Cardinal Advisors

Cardinal Advisors Investment advisory services offered through Brookstone Capital Management, LLC (BCM), a registered investment advisor.

BCM and Cardinal Advisors are independent of each other. Cardinal serves clients in all 50 states and D.C.! Family owned and operated with very personal service by telephone

06/02/2026

You open your mail one day and see that your Medicare premiums have gone up — by hundreds of dollars a month. Nobody called. Nobody warned you. It just showed up.

That's IRMAA. It stands for Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount — Medicare's way of charging higher earners more for their coverage. And it's based on your income from two years ago, so by the time you find out, it's usually too late to do anything about it.

My video breaks the whole thing down in plain English. If you're on Medicare or getting close to 65, take a few minutes and watch it. It might save you a lot of money.

06/01/2026

When planning your retirement income, you can’t just plan for today—you have to think about what happens tomorrow. 👇

A common mistake in estate planning occurs when a primary earner decides to claim Social Security early simply because they don't anticipate a long life expectancy. What they overlook is that when the first spouse passes away, the smaller of the two monthly checks stops, and the survivor inherits the larger one.

By strategically delaying your claim (potentially up to age 70), you aren't just boosting your own check—you are securing a maximum Survivor Benefit for your spouse that will protect their cash flow for the rest of their life.

🔑 Key Takeaways:
- The Smaller Check Disappears: Upon the death of the first spouse, the household transitions from two Social Security checks down to just one.
- Preserving the Max Payout: Maximizing the primary earner's benefit at Full Retirement Age or later guarantees a more robust, inflation-adjusted check for the surviving partner.
- Look at Both Lifespans: A smart retirement strategy evaluates joint life expectancy rather than focusing entirely on a single person's health timeline.

Questions? Email us at [email protected], call us at (919) 535-8261, or visit our website at https://cardinalguide.com/

05/31/2026

Are you settling for a lower Social Security check than you deserve? 👇

Many retirees look at their personal statement and feel discouraged by a small monthly amount. In this case study, Susan’s individual benefit at Full Retirement Age (FRA) was $874 per month. However, by leveraging the Social Security spousal benefit, she is actually eligible to receive up to half of her husband Thomas’s higher benefit instead.

Understanding how coordinating family benefits works can dramatically increase your household cash flow. Don't make a permanent choice without checking if you qualify for a higher spousal payout.

🔑 Key Takeaways:
- The Spousal Alternative: If your spouse has a significantly higher earnings history, you may be eligible for a spousal benefit worth up to 50% of their Full Retirement Age amount.
- Look Past the Statement: Your individual Social Security statement doesn't automatically show what you could receive based on your spouse's record.
- Strategic Coordination: Maximizing your household income requires a joint strategy that looks at both records concurrently.

Questions? Email us at [email protected], call us at (919) 535-8261, or visit our website at https://cardinalguide.com/

05/30/2026

Is delaying your Social Security claim actually costing you a six-figure lump sum? 👇

While waiting until age 70 mathematically maximizes your monthly benefit amount, it also means leaving money on the table right now. In this breakdown, we look at a real-world scenario where filing just two years earlier at age 68 results in a lower monthly payout for life, but pockets over $100,000 in immediate cash flow that otherwise wouldn't exist.

When planning your retirement income strategy, it is critical to balance the long-term monthly benefit increase against the short-term opportunity cost of missed checks.

🔑 Key Takeaways:
- The Delayed Trade-Off: Delaying past Full Retirement Age increases your lifetime monthly check by roughly 8% per year, but means zero income from that source in the meantime.
- The $100K Break-Even: Taking a slightly lower monthly benefit earlier can inject significant cash flow into your bank account during your early retirement years.
- Custom Strategies: The right age to file depends entirely on your health, joint life expectancy, and how that immediate cash can be utilized in your broader financial plan.

Questions? Email us at [email protected], call us at (919) 535-8261, or visit our website at https://cardinalguide.com/

05/29/2026

Did you know your Social Security filing strategy has a massive impact on your spouse’s benefit? 👇

In this video, we break down why a primary earner's filing decision matters so much. For a spouse to collect their 50% spousal benefit, the primary earner must file first. Furthermore, that 50% payout is deeply tied to the primary earner's benefit calculation at Full Retirement Age (FRA).

While it might not always align perfectly with a standalone "by-the-numbers" financial model, tailoring a strategy that boosts immediate cash flow and provides peace of mind for both partners is often the best real-world solution.

