your spouse or family tomorrow, would they know what to do?

Or would they have about 47 questions and absolutely no idea where to start? 😂

Sometimes the most important part of financial planning has nothing to do with picking investments.

It's making sure everything you've worked so hard to build actually works together.

09/17/2026

📝 A financial plan isn't supposed to predict the future.

Because let's be honest…

Nobody knows exactly what the market will do next year.

Nobody knows what tax rates will look like 20 years from now.

Nobody knows exactly how long they'll live, what healthcare will cost, or what unexpected expenses life will throw at them.

That's not the point of having a plan.

A good financial plan asks:

🏠 What are we trying to accomplish?

💰 How much are we saving?

📈 Are we investing appropriately for those goals?

🏖️ When could retirement realistically become an option?

🛡️ What happens to the plan if something goes wrong?

💵 Where will our income come from when the paychecks stop?

And maybe most importantly…

What needs to change TODAY to give us a better chance of getting there?

Your plan will change.

Your income will change.

Your goals will change.

Life will DEFINITELY change. 😂

That's why financial planning isn't something you do once, put in a binder, and forget about for 20 years.

The goal isn't to know exactly what the future will look like.

It's to make sure that when the future changes…

you already have a plan for what comes next. 📈

09/15/2026

💰 Why do people say the first $100,000 is the hardest?

There's actually some math behind it.

Let's say you're starting from $0 and investing $500 per month while earning a hypothetical 8% annual return.

Early on, almost all of the progress comes from YOU.

You contribute $500.

Your investments might only earn a few dollars.

You contribute another $500.

Maybe they earn a little more.

It can feel painfully slow. 😂

But eventually something changes.

Once you have $100,000 invested, an 8% return would represent roughly $8,000 of growth in a year before considering additional contributions.

At $250,000, that's $20,000.

At $500,000, that's $40,000.

At $1,000,000, that's $80,000.

Same hypothetical 8% return.

Completely different dollar amounts.

That's when you start realizing why building the initial balance matters so much.

At first, you're doing most of the work.

Eventually, your money has the potential to start doing a whole lot more of it with you. 📈

Getting from $0 to $100,000 may not feel exciting every month.

But you're not just building $100,000.

You're building the engine that can make the next $100,000 easier.

Hypothetical examples are for educational purposes only and assume an 8% annual return. Returns are not guaranteed and actual investment performance will vary.

09/14/2026

Someone in Illinois won the $1.04 BILLION Powerball jackpot last month. 🤯

The winner now has two choices:

💰 Take $450.5 million immediately

OR

💵 Receive $1.04 billion through 30 payments over 29 years

Here’s where compound interest makes this interesting…

If the entire $450.5 million lump sum earned a hypothetical 6% annual return and remained invested for 29 years, it would grow to approximately:

$2.44 BILLION 🤯

That’s more than twice the advertised annuity amount—and the investment would generate roughly $27 million in the first year alone at 6%.

Of course, both prize options are before taxes, and actual investment returns aren’t guaranteed. But it shows the incredible difference that time, compounding, and having a plan can make.

What would you choose?

A: $450.5 million today
B: $1.04 billion paid over time

And who are you calling first—the attorney, the CPA, or the financial advisor? 😂

This hypothetical illustration assumes a constant 6% annual return with no taxes, fees, spending, or withdrawals.

09/13/2026

💰 You wake up tomorrow and $100,000 has been deposited into your bank account.

It's completely yours.

No taxes. No strings attached.

But there's ONE rule:

You have to decide what you're doing with it TODAY. 👀

What's your move?

🏠 A) Pay down/off the mortgage
📈 B) Invest all $100,000
💳 C) Pay off every debt, then invest the rest
🏡 D) Put it toward a rental property
💵 E) Keep it in savings
✈️ F) Spend some, save/invest the rest
🦁 G) Lions to win the Super Bowl 😂
🤔 H) Something completely different

There's no perfect answer — well, G might require a little more risk tolerance than I'd typically recommend. 😂

And that's really the point.

What makes sense for one person might make absolutely no sense for someone else. Your debt, income, goals, savings, family situation, and tolerance for risk all change the answer.

Personal finance is personal.

👇 You've got $100,000 and have to choose TODAY. Drop your letter in the comments and tell me WHY.

09/10/2026

💵 Have you ever gotten a raise… and somehow STILL felt like you didn't have any more money? 😂

It happens more often than you'd think.

You make an extra $500 a month.

Then slowly…

🚗 The car gets a little nicer.
🍽️ You eat out a little more.
🏠 The house gets upgraded.
✈️ Vacations get a little better.
📦 And somehow Amazon starts showing up every other day. 😂

Before long, that extra $500 is gone.

There's actually a name for this:

Lifestyle inflation.

As our income increases, our spending tends to increase right along with it.

And that's how someone can go from making $60,000 to $100,000+ and still feel like they're living paycheck to paycheck.

Here's an idea I've always liked:

Every time you get a raise, give BOTH versions of yourself a raise.

Give Today You some of it. Enjoy your life.

But give Future You some too.

Increase the 401(k).

Add to the Roth IRA.

Build the savings.

Pay down the debt.

Invest a little more.

You don't have to save every extra dollar you ever make.

Just don't let your lifestyle eat every raise before your future gets a piece of it.

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