Sachetta

06/02/2026

You purchased your insurance policies and annuities for a reason.

The question is: Do they still fit the role they were designed to play?

Steve Ahern explains why regular reviews can help keep your coverage and plan aligned with your goals, your family, and your future.

05/26/2026

Insurance and annuities are easy to put in place and forget about.

But over time, a policy or contract that once made sense may no longer fit your life or your broader plan in quite the same way.

That is why it helps to revisit: life insurance; disability insurance; long-term care insurance, and annuities.

A review is not only for major life changes. It can also help uncover: outdated beneficiaries; rising premiums or contract costs; policies nearing key deadlines; rider or policy notices that need attention; annuities that still have value, but may no longer be in the strongest position relative to your broader plan.

It is also worth remembering that the insurance company matters, especially with long-term contracts like life insurance and annuities. That’s why it’s important to monitor the financial strength of the carrier over time.

A good review does not always lead to a change. Sometimes it simply confirms that what you have is still doing exactly what it should. That kind of clarity is valuable too.

When to Review Insurance Policies and Annuities

Review insurance policies and annuities regularly to make sure they still support your income, retirement, and broader financial plan.

05/22/2026

Some of the events that affect your financial plan may not begin in your own household. A parent may need care, a sibling’s situation may change, or an adult child may need support again.

That doesn’t mean planning for every possible scenario. It means recognizing that family responsibilities can shape your financial life, and a little planning ahead can help you respond with more clarity and flexibility.

https://sachetta.com/blog/family-tree-risk-planning-ahead-to-protect-your-financial-plan

05/18/2026

A regular review can help make sure insurance and annuities still support the role they are meant to play in your broader plan. Sometimes the value is in making a change. Sometimes the value is simply the clarity that what you already have is still working as it should.
https://sachetta.com/blog/review-insurance-policies-and-annuities

05/07/2026

Some of the biggest risks to your financial plan may not start in your own household.

They may start with a parent, an adult child, a sibling, or someone else in the family whose life unexpectedly changes.

A parent may need more care than anyone anticipated.
An adult child may need help after a divorce, job loss, or health issue.
A sibling may become the center of a crisis, and suddenly you are the one coordinating decisions, time, and support.

These situations may not be likely. But if they happen, they can have a real impact on your cash flow, your schedule, your retirement timing, and the decisions your household has to make.

That is one way to think about family tree risk.

It is not about assuming the worst.
It is about asking better questions while life is still calm.

Do we know where the gaps are?
Are the right insurance protections in place?
Have basic estate planning documents been handled?
Have we talked about who would step in if something changed?

Often, the issue is not only whether your own household is prepared. It is whether the people around you have done enough planning that their crisis does not become your financial strain.

That is why this belongs in financial planning.

A strong plan should not only reflect the life you expect. It should also leave room for the events that could change it.

Planning ahead cannot prevent every disruption. But it can give you more flexibility, fewer rushed decisions, and a steadier path forward when family responsibilities suddenly become real.

Family tree risk is the chance that an unexpected family event affects your financial plan. Learn how planning ahead can help protect your flexibility.

04/29/2026

Do I have to pay capital gains taxes when I sell my house? Sometimes yes, often no.

When you sell your primary residence, the IRS may let you exclude a large portion of your profit from taxes. This is commonly called the sale of primary residence tax exemption, and it comes from Section 121 of the tax code. If you qualify, this exclusion is usually the main way people legally “avoid” capital gains tax on a home sale. Up to $250,000 of gain may be excluded if you are single. Up to $500,000 of gain may be excluded if you are married filing jointly and meet the requirements. Eric Sachetta explains how this is calculated in this video.

04/28/2026

Rental property owners can save time, reduce stress, and protect more deductions by keeping records throughout the year instead of scrambling at tax time. A clear checklist helps organize purchase documents, LLC and banking details, tenant and vendor records, repairs versus improvements, mileage, recurring expenses, and year-end tax information so nothing important gets missed. The focus is on building simple habits that make tax preparation easier, support cleaner bookkeeping, and lead to better-informed decisions about the property year-round. Cailin Suvarna, CPA, Sachetta

04/13/2026

“Do I have to pay capital gains tax when I sell my primary residence?”

