Anthem Advisors

10/16/2026

Let's talk about being stuck in something you wish you hadn't bought.

It happens to careful people all the time. A few years back, a product looked good on paper. Someone explained it well, the numbers seemed fine, and you signed. Then life moves on, you learn a little more, and one day you realize it just doesn't fit you anymore. And here's the part that stings. Getting out early comes with a steep penalty, so it can feel like you're trapped paying for a decision you've already outgrown.

I sat with a client recently in exactly that spot. Years back he'd bought an annuity. It had done okay, but it no longer belonged where it was. The trouble was the exit. Cashing out today would have cost him thousands in surrender charges. That's a hard pill, and I understood why he felt stuck.

So we didn't panic and pull it all out at once. We took the slow road, and it works like this. Most of these contracts let you take out a slice each year with no penalty, usually around 10%. So we started taking that free slice every contract year and moving it somewhere that actually fits his plan. A little this year. A little next year. By the time the penalty window closes, he'll be almost all the way out, having paid next to nothing to get there.

Here's how I think about it. Think of it like a bandaid. You can peel it back slowly, a little at a time, until one day its just gone and it barely hurt. That's what patience buys you. That's the quiet lesson in a lot of financial cleanup. When something needs undoing, patience usually costs you the least. Give it a few years of small, steady moves and youre out for pennies. Money likes patience.

So if you're carrying a product that no longer fits, or you just have a nagging feeling something in your plan isn't right anymore, don't assume youre stuck. Let's look at it together and find the patient way out.

10/14/2026

Okay, let me teach you a corner of the tax code that can save real money. It has an ugly name, so stay with me.

It's called Net Unrealized Appreciation, NUA for short. It comes into play when you have company stock inside a retirement plan, like an ESOP, and it has grown a lot since you first got it.

Here's the normal path. You roll everything into an IRA, and every dollar you pull out later is taxed as ordinary income. Simple, and for a lot of people, just fine.

Here's the path people miss. You move the actual company stock into a regular brokerage account. You pay ordinary income tax only on what the shares were worth when you first received them, which is often a small number. Then all the growth on top is taxed at the lower long-term capital gains rate when you sell. Same shares. A much friendlier tax bill.

Now, it isn't right for everyone, and the rules are strict. But when the cost basis is low and the growth is big, the savings can be real. So before you roll your ESOP anywhere, run the NUA math first. Want a hand with it? Thats what were here for.

We walk through the NUA math here: https://anthemwealthadvisors.com/2026/09/26/esop-retirement/



This material is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as personalized investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Advisory services are provided only pursuant to a written advisory agreement. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable; however, we do not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

10/12/2026

Am I giving up returns if I only invest in companies that line up with my faith?

We hear that in almost every first meeting, and it is a fair thing to ask. Nobody wants to trade their retirement for a good feeling.

Faith-based investing screens your portfolio two ways. It leans toward companies doing work worth supporting, and it steers away from companies whose business runs counter to biblical principles. Yes, screening narrows the pool of companies you can own. There is still a wide, well diversified market to build a portfolio from, and yours gets the same attention any portfolio deserves. Risk, income, time horizon, fees, rebalancing, all of it.

No approach to investing guarantees a result. What this one offers is the chance to pursue your goals without owning things that work against what you believe. Worth a conversation before you assume the answer.

Learn more: https://anthemwealthadvisors.com/2026/06/23/faith-based-investing/

Market uncertainty is a natural part of investing and often triggers anxiety or rushed choices. Recognizing that volatility is normal helps you keep a long-term investment plan aligned with your...

10/09/2026

There's a risk that hides inside a very good thing. Spending a career at an employee-owned company is something to be proud of. You helped build the place, and the stock you earned along the way can turn into a real piece of your retirement. That's a blessing.

Here's the quiet danger, though. Over the years, that one stock can grow into a huge slice of everything you've saved. Half of it. More, sometimes. And when that much of your future rides on a single company, a rough stretch for that company becomes a rough stretch for your retirement. The stock did well by you, no question. My worry is just that your whole plan ends up leaning on one leg of the stool.

When someone retires with a big ESOP position, part of the work is thoughtfully spreading some of that money out, in a tax-aware way, so no single company holds that much power over your future. If a lot of your nest egg is sitting in company stock, let's take an honest look together before you retire.

The full breakdown is on our blog: https://anthemwealthadvisors.com/2026/09/26/esop-retirement/

Market uncertainty is a natural part of investing and often triggers anxiety or rushed choices. Recognizing that volatility is normal helps you keep a long-term investment plan aligned with your...

10/08/2026

Roth has almost become a reflex. Pay the tax now, let it grow, take it out later with nothing owed. For a lot of savers that's exactly right, and I recommend it often. The whole thing swings on one question, though. What's your tax rate today compared to what it's likely to be down the road?

