Austin Preece, Financial Planner

06/02/2026

Ever wondered how much you should be saving?

I decided to put a tool on my website to help you answer this question for yourself.

Go to the "Resources" tab on my website and select the "Retirement Calculator."

Is it perfect? Of course not. But it is simple.

Just enter
1. Your current age
2. The age you want to retire at
3. Your estimated monthly spending in retirement
4. Your estimated monthly income in retirement
5. Your current investment balance
6. Your assumed rate of return

And it spits out:
-A portfolio target for the year you retire
-A monthly savings target
-How much you'll need from your portfolio on a monthly basis in future dollars

You can even get a PDF version to your email address!

It's important to note that every tool like this makes a lot of assumptions (ours assumes 2.5% inflation, a 4% starting withdrawal rate in retirement, and that you never change your savings).

It's inherently flawed. But perfect is the enemy of done. It's intended to give you a savings target to shoot for, not a prescription to solve your financial life.

Now, here are all the things it's NOT accounting for that financial planning does:
-Taxes
-Pre-retirement goals (moving, college, starting a business, buying a boat, you name it)
-What kind of account to save in
-Market volatility
-Income/asset protection
-Estate considerations
-Lump-sum savings from a windfall or inheritance
-How to GET the returns you need to achieve your goals

So go check it out! Play with it, let me know how you like it, and share it with other people you think might benefit!

06/02/2026

Did you know that how you invest in retirement should look different from how you invested while you were building your wealth?

When you're drawing income from your portfolio, sequence of returns, withdrawal order, and tax bracket management all take center stage. Austin Preece, CFP®, EA will break all of this down at our FREE seminar — no jargon, just practical guidance.

📍 In-person: June 23 | Preece Financial Services at 214 S Forrest St. Stoughton, WI | 6:30–8:00 PM
💻 Virtual option: June 30 | 6:30 PM

Register today 👇
In-person: https://www.preecefp.com/workshops/investing-and-taxes-in-retirement-in-person/register

Virtual: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/kGJksodFRaOA1sw-KA_kUQ

06/01/2026

"It's okay if I die today" - me, every time I fly.

I am SO afraid of flying that every time I get on a plane, I have a little conversation with myself about how I've lived a good life and am happy with what I've accomplished, and that it's okay if I die this day (as much as I'd rather live).

It's absolutely bonkers.

Traveling by commercial plane is statistically far safer than driving.

But fears are irrational.

You owe it to yourself to recognize when your fears are irrational and not let them control you.

For me, it's flying. But if I never got on a plane, I'd be giving up a lot of incredible experiences.

For some people, it's investing. But if you don't take some risk in the market, you may not be able to afford to do things you want to in the future.

It's also much easier to fly with someone else that I can be vulnerable with (aka, the wonderful Dana Preece). I tell her I'm scared even though I know I shouldn't be, and she tells me that it's going to be fine. This is all normal. And we could never fly again, but we'd miss out on a lot of great experiences.

And sometimes, I'm doing the same thing for my clients. Helping them realize that their fears are irrational, but normal. Showing them the trade-offs between succumbing to their fears and overcoming them. Then, ultimately, helping them do what's best for them.

05/29/2026

"I think there's a little piece of me that thought that once I finished it, I'd die."

-someone close to me talking about estate planning.

We're all human.

We're all irrational.

But I'm going to say it: You're not going to die because you finish your estate planning.

You're going to die, but writing a will won't be the reason. I can say that with (almost) 100% certainty.

So if you're going to die anyway, might as well be ready from a legal standpoint, right?

05/29/2026

Happy Friday! Quick question for those near or in retirement: When it comes to investing, what's your biggest concern right now?

A) Running out of money
B) Managing taxes without a paycheck
C) How much risk to take in your portfolio
D) Market volatility

Drop your answer below 👇we'll be addressing all of these at our upcoming FREE seminar on June 23 (in-person) & June 30 (virtual).

In-person: https://www.preecefp.com/workshops/investing-and-taxes-in-retirement-in-person/register

Virtual: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/kGJksodFRaOA1sw-KA_kUQ

Financial planning, investment management, tax strategy, and accounting services. Helping your money make sense (and dollars).

05/28/2026

If you’re not saving for the future…

Probably wouldn’t hurt to start.

I promise it doesn’t have to be hard.

05/27/2026

I'm going to be asking for some opinions, and if what they say is true, everyone has at least two.

I have decided to do some (free) educational workshops. The first one is at the end of June - Investing and Taxes in Retirement.

This one is going to be geared toward people who are nearing retirement or already retired, and there will be two sessions.
June 23rd at 6:30 PM at my office (214 S Forrest St. in Stoughton, WI) and
June 30th at 6:30 PM on Zoom.

If this sounds like the kind of thing you may benefit from, go to preecefp.com/workshops to register.

But hey, I still want to hear from you.

What kinds of topics would YOU find most helpful in this setting?
What has you scratching your head when you think about your finances?
What would you be interested in learning more about?

Let me know in the comments, and enter your email at the link provided to be notified of upcoming workshops & webinars!

Live sessions and on-demand recordings on all things financial planning.

05/27/2026

📣 Big news! We're hosting a FREE seminar this June!

"Investing and Taxes in Retirement" with Austin Preece, CFP®, EA will walk you through how your financial strategy needs to shift once you're spending down (not building up) your savings, and how to keep more of what you've earned when there's no paycheck to offset your taxes.

🗓 In-person: June 23 | Preece Financial Services at 214 S Forrest St. Stoughton, WI | 6:30–8:00 PM
💻 Virtual: June 30 | 6:30 PM
✅ Free to attend

Spots are limited — register now!
In-person: https://www.preecefp.com/workshops/investing-and-taxes-in-retirement-in-person/register

Virtual: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/kGJksodFRaOA1sw-KA_kUQ

Financial planning, investment management, tax strategy, and accounting services. Helping your money make sense (and dollars).

05/26/2026

I'm pretty steadfast in only offering services that I/my team can do really well.

That includes:
Financial planning
Investment management
Tax planning
Tax preparation
Bookkeeping
Payroll

That doesn't include:
Drafting legal documents
Selling insurance

I advise on both of those during the financial planning process, and I'll be a part of the process to get them done.

But I think it's important to have specialized professionals helping with those items.

05/25/2026

Yesterday, I posted about writing a book.

Turns out, I had already started! This is either good news, or a harbinger of what's to come.

PS - after I wrote harbinger, I looked up harbinger to see if it means what I thought (it does), but then I had to look up whether people actually say "harbinger of what's to come" because it seems redundant (they do, and it is).

PPS or PSS (I can never remember) - I had started the book almost exactly two years ago. I made it exactly one outline and 3 pages.