Rings Financial LLC

Rings Financial LLC Helping individuals, business owners, and families get to retirement—and through it. Member FINRA/SIPC. finra.org sipc.org.

We specialize in retirement income, tax-efficient planning, Social Security, investments, and protecting the wealth you've worked a lifetime to build. Securities and advisory services are offered through LPL Financial (LPL), a registered investment advisor and broker-dealer. Third party posts found on this profile do not reflect the views of LPL Financial and have not been reviewed by LPL Financia

l 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. No offers may be made or accepted from any resident of any other state.​

09/02/2026

Will your spouse be okay if you kick the bucket?

It may not be the most pleasant question to think about, but it’s one of the biggest concerns we hear from folks who come in to meet with us.

And it’s a major focus of our planning process.

If something happens to you, will your spouse still have enough income? Will their taxes change? What happens to Social Security? Will they know which accounts to draw from and when? And perhaps most importantly, will they have a plan—and someone they trust to help them navigate it?

In this month’s edition of Your Money in Motion in the September issue of Our Towne Magazine, we discuss some of the things you should be thinking about, along with a few of the risk factors we commonly uncover when reviewing retirement plans.

A good retirement plan shouldn’t just work while you’re both here. It should work when one of you isn’t.

As always, we’re here if you’d like to schedule a complimentary consultation.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

08/31/2026

What is a doubling period—and why does it matter?

The Rule of 72 gives you a quick way to estimate how long it will take an investment to double.

If you earn an average 8% return, your money doubles roughly every 9 years.

72 ÷ 8 = 9 years.

The same rule can help illustrate inflation. At 3% inflation, the cost of living doubles roughly every 24 years.

72 ÷ 3 = 24 years.

Now let’s put this into perspective.

Say you’re 50 years old with $500,000 saved for retirement and plan to retire at 65.

At an 8% average return, you have about 1.5 doubling periods left.

Your $500,000 could double to roughly $1 million around age 59 and grow to approximately $1.5 million by 65—even without adding another dollar.

Now let’s say you’re 30 with $100,000 saved and earn an average 8% through age 65.

You have almost four doubling periods ahead of you:

$100,000 → $200,000 → $400,000 → $800,000 → $1.6 million.

Again, that’s without factoring in additional contributions.

This is why starting early matters so much.

Every decade you wait to seriously save for retirement can cost you roughly an entire doubling period.

If you’re pushing 40 and continue kicking the can down the road, eventually you have to make up for lost time with much larger contributions.

That’s the cost of waiting.

Retirement isn’t an age—it’s a number.

The real question is: Not what age I want to retire but at what age, am I going to have enough money to retire.

Just some food for thought.

Schedule your complimentary retirement planning consultation today. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

08/27/2026

Considerations for a Tax-Efficient Retirement Plan

Taxes can have a substantial impact on how long your retirement savings last.

A few things to consider:

➤ Blending withdrawals from different accounts to better manage your tax bracket.

➤ Avoiding IRMAA — higher Medicare Part B and Part D premiums caused by higher income (previous bullet point helps with this).

➤ Managing Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) to avoid large tax spikes later in retirement and if missed, hefty IRS penalties.

➤ Planning for the “Widow’s Tax” when a surviving spouse goes from married filing jointly to filing single.

➤ Coordinating Social Security timing and avoiding the “Tax Torpedo.”

➤ Timing investment sales to help reduce or manage capital gains taxes.

A tax-efficient retirement plan can substantially improve your retirement outcome.

It’s not just about how much your investments earn, it’s about how much of your money you actually get to keep.

This is why you need a financial planner — not just an “investment guy.”

Reach out today to schedule your complimentary retirement planning consultation. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

08/24/2026

People have vastly different goals, wants, and definitions of success.

But there are a few things nearly everyone values: respect, feeling useful, and control over their time.

And that last one is where money comes in.

Money is nothing more than a tool. Its greatest value isn’t the stuff it can buy—it’s the freedom and control it can give you over your time.

The freedom to retire when you want. Work because you want to, not because you have to. Spend more time with the people you care about. And make decisions based on what you want to do rather than what you need to do.

That’s financial freedom.

A good financial planner helps you clear a path toward that freedom—and, just as importantly, helps you maintain it throughout the rest of your life.

Do investment returns matter? Of course they do. But returns are only one piece of the puzzle.

The real goal is creating a better financial outcome and giving you more control over your life.

That’s where the planning comes in.

Your advisor can build you the best portfolio in the world but if you can't retire when you want and how you want, it doesn't really matter does it.

Reach out and schedule your complimentary retirement planning consultation today.

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

08/17/2026

Roth vs. Pre-Tax…how do you decide?

One of the biggest drivers behind this decision is pretty simple:

What is your tax rate today vs. what do you expect your tax rate to be when you need the money in retirement?

Here’s an example.

Let’s say you’re currently in the 32% federal tax bracket and contribute $10,000 pre-tax to your 401(k).

That contribution could save you $3,200 in federal income taxes today.

Fast forward to retirement. If you’re now in the 22% tax bracket and withdraw that $10,000, you’d pay $2,200 in federal income taxes.

You received a tax deduction at 32% and eventually paid the tax at 22%.

That’s a pretty good trade.

Now flip it around.

If you’re currently in the 12% tax bracket but expect to be in the 22% bracket in retirement, Roth may make more sense. Pay the tax at 12% today and, assuming the requirements are met, withdraw the money tax-free in retirement.

