A new post every day: what's new on the channel, what's worth hearing on the LIFE Pod, and plain-language education on the money questions people actually bring to the free needs analysis. Written for the folks who'd rather read.
The rollover rules for leftover 529 college money: the 15-year clock, the $35,000 lifetime cap, the yearly Roth limit, and the five-year lookback that trips people up.
October 14, 2026 RetirementA viewer asked whether to stop her 401(k) and put the money in a cash value policy for five years. The bracket math, the jobs each account does, and why I wouldn't pick one.
October 13, 2026 Retirement IncomeA podcast phrase, the minimum dignity floor, changed how I think about retirement income. Here's how I'm covering mine with Social Security and a set of small income annuities, and what that choice gives up.
October 12, 2026 Life InsuranceAn annuity is built to pay you while you're alive. Whole life is built to pay your heirs. Why James steered a couple in their 60s away from an annuity, and away from an IUL too.
October 11, 2026 RetirementTraditional IRAs and 401(k)s force withdrawals starting at 73 or 75. How the amount is figured, the April 1 trap in the first year, and how the 25% penalty drops to 10%.
October 10, 2026 SavingA high-yield savings account pays well some years and almost nothing in others. How James would move a $50,000 emergency fund into whole life, year by year, and what it costs early.
October 9, 2026 RetirementA spouse with a small work record can collect up to half of the other spouse's full benefit. How the top-up is figured, what claiming at 62 costs, and why it stops growing at 67.
October 8, 2026 Cash FlowNelson Nash's starting point: you either pay interest to a lender or give up interest your money could have earned. What that means on a $30,000 car, and what Nash built to fix it.
October 7, 2026 Retirement IncomeSome annuities guarantee a 7% roll-up on an income base, a number that only sets your lifetime payments. Why James rarely puts a 35-year-old in one, and what to ask before you buy.
October 6, 2026 DebtBad debt charges a high rate for something already gone. Better debt is the same balance at a lower rate. Good debt buys something that pays you. How to move a balance up a step.
October 5, 2026 RetirementAn IRA is already tax-deferred, so a lot of advisors say an annuity inside one adds nothing. James agrees with that math and still uses one, for a different reason: income.
October 4, 2026 Life InsuranceCarriers cap coverage at a multiple of income, often about 30 times for younger adults. Why they count what you already own, and why the cap matters for cash value.
October 3, 2026 Retirement IncomeWhere the 4% withdrawal rule came from, what it assumes, and why James would rather keep some savings that don't move with the market than just pick a smaller percentage.
October 2, 2026 SavingA few hundred dollars covers most of what cash is for. Where the rest of an emergency fund should sit, sorted by how fast you'd need it, and what deposit insurance covers.
October 1, 2026 Life InsuranceTerm life is cheap for a reason, and investing what you save can work for a disciplined investor. Where the plan usually breaks, and how a cash value design borrows the idea.
September 30, 2026 Getting StartedWhat James told his nephew on his 18th birthday: one card, small charges paid in full, balances under 30%, and the authorized user move that borrows a parent's long history.
September 29, 2026 Retirement IncomeThe survivor option is insurance the plan sells you without calling it that. Pension maximization can beat it, and it fails badly when health, premium discipline, or the arithmetic don't cooperate.
September 28, 2026 Retirement IncomeFile before full retirement age and keep working, and Social Security withholds part of your check. The money comes back later, and the timing is the part that hurts.
September 27, 2026 RetirementContributions come out any time. Earnings need five years plus a triggering event, and every conversion starts a second clock of its own.
September 26, 2026 InsuranceEmployer health elections lock for the plan year. A short list of qualifying life events reopens them, usually for only 30 days, and realizing you picked wrong is not on the list.
September 25, 2026 Cash FlowThe channel put out a folk song inspired by the Money in Motion book. Each verse carries a piece of the book: the paycheck that does one job, dollars as workers, a line of credit that lowers interest, and the lifetime line of credit.
September 24, 2026 Cash FlowPaperback on Amazon, Kindle, or a free interactive PDF with a clickable mind map, a go deeper video link at the end of every chapter, and a companion workbook and spreadsheet.
September 23, 2026 Financial BasicsA health FSA saves you real tax money and forfeits whatever you don't spend. The grace period, the carryover, and the uniform coverage rule decide how much of it you keep.
September 22, 2026 Estate BasicsOregon's estate tax threshold has sat at $1 million since 2012 and doesn't move with inflation. A house, a 401(k), and a life insurance policy you own can clear it without anybody feeling wealthy.
September 21, 2026 RetirementMost adult children who inherit an IRA now have ten years to take all of it, and many owe annual withdrawals along the way. The tax lands in your highest-earning decade.
September 20, 2026 Life InsuranceCoverage through work ends when the job does, and the conversion right expires about a month later. Nobody from HR calls to remind you, and the window doesn't reopen.
September 19, 2026 Life InsuranceThe letter that shows up after you close is selling decreasing term at a level premium. A regular term policy usually covers the same debt for less and doesn't shrink.
September 18, 2026 Financial BasicsFour dollar figures on the same health plan, and they fire in a specific order. Knowing the order is how you compare two plans during open enrollment.
September 17, 2026 RetirementThe household keeps the larger of the two checks and loses the smaller one. That drop is permanent, it's often a third of the retirement income, and you can plan for it.
September 16, 2026 Financial BasicsYour bank needs your permission to approve a debit card purchase that overdraws the account and charge you for it. A lot of people gave that permission at account opening and forgot.
September 15, 2026The needs analysis is free, for anyone. We'll look at your real numbers together. No obligation, no chase-down calls afterward. Just answers.
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