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Category: Tax Planning and Strategies

Asset Location Strategy: Which Investments Belong in Which Account

Asset location is where each investment sits across your 401(k), Roth, taxable brokerage, and HSA. The same holding…
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The 401(k) Catch-Up Rule That Quietly Changed for High-Net-Worth Women

Earned over $150,000 in 2025? Your 2026 401(k) catch-up contributions must now be Roth. What the SECURE 2.0…
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The Inherited IRA 10-Year Rule: How to Draw Down a $1.2 Million IRA When You Are Still Earning $400,000

Inherited IRA 10-year rule, 2026: when annual RMDs apply, the 25% penalty, and four ways to draw down…
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NJ Retirement Income Exclusion: How a Woman With $2 Million Keeps It, and When to Let It Go

The NJ retirement income exclusion explained for 2026: the $75,000 and $100,000 limits, the two income steps, what…
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Retiring With $2 Million vs $5 Million: What Women Actually Keep After Tax

$2 million nets about $12,377 a month and $5 million about $21,414, 2.5 times the portfolio for 1.7…
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If You Have $3 Million and All of It Is Pre-Tax, Here Is the Tax Bill Waiting at 75

A $3M pre-tax 401(k) means an RMD near $183,000 at 75, taxed Social Security, and a Medicare surcharge…
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Retiring in a High-Tax State: What New Jersey, New York, and California Actually Cost a Woman With $3 Million

New Jersey, New York, and California each tax a $3M retirement differently. The 2026 exclusions, the NJ $150,000…
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Estimated Tax Payments on RSUs, Stock Sales, and Roth Conversions: The 2026 Guide for High-Net-Worth Women

RSU vests, stock sales, and Roth conversions in one year can leave you underpaid by six figures. The…
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The Mega Backdoor Roth Almost No High Earner Uses (Even When Her Plan Allows It)

Author: Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA® Table of contents Here is a conversation I have had more times than…

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Qualifying Surviving Spouse: What a Widow Files Each Year After Her Husband Dies

Widow filing taxes the first year: the final joint return, qualifying surviving spouse rules, then single brackets. The…
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