Michael Hollis, Financial Planner & Coach

07/17/2026

Ever get to tax time and think, "I have no idea what I need to give my tax preparer."?

You're not alone. Most people dread that and the guessing that comes with it.

Every year it's the same scramble:

• Where do I find all my W2s and 1099s? (And what are those anyway?)
• Does that little bit of income I made from the bank CD matter?
• Will my tax person understand that the distribution was a Roth conversion or a QCD?
• Did I make the tax payments my accountant recommended and where is that darn receipt?
• Do I have the records for those charitable gifts?
• What changed this year that my preparer needs to know?

Here's something I think makes my firm, TapestryFP, unique. Because we already know your financial situation inside and out from all the tax planning we do, we know exactly what tax time needs.

No annual binder full of tax homework that you're not sure if you can answer accurately.

One less thing weighing on you. That's about peace of mind.

If tax time always feels like a fire drill and you want help with that, let's talk.



Disclosures:

Michael Hollis, CFP® is an investment adviser representative of TapestryFP. The firm is a registered investment adviser and only conducts business in jurisdictions where it is properly registered, or is excluded or exempted from registration requirements. Registration as an investment adviser is not an endorsement of the firm by securities regulators and does not mean the adviser has achieved a specific level of skill or ability.

The tax and estate planning information offered by the advisor is general in nature. It is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal or tax advice. Always consult an attorney or tax professional regarding your specific legal or tax situation.

07/16/2026

Did you know some income can come to you completely tax-free?

Not a loophole. It's just how the rules work.

A few of examples:

• Qualified dividends and long-term capital gains. If your taxable income is low enough, they can be taxed at 0%. Stack that with the standard deduction and a real chunk of income can be tax-free each year.
• Roth withdrawals. Money you already paid tax on grows and comes out tax-free in retirement, as long as you follow the rules.
• Many states give preferential treatment to retirement income, including pensions, Social Security, and IRA/401k withdrawals. You want to make sure you report that right.

Here's why this matters in retirement.

If you can meet your spending needs by managing your ordinary income and tax-favored income in retirement, you can lower your lifetime tax bill.

The ideal situation for most is having money in different tax buckets: pre-tax, Roth, and taxable. That way you get to choose where your income comes from each year and manage the tax bill on purpose.

That flexibility is worth a lot. If you're not considering this intentionally, you might be building more in one bucket than you need. That's where long-term tax planning becomes really valuable.

Which bucket(s) are you filling right now?



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Disclosures:

Michael Hollis, CFP® is an investment adviser representative of TapestryFP. The firm is a registered investment adviser and only conducts business in jurisdictions where it is properly registered, or is excluded or exempted from registration requirements. Registration as an investment adviser is not an endorsement of the firm by securities regulators and does not mean the adviser has achieved a specific level of skill or ability.

The tax planning information offered by the advisor is general in nature. It is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as tax advice. Always consult a tax professional regarding your specific situation.

07/15/2026

Do you look forward to a big refund every spring?

I hate to be the guy who ruins it, but a refund is not a gift.

It's not a bonus, and it's not the IRS being generous.

A refund just means you overpaid all year. You loaned the government your money, interest free, and now they're handing it back.

That was always your money.

I'd rather see you tune your withholding so you keep more of it in each paycheck. Then that money can actually work for you during the year:

• Filling up your emergency fund
• Knocking out debt
• Getting invested sooner
• More margin month to month

Now, some folks love the forced-savings feel of a big refund, and I get that. But there are better ways to force savings that don't hand the IRS a free loan.

If April rolls around and you're getting a giant refund every single year, that's a sign your withholding is off.

Would you rather have that money in your pocket now, or wait a year to get it back?



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Disclosures:

Michael Hollis, CFP® is an investment adviser representative of TapestryFP. The firm is a registered investment adviser and only conducts business in jurisdictions where it is properly registered, or is excluded or exempted from registration requirements. Registration as an investment adviser is not an endorsement of the firm by securities regulators and does not mean the adviser has achieved a specific level of skill or ability.

The tax planning information offered by the advisor is general in nature. It is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as tax advice. Always consult a tax professional regarding your specific situation.

07/14/2026

Should I go Roth or pre-tax?

It's a common question and the hot choice these days is Roth. The honest answer is it depends and here are the rules of thumb I start with:

• Roth is great when your tax rate today is lower than it'll be when you pull the money out.
• Pre-tax makes more sense when you're deferring at a high rate now and expect to fill up the lower brackets later in retirement.

The goal isn't to pay zero tax in retirement. I know that sounds nice, but chasing it can actually cost you.

Here's what I mean.

The real goal is to pay as little tax as you can over your whole lifetime. Sometimes that means paying tax now. Sometimes later.

Every dollar gets taxed at some point. The only question is when and at what rate. The idea is you make the contribution election that makes most sense in the current year, and that might change.

