Silberman Wealth Strategies, Inc

09/03/2026

For many Gen Xers, retirement is starting to feel less like a distant milestone and more like a looming financial reality.

The oldest members of the generation will turn 62 next year, the earliest age to claim Social Security. At the same time, many are approaching retirement with limited savings and fewer pensions than previous generations had.

The median Gen X retirement savings balance is about $107,000, while members of the generation estimate they’ll need roughly $700,000 for retirement. Social Security may also become an increasingly important source of income, with 41% of workers over 55 saying they expect it to be their primary source in retirement.

That gap is prompting some Gen Xers to rethink when they’ll stop working, how much they may need to save, and what retirement could realistically look like.

If retirement is getting closer, this may be a good time to review your savings, expected Social Security benefits, and other sources of retirement income.

Millions of Generation X Americans expect to depend on Social Security as their main — or only — source of retirement income.

08/31/2026

Dolly Parton’s legacy reaches far beyond music.

Over the years, she gave millions to causes ranging from disaster relief and medical research to education and children’s literacy. Her Imagination Library alone has distributed more than 330 million books to children across five countries.

After devastating Tennessee wildfires in 2016, her My People Fund provided displaced families with $1,000 a month for six months, no strings attached. She also donated $1 million toward COVID-19 vaccine research and supported schools, scholarships, pediatric care, and communities close to home.

What tied so much of that work together was remarkably simple: trust people, see a need, and respond.

Her example is a meaningful reminder that generosity doesn’t have to follow one formula. It starts with deciding what matters to you and finding a way to make an impact.

Dolly Parton's death is shining a new light on the country music icon's philanthropy. The Library of Congress has called Parton a “titan of children’s literacy” for the millions of free books provided monthly through her Imagination Library.

08/27/2026

Two retirees can earn the same average return and have very different outcomes.

Why?

Because in retirement, timing matters.

An early market downturn in retirement can be more damaging than the same downturn later.

That is the sequence-of-returns risk.

The risk is not simply “the market went down.” It’s “the market went down while income still had to come out.”

A strong retirement strategy should look beyond average returns and address:

🔹 Where income will come from
🔹 How much cash or short-term reserves make sense
🔹 Which accounts to draw from first
🔹 When to rebalance
🔹 How RMDs and Social Security fit into the withdrawal strategy

Sequence-of-returns risk does not make many headlines.

But for anyone entering retirement, it can be one of the most important ideas to understand.

The goal is not to predict the next downturn. It’s about being prepared.

08/25/2026

There is usually no single moment when the roles begin to shift with aging parents.

A confusing medical bill.
A missed payment.
A scam text that almost got clicked.

When and how do you step in without taking over?

The goal is not to take control.

The goal is to make sure helpful people, information, and safeguards are in place before decisions have to be made under pressure.

One potential conversation starter you could try…

“We are reviewing our own estate documents and realize we should understand where everything is.”

Sometimes, that is enough to open the door.

The families who tend to feel best about how this chapter goes are the ones who approached it as a proactive exercise rather than a response to a problem.

We are glad to be part of that process at whatever stage a family is ready to begin.

08/21/2026

As today is National Senior Citizens Day, we wanted to draw attention to something that can sometimes fall through the cracks: the Medicare Part B late enrollment penalty.

Most don’t know that if you miss your Initial Enrollment Period (the 7-month window around your 65th birthday), Medicare tacks on a 10 percent surcharge to your monthly premium for every 12 months you delay enrollment.

No cap. No expiration date.

Delay two years, pay 20 percent more. Delay by five years, you pay 50 percent. Every month. For life.

How to manage it?

You are only exempt from this penalty if you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period (SEP).

This usually means you delayed signing up because you (or your spouse) were still actively working and had "creditable" health insurance through that active employer.

If you’re concerned, ask your financial professional where to find the most up-to-date Medicare information.

08/19/2026

As artificial intelligence reshapes the future of technology, a growing community of collectors is looking back.

Vintage computer enthusiasts are restoring and preserving the machines that helped launch the digital revolution, including classic Atari, Commodore, IBM, and Apple systems.

For collectors, these machines are more than old hardware. They are artifacts of computer history.

At the Vintage Computer Festival in Mountain View, California, more than 3,500 people gathered to see restored systems, celebrate Apple’s 50th anniversary, and explore the early technology behind today’s laptops, smartphones, and wearable devices.

Some rare machines can carry significant value. The Apple-1, Apple’s first product, can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

But for many collectors, the appeal is also personal: the sounds, games, interfaces, and hands-on repairs that make early computers feel understandable from the inside out.

In an age of invisible algorithms and cloud-based tools, vintage computers offer something different: a tangible connection to how modern technology began.

As Silicon Valley invents the artificial-intelligence future, a growing community of hobbyists is preserving the classic computers that helped launch the digital revolution.

08/19/2026

Early estimates for the 2027 Social Security cost-of-living adjustment have moved lower as inflation moderates.

New projections suggest the 2027 COLA may fall between 3.4% and 3.6%.

The official adjustment has not been announced yet. The final number will depend on inflation data for July, August, and September.

Social Security COLAs are calculated using the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, known as CPI-W.

July data showed CPI-W rose 3.4% over the past 12 months. The broader consumer price index also rose 3.4% year over year.

One estimate from AARP suggests a 3.5% COLA would raise the average retired worker’s benefit by about $73 per month.

For retirees and near-retirees, the COLA is an important reminder that inflation can affect income, purchasing power, household expenses, and long-term financial decisions.

New estimates show just how much Social Security benefits may increase in 2027, based on new government inflation data.

08/19/2026

Donating appreciated stock to charity has pros and cons. So, most donors still write the check.

When you contribute appreciated securities directly to a donor-advised fund (DAF), you can manage capital gains tax on the gain and perhaps deduct the full fair market value.

The charity receives the full amount. Nothing is lost to taxes in between.

From there, you can focus grants to any eligible nonprofit on your own timeline. The funds can stay invested and may grow while you decide.

💡 If you're holding appreciated positions and giving is part of your strategy, how you give matters as much as how much you give.

📋 **Some donor-advised funds are considered mutual funds and are sold only by prospectus. The prospectus will provide information on charges, risks, expenses, and investment objectives and should be reviewed carefully before investing. Investment companies can provide a prospectus, or you may prefer to ask your financial professional.**

💡 Consider asking your financial professional to work with your tax, legal, or accounting professionals if a DAF sounds interesting.

08/14/2026

Some professionals assume their financial strategy is in better shape than it is. Not because they're careless. Because they're busy.

Today is National Financial Awareness Day. Four questions worth sitting with:

▸ If something happened to you tomorrow, would your family know what you have, where it is, and what to do?

▸ Are you on track to replace your income in retirement, or are you assuming you will be?

▸ Has your financial strategy changed as much as your life has in the last 12 months?

▸ If markets dropped tomorrow, do you have written goals or a general sense of what you'd do?

You don't have to answer all four today. But if one made you pause, that's the one worth paying attention to.

08/13/2026

There's a difference between leaving money to your family and giving it to them.

One happens after you're gone. The other lets you see the impact.

The annual gift exclusion is one straightforward way to do the latter.

For 2026, the IRS says that each person can give up to $19,000 per recipient, free of gift tax. A married couple can combine up to $38,000 per recipient, with no gift tax return required and no reduction to the lifetime exemption.

For example, a couple with two adult children and four grandchildren can transfer up to $228,000 this year under the current rules.

Done consistently, annual gifting can help manage a taxable estate while putting money to work for the people you care about, now.

🎁 If you haven't reviewed your gifting strategy for 2026, there's still time. The window closes on December 31.