NEWSLETTER
Xerxes Nabong, CFP®, CDFA®
Philip M. Maliniak, CRPC®
Nicole Brown-Griffin, CFP®, CDFA®, EA
Aaron Petty, Client Associate
Hampton Roads: (757) 394-3486
Greater Phoenix: (480) 687-9339
Orange County: (949) 660-8869
Wealth Avenue October 2025 Newsletter — Beyond Portfolio Performance
October is National Financial Planning Month, a reminder of what financial planning is truly about. While portfolio performance plays a role, our work together centers on a broader goal: helping every area of your financial life move in the right direction with clarity and purpose. From taxes and retirement income to workplace benefit elections and estate planning, we focus on how each piece connects — with the intention of helping you build greater stability, clarity, and confidence over time.
Financial Planning Is Multi-Dimensional
We often tell clients that we view their situation through many lenses and here are many examples of how we think beyond investments:
- Funding your 401(k): Deciding whether to contribute with pre-tax or after tax (Roth) dollars shapes how your income is taxed today and in retirement. It’s not just a savings decision; it’s a future tax strategy.
- Dual plan opportunities: Public sector employees often have access to both a 403(b) and a 457(b) plan, meaning they can double up on contributions for retirement. It’s an often overlooked advantage we regularly highlight for our educators and public service clients.
- Catch up and “Super Catch Up” contributions: For those age 50 and older, traditional catch-up contributions allow you to add extra dollars to your retirement accounts each year, helping you accelerate savings as you approach retirement.
- Maximizing pre-tax benefits: Employer programs such as 401(k)s, FSAs, and HSAs all offer tax savings, but each serves a unique purpose. We help determine the right funding order to optimize both short- and long-term benefits.
- Coordinating IRA distributions: The timing of your IRA withdrawals can affect your Medicare premiums (IRMAA), Social Security taxation, and even whether you move into a higher tax bracket. We evaluate how each income source interacts before you take distributions.
- Coordinating with your CPA or tax professional: We regularly collaborate with your CPA or tax advisor to ensure the financial plan aligns with your tax strategy. For example, harvesting losses, timing deductions, or evaluating Roth conversions are all decisions best made in sync with your tax professional.
- Working with your estate planning attorney: Reviewing trust structures, powers of attorney, and beneficiary designations with your estate planning attorney ensures your financial strategy aligns with your estate plan. The goal is not only asset growth but also asset continuity for your heirs.
- Evaluating your cash flow and real estate portfolio: Real estate often plays a major role in wealth. Whether it’s determining how rental income fits into your retirement plan, analyzing mortgage payoff timing, or considering property transfers, we help ensure your real estate works as part of your overall strategy, not separate from it.
- Planning charitable giving: For many clients, giving back is a key part of their legacy. Strategies like Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), or gifting appreciated stock can all provide meaningful tax and philanthropic benefits.
- Budgeting with purpose: A healthy financial plan isn’t just about saving; it’s about spending with intention. Reviewing cash flow ensures that every dollar supports your lifestyle today while keeping your longterm goals on track.
It’s All Connected
Your financial life is a continuous path made up of choices, milestones, and goals. Investment performance is one important part of that path, but so are tax strategies, income planning, risk management, and the legacy you’ll one day leave behind.
At Wealth Avenue, we help align each step of your financial journey with intention, connecting today’s decisions to tomorrow’s opportunities, and guiding you toward lasting clarity, confidence, and purpose.
Why October Matters
Financial Planning Month is the perfect reminder to pause and review before year-end:
- Are you on track with retirement plan contributions and limits?
- Have you reviewed Roth conversion opportunities for 2025 and beyond?
- Are your health benefits and open enrollment elections aligned with your needs?
- Do your beneficiary designations and estate documents reflect your current wishes?
- Is your real estate and cash flow strategy working efficiently for your goals?
In Closing
October is a reminder that financial planning isn’t just about your investments, it’s about you. It’s about bringing together the moving parts of your financial life so that your plan remains cohesive, tax-efficient, and built for longevity. We view every relationship and recommendation through the lens of your entire life. Every conversation, the lens of your entire life. Every conversation, strategy, and decision is made with an understanding of how it fits within your broader journey, even in ways you may not always see. This is what we do. It’s how we think, how we plan, and how we guide – with your whole life in mind.
Your Team at Wealth Avenue,
P.S. October is the perfect time to be intentional about financial planning. As you know, we help clients like you make thoughtful decisions that can reduce taxes, strengthen retirement readiness, and bring clarity to the bigger picture.
If you know someone who could benefit from that same approach — whether they’re nearing retirement, managing a business, or simply navigating new tax rules — we’d love to connect and help them plan ahead. We’re deeply grateful for the introductions and trust you’ve shared with us this year.
Lastly, October isn’t just Financial Planning Month, it’s also Halloween, the biggest candy celebration of the year. According to Mars Wrigley’s “Chief Halloween Officer,” Americans are expected to spend more than $13 billion celebrating this year, with nearly $4 billion of that on candy alone.
Go ahead and indulge a little this season but we’re curious… what’s your favorite candy?
