CochranBell Wealth and Tax Strategy

09/08/2026

Tell us your vacation style and we'll tell you your money personality (kind of).

Swipe through and let us know in the comments: are you Team Beach, Team Mountain, or Team "We Never Left the Driveway"?

09/04/2026

Real talk: when's the last time you actually looked at your 401(k) contribution percentage? Not the balance, the percentage.

If you got a raise this year and didn't bump it up, today's your sign.

A few quick things worth checking today:
-Are you contributing enough to get your full employer match? (If not, that's leaving free money on the table)
-Have you increased your contribution % since your last raise?
-Do you know what you're actually invested in?

Small tweaks now can make a big difference by retirement. If you want a second set of eyes on it, that's exactly what we're here for.

08/27/2026

National 401(k) Day is September 5th, and we're giving you a head start. Here are three things worth checking before the end of August:

1) Are you at least contributing enough to get your full employer match? If not, you are leaving free money on the table. Actual free money.

2) When did you last look at how your 401(k) is invested? If the answer is "when I set it up in 2019," it might be time for a quick review.

3) Has anything changed in your life this year—income, family size, goals—that should change your contribution rate?

Need help? That's what we're here for.

08/24/2026

Some nights are about work. Some are about baseball. And some are about watching baseball players dance in ways we definitely weren't expecting (see the video in the first comment)!

We had a great night at the Banana Ball game in OKC this weekend—great company, plenty of laughs, and a reminder that sometimes the best memories happen outside the office.

⚾🍌

08/24/2026

"People spend their entire lives sacrificing their health to gain money. Then, when they get to retirement, they sacrifice all their money to try to regain their health. Does that remind you of anyone?"

Our August blog draws connects corporate wellness to financial wellness. They're not as different as you might think!

Read more on our blog.

Before I was talking to people about portfolio allocations and tax strategy, I spent years asking a question that gave many people pause:

08/20/2026

This or that — financial edition! We're asking the hard questions today.

No wrong answers... but we definitely have some thoughts.

08/17/2026

The group chat is not a replacement for a financial advisor. And yet...

The destination trip with friends in Nashville with the matching cowboy hats. The golf trip that somehow has a caddy fee. The $90 face serum your friend swears by. The concert that required flights, a hotel, AND a new outfit.

We're not here to tell you not to go. We're here to tell you that social spending pressure is one of the most real (and least talked about) financial challenges millennials face. You deserve the memories AND financial confidence. Let's build a plan that makes room for both.

08/14/2026

Summer has a way of making spending feel effortless. A weekend getaway turns into an extra hotel night. Family outings become a regular occurrence. The kids are home from school, grocery bills creep higher, and those "limited-time" summer sales make it easy to justify purchases you hadn't planned on.

Then August arrives, and reality sets in. You open your banking app to find a credit card balance that's higher than expected, your emergency fund isn't what it used to be and your next paycheck already has a job before it even hits your account.

If that sounds familiar, you may be dealing with what's often called a financial hangover.

Read more on Kiplinger.

Summer vacations, family outings and impulse purchases can strain your budget. Here's how to get your savings and spending back on track before the holidays.

08/12/2026

It's almost game day season in Stillwater. 🤠🏈 Which means OSU move-in is happening, syllabi are being printed, and somewhere a college senior is about to get their first real paycheck and immediately spend $200 at Target (we see you!).

If you have a kid heading to OSU or heading into their first job after graduation, this is a great moment to have the money conversation. The one about taxes, and direct deposit, and why their 401(k) match is literally free money they should not walk away from.

We actually built a program called "What to Do With My Paycheck" specifically for young adults entering the workforce. If your campus organization, sorority or fraternity, or employer would love a session this fall, please reach out. We'd love to come talk to them.

08/06/2026

"Tax-intelligent financial planning" is a phrase we say a lot. But what does it actually mean?

Many financial advisors look at your investments. A tax-intelligent advisor looks at your whole picture —investments, income, tax situation, and future goals — all at once. Because how you save money matters just as much as how much you save.

At Cochran Bell, we have both a financial planning AND a tax perspective under one roof. That's not common. And for our clients, it makes a real difference.