CGN Advisors

10/08/2026

Your company announced it's going public. The months before you can sell are when the planning should happen. Read more in our new blog post. Link in the comments.

Your company announced it's going public. The months before you can sell are when the planning should happen. Read more in our new blog post.

10/07/2026

One investment can have a bigger impact on your portfolio than you expect.

Diversification helps to spread your exposure across different investments, industries, and asset classes rather than relying too heavily on one area.

Is your portfolio diversified? Watch here to find out.

10/01/2026

Medicare premium notices for 2027 arrive in November, and they are based on your 2025 tax return.

Our new article explains how IRMAA works, why one high-income year can raise your premium two years later, and the planning steps that can help you stay ahead.

Link in the comments.

09/30/2026

If there's one account most people are underusing, it's the HSA.

An HSA is the only account in the tax code that gives you a deduction going in, tax-free growth while it sits, and tax-free withdrawals when you use it for qualified medical expenses. That triple tax advantage makes it one of the most efficient savings vehicles available.

The strategy for some individuals who can afford to do so: pay medical expenses out of pocket while you're working, let the HSA grow invested, and use it in retirement when healthcare costs are generally at their highest.

After age 65, HSA funds can also be withdrawn for any reason and taxed like a traditional IRA. At that point it functions almost like a bonus retirement account.

09/23/2026

One of the most common financial habits we see among small business owners is running personal and business expenses through the same accounts.

Over time, it becomes difficult to know what the business is earning, what you personally are spending, and what your financial picture looks like outside the company.

A dedicated business checking account, a separate business credit card, and a consistent habit of paying yourself a defined amount can help prevent complications down the road.

09/22/2026

Overwhelmed by retirement planning decisions? In this article, we introduce a retirement decision roadmap that may make things easier. Link in the comments.

Overwhelmed by retirement planning decisions? In this article, we introduce a retirement decision roadmap that may make things easier.

09/16/2026

People ask us all the time if their portfolio looks normal for their age.

We've sat across from two clients in the same week, both 64, both with similar balances, who needed strategies that looked nothing alike. It was the same number on paper, but a completely different picture underneath it.

Asset allocation is personal. It gets built around your life, not a benchmark.

09/11/2026

Some of our team attended Connecting Kansas City for Women in Financial Services, which the FPA of Greater Kansas City hosts annually. This year's theme was "When the Plan Changes," and the panel focused on the career and life transitions that no plan can account for in advance.

That topic overlaps with much of our own work. Clients often come to us right after something changes, such as an unexpected retirement or a spouse's passing, when the plan built for last year no longer fits.

FPA notes that women hold only about 20% of the jobs in wealth management, which is part of why this gathering exists.

Thank you to the FPA of Greater Kansas City for putting it together. Link in the comments.

09/09/2026

If you have a high schooler at home, there's a common assumption worth questioning: "We make too much to qualify for financial aid, so why bother with the FAFSA?"

The FAFSA is the form that determines your eligibility for college aid, and skipping it can cost you. There's no income limit that shuts you out. Higher earners may not qualify for need-based grants, but many colleges require the FAFSA for their own merit scholarships, which are unrelated to income. Federal student loans are available regardless of what you earn too.

The 2027-2028 FAFSA opens October 1, 2026, and here's what surprises people: it pulls from your tax return two years prior. Your 2025 income and assets are already shaping next year's aid. How those assets are positioned can affect the result, and there's still time to look at that before the window opens.

Filing early matters as well. Federal aid is disbursed on a rolling basis, and many schools award their own funds in the same way. Wait until spring, and the best aid may already be spoken for.

Have a sophomore or junior at home? Even if you assume you earn too much to qualify, it's worth filing.

09/07/2026

Happy Labor Day from the CGN team!

To everyone who worked hard to get where they are and is working hard to get where they want to be, enjoy the long weekend. You've earned it!