Matthew Bouthillette CFP, EA, Oak Leaf Wealth Management

10/30/2026

While going beyond the numbers does take more time and requires more thought than traditional financial planning

In my experience it always seems to lead to purposeful
conversations concerning where clients prefer to spend their time and energy - rather than only attempting to adapt the lifestyle to the numbers in the spreadsheet

I always challenge clients to remember that their assets are in place to fund 'their plan' - but they are not 'the plan'.

The plan is what they will spend their time doing, and who they will spend it with!

This case study is for illustrative purposes only. Actual performance and results will vary. It does not constitute a recommendation as to the suitability of any investment for any person or persons having circumstances similar to those portrayed, and a financial advisor should be consulted for your specific situation.

10/29/2026

Insurance planning

A crucial piece in any financial puzzle (not just life insurance either) that is often overlooked and misunderstood

As clients continue to do great things and increase their net worth (and as a result their flexibility & choice), they are more in need of protecting their assets in the worst case type of scenario:

• Premature death
• Disability event
• Car accident
• Damage to their home
• Being sued

Even though we all may believe one of the above will not happen to us, these events unfortunately affect families every day. The goal is to review what they have, understand what gaps there are, and take the required steps to protect what they have built!

This involves addressing:
• Life Insurance
• Disability Insurance
• Home & Auto Insurance
• Liability Protection (Umbrella Policy)
• Business Insurances (if self-employed)

It is important that clients are connected with the appropriate trusted professionals who can properly assist them with their coverage needs

This case study is for illustrative purposes only. Actual performance and results will vary. It does not constitute a recommendation as to the suitability of any investment for any person or persons having circumstances similar to those portrayed, and a financial advisor should be consulted for your specific situation.

10/28/2026

Met with prospective clients in their early 40s last month

They make too much money to contribute directly to Roth IRAs – they have been above the income limit for many years – all their retirement funds are pre-tax

Per their ‘advisors’ direction, they were told there was not another way to contribute to Roth, so they should begin to pile funds into Variable Life Insurance Policies – they listened, combined premiums for both were well over $15,000/year, they were both not comfortable with allocating this much

Upon review, in my opinion, this was not the plan of insurance for their situation, while this may work for some, it was not for them

I mentioned that since they do not have any outstanding pre-tax IRA balances (retirement monies in employer-sponsored plans), they could absolutely consider Backdoor Roth IRA Contributions – we walked through the boxes they would need to check to remain compliant

They were shocked this was even possible, and felt cheated – even if they never engage with me, they at least have the knowledge to implement this strategy – very happy with this outcome

Good time to remember that who you work with matters, not the designations they have, the years they have in the business, but the advice they provide that is SPECIFIC to you, your situation, and the desired outcome

Don’t settle

This case study is for illustrative purposes only. Actual performance and results will vary. It does not constitute a recommendation as to the suitability of any investment for any person or persons having circumstances similar to those portrayed, and a financial advisor should be consulted for your specific situation.

10/27/2026

Your bonus is NOT taxed at a higher rate than your salary

When bonuses are paid out, they are considered ‘supplemental income’ so, under current rules taxes are automatically WITHHELD at 22% (if under $1 million) and 37% if over $1 million

However, this does not mean the amount withheld is your ACTUAL tax liability

When you file your return, you could owe taxes as a result – meaning the taxes withheld from the bonus were too little, or you could receive a refund in the event the tax withheld were too large
Understanding this distinction is crucial

But the to take it a step further, running a tax projection for the year to determine the impact ahead of time can allow you to make adjustments in one direction or the other – i.e. these dollars could be put to better use throughout the year

For high income earners especially, I cannot emphasize how important this simple planning is

This post is intended for informational/educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific tax advice. You should consult a tax professional regarding your individual situation.