🔑 Key Takeaways:
- The Filing Trigger: A spouse cannot collect a spousal benefit until the primary earner officially files.
- The 50% Rule: Spousal benefits can be worth up to half of the primary worker's benefit amount at Full Retirement Age.
- Balancing Your Plan: Sometimes the right financial plan is the one that provides immediate cash flow clarity and keeps both spouses happy and secure.

Questions? Email us at [email protected], call us at (919) 535-8261, or visit our website at https://cardinalguide.com/

05/28/2026

Is your Social Security strategy putting your spouse at risk? 👇

Too many people only think about their own life expectancy when claiming Social Security benefits. If you claim too early because you don’t think you’ll live past 80, you could be locking your spouse into a much smaller survivor benefit if they live to 100.

When planning your estate and retirement, you have to look at the full picture. Don't make an irreversible decision without understanding the full opportunity cost.

🔑 Key Takeaways:
- Spousal & Survivor Benefits: Your claiming age directly impacts what your spouse will receive later in life.
- Life Expectancy: Always account for the joint life expectancy of both you and your spouse.
- Irreversible Decisions: Once you claim, some choices cannot be undone and can cost your family thousands down the road.

Questions? Email us at [email protected], call us at (919) 535-8261, or visit our website at https://cardinalguide.com/

05/27/2026

"I'm retiring, so it’s time to start Social Security." — Sound familiar? 👇

While that's the default approach for many people, jumping straight into a claim without a strategy can be a costly mistake. Deciding whether to take your benefits immediately or wait is one of the first, and most permanent, decisions you’ll face at retirement.

Because this choice impacts your monthly income for the rest of your life, it requires careful thought and a tailored plan. Sometimes claiming early makes sense, but other times delaying can dramatically shift your financial security in the long run.

🔑 Key Takeaways:
- A Lifetime Decision: Once you lock in your Social Security strategy, it's very difficult—and often impossible—to change it later.
- Retirement vs. Claiming Age: Retiring from your job and claiming your Social Security benefits don't have to happen at the same time.
- The Foundation of Your Plan: A strong retirement plan always starts by mapping out a custom Social Security optimization strategy.

Questions? Email us at [email protected], call us at (919) 535-8261, or visit our website at https://cardinalguide.com/

05/26/2026

You'd be amazed how many couples sit down with me to plan their retirement and realize — sometimes for the first time — that they're not on the same page about Social Security.
That's exactly what happened with Tom and Susan. Tom was set on waiting until 70 for the biggest check possible. Susan had other plans. Neither of them had thought through what happens to the survivor when one of them is gone.
I just posted Episode 2 of my 8-part Financial Planning series and this one is all about Social Security — when to take it, how spousal benefits really work, and why the "right" answer is different for every couple. Watching this video might just change how you think about your own decision.

05/25/2026

Are you maximizing your household Social Security strategy? 💸 When looking at comprehensive retirement planning, coordinating your benefits as a couple is essential to avoid costly mistakes down the line.

For high-income couples like Tom and Susan, deciding when should a high earner file for Social Security can drastically shape their early retirement. While Tom plans on delaying Social Security benefits until age 70 to secure the maximum monthly amount, Susan’s plan centers around timing her claim correctly. Many people ask, how does the Social Security spousal benefit work, and in this video, we break down how Susan can leverage 50% of Tom’s higher check amount. We also address a critical question for long-term security: what happens to Social Security income when a spouse dies? Understanding how your household drops down to a single check—and how that impacts your overall tax bracket—is a foundational piece of retirement planning.

Questions? Email us at [email protected], call us at (919) 535-8261, or visit our website at https://cardinalguide.com/

05/24/2026

Is your financial plan actually built for your specific goals? 🤔 Many people approach retirement with separate ideas for taxes, Social Security, and investments, but they rarely see how all these pieces fit together.

If you are wondering how to build a personalized retirement strategy, it is vital to know that one decision in one area impacts five or six other sections of your financial life. We often get asked, what is a collaborative approach to financial planning, and the answer is simple: your plan shouldn't be a "take it or leave it" checklist from an advisor. Instead, a successful blueprint starts with where you are today, your goals, and your baseline assumptions. Whether you are wondering how to integrate Social Security into an estate plan or just looking for a custom roadmap, a unified strategy ensures you can retire with confidence.

Questions? Email us at [email protected], call us at (919) 535-8261, or visit our website at https://cardinalguide.com/

Address

2530 Meridian Parkway, Suite 100
Durham, NC
27713

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 6pm
Tuesday 9am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 6pm
Thursday 9am - 6pm
Friday 9am - 6pm

Telephone

+19195358261

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