Strategic Financial

09/03/2026

Does my spouse get half of my inheritance?

Usually, no.

An inheritance received by one spouse is generally considered that spouse’s separate property.

But one common decision can make things much more complicated:

Putting the inheritance into a joint account.

Once inherited money gets mixed with marital assets, it can become much harder to maintain its separate-property status if there’s ever a divorce or another reason that distinction matters.

That doesn’t mean your spouse can’t be protected.

If you want the inheritance to remain separate while still making sure your spouse is taken care of if something happens to you, there may be better planning options.

Depending on your situation, that could include a properly structured trust or naming your spouse as the beneficiary of a transfer-on-death account.

That can give you more control over when and how your spouse receives the money without automatically making the account jointly owned today.

We’ve had a few people ask about this lately, and it’s an important conversation to have before you move the inheritance into an account.

If you’ve received an inheritance and aren’t sure how it should fit into your estate and financial plan, click the link in our bio and we’ll walk through it together.

08/29/2026

I’m a single parent. What happens to my house if I die before my child turns 18?

Your child may ultimately inherit the value of the home.

But if they’re still a minor, who actually manages that house for them can become the much bigger question.

And that’s something you probably don’t want to leave for a court to sort out.

Think about everything that would need to happen immediately.

Who makes the mortgage payment?

Who pays the property taxes and insurance?

Does someone keep the house so your child can continue living there?

Or does it get sold?

Who gets to make that decision?

And at what age do you actually want your child to have control of what could be one of the largest assets you leave behind?

This is all part of making sure there’s a plan for your child if you’re no longer there to make those decisions yourself.

Retitling the home into the trust with proper guardrails can be one way to give someone you choose the authority to manage the home and other assets for your child, while also establishing when and how your child eventually receives them.

And the planning shouldn’t stop with the legal document.

Your home title, life insurance, retirement accounts and beneficiary designations all need to work together with the estate plan your attorney creates.

If you’re raising kids on your own, this is a conversation worth having before anyone ever needs the plan.

We’re happy to help you think through the financial pieces and coordinate them with your estate attorney.

Link in bio.



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08/27/2026

Should I roll over my 401(k) after leaving my job?

Maybe. But if you’re retiring before age 59½, don’t automatically roll it into an IRA.

You could accidentally give up an important early-retirement option.

It’s called the Rule of 55.

If you leave your employer during or after the calendar year you turn 55, you may be able to take withdrawals directly from that employer’s 401(k) without the normal 10% early-withdrawal penalty.

You’ll still owe ordinary income taxes on taxable withdrawals, but avoiding that additional 10% penalty can make a big difference if you need access to the money before 59½.

The problem is what happens when you immediately roll that 401(k) into an IRA.

The Rule of 55 generally doesn’t apply to IRAs.

So a rollover that seems like a routine financial decision could eliminate one of the ways you planned to fund the first few years of an early retirement.

That doesn’t mean you should never roll over an old 401(k). There can be plenty of good reasons to do it.

It just means the timing of that rollover matters.

Before moving the money, look at your age, when you left the employer, what other accounts you have available, and how you plan to fund the years before 59½.

A rollover can always happen later.

Make sure you understand what you may be giving up before you do it.

Want to learn more about whether you should roll over your 401(k)? Click the link in our bio.



Check out our next webinar:

🖥️ Protecting Yourself Against AI Cyber Scams and Fraud

📆 Sep 3 Noon ET 👉 Register here: www.sfcorps.com/webinar (LINK IN BIO)

Join me and Jeff Lanza, Retired FBI Special Agent and cybercrime expert, as he takes us inside the criminal’s playbook to show us how today’s scams really work and what you can do to protect yourself and your family.

08/20/2026

If I move out of New York, can they really track my phone to prove where I live?

Yes.

If New York questions whether you actually changed your residency, they can seek records, and your phone's location data could be part of the evidence.

Here are some key points to prove your move.