Many homeowners can avoid capital gains tax on a primary residence.
But you have to qualify, and the gain has to be calculated correctly.

The rule:

You may be able to exclude up to $250,000 of gain.
Or $500,000 if you’re married filing jointly.
The key is usually the 2-out-of-5-year ownership and living requirement.

Here’s the basic math:

Gain (profit) = Sale price – Selling costs – Your adjusted basis

Where people get surprised

Your basis might be higher than you think (improvements count).

Past rental or home office use can change what’s taxable.

Timing your close can shift your tax year.

Before you close:

Pull your purchase and sale documents.

List major improvements.

Flag anything “unusual” early (divorce, inheritance, rental history).

Talk with your financial advisor.

04/09/2026

Owning a rental property shouldn’t feel like a second job.

Yes, a rental can build wealth.
And yes, it can also cause headaches: the late-night texts, the “where did that invoice go?” scramble, and the annual tax-time panic.

The good news: most landlord stress is preventable.

The fix is boring (in a good way):
✅ one folder
✅ a few habits
✅ a quarterly review

That’s it.

If you own one rental property (especially if it’s held in an LLC), here’s the mindset shift that makes everything easier:

Track rental life, not tax rules.
Because the “hard” part usually isn’t the deductions—it’s missing documentation when real life happens.

Here’s the simple framework we recommend:

1) At purchase (set it once):

Create your property folder structure

Keep purchase docs in a “forever” section

Separate accounts for LLC activity so records stay clean

2) Rental events (capture it in the moment):

Renovations and replacements

Tenant move-out / turnover

Vacancy periods

Security deposits

Contractor payments (W-9s and year-end totals)

3) A regular rhythm (so April is calm):

Monthly: reconcile, categorize, file receipts

Quarterly: review vendor totals, flag “projects,” fill gaps

Year-end: make a one-page improvements list and close the loop

If you want the full checklist (including a quick “repairs vs. improvements” rule of thumb and a simple travel/mileage log approach), we put it all in our latest article on Rental Property Tax Deductions.

If you’re a one-property owner, this is the kind of boring system that keeps the rental from taking over your life.

👉 Comment “CHECKLIST” and we’ll send it over, or find it on our site- https://hubs.ly/Q04bhnvL0

04/06/2026

Managing your personal finances is complex. Here are 25 planning decisions that require both a financial planning and a tax planning lens (and a few online searches to explain the jargon!) 📝

1. Roth vs. Traditional IRA contributions
2. 401(k)/403(b)/457 deferrals & catch-ups
3. Backdoor Roth / Mega-backdoor Roth setups
4. Roth conversions (bracket, IRMAA, NIIT aware)
5. HSA eligibility, funding, and investing
6. RMDs and Qualified Charitable Distributions
7. Charitable strategy (DAFs, appreciated stock, bunching)
8. Medicare & Social Security tax interplay (IRMAA)
9. Capital gains harvesting & tax-loss harvesting
10. Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT) exposure
11. Selling a home or large taxable asset
12. Inherited IRA/401(k) rules and timing
13. Equity comp (ISOs/NSOs/RSUs/ESPP) decisions
14. Social Security timing & withdrawal coordination
15. 529 plan funding, front-loading, and changes
16. Annuities (location, taxation, exclusion ratio)
17. Tax-aware rebalancing & asset location
18. Roth vs. pre-tax in peak-income years
19. ACA marketplace planning and MAGI cliffs
20. State moves / multi-state residency implications
21. Tax-efficient retirement income mix
22. High-yield cash, T-bills, and money markets
23. Concentrated position risk & charitable tools
24. Estimated tax planning after one-time events
25. Beneficiary designations & titling alignment

If you have found yourself passing questions or information between your advisors, it's time to consider another way.

Many of Sachetta's financial advisors hold credentials in both financial planning and tax planning, so our clients enjoy year-round tax-smart financial planning.

If you're ready for this tax season to be the last one you spend time passing messages and papers between advisors, give us a call to learn more.