Tenured Wealth Management of Raymond James

06/01/2026

You're loading the dishwasher, and your spouse says something about "when I retire."

It's a small thing, and you probably both let it pass.

But that one word, "I" instead of "we," is the opening to the one of the most important conversations the two of you haven't had yet, the one about what you actually want the coming years to look like.

It's easy to put off, especially because we tend to think of retirement as a number to reach and a date to circle. But it's really much deeper than that.

It's a vision you've nurtured for years, although sometimes without realizing you haven't shared all the details.

I've seen a lot of married couples approach retirement without having had that conversation, and it complicates what should be one of the most enjoyable times of your life.

That's why vision and values get top priority when I'm first getting to know new clients. Not because the numbers don't matter, but because the two of you working toward the same goal is what the numbers are for.

And that's the foundation for all the planning that follows.

We talk a lot about benchmarks and key indicators in financial services. One I listen for most often when working with married couples? How often I hear "we" in our conversations.

05/29/2026

Reaching an eight-week streak of positive growth, the S&P 500 was on a roll in May. Strong earnings in the tech sector helped lead the way as the market pushed ahead through inflationary pressures. Get the details in the May market recap:

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05/29/2026

The "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," passed last year, extended key tax provisions and brought greater clarity to the planning landscape. Learn how these changes may create expanded opportunities for estate and wealth transfer strategies:

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05/28/2026

Something I look forward to every year: getting together with some of the best advisors and friends in the business.

This past May 6-8, over 30 financial advisors traveled from across the country to Las Vegas for our 4th annual Advisor Retreat.

Two full days of sharing best practices, exploring the latest technology, and having real conversations about how to better serve our clients.

We played golf. We laughed a lot. We challenged each other.

And every single person walked away with ideas they're already putting to work.

Here's what I keep coming back to after events like this:

The best in any profession never stop learning. They seek out people who push them to grow.

Your clients deserve an advisor who is always getting better.

And honestly, that's what makes showing up every day worth it.

05/27/2026

Kladi Bekolli talked me into this captain pose.

Silly, I know, but it turns out there's more to it than either of us realized.

In part, that's because the two of us are co-hosting the next Albanian Professionals Networking event on June 3rd, from 6 to 9 pm, aboard the Infinity Yacht for a sunset river cruise on the Detroit River.

If you're part of the Albanian professional community in the greater Detroit area, we'd love to see you there. And if you use code GKFS (all caps in the Promo Code) you save $10 off your ticket and we donate $10 to the Gjergj Kastrioti Scholarship Fund, a cause near and dear to our hearts ❤️

https://lnkd.in/gAMGn5ve

It's also because the captain metaphor runs deeper than a night on the river.

For nearly 20 years, I've tried to be exactly that for the people I work with: a steady presence when life is going well, and an even steadier one when it isn't.

The people who've needed me most during those years haven't just been concerned about their portfolio or investment returns. They've called or stopped by the office to ask if everything was going to be OK.

Sure, those two questions are connected. But they're not the same thing. And knowing the difference between them is the anchor you deserve.

05/26/2026

Visits home have started to feel different.

You're more aware of little things, like mail piling up near the door or a story told twice in one visit or a phone call about a "medical bill collector" that didn't quite add up.

That's made your parents' financial situation feel less clear.

And more pressing.

But the conversation you want to have isn't always an easy one, because most of us weren't taught how to have it.

That usually means it gets put off, even though you know what you're seeing impacts your situation, too, whether that involves taking time off to drive your parents to appointments or paying bills that keep stacking up or assuming power of attorney without fully understanding how they've organized things.

These are conversations Burmeister and I help clients have all the time. Not just because it's our business. But because these are people who've invited us into their lives and entrusted us with so much.

They're people we care about deeply.

And one of the ways we repay that trust is by helping to make those hard conversations as comfortable as possible.

If you're facing "the money talk" with your parents but don't know where to start, we've got nearly 40 years of combined experience we're more than happy to share.

05/25/2026

We remember with gratitude those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Their legacy lives on.

05/22/2026

If you're 50 or older and earned more than $150,000 last year, the catch-up contribution to your 401(k) or 403(b) works differently this year than it did before.

Under the SECURE 2.0 Act, that contribution must now go into a Roth account. It still grows inside your retirement plan, but it comes out of after-tax dollars instead of pre-tax, so it no longer reduces this year's tax bill.

For senior faculty, school administrators, and business owners who built late-career savings around that deduction, the change can feel like the rules shifted just as you were finally able to take advantage of them.

The catch-up provision was originally meant for workers accelerating their savings in their final working years. The new rule doesn't take that opportunity away. It just changes when the tax benefit arrives.

What used to lower your bill this year becomes tax-free income decades from now.

How that shakes out depends on your situation. If your retirement income is likely to push you into higher tax brackets or Medicare surcharge territory, the Roth requirement may work in your favor over time. If not, it changes the math on how you've been planning to fund the years ahead.

If you've got questions, Burmeister and I are always just a phone call, DM, or email away (yes, even when we're in Las Vegas for business 🏌🏻).

05/20/2026

To handle payments for a disabled senior, it's not enough to put powers of attorney, medical directives or guardianship arrangements in place. Learn how to protect yourself and your loved ones:

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