In the video I mention the general idea of living in your new state for at least six months.

That's the number everyone usually focuses on.

It's not the whole story.

Spending more than half the year outside New York doesn't automatically make you a nonresident for tax purposes.

Where your true home is (your domicile) can still matter regardless of the calendar.

And New York knows people count days.

So they can look past that number at how you're actually living.

That's why buying a house in Florida isn't enough on its own.

You want a paper trail that backs up the story your calendar is telling.

Change your driver's license and voter registration.

Re-register your cars.

Update your mailing address and financial accounts.

And keep track of expenses and where you're actually spending your time, because your day-to-day life should support what you're claiming.

Think of it this way: you're not just moving. You're building a case for where you live.

The cleaner that case is, the less room there is for New York to question it.

If you're planning a move that could change your state tax bill, let's talk before you list (or buy) the house.

It's worth a quick conversation so you know what to document along the way. And always good to run it by your CPA.



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👉 Register here: www.sfcorps.com/webinar (LINK IN BIO)

Join me and Jeff Lanza, Retired FBI Special Agent and cybercrime expert, as he takes us inside the criminal’s playbook to show us how today’s scams really work and what you can do to protect yourself and your family.

08/19/2026

How much is my Social Security benefit actually worth in retirement?

For many higher-income retirees, that monthly Social Security check could provide the equivalent income of roughly $1 million in additional retirement savings sitting inside their portfolio.

That’s a lot.

And surprises a lot of people once they do the math.

For some reason though, Social Security planning doesn’t get the same attention as the rest of the portfolio.
Most pre-retirees can usually tell us their 401k or other retirement account balances.

But not nearly as many know what their social security income might be AND more importantly how the decisions leading up to taking social security can make a huge difference.

An income producing asset of this size deserves a lot more attention than that.

The age you claim, your spouse’s benefit, taxes, longevity and how Social Security fits with the rest of your retirement income all affect the long-term value of the benefit.

So if you haven’t yet, go to ssa.gov, create an account and look at your actual benefit estimates and earnings history.

And then make that review part of the regular retirement planning conversations.

Planning in advance and understanding your claiming options could make a six-figure difference over the life of your retirement.



💡Save Your Spot for our Next Webinar:

🖥️ Protecting Yourself Against AI Cyber Scams and Fraud
📆 Sep 3 Noon ET (45 Mins)

👉 Register here: www.sfcorps.com/webinar (LINK IN BIO)

Join me and Jeff Lanza, Retired FBI Special Agent and cybercrime expert, as he takes us inside the criminal’s playbook to show us how today’s scams really work and what you can do to protect yourself and your family.

08/18/2026

What happens if you lend one of your kids money and you die before they pay you back?

If it’s a legitimate outstanding loan, it can become an asset of your estate.

And your estate plan can specify how that loan should be handled when everything gets divided.

But documentation matters.

Without a promissory note or other clear records of the loan, your executor may be left trying to establish whether the money was actually a loan, what the terms were, and how much is still owed.

And that's when things can get complicated for your kids.

Maybe you lent one child money to buy a house, start a business, or get through a hard stretch.

Everyone fully intended for it to be paid back.

But what happens if it wasn't paid back yet and your estate plan never addressed it?

If you have multiple kids and want things split evenly, that missing piece matters a lot.

One child may have already received a significant financial head start. The others haven't. And now they're left trying to figure out what you would have wanted.

That's where resentment can start.

The good news is this is avoidable.

Document the loan. Decide with your attorney how any outstanding balance should be handled at your death, including whether and how it should factor into that child's inheritance.

And build those instructions into your estate plan so there's less ambiguity later.

Helping a child financially can be one of the most generous things you do.
Just make sure the generosity, the documentation, and the estate plan are all on the same page.

If you've lent significant money to one of your kids, or you're thinking about it, this is worth a conversation with your financial planner and estate attorney.



