Prestige Wealth Management - Holden Ziels, Southlake, TX (2026)

02/17/2026

𝐈𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐭? 🏥

The HSA is often touted as a great account that complements High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP). It offers a "Triple Tax-Advantage" which differs from traditional retirement accounts. Let’s dig into some of the major benefits of HSA’s.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐒𝐀 𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐱 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐚:
✅𝑇𝑎𝑥-𝐷𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒: Contributions lower your taxable income today.
✅𝑇𝑎𝑥-𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝐺𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑡ℎ: Your investments grow protected inside the account
✅𝑇𝑎𝑥-𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑒 𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑑𝑟𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑙𝑠: As long as the money is used for qualified medical expenses, you won’t pay taxes on the way out.

Also, if you reach age 65 you can take Penalty Free withdrawals on non-qualified amounts, but would still owe taxes.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫:
⚠️𝐻𝑖𝑔ℎ-𝐷𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑅𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡: You must be enrolled in a High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP) to contribute. This means more out-of-pocket costs if a medical emergency happens today.

⚠️𝑇ℎ𝑒 20% 𝑆𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔: If you use the money for non-medical reasons before age 65, you’ll face a 20% penalty plus ordinary income tax. (After 65, the penalty disappears, and it acts like a traditional IRA).

⚠️𝑅𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑 𝐾𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔: The burden is on you to prove your withdrawals were for medical costs. Lose the receipt, and you could lose the tax benefit.

𝐀𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: You do not need to reimburse yourself right away. You can pay the medical expense out of pocket, keep the receipt, and then reimburse yourself years down the road if you had the cash and wanted the HSA to keep growing or set aside for potential bigger emergencies and such.

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: If you can afford to pay for current medical bills out of pocket and let your HSA grow, you’re essentially building a tax-free war chest for commonly the highest expense in retirement: Healthcare.

******
Educational Purpose: This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered specific investment, legal, or tax advice.

02/15/2026

𝐖𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 "𝐃𝐢𝐩"? 𝐈𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮.

When you have a chunk of cash to invest, maybe from a bonus or a tax refund, it’s tempting to wait for the market to "drop" before you buy in. A common worry now when markets are nearing all-time highs.

This is “Market Timing”. A very hard thing to get right, and a very psychological thing at that.

It is easy to tell yourself “when the market goes down, I will buy in” but then when if/when it does go down, how often does that voice come in saying “well now the market is crashing, I will just buy lower”. And then the market goes back up. This endless loop can lead to inaction, or “analysis paralysis”. Let’s go over a couple strategies.

𝐓𝐰𝐨 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐎𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬:

𝑳𝒖𝒎𝒑 𝑺𝒖𝒎: Putting the money in at once. Psychologically this might feel harder or more risky because of that feeling of going “all-in”. Proponents of this method often prefer it because it maximizes "time in the market" rather than trying to time a specific entry point. However, this strategy does not guarantee higher returns and carries the risk of immediate market volatility following the investment.

𝑫𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒂𝒓 𝑪𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝑨𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 (𝑫𝑪𝑨): Investing smaller amounts over several months. This can provide peace of mind and reduce the "sting" if the market drops right after you start. Whether the market is up or down, with Dollar Cost Averaging, you are sticking to a plan no matter what, averaging your way into the market over time. Whether it is every paycheck, once a week, etc. The key though is sticking to the plan.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐬𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫:
⚠️ Opportunity Cost: If you use DCA and the market goes up rapidly, your money sitting in cash misses out on those potential gains.

⚠️ Psychological Risk: Lump sum investing can be stressful. If the market drops 5% the day after you invest, will you have the discipline to stay the course?

⚠️ No Guarantee: Neither strategy protects against overall market loss. Your principal is always at risk when invested. Maybe you decide to do a lump sum while keeping some on the side for future market dips.

𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: The "best" strategy is the one you can actually stick to without losing sleep. I help my clients look at their personal risk tolerance, financial goals, time horizon, and other needs to decide which strategy may be best.

This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered specific investment, legal, or tax advice.

02/13/2026

𝙋𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙖𝙭𝙚𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧? 💸
When you contribute to your 401k, you usually have to choose between two "buckets": 𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝘁𝗮𝘅 and 𝗥𝗼𝘁𝗵. Most people pick one at random or default to the Pre-Tax selection, but this choice can be more important than selecting and forgetting.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀:
𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝘁𝗮𝘅: You get a tax break now, but you pay taxes on everything you withdraw in retirement (contributions & growth). Therefore, you are getting a dollar for dollar deduction TODAY at your current tax rates. This can definitely be a helpful strategy if you are trying to reduce current taxable income, or boost your current cash flow via that deduction.

