Approach Financial: Justin Pritchard, CFP

Approach Financial: Justin Pritchard, CFP Fee-only CFP® practitioner. 20+ years of advising and writing about money. One-time financial planning, ongoing management, and flat-fee financial advice.

Available nationwide for retirement planning & more. Make a plan, take action, and spend time doing the things you value most. You're smart enough to figure everything out yourself—but there are only 24 hours in a day. Taking advantage of opportunities and avoiding financial mistakes can improve your chances of success, so let's make a plan together. Services: Financial planning, retirement planni

ng, employer plans for small businesses, and investment management. Serving Colorado from Montrose, but clients come from western Colorado and beyond (including other states, where not prohibited). Pricing options include ongoing investment management, one-time projects, and hourly charges. You do not need to transfer money to work with me, but I'm happy to manage accounts for you, if you'd like. Approach Financial, Inc. is registered as an investment adviser in the state of Colorado and is licensed to do business in any state where registered or otherwise exempt from registration.

06/03/2026

Should you use mutual funds or ETFs in your IRA? The choice might not be as significant as you think. In tax-protected accounts, like Roth or traditional IRAs, the potential tax efficiency of ETFs is less important.

Both types of investments can help you spread your money among many different investments easily. And both are available as index funds, with U.S. or overseas exposure, with or without bonds, etc. While diversification doesn't eliminate the risk of loss, it can be helpful.

Logistically, mutual funds were traditionally easier to automate. For example, you could set up automatic monthly purchases easily, or arrange a monthly sell order to provide retirement income. But now you can do a lot with ETFs, as well. ETFs trade throughout the trading day like stocks, but for long-term investors that might not matter much.

Speaker: Justin Pritchard, CFP®, a fee-only fiduciary advisor who can work with clients in all U.S. states.

Approach Financial, Inc. offers advisory services through XYPN Invest, an SEC-registered investment adviser. “Likes” should not be considered a positive reflection of the investment advisory services offered by Approach. View all comments with skepticism, as they could be scams. The firm is not responsible for any third-party content, such as comments. I will never send you a direct message asking for money, suggesting strategies, or directing you to messaging apps (again, scams). This content may be inaccurate or lacking full details, and you need more information.

Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Any referenced returns or results are merely assumptions for educational or informational purposes and should not be construed as actual or hypothetical performance figures in connection with the firm’s investment advisory services. Always verify with your own financial and legal professionals before making any decisions.

05/31/2026

Here are the steps to transfer a 401(k) plan to your IRA or your next job’s 401(k). Start by contacting your former employer and requesting the rollover. In many cases, the cleanest approach is a “direct rollover,” which means the check will be payable to the new retirement account (instead of payable to you personally). That can prevent mandatory tax withholding and other complications.

You often get a paper check, even in today’s modern world. You typically forward that check to it’s final destination or have it sent there. Once the check arrives, make sure everything is correct, and decide how to invest the funds (including cash or other investments).

Sometimes the process is a bit different, but that covers many situations. And be sure to roll each money type to the right destination: Roth, pre-tax, after-tax, etc.
Approach Financial, Inc does not recommend for or against Fidelity, Vanguard, Empower, etc.; those just happen to be well-known providers. Verify how things will affect your taxes before you take any action.

Speaker: Justin Pritchard, CFP®, a fee-only fiduciary advisor who can work with clients in all U.S. states.

Approach Financial, Inc. offers advisory services through XYPN Invest, an SEC-registered investment adviser. “Likes” should not be considered a positive reflection of the investment advisory services offered by Approach. View all comments with skepticism, as they could be scams. The firm is not responsible for any third-party content, such as comments. I will never send you a direct message asking for money, suggesting strategies, or directing you to messaging apps (again, scams). This content may be inaccurate or lacking full details, and you need more information.
Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Any referenced returns or results are merely assumptions for educational or informational purposes and should not be construed as actual or hypothetical performance figures in connection with the firm’s investment advisory services. Always verify with your own financial and legal professionals before making any decisions.

05/27/2026

There’s no single retirement age for Social Security, and most people can start retirement benefits as early as age 62. Any month between age 62 and 70 could make sense.