I sat with a couple recently whose income is at an all-time high. They own a successful business, they've saved with real discipline, and every dollar going into their retirement plan was headed to the Roth side. Their instinct came from a good place.

Here's what we looked at together. In their peak earning years, every one of those Roth dollars was getting taxed at the steepest rate they may ever pay. So, we talked about flipping it for now. Take the deduction while their bracket is high, and later, in a quieter year after they slow down or sell, move that money over to Roth when the rate is gentler. Same destination. They just pay a cheaper toll to get there.

Here's how I'd describe it. You know you're going to buy the thing eventually, so you watch for the week it goes on sale. Taxes can work a little like that. The bill is coming either way, and you have some say in which year you hand it over.

That's much of what good tax planning really is. Looking at your whole life instead of one year, and paying what you owe in the seasons when it costs you less. Every dollar you keep from the timing is a dollar left for your family, your giving, and the things you actually care about.

So, if you're in your high earning years and everything is going Roth on autopilot, that's worth a second look. Let's sit down and figure out which years are the right ones for you to pay the tax.

10/05/2026

Why is the U.S. dollar no longer backed by gold? In this week’s Anthem Angle, Davis Mobley looks back at the collapse of the Bretton Woods system and how it shaped the monetary system we know today. On the planning side, he discusses the importance of setting clear financial goals while also finding contentment in what God has already provided.

10/02/2026

Quick one, but an important one. If you've lost a spouse, Social Security may owe you a benefit you havent claimed.

Under the rules, a surviving spouse can often qualify as early as age sixty, and sooner in some special cases. The amount depends on your ages and your work histories, but it can be a meaningful check.

Here's what gets me. Social Security usually won't come find you. Plenty of widows and widowers go years without claiming what they were entitled to the whole time, simply because no one told them to ask.

So if you've lost your spouse, dont assume its handled. Ask the question. And if you'd like a second set of eyes, were glad to help you check what you may be owed, and the smartest time to claim it.



This material is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as personalized investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Advisory services are provided only pursuant to a written advisory agreement. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable; however, we do not guarantee its accuracy or completeness. nbsp;

09/30/2026

Thank you to the business owners who joined our Exit Planning Lunch & Learn yesterday. Great questions and great conversation.

I asked the room three things. Do you know what your business is worth? What you'd net after taxes? What's enough to support your goals, whether that's retirement, family, or generosity? Most had a feel for the first. The other two, not so much. That's normal.

The goal isnt to sell tomorrow. It's to be ready, with a plan of your choosing, when that season comes. You may not control when you exit, but you can control how prepared you are.

If one of those questions is on your mind, lets talk about it.

09/28/2026

If a big chunk of your retirement is tied up in company stock, here's one move I don't want you making on autopilot.
When people retire from an employee-owned company, and we have plenty of them here in Huntsville, the easy step is to roll the whole ESOP into an IRA and call it done. Tidy, familiar, and sometimes the wrong call.

If that stock has grown a lot, a rule called NUA can let you pay the lower capital gains rate on the growth instead of ordinary income tax. Same shares, very different tax bill. It isn't automatic though, and the timing is picky, so it's worth a look before you roll anything over.

Davis Mobley wrote a clear breakdown of how it all works. If retirement is in view and you're holding company stock, give it ten minutes.

Read it here: https://anthemwealthadvisors.com/2026/09/26/esop-retirement/



This material is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as personalized investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Advisory services are provided only pursuant to a written advisory agreement. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable; however, we do not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

Market uncertainty is a natural part of investing and often triggers anxiety or rushed choices. Recognizing that volatility is normal helps you keep a long-term investment plan aligned with your...

09/25/2026

I'll be honest, this isn't the exciting part of planning. But I've watched it cause more heartache after a death than almost anything else, so stay with me.

Your beneficiary forms and the way your accounts are titled decide who gets what, and how fast. And here's the part people forget. Those forms outrank your will. If an old account still lists an ex, or a form was never filled out, or the house is titled in a way that drags everything into probate, that is what happens. The will can say something else, and it won't matter.

While both spouses are living, all of this is easy to fix. An afternoon, really. After one spouse is gone, a lot of it hardens into place, and the survivor is left untangling it in the worst season of their life.

Think of it like the emergency exits in a building. Nobody studies them on a normal day. But if the day ever comes, you are so grateful someone made sure they actually worked.

So do the boring thing. Pull up your beneficiaries, check how your accounts are titled, and make sure it all still matches the life you have now.

If it's been a few years, let's review yours together. It's a short conversation that saves your family a long one.



This material is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as personalized investment, legal, tax, or accounting advice. Advisory services are provided only pursuant to a written advisory agreement. Information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable; however, we do not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.