Spark Financial Advisors

10/23/2026

What is your $1 million really worth?

If most of your retirement savings sit in pre-tax accounts, that $1 million balance could be closer to $700,000 after taxes. (Your number depends on your tax rate. This is just an example.)

That's why we like to think in three buckets: pre-tax, after-tax, and tax-free. Having money in all three gives you more choices before age 59½ and before Medicare starts.

If you needed cash next year, which bucket would you pull from?

General education only, not personalized advice.

10/21/2026

Our analysts Austin & Ryan and ops manager Kaylee did not coordinate today. Purple just happened!

10/15/2026

Listen, you have great taste. We get it. Plan for who you are and who you will be. A woman who knows what she wants.

10/02/2026

Permission to listen to your spidey senses granted.
How can you tell if the investment proposal you're being shown is reasonable? 🤷‍♀️ Here are three things to watch out for.

1. Promised returns are too high. If they are using the returns from the best performing asset class over the last few years and projecting similarly high returns into the future, be skeptical.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

2. Diversification: Putting all of your money into one asset class (i.e. U.S. Large Cap stocks) is not a diversified portfolio even if there are nearly 500 stocks in the S&P 500.

3. Fees: "You don't pay any fees" = red flag. No one works for free. Ask them how they get paid.

*This is not a complete list and it's not investment advice. We strongly encourage you to seek out a fee-only, fiduciary financial planner that holds the Certified Financial Planner designation (such as the team at Spark Financial Advisors). You can also use NAPFA's Find an Advisor tool to find a fiduciary financial planner.

09/30/2026

What a great night supporting the American Cancer Society I Williamsburg, VA!

09/18/2026

09/15/2026

Lauren recently joined Alyssa Edwards host of In The Room, On Purpose for a hot seat conversation answering listener's financial questions. Be sure to check it out on Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Podcasts!

09/04/2026

A lot of major tech firm employees (META, AMZN, PLTR) have RSUs that vest in the end of August. RSUs are not like Incentive Stock Options (ISOs), there is no holding period requirement for a favorable tax treatment. The value of your RSUs are taxed to you as income whether you cash them out or decide to hold the shares "in kind."

Many companies default into simply delivering shares to your RSU account, but this may not be the right decision for you. You need to think about how this impacts your concentration risk, your asset allocation, and whether or not it makes sense to hold onto company stock when your income is also tied to that company.

We actually have a whole series on RSUs on YouTube if you want to learn more about your RSUs and how to think about integrating them into your financial picture. Link in the comments.

08/31/2026

While reviewing a new client’s 2025 tax return we discovered significant self-employment income and no self-employed retirement plan. Using our tax planning software we modeled a couple of different scenarios to highlight how they could use a SEP IRA contribution to reduce their income and at the same time claw back their SALT deduction since they were in the phaseout. Since we haven’t crossed the extended tax filing deadline there’s still time for our client to save thousands of dollars in taxes! Now we are hard at work getting this account opened and funded before the deadline.*

We love a good tax planning opportunity and that’s why we start every planning engagement with a tax return review.

*Always speak with your CPA/tax preparer or Financial Advisor before making any changes. This is educational in nature and not specific tax advice.

08/28/2026

As a solopreneur, were you shocked by your tax bill for 2025? If you're looking to build wealth outside of your business and save money on taxes, a SEP IRA may be just the ticket. The best part - it's not too late! Reach out to your financial planner to see if a SEP IRA could make sense for you.

Don't have a financial planner? Or trying to figure out a way to tackle tax planning year round instead of just at tax filing deadlines? Let's talk.
Book a call in the link on our profile
*Don't make any changes before consulting with your tax preparer and/or financial advisor.