University Investment Services

University Investment Services Led by Benjamin Bolen, CFP®, our work helps families prepare for retirement, aging, caregiving, estate planning, and legacy decisions with greater clarity.

Financial planning, investment guidance, and coordination for life’s most important transitions.

06/02/2026

My 'why' for writing my book stems from the need to protect family and future generations. It shares stories to help families find clarity before crises arise, aiming for you to feel something as you read.

06/02/2026

Discover how family dynamics and grief profoundly impact outcomes, even for the wealthiest. These crucial conversations are often exclusive to ultra-net-worth families, but they hold universal lessons about true wealth and lasting legacy.

Caregiving is the title no one wants, but 53 million people across the United States are doing it anyway...for free.They...
05/29/2026

Caregiving is the title no one wants, but 53 million people across the United States are doing it anyway...for free.

They are choosing between their careers, their families, and caring for those who can't care for themselves any more.

Watching a loved one age, decline, and eventually pass is deeply difficult.

Losing part of yourself along the way deepens that pain.

My work is committed to easing that pain.

If you're in it now or seeing the warning signs, it may be time to bring in some support.

Sometimes aging gives us all of the warning signs, but we may be ignoring them. I encourage you to pay attention to thes...
05/26/2026

Sometimes aging gives us all of the warning signs, but we may be ignoring them. I encourage you to pay attention to these signs. If you notice them early, you may you still have time to prepare.

05/19/2026

A few tips on supporting aging parents.

If you're visiting the Senior Expo at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, stop on by. We are offering clarity asse...
05/18/2026

If you're visiting the Senior Expo at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, stop on by.

We are offering clarity assessments and providing everything you need for your family to gain clarity.

Remember: financial and family planning= clarity

Extended care is one of the biggest wild cards in retirement.Costs vary by location, care type, and health needs—but the...
05/12/2026

Extended care is one of the biggest wild cards in retirement.

Costs vary by location, care type, and health needs—but they've all been rising faster than many realize.

These five insights can help you understand what drives costs and why they often catch retirees by surprise.



Sources:
CareScout, Cost of Care Report, July–December 2024
AALTCI, Long-Term Care Insurance Statistics & Data 2025
EBRI/Greenwald, 2025 Retirement Confidence Survey, April 2025

05/08/2026

You set up a trust, and name your daughter as the trustee. Here's why that may be a bad idea.

On the surface naming her makes sense; she is responsible and good with money.

She is now in charge of distributions, taxes, and managing the investments within the trust.

It's like carrying the nuclear football, it's a big deal.

Here's what she is facing:

Conduit, accumulation, or see-through?

Eligible or non-eligible designated beneficiary?

If you're a trustee, you need to be familiar with these terms.

When there's a required distribution from an IRA within the trust, is it taxed to the trust or the beneficiary?

She can do this herself or delegate it.

Secure Act 2.0 was the topic of last night's event for the Washtenaw Estate Planning Council.

A room full of attorneys, wealth advisors, and accountants listened to a 45-minute lecture on the topic, and we concluded: it takes a team of professionals to get it right.

You have to commit work and time to understanding it.

If you've been named as a trustee or are setting up a trust, consider successor trustees and using the services of a 3rd party.

The perfectly executed document doesn't mean much when the responsibility falls on someone unprepared.

This creates stress and potential conflict within the family.

My focus is coordinating the right professionals, so your family has a plan, understands the plan, and can execute it as intended. I call it Clarity.

The greatest danger to your portfolio is...Not who the president isNot the next global conflictNot tied to interest rate...
05/06/2026

The greatest danger to your portfolio is...

Not who the president is
Not the next global conflict
Not tied to interest rates
Not related to market bubbles

The greatest danger to your portfolio is yourself.

The person in the mirror is the thing most likely to wreck it all.

The human who is trying to manage the news, the politics, markets, foreign affairs, angry tweets, socioeconomic changes...most coming from your social media algorithm.

Advisors talk about risk, having a plan, focusing on strategy over tactics, and it's whispers compared to the orchestra of information coming from your phone.

I've seen clients hide accounts from their advisors.

I've seen spouses who hide things from each other.

When you hire an advisor, don't hire the market expert. Hire the people expert.

Hire the one who connects with you, the one you'll actually listen to.

Hire the one who could be a hostage negotiator, not the one who knows everything on Wall Street.

I help clients get OFF.Options. Freedom. Flexibility.That is the real work.Not just building portfolios.Not just picking...
05/05/2026

I help clients get OFF.

Options. Freedom. Flexibility.

That is the real work.
Not just building portfolios.
Not just picking investments.
Not just chasing a retirement number.

It is helping people write a better story with their life.

For me, that story looks a little like a country song.
We live on 12 acres in the country.
We homeschool our kids.
I work a hybrid schedule that allows some fishing and farming.
We slowed down the pace, but built something incredible.
We spend more time with friends, family, faith, and the things that actually matter to us.

That is not everyone’s version of freedom, but it is ours.

Good planning should help you build a life that fits your values.
Saying yes more often.
Turning “someday” into something scheduled.
Ignoring the noise because you know you are okay.
Feeling steady when others are panicking.
Not making every decision based only on the price tag.
Not obsessing over every dollar.

That is what OFF really means.
More options.
More freedom.
More flexibility.

If you're willing to take the time to invest in your story, you won't regret it.

Address

2015 Washtenaw Avenue
Ann Arbor, MI
48104

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+17343729312

Website

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