10/26/2026

The misinformation some folks push around LLCs is scary

I have had a few situations recently where clients friends have suggested they 'open an LLC to be able to write off business expenses from consulting income'

1. LLCs do not provide tax benefits - single members LLCS are a disregarded entity in the eyes of the IRS - they simply provide liability protection

2. You do not need an LLC to write off business expenses, whether you have an LLC or not, you can still write off your business expenses against your business income on Schedule C

3. Having an LLC vs. an having an LLC taxed as a S-Corp is not the same concept - one can potentially have tax benefits and one does not

Be very careful who you listen to when it comes to business and tax strategy

This post is intended for informational/educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific tax advice. You should consult a tax professional regarding your individual situation.

10/23/2026

What does retiring at age 60 look like for a couple?

In this week’s YouTube Video, we follow a mock clients getting ready to retire at 60 as they map out a lifestyle of $180,000/year after taxes, and how to make it last.

We cover:

✅ Whether their retirement assets can comfortably support $180K/year in after-tax spending
✅ Gifting to their kids now versus leaving an inheritance
✅ Using a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) to give to charity more tax-efficiently
✅ Roth conversions and how to use the “gap years” before Social Security and RMDs
✅ Tax planning strategies to keep more of what they’ve earned
If you’re approaching retirement with significant assets and want to balance your own lifestyle, your family, and your giving, this one’s for you.

Retiring at 60 with $9 Million: Building a Plan for $180K a Year, F...

10/23/2026

Designing a proper estate plan is a crucial piece of one's financial puzzle...

Often times folks will mention that they do not need to plan here because their 'asset level is too small', their 'situation is fairly simple' or because 'taking action is very expensive'.

When in reality, the cost of not doing anything can far outweigh the upfront cost to execute these documents if something were to transpire.

In addition, some of the planning in this area can actually protects a family's assets while they are living, versus being perceived as only useful if someone passes away.

This post is intended for informational/educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific legal or tax advice. You should consult a legal or tax professional regarding your individual situation.

10/22/2026

Tax deduction vs. tax credit

A tax deduction does not mean it is a dollar for dollar decrease in your overall tax bill, rather the deduction reduces the amount of your income subject to tax, and only saves you taxes based on your marginal tax bracket

A tax CREDIT is a dollar for dollar decrease in your tax liability

For example: let’s say you are single, in the 22% marginal tax bracket, and contribute $7,500 into your Traditional IRA (pre-tax)

While this may reduce your taxable income from $100k to $92,500, you are only getting a reduction of $1,650 in taxes: $7,500 * 22% marginal bracket = $1,650

Versus receiving a tax credit of $5,000 actually reduces your tax liability dollar for dollar by this figure:

$100,000 income

Tax bill = $17,141 - $5,000 tax credit = tax bill of $12,141

This post is intended for informational/educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific tax advice. You should consult a tax professional regarding your individual situation.

10/21/2026

Recently began working with a new clients CPA - the goal here is to not only assist clients when taxes are due in April, but more importantly throughout the year when you can actually make a difference

During one of our recent Teams calls, I walked them through how we work with clients and their CPAs to:

- review last year’s return

-run a current year projection to appropriately make adjustments to withholdings, retirement contributions, payroll / distribution level for clients with S-Corps

-How this could affect the QBI deduction and various implications - Education around credits they are eligible for, raising cash from investment accounts (if needed) for personal expenses

We believe many advisors do not nearly dive into this much detail / understand how it all relates This added layer of communication and planning coordination between each other will truly benefit the client, and help ensure they will remain on track through the year

Doing proper tax planning can actually matter if you work with the right professionals, it amazes me how many advisors do not believe clients need help with this / attempt to educate themselves here

This post is intended for informational/educational purposes only and should not be construed as specific tax advice. You should consult a tax professional regarding your individual situation.

10/20/2026

Another prospect who was told by a friend to establish an LLC for tax purposes - having an LLC would allow them to write off expenses

LLCs do not provide tax benefits, they can provide SOME level of liability protection

Whether you write off expenses as a sole proprietor or within an LLC, the tax treatment of the profit is the same - still subject to Fed income taxes, State incomes taxes, self-employment taxes, etc.

Owning an LLC and electing to be taxed as an S-Corp is not the same thing as just owning an LLC - vastly different and has many pros and cons

Do your best to obtain information (especially) tax wise from credible sources, there is so much misinformation out there