Want help with this? I’m a fee-only fiduciary advisor with over 20 years of experience helping clients. Check the links in my bio.

Claiming at age 62 helps you get cash flow sooner, but you’ll have a smaller benefit than if you wait. There are certainly situations where age 62 is right, but explore the alternatives. For every month you wait, you get a slight increase in your payment until age 70.

Sometimes it's a tax-smart strategy to retire and spend down some savings before you start Social Security. That can help you manage future required minimum distributions (RMDs).

Full retirement age (FRA) can also be important, especially if you’re trying to get the full spousal benefit. That’s age 67 for many people approaching retirement.

Speaker: Justin Pritchard, CFP®, a fee-only fiduciary advisor who can work with clients in all U.S. states.

Approach Financial, Inc. offers advisory services through XYPN Invest, an SEC-registered investment adviser. “Likes” should not be considered a positive reflection of the investment advisory services offered by Approach. View all comments with skepticism, as they could be scams. The firm is not responsible for any third-party content, such as comments. I will never send you a direct message asking for money, suggesting strategies, or directing you to messaging apps (again, scams). This content may be inaccurate or lacking full details, and you need more information.

Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Any referenced returns or results are merely assumptions for educational or informational purposes and should not be construed as actual or hypothetical performance figures in connection with the firm’s investment advisory services. Always verify with your own financial and legal professionals before making any decisions.

05/24/2026

A 401(k) can often be rolled into your Roth IRA, but the tax impact depends on what type of money is in your 401(k). Roth 401(k) dollars usually go to a Roth IRA. If you roll pre-tax 401(k) money to a Roth IRA, it becomes a Roth conversion the amount you convert is generally treated as taxable income in the year of conversion. After-tax 401(k) contributions can also offer planning opportunities, especially when those contributions are separated from pre-tax funds and moved correctly.

Verify if your 401(k) balance includes pre-tax dollars, Roth contributions, after-tax contributions, employer money, earnings, and more. Each bucket can have a different tax treatment. A direct rollover can also help avoid unnecessary mandatory tax withholding and headaches. Before attempting to roll your 401(k) to a Roth IRA, check the plan’s rules, understand the tax impact, and consider whether a traditional IRA, rollover IRA, Roth IRA, or split rollover makes the most sense. And you might explore just rolling over to a pretax IRA and converting to Roth from there.

Speaker: Justin Pritchard, CFP®, a fee-only fiduciary advisor who can work with clients in all U.S. states.

Approach Financial, Inc. offers advisory services through XYPN Invest, an SEC-registered investment adviser. “Likes” should not be considered a positive reflection of the investment advisory services offered by Approach. View all comments with skepticism, as they could be scams. The firm is not responsible for any third-party content, such as comments. I will never send you a direct message asking for money, suggesting strategies, or directing you to messaging apps (again, scams). This content may be inaccurate or lacking full details, and you need more information.
Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Any referenced returns or results are merely assumptions for educational or informational purposes and should not be construed as actual or hypothetical performance figures in connection with the firm’s investment advisory services. Always verify with your own financial and legal professionals before making any decisions.

05/20/2026

What are some of the pitfalls of rolling over to an IRA? Moving retirement savings from an old 401(k), 403(b), TSP, or 457(b) plan into an IRA can be a smart move, but there are exceptions. Some workplace retirement plans come with features that may be hard to replace. One example is the so-called “rule of 55,” which may allow penalty-free withdrawals from certain employer plans if you separate from service in or after the year you turn 55. Governmental 457(b) plans can have even more flexible early withdrawal treatment, and some public safety workers also have more flexibility. Of course, regular income taxes may still apply.

Other rollover topics to explore include creditor protection, investment costs, plan fees, required minimum distribution (RMD) rules, whether the account holds employer stock that may qualify for net unrealized appreciation (NUA) tax treatment, and more. Explore all of the pros and cons before you make any decisions.

Speaker: Justin Pritchard, CFP®, a fee-only fiduciary advisor who can work with clients in all U.S. states.

Approach Financial, Inc. offers advisory services through XYPN Invest, an SEC-registered investment adviser. “Likes” should not be considered a positive reflection of the investment advisory services offered by Approach. View all comments with skepticism, as they could be scams. The firm is not responsible for any third-party content, such as comments. I will never send you a direct message asking for money, suggesting strategies, or directing you to messaging apps (again, scams). This content may be inaccurate or lacking full details, and you need more information.

Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Any referenced returns or results are merely assumptions for educational or informational purposes and should not be construed as actual or hypothetical performance figures in connection with the firm’s investment advisory services. Always verify with your own financial and legal professionals before making any decisions.

05/17/2026

Everybody wants high returns with low risk. Unfortunately, that’s a free lunch that’s hard to come by. The reality is that there are multiple different types of risk: inflation risk, market risk, longevity risk, and more. And the trick is to choose and balance those risks.

Usually this means that somebody doesn't want to lose money in the stock market, and that's understandable. You can certainly put your money in places that are less likely to experience that, but it's important to acknowledge that you might be exposing yourself to other risks by playing it safe.

At the same time, being reckless with your money can be problematic and there's no guarantee that you'll come out ahead by adding risk. The main thing is to be aware of these different risk types and consciously decide which ones you have more or less of an appetite for. Also, carefully evaluate the risks and consequences of each different type of exposure.

It’s possible to lose money, and markets might not recover by the time you need a recovery. And inflation, expenses, and other factors can make it harder for a plan to succeed.

Speaker: Justin Pritchard, CFP®, a fee-only fiduciary advisor who can work with clients in all U.S. states.

Approach Financial, Inc. offers advisory services through XYPN Invest, an SEC-registered investment adviser. “Likes” should not be considered a positive reflection of the investment advisory services offered by Approach. View all comments with skepticism, as they could be scams. The firm is not responsible for any third-party content, such as comments. I will never send you a direct message asking for money, suggesting strategies, or directing you to messaging apps (again, scams). This content may be inaccurate or lacking full details, and you need more information.
Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Any referenced returns or results are merely assumptions for educational or informational purposes and should not be construed as actual or hypothetical performance figures in connection with the firm’s investment advisory services. Always verify with your own financial and legal professionals before making any decisions.

05/13/2026

Social Security retirement benefits are primarily based on two factors: your lifetime earnings record and the age when you start taking benefits (or “claim”).

The calculation looks at your highest 35 years of earnings, with some adjustments for wage growth (similar to inflation, but not exactly the same). A longer history and higher lifetime earnings often lead to a bigger monthly payment.

But what about your claiming age?

You can usually start benefits as early as age 62, but claiming early typically means a reduced monthly payment for life. Waiting beyond full retirement age (FRA) can increase the benefit, generally up until age 70. And you can claim at any month in between.

Your timing decision might be especially important for married couples because spousal benefits and survivor benefits are one of the most important features of Social Security.
A surviving spouse may be able to continue with the larger of the two benefits in the household, which means one person’s Social Security claiming decision can affect both partners over time. And Social Security can look very different from all of the above when disability, children, or survivor situations are involved.

Speaker: Justin Pritchard, CFP®, a fee-only fiduciary advisor who can work with clients in all U.S. states.

Approach Financial, Inc. offers advisory services through XYPN Invest, an SEC-registered investment adviser. “Likes” should not be considered a positive reflection of the investment advisory services offered by Approach. View all comments with skepticism, as they could be scams. The firm is not responsible for any third-party content, such as comments. I will never send you a direct message asking for money, suggesting strategies, or directing you to messaging apps (again, scams). This content may be inaccurate or lacking full details, and you need more information.
Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Any referenced returns or results are merely assumptions for educational or informational purposes and should not be construed as actual or hypothetical performance figures in connection with the firm’s investment advisory services. Always verify with your own financial and legal professionals before making any decisions.

05/10/2026

Deciding when to start Social Security retirement benefits is one of the biggest decisions retirees make. But it is rarely as simple as comparing break-even ages. Claiming early at 62 can provide cash flow sooner, make retirement possible earlier, giving you permission to spend, or helping to reduce withdrawals from investment accounts. The trade-off is a smaller monthly benefit that generally lasts for your life (unless survivor benefits change things).

