HLS Retirement Consulting, LLC

05/06/2026

Day 2! Interviews with Wealth.com.

05/04/2026

Oh, Aunt IRMAA.

If you aren’t introducing her to your higher-income clients now, she’s going to introduce herself later. And she brings with her not a fruitcake, but an expensive bill. 💸

With Medicare Part B premiums jumping nearly 10% this year while income thresholds have barely budged, more soon-to-be retirees are at risk of triggering the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) surcharge that can be a significant hit to their retirement cash flow.

2028 Part B and D premiums are being decided by the moves you make today. Because of the two-year lookback, that strategic Roth conversion or beach house sale could trigger a massive "Medicare Tax" two years down the road.

🔍 Get the full breakdown on navigating income strategies with IRMAA in mind:

When your healthcare is tied to your employer, your coverage costs are relatively predictable. It doesn't matter if you had a record-breaking sales year or a quiet one; the premium is the premium. Retirement has a way of complicating things. Medicare enrollees with higher incomes don't just pay a se...

04/29/2026

✅ Debunking the retirement myths your clients saw on YouTube

✅ Rubbing elbows with the sharpest minds in retirement planning

✅ "Researching" if frozen umbrella drinks are a tax-deductible business expense

For the second year in a row, Horizons is officially sold out. I’m not surprised. This is the G7 Summit for retirement geeks, after all, but with more sun and palm trees.

If you didn't grab a spot, don't worry. I'll be bringing back the Cliff Notes version of everything the brightest minds in the room shared! (Just make sure to book early in 2027. Nothing beats the energy of this crowd when we all get in the same room.)

To everyone I'll be seeing in Orlando: I can’t wait! ☀️

04/15/2026

When the economy feels uncertain, clients nearing retirement get antsy. And when clients get antsy about Social Security, the Googling begins. The problem? Social Security is far too complex and individualized to crowdsource. But if we’re honest, advisors don’t always have the answers, either.

April is . Consider it a nudge to sharpen your edge. Between temporary tax changes in the “Big Beautiful Bill,” Americans retiring in record numbers, and clients who are one scary headline away from an irreversible decision, there has never been a better time.

Whether you want a quick refresh or a deep dive into the weeds, I've got you.

📩 Sign up for my free newsletter for practical tips and timely insights: https://hlsretirementconsulting.com/

04/07/2026

This tax season, advisors are getting the same question: “Did Social Security taxes actually get eliminated?”

Your clients are feeling the pressure. So when they hear “tax relief,” they pay attention. The temporary senior deduction is real and begins in tax year 2025, but it’s not the permanent fix many were hoping for.

➡️ Swipe for what changed, what didn’t, and what actually matters.

💡 Pro tip: Use this as an entry point for broader retirement income and tax strategy conversations with your clients.

🔍 Get the full breakdown: https://hlsretirementconsulting.com/your-clients-are-hearing-that-social-security-taxes-are-going-away-heres-whats-really-changing/

03/30/2026

Women's History Month feels like the right time to say it out loud: Behind every woman managing her finances, family, career, and sanity is a whole lot of unfiltered reality.

The "Heather" you see in the blazer on stage is just the tip of the iceberg. This year alone has brought plenty of moments I didn’t have on my Bingo card (swipe through, and buckle up). If you’re a caregiver in the Sandwich Generation, like me, you understand what it’s like in the trenches more than anyone.

I’m choosing to find the humor in the chaos. Mostly because the alternative involves throwing my phone in a lake and moving to a remote mountain cabin that is—crucially—bat-free. 📵🦇

To every woman currently wrestling with the next uninvited crisis while keeping a dozen other plates spinning: I see you. I am you. And we’re killing it. 💪 Even if we’re doing it all on 2 hours of sleep (never mind the "bubble baths and mindfulness" they’re always telling us we need).

My mission is to make sure women are empowered to lead these lives, not just survive them. Let’s acknowledge the crazy curveballs and the unseen labor, and come to the table as our authentic, messy, brilliant selves. 🥂

02/24/2026

What do Social Security planning and winter weather in the South have in common?

The fear of scarcity makes people act fast, like claiming Social Security too soon, or buying up all the bread and milk at Kroger. (Seriously, how much French toast are we planning to make?! 🍞🥛)

Sensationalist headlines claiming Social Security is “going broke” push some clients toward a “claim it now, just in case” mindset, using a bird-in-the-hand logic.

It’s understandable. Traditional pensions have become more of an exception rather than a rule for private sector employees. More often, they are offered a retirement plan like a 401(k) that places most of the savings responsibility on them. For many retirees, Social Security is or will be the only guaranteed, inflation-adjusted paycheck that lasts for their lifetime.

But claiming early is often the wrong response to the fear that Social Security will either pay less than the promised benefit or disappear entirely, and it comes with permanent trade-offs.

Head to my blog for a deeper dive:

Here in Metro Atlanta, we’ve just had two back-to-back winter storm weekends. And with each forecast came the same familiar grocery store scene: shelves wiped clean. Bread. Milk. Eggs. Gone. What everyone plans to do with all that milk and bread is a question for another day. (My money’s on…

02/16/2026

I go deep into the weeds on , , retirement rules, and rule updates—so advisors don’t have to.

My FREE Retirement Strategy Report newsletter is a quick read that distills the nuance into bite-sized insights, inspires confident client conversations, and keeps you ahead of the curve.

Sign up and sharpen your edge!
https://hlsretirementconsulting.com/

10/31/2025

I’ll be honest: I was dreading the packing.
The guilt of leaving my mom for a few days, the stress of unfinished work, and the weight of constant responsibilities were tugging at my psyche.

Not because I didn’t want to celebrate our sweet cousin’s wedding, but because life has been a lot lately between work, caregiving, and the curveballs that always seem to come in clusters. The thought of adding an out-of-state trip felt like just one more thing on an already full plate.

But then we arrived in Buffalo.

Pre-wedding reunions with the people I love most. A quick trip down memory lane with the kids in tow to my husband’s favorite old haunts, dive restaurants, and, of course, Niagara Falls. Then came the wedding we’d been eagerly awaiting for months—a breathtaking celebration set against the most beautiful backdrop. I laughed. I relished these moments like my world depended on it. And in that moment, I remembered what all the hustle is really for.

10/31/2025

It may be spooky season, but income planning shouldn’t come with jump scares.

Too often, though, the horrors lurk in the fine print—slashed benefits, IRMAA surcharges, disappearing portfolios…you get the idea. 💀

👉 Swipe for 8 of the scariest truths that can sneak up on your clients. 🎃 🕸️

Read the full blog post at hlsretirementconsulting.com/blog