Category: Tax Planning and Strategies

The Widow’s Penalty: Why Taxes Often Rise After Losing a Spouse

Author: Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA® Why does a widow usually pay more in taxes than she did when…

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How a Taxable Brokerage Account Is Taxed, and How to Manage It

By Hazel Secco, CFP® CDFA® | Align Financial Solutions 🎧 Prefer to watch or listen? This episode of…

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The Truth About IPOs: What Wall Street Doesn’t Tell Busy, High-Earning Investors

By Hazel Secco, CFP® CDFA® | Align Financial Solutions IPOs are one of the most talked-about corners of…

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The 90-Day Financial Roadmap After a Tech Layoff

Author: Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA® 🎧 Prefer to watch or listen? I cover this in the Align Your…

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What Is a QCD — and Why It May Be the Smartest Charitable Move in Your Retirement Plan

By Hazel Secco, CFP® CDFA® | Align Financial Solutions If you have an IRA and you give to…

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What Happens to Your Equity When Your Company Goes Public?

Written by Hazel Secco, CFP® CDFA® If your company is heading toward an Initial Public Offering (IPO), it’s…

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Tax Planning Vs. Tax Filing

Author: Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA® Estimated reading time: 1 minute Table of contents What is the difference between…

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Roth 401(k) vs Traditional 401(k): The Bracket Math That Actually Decides It

undefined The Roth 401k vs traditional 401k choice usually gets presented as a bet on whether tax rates…

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2026 Tax and Financial Planning Numbers: A Practical Guide for the New Year

Written by Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA® As you look ahead to 2026, your mind might be on new…

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What is Tax Planning Anyway? 

How Effective Tax Planning Can Help Your Retirement Income Written by Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA® Planning for taxes…

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