𝗥𝗼𝘁𝗵: You pay taxes today, but your withdrawals in retirement are generally tax-free, including the growth. (assuming everything is qualified and timing rules have been met). In other words, you are paying taxes on your contributions at your present tax rate, and allowing for all the growth to occur tax-free.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿:
⚠️ Tax Rate Uncertainty: Choosing Roth assumes your tax rate will be higher in the future. When do you think your tax rate will be higher? When would you rather pay taxes?
⚠️ Cash Flow Impact: Roth contributions are "after-tax," meaning your take-home pay will be lower today compared to Pre-tax contributions. This is something to consider if cash flow is a problem.
⚠️ Legislative Risk: Tax laws can change. The "tax-free" status of Roth accounts is based on current law, which is subject to future government shifts. Also, do you think taxes overall will be higher now, or higher in the future.

𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲: There is no "perfect" choice, only the choice that fits your cash flow, tax planning, future expectations, and overall financial goals. A "Hybrid" approach (doing a bit of both) is a method of hedging your bets as well, if your plan allows. Or maybe you want to do one method now, and then switch to another in the future as your tax picture changes. There is truly so much that can go into this decision, but doing at least something is a wonderful place to start.

Educational Purpose: This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered specific investment, legal, or tax advice.

02/07/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 "𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫" 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝟓𝟗 ½. 🔓

Most people have 59 ½ earmarked as the earliest they can touch their 401k without a 10% penalty. But if you’re planning an early exit from the workforce, there is a powerful tool to keep in mind: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝟓𝟓.

In short: If you leave your company (voluntarily or otherwise) in or after the calendar year you turn 55, you can take penalty-free withdrawals from your 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒓’𝒔 401k. Providing a potential opportunity for an earlier retirement.

But beware…the "fine print" matters here:

❌ It only applies to your CURRENT plan. Old 401ks from previous jobs are still "locked" until 59 ½

❌ IRAs don't count. If you roll your 401k into an IRA, you lose the Rule of 55 access for those funds.

❌ Employer participation varies. Not every plan handles these withdrawals the same way.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞: This is why "working backwards" is so important. A strategy like the Rule of 55 can be a game-changer for early retirement, but it requires precise ex*****on. Your situation including tax bracket, other assets, and long-term goals, can help dictate if this is the right move for you.

There is no one-size-fits-all roadmap to retirement. It’s about knowing which tools are in your chest and when to use them.

If you’d like to learn more about retirement planning concepts like the Rule of 55, feel free to visit our page and reach out!

(For educational purposes only. This is not investment, tax, or legal advice. Retirement strategies may not be appropriate for everyone.)

02/07/2026

Renting or Buying? It’s about more than just a monthly payment. 🏠

We’ve all heard the phrase “Renting is throwing away money.” As a financial planner, I believe that homeownership is a goal worth striving for—but rushing into it before you’re ready can create significant financial strain.

How Renting can be a Strategy:

✅The "Ceiling" vs. the "Floor"- Rent is often the maximum you pay for housing in a given month, whereas a mortgage is the minimum (maintenance and repairs are now your responsibility).

✅Capital Flexibility: Renting can keep your cash liquid, allowing you to fund an "Accumulation Phase" in diversified investments.

✅Moving Flexibility: Being that you leases are generally a year, you have the flexibility to move around before you want to commit to a home purchase.

✅Credit Optimization: It provides time to improve your credit score, which may lead to more favorable mortgage terms later.

However, renting is not without its own material risks:

⚠️Lack of Equity: You do not build ownership or benefit from potential home price appreciation.

⚠️Rent Inflation: You are exposed to annual rent increases that are outside of your control.

⚠️No Tax Benefits: You miss out on potential tax deductions available to many homeowners.

The Planner Perspective: Whether you should rent or buy depends entirely on your specific debt-to-income ratio, career stability, and long-term goals. There is no one-size-fits-all "right time."

What’s the biggest "hidden" cost you discovered after buying a home? Or if you're renting, what is the main factor in your decision to wait? Let’s talk in the comments!

(Disclaimer: Educational only. Not a recommendation to buy or sell real estate.)

02/06/2026

Welcome! I’m Holden, a CFP® Professional at Prestige Wealth Management. I created this page to share my passion for all things personal finance with anyone looking for information, quick pieces that can spark questions, and commentary on financial trends.

After purchasing my first stock at 10 years old, I have been genuinely intrigued with finances and money, ranging from the stock market and wealth building, to the psychological factors behind it all. That curiosity is what drives me every day.

At the core of our work, we lean into purpose-driven, goal-oriented, and intentional planning.

Prestige Wealth Management - Holden Ziels

02/17/2026

02/15/2026

02/13/2026

02/07/2026

02/07/2026

02/06/2026

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category