Jeff Cotton, CPA, MBA

06/21/2026

A few simple habits can go a long way toward helping keep your personal and financial information protected. How does cybersecurity connect to your broader financial picture? What steps are you taking at home and with your business?

06/18/2026

What would you do with a windfall?

A business sale. An inheritance. A bonus that lands bigger than expected.

Most people assume they'd handle it well.

But sudden money follows patterns. And the patterns aren't always flattering.

Psychologists call it sudden wealth syndrome: the anxiety, decision paralysis, and relationship pressure that arrive alongside a large sum. It shows up whether the windfall was a complete surprise or something you spent years building toward.

The 5 most common mistakes we see:

⏳ Upgrading your lifestyle before a strategy exists

🤝 Giving to family under emotional pressure

📊 Attempting to make decisions without professional guidance

⚖️ Freezing and making no decisions at all

📋 Missing the critical deadlines in year one

All five can be managed, but only if you get ahead of the emotions before the decisions start piling up.

The most important thing you can do in the first 90 days? Maybe nothing.

Tell very few people. Then consider building a team of professionals who can offer insights and guidance.

There is rarely a cost to waiting. There is frequently a cost to moving too quickly.

06/18/2026

Restoring the Great Wall of China is a careful process, and in some places, it is happening one brick at a time.

The Great Wall stretches roughly 13,000 miles, but it is not one continuous structure. Instead, it is composed of many sections built over several dynasties over about 2,000 years.

One restoration effort focuses on the Jiankou section, a steep, rugged section of the wall north of Beijing. The work requires traditional masonry skills, local knowledge, and a deep respect for preserving the structure’s historic character.

For Cheng Yongmao, known as Old Cheng, the work has become a life’s calling. After decades as a bricklayer and restoration specialist, he now helps guide efforts to protect and repair parts of the wall for future generations.

The project is a reminder that preserving history often depends on patience, craftsmanship, and the people willing to protect what came before.


Source:

NBC News visits the monumental 13,000-mile fortifications, which are not, in fact, one contiguous structure but many segments built over several dynasties spanning about 2,000 years.

06/16/2026

The Treasury Department in January said more than a million people have signed up for Trump accounts. Are you eligible? Feel free to give me a call at 334.268.1317 and I will do my best to answer any questions you may have.

04/21/2026

Extended care is one of the biggest wild cards in retirement.

Costs vary by location, care type, and health needs—but they've all been rising faster than many realize.

These five insights can help you understand what drives costs and why they often catch retirees by surprise.



Sources:
CareScout, Cost of Care Report, July–December 2024
AALTCI, Long-Term Care Insurance Statistics & Data 2025
EBRI/Greenwald, 2025 Retirement Confidence Survey, April 2025

04/20/2026

What a $5 Frappuccino can teach your teen about building wealth 👇

April is National Financial Literacy Month, and here's a number worth sharing at the dinner table.

If your teen opens a Roth IRA at 18 with $1,000 from a part-time job and adds $1,000 a year, that single account could be worth nearly $500,000 by age 65. Tax-free.

Think they can't save $1,000 a year? Skipping the daily Frappuccino more than covers it. ☕

But the best financial education isn't about the math. It's about real decisions with real consequences.

A few things that actually work:

✅ Hand them cash instead of a credit card for shopping. Let them keep what they don't spend.

✅ Give them a clothing budget for the year. If they blow it by October, that's the lesson.

✅ Have the college money talk before they fall in love with a school. As one counselor put it, "Have the conversation before they buy the hoodie."

✅ With the Roth IRA, you can show them that there are certain rules with certain accounts. For example, to qualify for the tax-free and penalty-free withdrawal of earnings, Roth IRA distributions must meet a 5-year holding requirement and occur after age 59½. Also, tax-free and penalty-free withdrawals can also be taken under certain other circumstances, such as the owner's death. The original Roth IRA owner is not required to take minimum annual withdrawals.

What's one money lesson you wish someone had taught you earlier? 👇

Please consult with a tax and finance professional before making any decisions.



Sources:
-https://www.calculator.net/roth-ira-calculator.html?cstartingprinciple=1%2C000&cannualaddition=1%2C000&cmax=n&cinterestrate=8&ccurrentage=18&cretirementage=65&ctaxtrate=25&printit=0&x=Calculate -ira-result
-https://www.ngpf.org/blog/advocacy/how-many-states-require-students-to-take-a-personal-finance-course-before-graduating-from-high-school-is-it-6-or-is-it-21/

04/19/2026

A growing number of Americans are carrying credit card balances, highlighting ongoing financial pressure for many households.

Recent data shows that about 50% of credit card holders—roughly 111 million people—currently carry debt, marking a notable increase over the past several years.

At the same time, borrowing costs remain elevated. Average credit card interest rates are now above 23%, making it more expensive for balances to grow over time.

Some households are adjusting by cutting back on discretionary spending, delaying larger purchases, or relying more heavily on credit to cover everyday expenses.

These trends reflect how shifts in costs, interest rates, and income can influence day-to-day financial decisions across a wide range of households.


Source:

About 111 million Americans are carrying credit card balances, a 17% increase in five years, new research shows.

04/18/2026

The cost of raising a child in the U.S. continues to rise, reaching a new milestone in recent estimates.

A new analysis puts the total cost at approximately $303,000 through age 18, or about $16,800 per year on average.

These figures include everyday expenses like housing, food, and childcare, but do not account for college costs, which can add significantly more over time.

Costs can also vary widely depending on location. Some states saw notable increases, while others experienced slower growth in certain child-related expenses.

While the overall total has increased, some categories, such as early childcare, have shown signs of stabilizing in recent data.

As costs evolve, these trends offer a broader view of how family-related expenses are changing.


Source:

Raising a child through age 18 is most expensive in Hawaii, where a family would spend an estimated $412,661 in 2026, LendingTree found.

04/17/2026

A common online security tool is now being used in a new type of scam.

Cybercriminals are increasingly using fake CAPTCHA prompts — the familiar “I’m not a robot” checks — to trick users into taking actions that can compromise their devices.

Instead of a simple verification, these prompts may ask users to click “Allow,” enable notifications, or follow additional steps that can lead to persistent pop-ups, phishing attempts, or unwanted software.

These scams often appear through ads, suspicious links, or redirected web pages, making them harder to spot at first glance.

Security experts note that legitimate CAPTCHA tests do not require enabling notifications, downloading files, or entering system commands — making those requests a potential red flag.

As these tactics evolve, staying cautious when interacting with unexpected prompts can help reduce exposure to online threats.


Source:

Cybercriminals are increasingly using fake CAPTCHA prompts to trick users into enabling malware and scam notifications Security experts warn the ta

04/17/2026

Looks like this could help some folks.

IR-2026-53, April 16, 2026 — The Internal Revenue Service today announced a new online tool to help taxpayers understand and resolve tax debt.