Save Your Spot for our Next Webinar:

🖥️ Protecting Yourself Against AI Cyber Scams and Fraud

📆 Sep 3 Noon ET 👉 Register here: www.sfcorps.com/webinar (LINK IN BIO)

Join me and Jeff Lanza, Retired FBI Special Agent and cybercrime expert, as he takes us inside the criminal’s playbook to show us how today’s scams really work and what you can do to protect yourself and your family.

08/17/2026

Join me and retired FBI Special Agent Jeff Lanza to learn how cybercriminals target you to steal your money and identity.

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08/16/2026

How can I make my kid a millionaire? And is that the right thing to do?

The math part of this may be easier than you think.

Investing about $245 a month from birth through age 18 could potentially grow to nearly $1 million by age 50 (assuming a 7% annual return*). Also noting taxes you might be paying along the way.

So if you have the money to put aside, starting early can really give your child an incredible head start.

But there’s another decision to make:
When do you want your child to actually know about AND control the money?

Knowing a large financial cushion is waiting for them could influence some of the decisions they make growing up.

And maybe not in a positive way.

That should factor into how you save for them.

For example, money contributed to an UTMA is a gift to your child that you can’t take back. Once they reach the applicable age under state law (usually 18 or 21), control of all that money transfers to them.

Or you could invest in an account you own. You maintain more flexibility over when, why and how you eventually give them the money, although there may be higher tax consequences.

There are several ways you could set this up, each with different tax, access and control considerations, so you’ll want to evaluate which approach makes the most sense for your family.

Building wealth for your kids is one decision.

Deciding when they’re ready for it is another.

If you want help thinking through the options and how other families approach this, we’re happy to help.



*Hypothetical example for illustrative purposes only. Assumes a 7% annual return; actual investment returns will vary and are not guaranteed.

08/15/2026

Are you spending enough in retirement?

This is a question that needs to be asked more often.

One of the most impactful conversations we have is with a family after someone passes away.

We hear things like, "Dad always wanted to take that trip." Or, "Mom always talked about helping the grandkids more."

And in so many cases, the money was there.

But the fear of outliving their money outweighed the fear of missing out on what that money could have provided.

So they missed out.

The family vacation everyone would still be talking about.

The classic car they always wanted.

Helping put the grandkids through school.

Seeing the difference they could have made in their community while they were still here to experience it.

They needed someone to guide them and give them confidence to spend the money while they were alive to make lasting memories and help their kids and grandkids while they were alive.

Grandparents sometimes believe its best to give the money when they are passed and not when it matters the most.

Wrong!

A good retirement plan should absolutely protect you from running out of money.

But it should also help you identify the things that matter most, build them into the plan, and give you the confidence to do it now instead of when you are 6 feet under.

08/14/2026

My kid just started working. Where should they put their retirement savings first?

For a younger worker in a lower tax bracket, a good starting order may look like this:

1. Roth 401(k) up to the employer match (don't leave free money on the table)
2. Roth IRA, max out if eligible (up to $7,500 in 2026)
3. Max the HSA, if available and eligible.
4. Then go back and add more to the Roth 401(k) if there's still money available for long-term savings.

Why fund the Roth IRA before putting every additional dollar into the employe 401k plan?

Flexibility. Your Roth IRA contributions can generally be accessed tax- and penalty-free if you ever need them.

Money in a current employer's 401(k) is typically much harder to access while you're still working there.

That doesn't mean we want your kid dipping into their retirement savings. But especially when they're young and just getting started, having another bucket with some flexibility can be valuable (think buying a first home, going back to school, etc.)

If they're already in a higher tax bracket, the strategy may change. Pre-tax 401(k) contributions could become more attractive depending on what their tax rate looks like today versus what you expect it to be in retirement.

There isn't one contribution order that's right for everyone’s circumstances but there should be a reason behind where each dollar goes.

If you want to review how your kid should be saving as they start their career, click the link in our bio.