What contribution type did you choose and do you have a clear reason why?



Disclosures:

Michael Hollis, CFP® is an investment adviser representative of TapestryFP. The firm is a registered investment adviser and only conducts business in jurisdictions where it is properly registered, or is excluded or exempted from registration requirements. Registration as an investment adviser is not an endorsement of the firm by securities regulators and does not mean the adviser has achieved a specific level of skill or ability.

The tax planning information offered by the advisor is general in nature. It is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as tax advice. Always consult a tax professional regarding your specific situation.

07/14/2026

What’s your WEALTH for? Enjoyment, generosity, choice, stability, courage, impact, identity, legacy...?

Leave a comment about the story you’re weaving with your wealth.

07/13/2026

Why is one spouse in the dark about family finances, often the wife?

I answered this question from friend in my latest YouTube.

I hope you gain some insights and practical tips to fix that if it's something you're looking to solve.

Do you and your spouse both know what is going on with your money, ...

07/13/2026

Do you naturally avoid or procrastinate at tax time or are you the type that files ASAP to get that monster refund check?

When I was preparing taxes this past year, most people I helped were on edge for one reason or another and were relieved once I helped them get clarity. But I see a few common misconceptions.

Here are the ones I see most often:

• If I owe, I must have blown it.
• If I get a refund, I did something right.
• One wrong move and the IRS is coming for me.

All of those ideas are just a little bit off. Maybe a lotabit.

Here's some truth:

• A tax bill can mean you had more income than expected. More income is a good thing.
• It can also mean you need a plan for covering unexpected income. That's the key to making tax filing a nothing burger.
• A refund is not a bonus or gift from Uncle Sam. It usually means you overpaid, and the IRS is handing back money that was always yours.
• If you're getting a sizeable refund year after year. That's an opportunity to have more money back in your pocket every paycheck.
• Filing an extension or an amendment? Totally common. Not a red flag. Sometimes you need more time because of life or you're waiting on all the tax forms.
• An extension doesn't give you more time to pay, just to file, so it's good to do some math to figure out the approximate bill even if you need more time to file.

What's one tax assumption you wonder about?



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Disclosures:

Michael Hollis, CFP® is an investment adviser representative of TapestryFP. The firm is a registered investment adviser and only conducts business in jurisdictions where it is properly registered, or is excluded or exempted from registration requirements. Registration as an investment adviser is not an endorsement of the firm by securities regulators and does not mean the adviser has achieved a specific level of skill or ability.

The tax planning information offered is general in nature. It is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as tax advice. Always consult a tax professional regarding your specific tax situation.

07/10/2026

What’s your wealth for? - Ep8

What’s your WEALTH for? Enjoyment, generosity, choice, stability, courage, impact, identity, legacy...?

Leave a comment about the story you’re weaving with your wealth.

07/10/2026

Being debt-free isn't really about the interest you save.

It's about eliminating bad risk.

Debt is risk. When you owe someone else a payment, you have more constraints. A chunk of every dollar is already spoken for by a decision you made in the past. You dread the thought of missing a paycheck. You can't take a swing at something big.

Clear that risk out and options open up.

Now you can take good kinds of risk:
• Leave the steady paycheck to start the thing you've been dreaming about.
• Take the job that pays a little less but lights you up.
• Keep investing when everyone else is scared.
• Be generous without checking the balance first.

The real debt-free advantage is the freedom to bet on yourself.

I've got a debt-free bias, but I'll give you the options and the tradeoffs, not a lecture. If getting there has been rattling around your head, let's talk.

What would you go after if debt weren't holding you back?

07/09/2026

Should I save or pay off debt?

Both saving and paying off debt mean giving something up today. Saving funds your future. Paying off debt cleans up the past. And it's hard to do both at once.

So I don't split it down the middle. Focus wins.

Here's what I usually suggest:
• Set aside a small starter savings amount. Enough to catch the little gremlins that will tempt you to go back to your credit card.
• Let that seeminly precarious savings light a fire under your butt.
• Then go hog wild on the debt. Everything you've got, smallest balance first. No lollygagging.
• Once the debt is gone, supercharge that full emergency fund.

What about the 401k match? Yes, a match is a 100% return, and on paper you don't skip that. But ask yourself this: Is this about the math or behavior?

A 3% match on a $100k salary is $3k a year.

Will that 401k contribution change your life in one or two years? Or will being completely out of debt?

I paused my own contributions for about five months to knock out our debt and fully fund our emergency fund. I don't miss it.

But if you're going to drag your feet over years, keep the match.

You'll probably keep your debt too.

Buying a house? Clear the consumer debt, fund your emergency fund, and save your down payment first. Debt squeezes what you can afford and eats margin going forward. Keep a house a blessing instead of a regret.

What's the one debt you'd love to see gone this year?

This is general education, not personalized advice. Talk to a professional about your situation.