Harding Wealth

10/14/2026

It’s official: your Social Security check is going up 3.6% in 2027.

SSA announced it this morning. That’s the biggest increase since 2023.

Here’s what it means for you:

1. The average retired worker goes from about $2,095 to $2,170 a month. Roughly $75 more starting in January.

2. Widows and widowers get the same raise. An aged widow receiving benefits alone goes from about $1,936 to $2,005.

3. Ex-spouses collecting on a former spouse’s record get it too. Survivor and divorced-spouse benefits get the same COLA.

4. Medicare premiums come straight out of that check, so watch what your net actually is once 2027 premiums are announced. The headline number and the pocket number are different.

One timing note: Medicare enrollment opens tomorrow, so if you’re shopping plans this week, knowing your January benefit first helps you budget the real number.

Just educational context — not financial advice. Your exact increase depends on your own benefit amount.

08/13/2026

You could have $300k in debt or $0 and I’d still have you follow this formula:

1) open the accounts you need. Brokerage, 529, Roth, workplace 401k, etc… Whatever your situation needs.

2) establish a recurring deposit and auto investment to those accounts. If you have a mountain of debt these amounts are going to be like $5/wk…that’s okay, it’s just about building infrastructure.

3) as you witness the power of auto deposits and investments, it will become energizing. You’ll find extra money — a subscription to cancel or side gig or a promotion.

You’ll start to understand why eliminating debt payments is the key to unlocking massive accumulation.

No more $600/car payment? $600 goes to your portfolio.

And when you’ve unlocked more investable dollars you aren’t tasked with opening accounts and deciding what to do…. You already decided and it was just $5/wk or whatever. Now you just bump up the numbers.

07/26/2026

Regular everyday life can be extraordinary too btw.

07/23/2026

It’s Sunday morning.

You’re drinking coffee out of this mug.

You just opened the weekly portfolio performance update email we send to every client.

It was bad this week you lost money. You don’t panic. We’ve talked about this. Also, it was good the week before.

Through hours of conversation and blogs and white papers and webinars and books and events, you have resilience. Confidence.

You’re unwavering.

So you finish the coffee and FaceTime your grandchildren.

…none of it possible without this mug.

So how do you get the mug? Locals come to our monthly Morning Club at Scottsdale Fashion Square … non locals, we’ll figure something out for you. Dm me if interested.

07/22/2026

We’re so much weirder than your typical advisor and firm.

I can’t stress how important that is.

07/19/2026

Just wrapped a call with a client.

76.
Female.
Widowed.
No heirs.
Net worth about $5m ($3m liquid, $2m real estate)

The reason for the call:

Yesterday I learned that she’s getting married to a fellow widower this afternoon after knowing him for just three months.

My first comment was “Congratulations, tell me how you met.”

After hearing their story — and after having worked with hundreds of older retirees in a similar situation, here’s what I said to her:

“I’m so happy you found someone. You don’t have to legally get married to honor that connection, but I understand if that’s important to you.

Also, it’s my job to address the possibility that some things may happen, however unlikely they may be.

So, do me this favor:

1) Do not commingle a meaningful amount of your assets for at least a year.

2) I can see the titling of all of your sizable assets with the exception of your house. Do not make any changes to the title on your real estate unless we talk (we manage the accounts).

3) Let’s sit for a meeting with your new husband as soon as you can. I’d love to get everyone on the same page. “

Then I offered to be the witness at today’s courthouse ceremony if they needed one.
..This stuff is complicated.

On one hand, three months is a very short time before getting married.

On the other hand, loneliness is real. She has no heirs. The man she’s marrying is 79—not 55—and how do you put a price on companionship later in life?

This isn’t the decision I would make personally, but my job isn’t to live clients’ lives. My job is to be a sounding board, to help them understand the biggest risks, protect where I can, and then support them as they live the life they’ve chosen

01/23/2026

Allow us to reintroduce ourselves...

Allow me to reintroduce ourselves.

09/05/2025

A potential client recently asked me about a premium-financed IUL policy they were considering. Of course, the salesperson was glossing over the major risks and using funny math to portray the potential benefits... So let me unpack the 'myth vs. reality' on these kinds of offerings:

Myth 1: “The policy pays for itself.”

Reality: The strategy depends on borrowing money. Loan costs fluctuate with interest rates, and the insurer can adjust caps and charges. If the assumptions don’t hold, you’ll have to post collateral or pay out of pocket.

Myth 2: “You’ll get tax-free retirement income forever.”

Reality: Tax-free loans from the policy only work if the contract stays in force for life. If it lapses or underperforms, the IRS treats the outstanding loan as taxable income. This “phantom income” event can trigger a huge tax bill when you’re least prepared.

Myth 3: “It’s low-risk because of the index crediting.”

Reality: Index crediting isn’t guaranteed. Carriers set caps (the maximum return credited) and participation rates (the percentage of the index gain you receive). They can reduce these at any time, which cuts long-term performance dramatically.

Myth 4: “This is a proven wealth strategy for the ultra-affluent.”

Reality: Yes, some wealthy families use premium financing — but usually with liquidity to spare, and as part of a highly managed estate plan. For most investors, it’s not “proven,” it’s speculative. The wrong sequence of rates and returns can collapse the whole plan.

Myth 5: “It beats investing directly.”

Reality: If you can already invest in markets directly, paying layers of insurance costs plus loan interest is usually less efficient. Premium financing only “works” on paper if illustrated returns stay high and borrowing costs stay low — both very uncertain.

Myth 6: “The insurance agent wouldn’t recommend it if it wasn’t safe.”

Reality: Premium-financed IUL pays some of the highest commissions in the industry. Sales incentives can cloud judgment. Always ask who benefits more: you, or the person selling it.
..I don't believe an actual policy has ever outperformed the illustration used to sell that policy. Remember that and beware.

09/03/2025

A ten year financial plan isnt valuable; too many assumptions are needed.

A ten year relationship with someone who adapts your plan to your ever-changing life is much better.

08/29/2025

As a firm, Harding Wealth Inc. recently hit a milestone we'd had our eyes on for a couple years.

What matters here isn't the specific milestone -- I won't mention what it is because, frankly, it doesn't matter whether it's a small or medium or big number.

What does matter, however, is that we wouldn't have been able to reach this number without doing impactful work which makes us worthy of retaining. I like what that suggests about what we're building.

At the end of the day, specific goals are just guesses and not much changes after you hit a number. You know this because that one time you breached a six-figure income or a million dollars in your portfolio or something like that, nothing changed after.... You just had to set a new target.

But along the way it's worth taking a peak in the rearview to give credit to how far you've come.

Shoutout to the HW team for bringing us this far.