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Resource Library

We share practical insights, tips, and fresh perspectives to help you make confident financial decisions and plan for a secure future.

risk in retirement

How to Think About Financial Risk in Retirement (The Industry Has It Backwards)

Most retirees think risk in retirement means market volatility. The real risk is whether your assets can fund your life for 30 years. Here's how to think about it.
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By Chris Bowman, CFP® & Ron Bullis, CEO
appreciated stock

Gifting Appreciated Stock to Charity: A Tax-Smart Strategy

Gifting appreciated stock directly to charity may let you avoid capital gains tax and deduct the full fair market value. Here's how it works and when it makes sense.
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By Ron Bullis, CEO & Chris Bowman, CFP®
donor-advised funds

Donor-Advised Funds Explained: A Smarter Way to Give

A donor-advised fund may let you give the same amount to the same charities while keeping significantly more through bunching, appreciated assets, and QCD coordination.
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By Ron Bullis, CEO & Tim Uihlein, CFP®
Annuity Costs Explained

Annuity Costs Explained: Every Fee, Every Layer, With Sources

Every annuity cost explained in plain language — variable, fixed, and fixed indexed — with sourced figures, dollar amounts, and when they make sense.
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By Ron Bullis, CEO & Tim Uihlein, CFP®
Charitable remainder trust

Charitable Remainder Trusts: How a CRUT or CRAT Works

A Charitable Remainder Trust, also known as a CRT, is a tax and income planning tool — not just a giving vehicle. Learn how capital gains bypass, charitable deduction, and income stream work together.
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By Ron Bullis, CEO & Ryan Abernethy, J.D., LL.M.
Safe withdrawal rate

What Is a Safe Withdrawal Rate in Retirement?

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By Ron Bullis, CEO & Marcus Griffin CFA®
Beneficiary Designations

Beneficiary Designations: Why They Override Your Will

Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance override your will entirely. Learn why they matter, what the SECURE Act changed, and how to review yours.
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By Ron Bullis, CEO & Ryan Abernethy, J.D., LL.M.
4% rule

The 4% Rule: What It Was Designed to Do, When It Fails, and What to Do Instead

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By Ron Bullis, CEO & Alexandra Kennedy, CFP®
Social Security

When to Take Social Security: Why the Right Answer Is Rarely ‘Wait Until 70’

The standard break-even math for Social Security ignores a critical variable. Learn what opportunity cost reveals about when to claim benefits.
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By Ron Bullis, CEO & Michael Demkiw
pension lump sum vs. annuity

Pension Lump Sum vs. Annuity: How to Make the Right Choice

The pension lump sum vs. annuity decision is permanent in most plans. Learn the break-even framework, key factors, and what actually tips the scale.
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By Alexandra Kennedy, CFP® & Ron Bullis, CEO
rebalance portfolio

How to Rebalance Your Portfolio in Retirement (Without Creating a Tax Problem)

Portfolio rebalancing in retirement has real tax implications most investors miss. Learn how to rebalance your portfolio and coordinate with RMDs, avoid IRMAA surcharges, and correct drift without creating a tax problem.
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By Ron Bullis, CEO & Marcus Griffin CFA®
living trust

Living Trust vs. Will: Do You Need a Trust?

A living trust and will work very differently. This guide explains what each document covers, when a trust may be worth the cost, and what asset protection planning means for business owners.
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By Ron Bullis, CEO & Ryan Abernethy, J.D., LL.M.
Purposeful retirement

Purposeful Retirement: Are You Retiring FROM Something or TO Something?

How values-based financial planning transforms retirement from an identity crisis into a meaningful life transition. Read how to build a purposeful retirement.
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By Ron Bullis, CEO
retirement risk

What Are the Biggest Retirement Risks?

Most retirees think retirement risk means market volatility. The real risk is whether your assets can fund your life for 30 years. Here's how to think about it.
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By Ron Bullis, CEO & Chris Bowman, CFP®
fee-only advisor

Fee-Only Financial Advisor: What It Means and How to Find One

Learn what a fee-only financial advisor is, how they differ from fee-based advisors, what they cost, and how to find one that fits your situation.
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By Ron Bullis, CEO & Tim Uihlein, CFP®
retirement paycheck

How to Create a Retirement Paycheck: Turning Assets Into Income

Learn how to turn savings into a reliable retirement paycheck using the three-bucket framework and your income gap calculation.
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By Todd Smith, CFP®, ChFC®, CTM®, CLTC® & Ron Bullis, CEO
financial advisor

Questions to Ask a Financial Advisor (And What the Answers Tell You)