Of course, we don’t know exactly what tax rates will look like 10, 20, or 30 years from now, which is why I’m also a big believer in having different buckets of money in retirement.

Some pre-tax.
Some Roth.
Some taxable.

Why?

Because if you are only saving pre-tax, you certainly don’t want to pay income tax on every dollar received in retirement.

Need $10,000 for a vacation? A new roof? A new car? Maybe you don't want that entire withdrawal showing up on your tax return as ordinary income.

Having different buckets gives you options.

And when it comes to retirement planning, options are a very good thing to have.

Not sure whether you should be saving Roth or pre-tax?

That’s something we help folks figure out every day. A little planning today can give you a lot more flexibility when retirement rolls around.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

08/12/2026

One of the most rewarding aspects of this profession is helping someone transition into retirement.

Not just retire—but make that transition with confidence.

Because after spending 30 or 40 years working and saving, actually flipping the switch into retirement can be pretty overwhelming. There are a lot of moving parts.

Sometimes, especially with my younger clients who are still 20 years away from retirement, I feel like a broken record—and probably a little bit like a PITA.

Save more money.

Don't buy stuff you can't afford.

Avoid lifestyle inflation.

Keep the future in mind.

But I'll proudly take on that role because I know there's a pretty good chance they'll thank me later.

And that's also why regular check-ins and communication are so important.

The worst thing I want to hear from a client later in life is:

“I should have listened to you.”

But what I never want to hear is:

“Wait...I thought I was on track.”

There's a big difference.

That's why we're proactive about meeting with our clients—even when they don't necessarily think we need to meet.

Why?

Because things change. Income changes. Spending changes. Markets change. Tax laws change. Life changes.

And we've taken on the responsibility of helping our clients get to—and through—retirement.

Schedule your complimentary retirement planning consultation today. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

08/10/2026

If you inherited an IRA from a parent or grandparent in 2020 or later, there’s a tax rule you need to know.

If the original owner had already reached the age where they were required to take annual distributions, in most cases, you’ll have to take annual Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), too.

But there’s a catch.

Under the 10-year rule, the entire inherited IRA generally has to be emptied by the end of year 10.

And here’s where we see people run into trouble...

The annual RMD may not be nearly enough to drain the account.

For example:

Inherited IRA: $1,000,000
Annual RMD: roughly $40,000

If the account continues growing over those 10 years, you could still have a very large balance left when year 10 rolls around.

And guess what?

It all has to come out.

That could mean realizing hundreds of thousands—or potentially more than $1 million—of ordinary income in a single year, on top of whatever other income you already have.

Suddenly, a very nice inheritance comes with a very nice tip for Uncle Sam.

The good news?

You don't necessarily have to wait until year 10.

With some strategic tax planning along the way, you may be able to spread those distributions out, take advantage of lower tax brackets, and significantly reduce your tip to Uncle Sam.

Schedule your complimentary consultation today. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

Don't forget to check out Rings Financials' Your Money in Motion column in the August edition of Our Towne Magazine.We d...
08/04/2026

Don't forget to check out Rings Financials' Your Money in Motion column in the August edition of Our Towne Magazine.

We discuss a beneficial tax strategy that we have been implementing for our clients that are saving them tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes in retirement.

Real planning with real tax benefits.

Schedule your complimentary retirement planning consultation today. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

08/03/2026

When it comes to retirement, you're going to choose a path.

• What age you'll retire.
• How much you'll spend from your portfolio.
• Which accounts you'll tap first.
• When you'll claim Social Security.
• And so on...

At first...

Everything is hunky-dory.

Then life happens.

📉 Your retirement assets are dwindling.

💰 Taxes are eating away at your retirement.

🏥 Healthcare costs are higher than you ever imagined.

📈 Inflation keeps chipping away at your purchasing power.

And the list goes on...

If enough of those things pile up, you may find yourself adopting the dreaded...

Cat food and government cheese diet.

Now, that's probably not the retirement you spent 30 or 40 years working toward.

That's why it is so important to get your ducks in a row.

A little planning today can help you make smarter decisions about taxes, Social Security, investments, and retirement income—so you can spend more time enjoying retirement and less time worrying about it.

Schedule your complimentary retirement planning consultation today.

There is never any cost or obligation, and you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

07/31/2026

Everyone is talking about AI. But here's the question we should be focusing on.

If the AI trade blows up, will your retirement be okay?

Your portfolio should tell a story.

When I look at your investments, I should have a pretty good idea how close you are to retirement. Your portfolio should reflect your timeline, not today's hottest trend.

If you're nearing retirement and heavily concentrated in technology or AI-related investments, now is the time to ask yourself some important questions.

✅ Do I own the right mix of stocks and bonds?
✅ Am I diversified?
✅ Am I taking more risk than I need to?

AI may continue to soar—or it may not. Who knows.

What you can control is making sure one investment theme doesn't derail your retirement.

If you're not sure your portfolio is positioned for whatever comes next, it's probably time to take your portfolio in for a checkup.

Schedule your complimentary retirement planning consultation today. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

www.ringsfinancial.com/contact

Address

573 Columbia Turnpike, Building 1, Suite B
East Greenbush, NY
12061

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Tuesday 9am - 4:30am
Wednesday 9am - 4:30am
Thursday 9am - 4:30am
Friday 9am - 4:30am

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