JFS Wealth Advisors

11/02/2026

If your divorce is already in motion, bringing in a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst is still worth considering. Many people reach out once negotiations have started and the financial complexity becomes clear. Even late in the process, financial analysis can surface trade-offs that are not obvious and help you make more informed decisions before anything is finalized.

10/29/2026

Charitable giving can be an important component of your overall financial plan. Wealth Advisor Ernie Irwin suggests ways to use donor-advised funds and other tools to make your giving more tax-efficient and effective.

Integrate philanthropy & charitable giving into tax, estate and legacy planning for a more unified financial plan. Learn about donor-advised funds.

10/28/2026

The urge to do something is strongest at exactly the moment doing nothing would serve you better.

When markets get volatile, even disciplined investors feel the pull to react. Fear, uncertainty, and the pressure to act are powerful forces, and acting on them can quietly erode long-term returns. Join Ashley Cline, CFP®, Associate Wealth Advisor at JFS Wealth Advisors, on Thursday, November 12th at 11:00 AM Eastern for a candid, practical look at how emotions shape investment decisions and what keeps a financial plan on track when the noise picks up.

Register here: https://jfswa.zoom.us/webinar/register/6017913796203/WN_f4ajYOxkT3Oy0md0Pnphbw

When markets get volatile, even the most disciplined investors can feel the pull to react. Fear, uncertainty, and the pressure to “do something” are powerful forces, and acting on them can quietly erode your long-term returns. Join Ashley Cline, CFP®, Associate Wealth Advisor at JFS Wealth Advi...

10/27/2026

Peak earning years have a way of disappearing into a bigger house, a nicer car, and a lifestyle that absorbs every raise.

Lifestyle inflation is a common reason high earners arrive at their fifties with a high income and less wealth than they expected. The income went up. The savings rate stayed flat.

In her latest article, Sarah Amey, CFP®, CIMA®, CPWA®, lays out what the acceleration years can look like instead: automating investments before the money has a chance to get spent, using traditional and Roth 401(k) contributions to diversify how your retirement income will be taxed, deciding whether deferred compensation fits your situation, and building an equity compensation plan that balances liquidity, diversification, and taxes.

What you keep after taxes matters as much as what you earn.

Read it here: https://jfswa.com/insights/financial-planning-career-acceleration/

10/20/2026

Working from your kitchen table two days a week can change which states get to tax your income.

Hybrid schedules have settled in, and state tax law has not caught up cleanly. Every state writes its own rules for taxing nonresidents. Seven of them, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey, apply a "convenience of the employer" rule, which can make your wages taxable in your employer's state even when you are working from home in a different one.

In her latest article, Michelle Wright, CPA, MST, explains how domicile is determined, what creates nexus in a second state, how reciprocity agreements change the answer, and why most residents can claim a credit for taxes paid to another state rather than paying twice.

10/15/2026

Summer doldrums arrived for global financial markets in the third quarter as the combined pressures of rising interest rates, ongoing Mideast conflict, and persistent inflation worked to slow robust gains from earlier in the year.

3rd Quarter Market Update: inflation, interest rates, oil prices drive equity, bond markets; AI aids stable if not robust employment & economy.

10/14/2026

Most estate plans break down for unglamorous reasons. A beneficiary designation nobody updated. A trust that was drafted and then left unfunded. A document that made sense before the business, the second home, or the grandchildren.

Estate planning carries complexity and emotion at the same time, which is part of why it keeps getting postponed. Our advisors who focus on estate planning and trusts help with both sides: coordinating assets and ownership interests, building gift and wealth transfer strategies, incorporating life insurance and buy-sell agreements where they belong, addressing estate tax with in-house knowledge, and serving as trustee through our fiduciaries when a family needs one.

The aim is straightforward. Your intent holds up, and your family knows what to do.

See how we approach it: https://jfswa.com/services/services-individuals-families/estate-planning-trusts/

10/13/2026

One common point of confusion about the FAFSA is that the process begins with your student rather than with you.

The student creates a StudentAid.gov account, formerly called an FSA ID, and everyone required to participate in the FAFSA needs their own account, including any parent who will serve as a Contributor. Identity verification is built into the account creation process, and some applicants are asked for additional verification. Hence, it helps to start on a laptop or desktop with a working camera and to have identification nearby in case it is requested.

Once the student has an account and has started the FAFSA, they invite the required parent Contributor by email; the parent then completes their portion of the form and provides the required consent and signature. If your student is considered a dependent student, a parent will generally need to provide information, so it is worth coordinating the timing rather than discovering the requirement at the deadline.

Barbara Glover, CFP®, CCFC, helps JFS families work through college funding alongside the rest of their financial plan: https://calendly.com/bglover-jfswealth/college-funding-call.

10/12/2026

The same company stock that built your wealth can quietly become the largest risk in your financial life.

For rising executives, RSUs, stock options, and other equity awards often become the cornerstone of net worth. Salary, bonus, equity, and career path are all tied to one employer. That concentration works in your favor on the way up. It works against you if the company stumbles at the wrong moment.

In his latest article, Austin Sambuco, CFP®, CEPA™, walks through how to unwind a concentrated position intentionally rather than by accident: setting a disciplined selling schedule, coordinating those sales with tax planning, holding enough liquidity for taxes and near-term expenses, and reinvesting the proceeds into a diversified portfolio. He also covers charitable strategies and the net unrealized appreciation approach for company stock held in a 401(k), plus the part that rarely gets discussed: how much selling company stock can feel like disloyalty after a long career.

Read it here: https://jfswa.com/insights/equity-compensation-concentration-risk/

10/08/2026

When you reach the asset questions on the FAFSA, knowing what to leave off the form is just as important as knowing what belongs on it.

The FAFSA asks for specific financial and asset information, some of which transfers directly from the IRS, while the family must enter the rest. That second category is where most avoidable mistakes happen. Certain retirement accounts and the value of your primary residence are treated differently from reportable investments, so before you answer anything in that section, read the instructions and the “Net Worth” help information built into the form itself rather than assuming that every account or asset you own needs to be reported.

Barbara Glover, CFP®, CCFC, also recommends saving a copy of the completed FAFSA along with any account statements or documentation you used to answer the financial questions, because your school may ask for that documentation if your FAFSA is selected for verification or if something needs clarification later.

Net Worth guidance from Federal Student Aid: https://studentaid.gov/help/current-net-worth