The most important financial advisor interview questions aren't about returns — they're about compensation and accountability. Here's what to ask, and what to listen for.
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By Trevor Herin, CFP®, ChFC® & Ron Bullis, CEO
fee-based vs. fee-only financial planning

Fee-Only vs. Fee-Based Financial Advisor: Why the Difference Matters

Learn the real difference between fee-only and fee-based advisors, how 12b-1 fees work, and how to verify any advisor's compensation structure.
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By Kurt VanDyken & Ron Bullis, CEO
Estate Plan

Why Your Estate Plan and Financial Plan Are Probably Working Against Each Other

Most people with an estate plan and a financial advisor assume their plans work together. Four common failure modes show why they usually don't — and what real coordination looks like.
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By Ron Bullis, CEO & Ryan Abernethy, J.D., LL.M.
factor-based investing

Factor-Based Investing: Why Your Advisor’s Stock-Picking Strategy Matters

How does your advisor decide which stocks to buy? If the answer involves phrases like "we believe" or "our analysts predict," it's worth exploring what that really means for your portfolio. Here's how Lifeworks uses factor-based investing...
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By Lifeworks Advisors & Ron Bullis, CEO
tax-loss harvesting

Tax-Loss Harvesting: What It Is, How It Works and What to Watch For

Learn how tax-loss harvesting works, when it may reduce your tax bill, what the wash sale rule means for your portfolio, and why this strategy isn’t as simple as it sounds.
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By Lifeworks Advisors
Council of Dads

The Council of Dads: What Six Men Promised a Father Who Thought He Was Dying

Bruce Feiler was diagnosed with cancer when his twins were three. His response wasn’t a will. It was a council.
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By Lifeworks Advisors

What a Retirement Income Expert Refused to Talk About

A retirement income researcher chose to discuss lifestyle over money. What Christine Benz’s interviews reveal about the pillars that matter most.
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By Lifeworks Advisors

What Larry King’s Estate Mess Can Teach You About Your Own

Larry King had wealth, lawyers, and a will. His estate still ended up in court. Four practical lessons to protect your family from the same fate.
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By Lifeworks Advisors
parents

What to Do Before Your Parents Need Help

A practical guide to planning for aging parents — from legal documents to long-term care — before a crisis forces your hand.
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By Ron Bullis, CEO

The Financial Lessons Your Kids Won’t Learn in School

Six practical lessons for teaching children about money at home, plus how to show young adults why starting to save early could make a lasting difference.
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By Lifeworks Advisors

The Navy SEAL Who Couldn’t Handle Spilled Milk

A Navy SEAL, an Olympic skater, and the Dodgers reveal that performing under pressure is a learnable skill, not a gift you’re born with.
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By Lifeworks Advisors

The Missing Piece in Most Retirement Plans

Financial readiness and life readiness are two different things. Research suggests that retiring with purpose may matter as much as retiring with savings.
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By Lifeworks Advisors

What One Sentence Did to a Room Full of Ten-Year-Olds

Carol Dweck’s growth mindset research reveals how a single sentence can reshape how we respond to difficulty, setbacks, and uncertainty.
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By Lifeworks Advisors

Living with Lifeworks: Kurt Van Dyken’s Court Side Leadership

Lifeworks co-founder Kurt Van Dyken on coaching youth basketball, raising four boys, and building a life where faith and family come before the calendar.
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By Kurt VanDyken
alternative investment

Your Brother-in-Law’s Hedge Fund and Other Dangerous Dinner Conversations

Before jumping into hedge funds, private equity, or anything labeled ‘exclusive,’ understand the risks, fees, and lock-ups that rarely make the dinner party pitch.
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By Lifeworks Advisors
families

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families

In this Book Club selection, Stephen Covey explores how families strengthen shared values, and how that translates to habits and consistency.
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By Lifeworks Advisors
cybersecurity protection

The Bear in the Woods: Why Cybersecurity Is Now a Wealth Protection Issue

Cybercriminals are targeting high-net-worth individuals with deepfakes, device exploits, and social engineering, making cybersecurity ever-important. Here are five practical steps to make yourself a harder target.
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By Lifeworks Advisors

The Light in a Farmhouse Window

Viktor Frankl survived four concentration camps and wrote one of the most important books of the twentieth century. What he discovered about purpose, love, and suffering still speaks to how we live today.
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By Lifeworks Advisors

When was the last time you updated your financial plan?

Your biggest decisions have a window and they touch taxes, investments, and estate at once. That’s why they’re the easiest ones to miss.

Book a 30-minute call to check my plan

P.S. Over 1,600 families rely on us to keep their plan current as their lives change.