Eudaimonia Wealth

12/04/2025

One of the conversations I have most often with families is about achieving work optionality.

It’s the peace of mind that comes from knowing you could leave work if you wanted to - yet may still choose to work, at the pace or capacity that feels right.

Many people continue working even after reaching “their number”, sometimes to maintain health insurance, delay drawing from retirement accounts, or simply to enjoy more flexible, meaningful work on their own terms.

The real shift happens when continuing to work becomes a choice, rather than an obligation.

I recently spoke with Josh Gully of Buffalo Business First about some steps to consider to reach work-optional status sooner and why it’s an admirable goal for many.

Great job and thanks for including me, Josh!

https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2025/12/01/early-retirement-tax-professionals-tips.html

04/08/2025

It's never comfortable seeing your hard-earned savings decline in value, especially for those nearing retirement.

How long will the uncertainty persist, and what can you do now to bolster your retirement plan?

I spoke with Viktoria Hallikäär of Spectrum News 1 Buffalo yesterday about the recent market volatility and shared some actionable recommendations for consumers to consider.

Check out the full interview in the comments below!

02/06/2024

While not many people necessarily *enjoy* paying taxes, it’s important to have a plan in place on how you do so.

Sometimes this means (gasp) intentionally paying more in taxes today in order to pay less over the course of your lifetime.

Having a thoughtful tax plan in place is especially relevant today given the impending tax bracket changes that are now less than two short years away.

Big thanks to Brianne Roesser and Spectrum News NY1 for reporting on this important topic and allowing me to add some thoughts!

He recommends planning ahead for 2026 tax year.

12/01/2023

For charitably-minded families who have done most of their savings on a pre-tax basis, Qualified Charitable Distributions can be a useful tool.

The only thing better than supporting the causes and organizations you care about is saving some money on your tax bill while doing so.

I had the opportunity to contribute my thoughts on the topic to a recent The Wall Street Journal article about commonly overlooked tax deductions for seniors.

Check out the full article below!

There are a host of tax breaks available to retirees and older Americans, but they’re easy to miss.

11/14/2023

This time of year is a busy but fun one for financial planning.

If you haven’t already reviewed your finances for the year, it’s a great time to do so. Here are some opportunities that I’m discussing with families:

▪ Projecting income for 2023
▪ Calculating the potential for Roth conversions/filling out of tax brackets
▪ Evaluating the tax benefit of charitable gifting from retirement accounts
▪ Calendar-year-related contributions
▪ Celebrating our progress and wins from the year
▪ Establishing a plan of attack to make the most of our money-related decisions for 2024

Need help deciding where you might want to focus your attention?

Here are some timely questions to get you pointed in the right direction (feel free to download and save the PDF in the comments below)

Happy planning!

08/08/2023

Managing risk in retirement is a balancing act.

It’s natural to want to “protect our money” from whatever the stock market decides to do in the short term.

We must also honor “future you” and ensure that our savings are keeping up (and hopefully exceeding) when things inevitably cost more in the future.

This year is a great example. The opportunity to earn 5%+ on your “safe” money is all the rage.

While it’s always a good idea to have a solid buffer of cash to support our near-term needs, keeping too much on hand while you wait to see what "the market" does can do more harm than good.

By maintaining a balanced, long-term (some would say boring?) approach to your investments, you’ll have a better chance of ensuring that both your current and future self will be well-positioned for whatever comes your way.

07/25/2023

When considering financial decisions, return on investment gets a lot of attention.

Another lens you might want to consider is your "return on hassle".

Some common examples of this that I help families think through include:

🔸 Purchasing a rental property to get a tenant to "pay your mortgage"

🔸 Perpetually shifting funds between bank accounts in order to squeeze out an extra .5% of interest

🔸 Constantly updating your withholding elections to avoid "giving the government an interest-free loan" on your taxes

I enjoyed this article because the author takes the time to explain the many (very valid) reasons that real estate can be a nice fit to diversify your savings.

It's not my job to tell you what's the best choice for the money you worked hard to save, it's to give you all of the information that you need to make an informed decision that you feel confident in.

It's your life, money, time, and energy. I'm just the guide!

On return on hassle and why you need to consider the time/work needed for an investment in addition to its expected return.

03/17/2023

When you save money on a pre-tax basis, the IRS eventually requires that you start taking out (and paying tax on) some of the money you've saved.

This is referred to as Required Minimum Distributions aka "RMDs" and for as long as I've been doing this, how much to take out and when can be a source of confusion for retirees.

The rules became even more convoluted with a recent increase in the age you must obtain before required distributions begin.

I shared my thoughts on the topic and what retirees should consider in a recent CNBC interview. Check out the full article in the link below!

07/22/2022

Had a blast chatting with Viktoria Hallikäär and Spectrum News 1 Buffalo recently about market volatility, inflation, and how it might impact consumers.

We talked about the importance of spending your energy on things you can control: your investment mix, the concept of rebalancing, maintaining a cash buffer, and how to save on taxes when markets are bumpy.

Check it out here ⬇️

Red is not a good color when looking at your portfolio.

07/11/2022

Not having enough money set aside in cash is one of the more common oversights I see with retirement planning.

Sure, it might not earn you much, but that’s okay. That’s not the purpose of that money.

By maintaining at least a year’s worth of income needs in short-term, liquid funds, you can support your cash flow needs while letting your longer-term buckets continue to grow/recover.

There’s a whole lot of value in flexibility and optionality when it comes to your money!

I recently shared some of my thoughts on the topic with CNBC. Check out the article below ⬇️

With the threat of a recession looming, financial experts share how to prepare, including how much cash to set aside.

07/07/2022

“Being independent, following your quirky habits, and doing what you want, when you want, with whom you want. That’s what people actually want.” -Morgan Housel

What external/internal benchmarks are you using to gauge your success?

If your guiding principles are based off what you think society expects from you, you might just end up “lost at sea” 🛳

Fifty-four years ago this month, in a push for publicity, The Sunday Times offered £5,000 to whoever could sail solo nonstop around the world the fastest. It was technically a race, but that was an afterthought, as no one had ever completed the feat. There were no qualification requirements and few...

06/17/2022

“The stock market is a giant distraction from the business of investing” -Jack Bogle

It’s natural to feel anxious about your money when the stock market isn’t cooperating.

When you take the time to align the risk/return of your investment mix with when you plan to use each bucket of money, life gets a lot simpler.