Stirling Capital, Ltd.

10/15/2026

Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7, and it's easy to let it slide by without a second look. Plans can change their premiums, covered prescriptions, and provider networks every year, so coverage that fit well last year may cost more or cover less this time around. Compare your current plan against what you actually used this year: your medications, your doctors, and your out-of-pocket costs. It's also worth knowing that higher income in retirement can raise what you pay for Medicare premiums. That's one reason withdrawal timing, Roth conversions, and tax planning all tie back to healthcare costs. We help retirees see how those pieces connect, so enrollment season is a checkup instead of a scramble.

10/13/2026

You spent decades on the shifts that keep this region's energy flowing. Claiming your pension should feel like a reward, not a riddle. Many refinery and energy employees can retire in their 50s or early 60s, which is a real advantage. It also raises questions worth answering before you sign anything. How will you cover the years before Social Security begins? Which accounts should you draw from first to avoid unnecessary taxes or penalties? How does your pension election work alongside your 401(k), company stock, and healthcare coverage? These choices are hard to undo once they're made.

Dustin Alexander explains how to get the decision right the first time: https://www.stirlingcapital.org/claiming-your-pension-strategies-energy-workers/

10/12/2026

A market drop in your first few years of retirement can do more lasting damage than the same drop ten years in. In our latest blog, Dustin Alexander, NQPC™, explains sequence-of-returns-risk and how cash reserves, flexible withdrawals, and Social Security timing can help protect your retirement plan. https://www.stirlingcapital.org/sequence-of-returns-risk/

Sequence-of-returns-risk is why the first years of retirement matter so much. Learn how cash reserves and flexible withdrawals help protect your income.

10/07/2026

Your highest-earning years are usually your most heavily taxed ones too. Without a strategy, a steady share of every paycheck slips away to tax drag, and over a decade or two that adds up to real money. The OBBBA rewrote several rules for 2026. The SALT deduction cap rose to $40,000 for many households, charitable gifts now have to clear a floor of 0.5% of AGI before they count, and business owners regained permanent 100% bonus depreciation. Tools like a Backdoor Roth IRA, bunching gifts through a donor-advised fund, or a cash balance plan can put those changes to work for you.

Dustin Alexander breaks down the strategies worth considering while your income is at its peak: https://www.stirlingcapital.org/tax-planning-peak-earning-years/

10/05/2026

Big financial decisions are rarely simple, and they shouldn't feel lonely. That belief shapes how we work with every client. Service means your experience goes beyond the numbers, with the respect and personal attention your situation deserves. Proactive planning means we're looking ahead, balancing what you need today with what you're working toward tomorrow. Guidance means that when a pension election, a job change, or a family transition lands on your kitchen table, you have experienced advisors in your corner to talk it through. Our mission hasn't changed since 2006: help hardworking individuals and families achieve financial independence through honest advice and personalized planning. Ready to make your money work as hard as you do? Let's start with a conversation.

10/01/2026

October is Financial Planning Month, and the timing works in your favor. There's still enough of the year left to make changes that count now rather than next spring. Start with three questions. Does your plan reflect the life you're living today, or the one you pictured five years ago? Are your savings, investments, and insurance pulling toward the same goals? And does someone you trust see the whole picture? If any of those answers gives you pause, pay attention to it. A financial plan isn't a document you file away. It's a set of decisions that deserves a fresh look as your income, family, and priorities change. We help hardworking families in Northwest Ohio turn those questions into a clear path forward.

09/29/2026

You have poured years into building your business, and that dedication shows in everything it has become. But when the company is also your retirement plan, your emergency fund, and your legacy all at once, a single downturn can touch every part of your financial life. Diversification is how you separate your family's security from forces you cannot control, like market shifts, industry changes, or an unexpected health event.

The good news is that diversifying does not mean stepping back from what you built. Tax-advantaged retirement plans, investment portfolios outside the company, and a thoughtful succession strategy all let your business keep growing while your personal wealth stands on its own foundation. Our insight from Dustin Alexander walks through where to start: https://www.stirlingcapital.org/why-business-owners-need-wealth-diversification/

09/28/2026

Business owners often picture their exit as a negotiation. Find a buyer, agree on a number, sign.

Most never get that far. McKinsey's February 2026 research estimates that 92% of small and mid-size business exits in 2022 ended in closure.

What you keep gets decided in the years before a sale, not at the closing table. In our latest blog, Dustin Alexander breaks down internal vs. third-party sales, ESOPs, Ohio's 2026 capital gain deduction, and when to start planning. https://www.stirlingcapital.org/business-owner-exit-planning/

Business owner exit planning is more than a sale price. Compare internal vs. third-party sales, ESOPs, and tax-efficient structures before you exit.

09/23/2026

The final quarter of the year is where tax planning either happens or gets missed. Once December 31 passes, most of the levers available to you close for good. Early fall is the time to review your withholdings against what you have actually earned, evaluate tax-loss harvesting opportunities in taxable accounts, and confirm you are on pace to maximize tax-advantaged contributions.

Keeping more of what you earn rarely comes from one big move. It comes from careful, consistent preparation applied year after year. Our team coordinates tax strategy with your investments and retirement plan so every decision supports the bigger picture.

09/21/2026

Every family eventually reaches the cusp of a new chapter. Empty nesting, an inheritance, a career change, or the final stretch before retirement all raise the same question: what should we do next? The families who navigate these transitions with confidence are the ones with a coordinated plan connecting their money to their goals.

At Stirling Capital, we help hardworking families get clarity on retirement planning, inheritance decisions, and wealth building strategies at every stage of life. You bring the story. We help you write the next chapter with confidence.