Estate & Legacy, Investment Planning, Retirement, Taxes
A Roth conversion can be useful, but it is not a stand-alone solution or an automatic tax win. For families with significant retirement assets, the real question is whether converting part of a traditional retirement account supports the broader plan for retirement income, taxes, charitable giving, estate planning, and the wealth they hope to pass…
Beyond Your Finances, Retirement
Medicare may begin at 65, but the financial decisions that influence its cost can begin years earlier. For high-net-worth individuals, income from Roth conversions, investment gains, retirement distributions, and other transactions may affect future premiums. Medicare planning for high-net-worth individuals often begins before age 65. Financial decisions made in the years leading up to enrollment…
For decades, success has meant doing the responsible thing. Saving instead of spending. Investing instead of splurging. Delaying today’s wants in favor of tomorrow’s security. Then retirement arrives, and for the first time, those same instincts can become the very thing standing in the way of enjoying the life you’ve spent years building. This is…
Beyond Your Finances, Estate & Legacy, Retirement
Why the Best Financial Decision You Can Make Is to Slow Down Imagine this. One day you’re worrying about crop prices, property taxes, or whether your business can make payroll. A few weeks later, the proceeds from selling your land hit your bank account. Instead of a few hundred thousand dollars, your checking account now…
Beyond Your Finances, Investment Planning, Retirement, Taxes
Building wealth is a significant accomplishment. Managing it effectively can become increasingly complex. As wealth grows, so do the financial decisions that accompany it. Investment accounts, retirement plans, business interests, tax considerations, estate planning, charitable giving, and family legacy goals often become interconnected. A decision in one area can have consequences for several others. That…
Beyond Your Finances, Retirement
This article originally appeared as a Thought Leader feature in the Summer 2026 issue of Columbus CEO. By PDS Planning Introduction Why many people delay making a change, and what it can cost.Your advisor’s attention has slipped. Engagement is reactive. Communication has fallen off. Or life has gotten more complex than your current advisor was…
Investment Planning, Retirement
Why “Living Off the Income” Isn’t Always the Safest or Prudent Retirement Strategy One of the most common retirement strategies people ask about is the idea of “living off the income” generated by a portfolio or using dividends from stocks and interest from bonds or CDs while never touching principal. At first glance, the strategy…
High-net-worth families have more flexibility than ever to approach wealth transfer strategically. With higher estate, gift, and GST exemptions now in place, the focus is no longer just on reducing taxes. It is on building a transfer plan that supports family goals, preserves control where needed, and creates a lasting legacy. The challenge is no…
Beyond Your Finances, Our People, Retirement
At PDS Planning, we believe some of the best financial lessons come from real life experiences. Alyssa Troyer, Director of Operations and Paraplanner at PDS, recently reflected on completing her 14th half marathon while balancing life as a working mom of two young children. Her experience serves as a thoughtful reminder that both running and…
New tax rules require certain employees age 50 and older who earned more than $150,000 in W-2 wages in the prior year to make retirement plan catch-up contributions on a Roth basis. This change eliminates the upfront tax deduction and may increase taxable income, affect Medicare Part B and D premiums, and limit other income-based…
Big Changes Are Coming to Retirement Contributions in 2026 The IRS has released updated retirement plan contribution limits for 2026, and several SECURE Act 2.0 changes take effect on January 1, 2026. For high-income earners and retirees who delegate financial complexity to advisors, these updates will influence tax strategy, plan contributions, and how much you…
Estate & Legacy, Retirement, Taxes
The end of year is nearing, and these final weeks of the year present a critical window for implementing strategies that can significantly reduce your tax liability and advance your long-term financial goals. With this timeline in mind, here are some things to consider before year-end to help ensure your financial plans remain on track. 1. Optimize…
Investment Planning, Retirement
One of the most common concerns we hear from clients nearing retirement is, “Will I have enough?” Retirement isn’t just about building a nest egg; it’s about knowing your wealth can provide the life you want without the stress of daily market swings. At PDS Planning, we’ve developed a proven strategy over many years that…
At PDS Planning, we believe true wealth isn’t just about how much money you have, but how fully you’re living. Wealth should fuel purpose, joy, and peace of mind. Yet, many families struggle to feel the freedom their financial security should bring. They’re financially sound on paper but can feel emotionally stuck. They hesitate to…
In January, we first posted (here) about The Social Security Fairness Act concerning the elimination of the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset. Many clients were previously impacted by these provisions which reduced, or in many cases, eliminated Social Security benefits they would have been eligible for if they (or their spouse) did not…
