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10/17/2026

A target-date fund projection showing you're "on track" is answering one question: will you have enough, assuming the market behaves. It's not answering a second one: how much of that outcome depends on the market not having a bad few years right before you retire.

Those are different problems. The first is about accumulation. The second is about sequencing risk — and it tends to get ignored right up until it matters most, in the years immediately before and after retirement.

10/16/2026

Seeing a number like $3.2 million projected at retirement on your 401(k) statement doesn't mean the plan is actually set.

That number alone doesn't tell you how much risk is baked into getting there, or what happens if the market turns before you retire. It also doesn't account for how efficient those dollars actually are — money sitting entirely inside a 401(k) can mean less liquidity and more tax drag than people realize.

Optimization isn't about the projected balance. It's about how much risk you're carrying to get there, and how efficiently those dollars are actually working.

Have you looked at your plan's risk exposure, or just the number at the bottom?

10/15/2026

Markets have continued to climb, but leadership has become more concentrated as investors weigh persistent inflation, higher rates, and rising uncertainty. See Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Chief Investment Officer Brent Schutte’s take on what the shift from broad growth to narrower market leadership could mean for investors. http://spr.ly/6186BH84e0

10/14/2026

Something that catches people off guard with inherited 401(k)s and IRAs: the 10-year rule doesn't care what else is going on in your life the year you inherit.

Most non-spouse beneficiaries now have to empty an inherited pre-tax account within 10 years of the original owner's death — no stretching it out over their own lifetime the way older rules allowed. If that money lands in a year when the beneficiary already has a high income, the withdrawals stack right on top of it at ordinary income rates.

It's less about whether to leave the account to your kids and more about when those dollars are forced out — and what tax bracket they land in when they are.

10/13/2026

Leaving your 401(k) to your kids can feel like the generous move. It's often the worst asset to pass down.

Since the IRS changed the rules, most inherited pre-tax accounts — 401(k)s, traditional IRAs — have to be fully withdrawn within 10 years of the original owner's death. If your kids inherit those dollars in their peak earning years and they're already in a high tax bracket, that forced withdrawal schedule can push a big chunk of it straight into taxes.

Does it make more sense to convert some of that money from pre-tax to post-tax now, while you're still in control of the timeline?

10/10/2026

Something that gets glossed over about cash balance plans: they're often pitched like a bonus pension, but functionally they're a deferred compensation vehicle.

The dollars you defer grow tax-deferred, same as a 401(k). The difference shows up on the back end — everything that comes out is taxed as ordinary income, not capital gains, and there's no Roth-style version inside most cash balance structures.

For W-2 employees at companies offering these on top of an already-maxed 401(k) — airlines, logistics carriers, and a growing list of others — that distinction is usually the part that gets skipped in the open enrollment meeting.

10/08/2026

Cash balance plans are showing up more and more — Delta, Southwest, American, FedEx, UPS have all been rolling them out or adjusting their terms.

Here's the mechanic: once you've maxed out what you can put into a 401(k) (the IRS caps total contributions around $72,000 a year), a cash balance plan lets you defer additional pre-tax income into a separate account that grows tax-deferred until retirement.

The tradeoff: every dollar that comes out later is taxed at ordinary income rates — not capital gains.

Would you rather defer that tax now, or pay it today?

10/02/2026

Paying off a rental as fast as possible can feel like the win. It isn't always.

Every dollar that goes to extra principal is a dollar that's no longer working anywhere else — that's the opportunity cost most payoff plans skip over. Own less of a property and your yield on the capital you do have in it is usually higher, because you're carrying more risk with less of your own money tied up. The tradeoff: more leverage means you need more liquidity sitting behind it, not less.

Where do you draw the line between paying down debt and keeping cash on hand instead?

09/29/2026

Economic growth remains strong, but rising interest rates and inflation pressures are creating new risks for investors. See the latest market commentary from Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management CIO Brent Schutte. http://spr.ly/6185BGUNzf

09/28/2026

No one can predict exactly what retirement will look like. That’s why having a plan that can adapt matters. Let’s talk about ways to create flexibility and confidence for whatever retirement brings. http://spr.ly/6186BGdl5Y

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