Most service members set up their TSP at enrollment and never look back. But you can review and update your contribution rate, fund allocation, Roth vs. Traditional election, and beneficiary designation at any time, no restrictions, no waiting period. Here's exactly what to check and why each item matters for your retirement picture.

You don't have to be careless with money to make bad financial decisions. Some of the most disciplined, intelligent people fall into the same traps over and over again. Behavioral finance helps explain why our brains work against us when it comes to money, and what we can do to make smarter decisions even when our instincts lead us astray.

Military families have access to college funding tools most civilian families will never have — but using them together correctly takes intentional planning. From the GI Bill's Transfer of Benefits to 529 strategies designed for PCS-heavy lifestyles, here's how to build a college funding plan that works for military life.

Most business owners check their bank balance. Very few check their financial health, and there's a big difference. A Q3 business financial review gives you three to four months to make meaningful adjustments before year-end. Here's exactly what to review, why it matters, and how to make the most of the time you still have.

The VA loan is one of the most powerful financial benefits available to military families, and one of the most misunderstood. Myths about how it works cause too many service members and veterans to leave this hard-earned benefit on the table. Here's the truth behind the five most common VA loan misconceptions.

When you enrolled in the TSP, you made one of the most important financial decisions of your military career. Most service members made it in about 30 seconds, and never revisited it. Here's what the Roth vs. Traditional decision actually means, and how to know which one is right for you.

Back-to-school season is a good annual reminder to think about education savings, and 2026's 529 plan changes give families even more reason to start now.

A slow July feels like a good reason to dip into your retirement account. It isn't. Here's how to manage seasonal cash flow without touching your Solo 401(k) or SEP IRA.

Shutdown headlines don't have to derail your retirement plan. Here's the difference between a paycheck problem and a retirement problem, and three steps to take before September 30.

An inheritance transfers money. A legacy transfers values, habits, and opportunity. 

Most families with meaningful assets focus heavily on the first; who gets what, and how the taxes work. Far fewer have done the hard work of preparing the next generation to use what they’ll receive, or of communicating the priorities that shaped the plan. The result is well-documented: a substantial share of inherited wealth is gone within just two generations. 

Building lasting, inter-generational wealth isn’t just a legal and financial challenge. It’s a communication and preparation challenge.

Business valuations are hard to predict. Health changes can force earlier exits than planned. Markets shift. Buyers negotiate hard. And sale proceeds aren’t always structured tax-efficiently when you’re working under a deadline. 

The business owners we work with who sleep best in retirement are those who built meaningful wealth outside the business while running it. Not as a backup plan, but as a deliberate parallel strategy.

Military retirees and veterans with disability ratings received a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment at the start of 2026, up from 2.5% in 2025. Retired pay, VA disability compensation, and Survivor Benefit Plan annuities all received the increase. 

A COLA bump is also a natural trigger to revisit your financial plan and make sure your income is structured as efficiently as possible. Here’s what’s worth looking at.

If you’re a federal employee and you haven’t reviewed your Thrift Savings Plan elections lately, now is the time. Several important changes took effect in 2026 that affect how much you can save, how it’s taxed, and how much flexibility you’ll have once you retire. 

The good news: for those who plan ahead, these changes create real opportunities. Here’s what matters most.

The SpaceX IPO has everyone talking—but what does it actually mean for your retirement accounts? For most TSP and 401(k) investors, the short answer is: not much, at least not right away. Here's what you need to know about how index funds add new companies, why the S&P 500 moves slowly, and what to watch for down the road.

July 1, 2026 brings some of the most significant changes to federal student loans in years. From the launch of a new repayment plan to a critical deadline for Parent PLUS borrowers, here's what you need to know — and what to do before time runs out.

You served. You showed up in ways most people will never fully understand — and then you transitioned into a civilian world that doesn't always know how to recognize what you bring. The financial transition out of service is one of the most consequential planning moments in a woman veteran's life, and it's one of the most overlooked.

From VA healthcare eligibility and education benefits that just got bigger to TSP decisions that can't be undone, the moves you make in the months and years after separation can set the foundation for decades of financial strength — or quietly cost you benefits you've already earned.

This post is a practical roadmap: what to claim, what to compare, and how to build lasting wealth on the other side of service. Because you've spent years taking care of others. This chapter is about building something lasting for yourself.

You built something. A client base, a practice, a business that didn't exist before you decided to make it real. But somewhere between growing revenue and managing overhead, one question tends to get pushed to the back burner: how do you actually pay yourself — and make sure you're building toward your own future at the same time?

For women entrepreneurs, this is one of the most common blind spots in an otherwise well-run business. The business gets fed first. Retirement savings get postponed until things settle down. And a paycheck that reflects your actual value? That often feels like a luxury rather than a strategy.

It isn't a luxury. It's the foundation. In this post, we walk through how to structure your owner compensation, which retirement accounts make the most sense for self-employed women, and how to make sure the business you've built is working just as hard for your future as you are for it.

Choosing a financial advisor is one of the most important financial decisions you'll make — but most people don't know what to look for. This guide breaks down the qualities that matter most, explains why working with a fee-only fiduciary is so important, and gives you a list of essential questions to ask before you sign anything.

Your TSP beneficiary designation overrides your will. It doesn't matter what your estate documents say — whoever is listed on Form TSP-3 receives those funds. And unlike an IRA, the TSP comes with its own set of inheritance rules that can catch even well-prepared families off guard.

For military members and federal employees, the TSP is often one of the largest assets in an estate. Getting the beneficiary designation right — and understanding how your heirs will be treated under TSP rules — is one of the most important (and most overlooked) steps in a complete financial plan.

In this post, we cover the most common TSP beneficiary mistakes, how TSP inheritance rules differ from IRA rules in ways that matter for your family, and what questions are worth taking to your financial planner before it's too late to course-correct.

Energy crises have a long history of rattling markets and unsettling investors — but history also has a way of putting that turbulence in perspective. From the OPEC oil embargo of 1973 to the demand collapse of 2020, every major energy shock has generated real economic pain and genuine uncertainty. And in every case, disciplined investors who stayed the course came out ahead.

In this post, we trace the history of the world's most significant energy crises, explore how rising and falling oil prices ripple through the broader economy, and share what these lessons mean for long-term investors navigating today's volatile energy landscape.