Annie Garland, CFP - WealthClarity

Annie Garland, CFP - WealthClarity You’re in your 40s or 50s, balancing kids, careers, and concerned about your aging parents. Life’s busy, and the financial to-dos can feel overwhelming. My goal?

Financial Advisor | Helping ambitious women and couples build a strong, organized financial strategy that brings a sense of clarity, confidence, and control. | Proud Mom, Wife & Mountain Biker Retirement is on the horizon and you're interested in learning more about what you should be doing now to retire on your terms and with enough saved to enable you to live the lifestyle you desire. To make th

e path to retirement simpler and clearer. What you’ll learn:

How to get financially organized so nothing slips through the cracks. Proven ways to lower taxes before and during retirement. Strategies for investing with confidence (without analysis paralysis). How to replace money stress with clarity and the confidence to stay the course. If you’re ready to trade chaos for calm and build retirement habits that last, subscribe here. (Educational content only. Not investment, tax, or legal advice.)

08/31/2026

One of my new clients told me that when he's out at a work-related happy hour or chatting with co-workers, everyone is talking about Roth versus pre-tax 401k decisions and how much they're all saving and in what type of account.

I love this!

Creating a healthy mix of taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth accounts gives you options and flexibility in the future. Instead of having one or two buckets to pull from, you'll have three. That flexibility is worth more in retirement than almost any single investment decision you make.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗴𝗼?

08/25/2026

𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗽...

Not in the “I upgraded my car and bought a bigger house” kind of way.

For years, I was the person who hunted down the best grocery prices, didn't pay more than $50 on a pair of sneakers, parked in the Pikes Peak airport lot and took the shuttle at mightnight to catch a cheap red‑eye.

But over the last few years of raising a family and having two full-time working parents, my version of lifestyle creep became all about buying back my time.

Now, my husband and I happily pay the company that assembles the 100‑item school supply list. We order groceries to be delivered to our front door. We pay an incredible cleaning crew (led by a hardworking grandma running her own small business) to handle the deep cleaning. We park close to the airport and skip the shuttle. And I no longer even consider red‑eye flights because I know exactly how awful I'll feel the next day.

And yet…
I still drive my 2012 Highlander with 150k+ miles. And I still love it.
I still live in the first home we bought in 2013.
I don't really think I'm chasing “more.” If anything, I'm chasing less.

Our lifestyle creep has come in the form of spending money to free up time for the people and activities we care about. We are splurging on a couple family vacations every year and that quality time with our daughters at these ages is money well spent.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲.

𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗱. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲.

08/25/2026

The most expensive thing in your financial life right now is probably a decision you haven't made. Or something you aren't even aware of.

Indecision and procrastination can be expensive.

08/20/2026

A new client expressed "feeling behind financially."

She'd just come from a dinner with friends where she got the impression that everyone seems further along. They're all in their 40s.

I think your 40s is a period of time when it does become more evident that some of your friends have saved more, earned more, had different opportunities, etc.

On the flip side, some of your friends have saved less, earned less, and they're benchmarking themselves against your perceived success.

"𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝗷𝗼𝘆." - 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘁

08/17/2026

When meeting with a prospective new client, one question we hear often (𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘺𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘥𝘢𝘺) is "𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹-𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗺?"

Great question!

It's the same reason I chose WealthClarity over a big name firm.

It's the same reason I go to a small fitness studio in Golden. Same reason I hired a local landscaper, local math tutor for my daughter, and neighborhood dog sitter for my sweet girl.

Large firms can do great work and there are many talented professionals working in those organizations. Some people simply feel more comfortable with a firm whose name is everywhere.

Clients who choose WealthClarity do so because we're local, accessible, and we're part of our community. They're often seeking a partnership that can last long-term and is very personal. Their friend or family member referred them. All the financial planning work is done right in our office.

We answer the phone and return calls and emails. Which shouldn't be a selling point, but you'd be surprised at how often I hear how this is not the norm. If you're one of my clients, that 'we' is me.

08/13/2026

I had a phone call scheduled with an out-of-state client earlier this week. She wanted to check in on her IRA.

We talked about the IRA for about 60 seconds.

For the remaining 29 minutes of the call, she wanted to discuss:
• How bone density has suddenly become her most pressing topic to research.
• High cholesterol and how it runs in her family and what her doctor is recommending.
• The tweak she's had in her lower back and whether or not it's anything to worry about.
• Her recent big family trip and where they plan to travel to next.

She ended with "𝘖𝘬𝘢𝘺! 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘶𝘱. 𝘓𝘦𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘕𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳."

And that is how an IRA review turns into so much more than an IRA review, and also anything but an IRA review.

I've spent a lot of time lately mapping out my client service calendar. In the fitness world, where I spent over 20 year...
06/29/2026

I've spent a lot of time lately mapping out my client service calendar. In the fitness world, where I spent over 20 years, January is the month of motivation, goal setting, and drive.

Everyone showed up ready, focused, energized, and intentional.

At the start of a new year, financial planning clients are also thinking about goals, money habits, and what they want to achieve financially now and in the future.

Because of this, I’m building a cadence that ensures I connect with every client in January, while the momentum is high and we have a clear timeline to make something great happen.

Does anyone else do this in another non‑fitness profession? Use January as your “high‑touch” month for these reasons?

06/15/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸.

• High-earning couple plotting retirement before 60. Tax strategy is top of mind.
• Pre-marriage financial planning conversation. Tips to enter marriage with a foundation of trust and cohesiveness as it pertains to shared financial goals.
• Couple 4 years from retirement. Can we actually afford to retire in 4 years? How do we create income from our assets?
• First-time home buyers thinking through the numbers. Trying not to jeoparize retirement contributions in the process.
• A couple with a 15 year age gap, the oldest is turning 80 soon. Ensuring the younger spouse has a handle on the finances if life changes.

Five very different situations. One common triggering event. People wanting to know they're going to be okay.

06/11/2026

A new client told me his coworker said, “Roth is always best.”

The problem is this coworker is married filing jointly and he’s single with a high income.

If you’re a high‑earning single filer, your marginal rate may be much higher than your married coworker, even is his/her spouse also works.

𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘀 = 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀 = 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆.

06/10/2026

The best comment I heard last week came from a new client who wasn’t sure what to expect when she hired me. At the end of our first planning meeting she looked relieved and a little excited. She said:

“𝙄 𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨. 𝙄 𝙝𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙗𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙣𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄’𝙢 𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙄’𝙢 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙮 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨.”

Address

1746 Cole Boulevard Ste 225
Lakewood, CO
80401

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Annie Garland, CFP - WealthClarity posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Annie Garland, CFP - WealthClarity:

Shortcuts

Share