We step back from “term good, perm bad” and map the real trade‑offs of permanent life insurance. We explain whole life, UL, VUL, IUL, and GUL, where they fit, where they fail, and how to avoid sales traps by matching the product to the problem.

• term versus permanent: cost, certainty, purpose
• whole life guarantees and steady cash value
• universal life flexibility and moving parts
• variable UL market exposure and premium risk
• indexed UL caps, floors, and illustration pitfalls
• guaranteed UL for low‑cost permanent death benefit
• permanent needs: special‑needs care, legacy, liquidity
• tax angles: income‑tax‑free death benefit, tax‑deferred cash value
• sales tactics to question and fee awareness
• what to do with an existing policy: keep, reduce, exchange, gift, sell
• guardrails: right sizing, clear goals, realistic expectations

Variable Universal Life is a complicated life insurance product that may not have the best reputation, but we visit with Victor Yates of Nationwide to learn about how they are doing things differently.

We'll discuss the role of life insurance in general in a financial planning, when permanent life insurance is a fit, how Nationwide's VUL works, and who it is best for.

As a reminder, Colin and Taylor do not sell insurance. This is a detailed discussion on the inner workings of an important financial planning tool.

We unpack why most portfolios don’t need frequent changes and how a clear purpose, time horizon, and risk preference do the heavy lifting. We trade “performance reviews” for plan reviews, walk through rebalancing and tax tactics, and explain how to ignore scary headlines and shiny objects.

• setting allocation by purpose, time horizon, and risk
• why daily market moves rarely justify changes
• when not to act at all-time highs or during drops
• the trap of performance chasing and survivorship bias
• practical rebalancing cadence and thresholds
• rebalancing with contributions and withdrawals
• tax loss harvesting limits and wash sale rules
• direct indexing complexity and future tax overhang
• donating appreciated stock to boost tax efficiency
• plan reviews over portfolio performance check-ins

Clicking “same as last year” might be the most expensive choice you make all fall. We break down open enrollment with a practical, no-fluff framework: protect against the big risks, pay cash for the small ones, and route every eligible dollar through the most tax-efficient account. From health insurance trade-offs to the truth about dental and vision, you’ll get clear guidance you can act on today.

We discuss:

• what open enrollment includes across employer plans, Medicare and ACA
• how to compare health plans using usage, networks and drug coverage
• when HDHPs plus HSAs beat rich PPOs on total cost
• why out-of-pocket maximums change worst-case math
• dental and vision as prepaid maintenance, not true insurance
• group life as a baseline, private term for portability and price
• disability insurance trade-offs, taxation and own-occupation definitions
• which add-ons to skip and when FSAs are a clear win
• coordinating benefits and costs across two employers
• quick notes on Medicare Advantage and Part D review

While it may seem obvious, having kids drastically changes your financial plan. This episode will cover some of the obvious and less obvious changes and give you practical ways to think about making the tradeoffs you will have to make. Topics covered include:

• Budgeting for kids before having them
• The Kindergarten myth
• If childcare eats one salary, should someone step back?
• Putting your own oxygen mask on first (balancing retirement vs education savings)
• The most important estate planning decisions you need to make sooner rather than later
• How the tax code typically helps parents out
• And much more!

After a brief summer hiatus, we're diving into the newly passed One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBA) to unpack what these changes actually mean for your financial planning.

The good news? Many of the lower tax rates you've enjoyed since 2017 are now permanent (or at least until some future Congress changes them). But beyond that headline, there are several meaningful changes worth understanding – especially if you're over 65, live in a high-tax state, make charitable contributions, or have substantial wealth to transfer to the next generation.

We break down the new "Senior Bonus" exemption that provides $6,000 in tax relief for those 65 and older, explain how the SALT deduction cap increases from $10,000 to $40,000 for itemizers, and explore new rules for charitable giving that benefit both itemizers and non-itemizers alike. For higher-net-worth individuals, we clarify how the estate tax exemption increases to $15 million per person and what that means for your legacy planning.

While some provisions are genuinely helpful, others come with important limitations – income thresholds where benefits phase out, sunset dates when provisions expire, and trade-offs that might affect your healthcare costs. We cut through the confusion of this 870-page legislation to highlight what matters most for your personal situation.

Most importantly, we discuss practical implications: What actions should you consider taking now? How might these changes affect your tax planning for the next several years? And how should you think about the inevitable future changes to come? Join us for this essential conversation about protecting and optimizing your financial future in light of America's ever-evolving tax code.

Colin's article we discuss: https://www.oakleighwealth.com/articles/obbba?rq=beauty

Retirement planning requires understanding three major tax landmines that can derail your financial strategy: Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), the widow's penalty, and beneficiary taxes.

• RMDs are mandatory withdrawals from tax-deferred accounts starting at age 73 (increasing to 75 in the future)
• The percentage of your account that must be withdrawn increases with age, potentially pushing you into higher tax brackets
• The "widow's penalty" refers to the compressed tax brackets when filing as single rather than married filing jointly
• Beneficiaries typically have 10 years to empty inherited retirement accounts, which can create significant tax burden
• Roth conversions during lower-income years can significantly reduce future tax obligations
• Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) allow donations directly from IRAs to satisfy RMD requirements without increasing taxable income
• When passing on wealth, Roth accounts are most tax-efficient, followed by taxable accounts with stepped-up basis, with pre-tax accounts being least efficient
• Opportunistic planning during market downturns can enhance tax-saving strategies
• Taking a year-by-year approach to tax planning while maintaining awareness of these landmines can save substantial money

Read Colin's article on retirement tax landmines here.

Financial projections can be both helpful and misleading when planning your financial future. While they provide valuable insights into potential outcomes, they shouldn't be taken as literal predictions of what will happen.

• Your financial life consists of: money in, money out, growth over time, taxes, and inflation. All financial projections are just projecting these variables
• Monte Carlo simulations introduce randomness to account for market volatility and create a range of possible outcomes
• More variables in a projection create more opportunities for error, not necessarily more accuracy
• The real value comes from understanding sensitivities – which factors significantly impact your financial future
• "Probability of success" metrics can be misleading since they don't distinguish between barely succeeding and wildly succeeding
• Financial plans should include predetermined adjustment triggers or "guardrails" that specify when and how to adapt
• For retirees, projections help answer "how much can I spend?" while younger clients benefit more from simple savings calculations
• Regular updates are essential as your financial situation evolves and market conditions change
• Control what you can (savings, investment allocation, insurance) and be prepared to adjust as life unfolds
• Remember: "All models are wrong, but some models are useful"