Delaying Social Security can also be valuable, especially for people with longer life expectancy, married couples planning to maximize survivor benefits, or retirees using the early retirement years for tax planning. Waiting may create room (leaving your income lower) to spend down pre-tax retirement accounts or pursue Roth conversions. The result might be withdrawals at lower tax rates over your lifetime and smaller required minimum distributions (RMDs). That strategy is known as a Social Security Bridge.

Spousal benefits and survivor benefits can make the decision even more important. In some households, the higher-earning spouse delaying benefits might help protect the surviving spouse later. There is no one-size-fits-all Social Security strategy.
Understanding the tradeoffs can help you decide what fits your household best.
Remember that you don’t have to claim right when you retire, and you can claim in any month between age 62 and 70.

Speaker: Justin Pritchard, CFP®, a fee-only fiduciary advisor who can work with clients in all U.S. states.

Approach Financial, Inc. offers advisory services through XYPN Invest, an SEC-registered investment adviser. “Likes” should not be considered a positive reflection of the investment advisory services offered by Approach. View all comments with skepticism, as they could be scams. The firm is not responsible for any third-party content, such as comments. I will never send you a direct message asking for money, suggesting strategies, or directing you to messaging apps (again, scams). This content may be inaccurate or lacking full details, and you need more information.
Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Any referenced returns or results are merely assumptions for educational or informational purposes and should not be construed as actual or hypothetical performance figures in connection with the firm’s investment advisory services. Always verify with your own financial and legal professionals before making any decisions.

05/06/2026

Retirement planning for women can look a little different. The math is the same for everybody, but women face a unique retirement planning challenge: building a plan that may need to last for several decades, and a savings path that might have had some interruptions.

By making a plan and using the right accounts for your needs, you can potentially improve your chances of success. Figure out where is best to save, given your current and future taxes. Then, use an investment strategy that's aligned with you big-picture goals.

And while longevity is more likely for women, life can also be surprisingly short. Figure out how much you can spend and enjoy sooner than later, because tomorrow is never guaranteed.

With a solid plan, you can do all of that with more confidence.

Speaker: Justin Pritchard, CFP®, a fee-only fiduciary advisor who can work with clients in all U.S. states.

Approach Financial, Inc. offers advisory services through XYPN Invest, an SEC-registered investment adviser. “Likes” should not be considered a positive reflection of the investment advisory services offered by Approach. View all comments with skepticism, as they could be scams. The firm is not responsible for any third-party content, such as comments. I will never send you a direct message asking for money, suggesting strategies, or directing you to messaging apps (again, scams). This content may be inaccurate or lacking full details, and you need more information.

Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Any referenced returns or results are merely assumptions for educational or informational purposes and should not be construed as actual or hypothetical performance figures in connection with the firm’s investment advisory services. Always verify with your own financial and legal professionals before making any decisions.

05/03/2026

The “average” 401(k) balance doesn’t tell you much about where you stand. Unfortunately, that number leaves out a lot of important details, and it won’t tell you if you’re ready to retire, ahead of the game, or falling behind.

401(k) plans are just one place to hold money. In many cases, people roll their savings over to an IRA when they change jobs, or they might leave a dormant 401(k) with an old employer for decades. Not everybody is actively participating so the data just isn't good enough for making decisions.

Plus, even if you find yourself with less than the average, you might not be in bad shape. What really matters is the resources you have (savings, income from Social Security and pensions, etc.) and the amount of spending you'll need. Depending on where you live and what your health and the economy do, you might need more or less than somebody else.

Run some numbers to get an individualized look at where you stand.

Speaker: Justin Pritchard, CFP®, a fee-only fiduciary advisor who can work with clients in all U.S. states.

Approach Financial, Inc. offers advisory services through XYPN Invest, an SEC-registered investment adviser. “Likes” should not be considered a positive reflection of the investment advisory services offered by Approach. View all comments with skepticism, as they could be scams. The firm is not responsible for any third-party content, such as comments. I will never send you a direct message asking for money, suggesting strategies, or directing you to messaging apps (again, scams). This content may be inaccurate or lacking full details, and you need more information.

Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Any referenced returns or results are merely assumptions for educational or informational purposes and should not be construed as actual or hypothetical performance figures in connection with the firm’s investment advisory services. Always verify with your own financial and legal professionals before making any decisions.

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