Kyle Bence

05/29/2026

Poppy hasn't been feeling well, so Leona got to come to work with me today.

What an awesome experience.

It was cool watching her interact with my colleagues. I work directly across from both managing partners. They certainly didn't have to entertain her or give her the time of day, but they were incredible.

She printed off pictures for Lori Watt and spent 10-15 minutes discussing the important things in life... mainly how pretty both of their shoes were. 😂

Then she moved on to Chris. She wanted to know who all the people were in the pictures around his office. Before long, they were talking about his kids, her sister Poppy, and the new baby on the way.

Pros of bringing your daughter to work:

☕ She made all my coffees for the day.
🥤 Unlimited soda
🍬 The candy dish was always full
🍕 Pizza showed up for lunch
🎰 Uncle Jordan made a vending machine run
❤️ Countless memories I'll never forget

Cons of bringing your daughter to work:

📈 She wasn't a huge fan of the actual work part. 🤣

Days like today are a good reminder that while careers matter, the moments our kids get to see what we do—and the people we surround ourselves with—matter even more.

05/27/2026

05/15/2026

One of the most common retirement mistakes?

Becoming too conservative too soon.

Most people retire and immediately:
• Cut stock exposure
• Increase bonds and cash
• Start withdrawing income
• Hope their money lasts

Sounds responsible.

But there’s one problem.

A 65-year-old couple has a very real chance that one spouse lives into their 90s.

That means your portfolio may need to last another 25–30 years.

Think about that.

You still have a long-term investment horizon.

Yet many investors reduce their growth potential the moment they stop working.

The result?
• Inflation keeps rising
• Spending increases
• Returns slow down
• The risk of running out of money grows

The hard truth:

The goal in retirement isn’t to eliminate risk.

It’s to manage risk while maintaining enough growth to support decades of spending.

Retirement may mark the end of your working years, but your money may still need to grow for another 20 to 30 years.

05/06/2026

Explore your financial journey mile markers with IAG Wealth Partners. Get expert guidance and personalized planning at every stage for long-term financial success.

03/24/2026

Interesting how quickly sentiment shifts…

Markets run double digits over the past year…

And nobody says a word.

A small pullback hits…

And suddenly it’s all anyone wants to talk about.

Let’s zoom out for a second:

Last 12 months (Mar 24, 2025 – Mar 23, 2026):
• S&P 500 → +14.10%
• Nasdaq → +20.66%
• Dow → +8.51%
• MSCI EAFE (EFA ETF) → +15.16%

And this… is what feels uncomfortable?

Here’s the reality:

This isn’t a correction.

It’s normal market behavior.

A real pullback looks like:
• -10% → routine correction
• -20% → bear market
• -30%+ → where most investors lose discipline

That’s when outcomes are decided.

Not during small dips like this.

The uncomfortable truth:

Most people love the upside…

But aren’t prepared for the downside that comes with it.

And if a minor pullback feels like a problem—

It’s not the market that needs adjusting.

It’s expectations.

03/18/2026

Do you come prepared to your financial review?

Most people don’t.

They show up and talk about performance…

But that’s rarely what matters most.

If you actually want to get value out of a financial review, these are the 5 questions you should be asking:

1. Am I still on track for retirement — and what could knock me off track?

- Not just progress… but the risks that could derail the plan.

2. Am I paying more in taxes than necessary — now or in the future?

- Because what you keep matters more than what you make.

3. Are my investments aligned with my goals — or just the market?

- There’s a difference between having investments and having a strategy.

4. If something happens to me, is everything structured the right way?

- Estate planning, beneficiaries, ownership — often overlooked.

5. What decisions should I be making right now — not just reviewing?

- A review shouldn’t just look backward… it should drive action.

Most reviews recap the past.

The best ones help you make better decisions going forward.

03/16/2026

A question I get from time to time:

“Do you work with people who have debt?”

My answer is simple.

Yes.

In fact, some of the best financial plans start when someone isn’t in a perfect situation yet.

Waiting until everything is cleaned up and ideal is how many people end up waiting forever.

Real progress usually starts when someone is simply honest about where they are and committed to improving it.

Debt doesn’t disqualify someone from building a financial plan.

Often…

it’s the starting point.

When someone gets a clear structure around spending, debt reduction, and investing, something interesting happens.

Momentum builds.

And once one person starts getting their finances organized…

they often share what they’ve learned with friends, family, and coworkers who are trying to figure it out too.

One person getting on track financially can easily lead to helping several others do the same.

That ripple effect is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.

And if you’re someone who feels like you should probably have a better plan in place, but aren’t sure where to start — you’re not alone.

03/13/2026

“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

- Warren Buffett

The same principle applies to many things in life. When you lay a strong foundation, nurture it, and put in the hard work — the blood, sweat, and tears — the rewards tend to follow over time.

Happy Friday — let’s get after it!

03/11/2026

Most financial advisors focus on investments.

That’s not a bad thing — investments matter.

But here’s the reality most people don’t realize:

Portfolio management is only one piece of retirement planning.

Where retirees often win or lose tens (sometimes hundreds) of thousands of dollars is in areas like:

• Retirement income planning
• Tax strategy
• Roth conversion planning
• Social Security optimization

Yet industry data suggests roughly:

- 80–90% of advisors focus primarily on investments
- Only ~20–30% actively focus on tax planning
- Only ~10–20% run detailed Roth conversion analysis

Think about that for a moment.

Many retirees spend 30–40 years building wealth, but very little time planning how to withdraw that money tax efficiently.

That’s actually where a lot of my work happens.

Yes, we absolutely build and manage portfolios.

But we also spend a significant amount of time helping clients with:

✔ Retirement income planning
✔ Roth conversion strategies
✔ Social Security timing decisions
✔ Tax-efficient withdrawal strategies

Because sometimes the biggest financial wins don’t come from picking the perfect investment.

They come from keeping more of what you’ve already earned.

03/09/2026

Hard truth about money…

Nobody is coming to save you.

Not the government.
Not Social Security.
Not your employer.

Your retirement will largely be the result of the financial decisions you make over the next 20–30 years.

Another hard truth:

Most people don’t fail financially because they didn’t make enough money.

They fail because they spent everything they made.

Lifestyle creep is one of the most dangerous forces in personal finance.

Every raise becomes:
• a bigger house
• a nicer car
• more monthly payments

Instead of freedom.

The people who build real wealth usually do something different.

They quietly invest 10–20% of their income for decades, live slightly below their means, and let compound interest do the heavy lifting.

Not flashy.

Not exciting.

But incredibly effective.

Sometimes the biggest financial breakthrough isn’t finding the next hot investment.

It’s simply developing discipline with the money you already earn.