Tom Martin, Financial Advisor

06/01/2026

This is the #1 question when it comes to when to claim Social Security.

How long do I have to live to come out ahead? This is the break-even calculation.

If claiming early means more checks now but smaller checks forever, and delaying means fewer checks at first but larger ones for life, there is a crossover point where the cumulative total from delayed claiming overtakes the cumulative total from early claiming.

Key takeaways:
➜ Claiming Social Security early can significantly reduce lifetime benefits, impacting both individual and spousal income.
➜ The claiming age sets benefits for life, with delaying after Full Retirement Age increasing monthly payments permanently.
➜ Planning should consider the survivor benefits, as the claiming decision affects financial security for the surviving spouse.
➜ Couples should analyze their claiming strategies together, as decisions influence overall household income and long-term benefits.

Read the full article on my blog.
https://www.martinstrategicwealth.com/claiming-social-security-early-spouse-survivor-benefit/

03/04/2026

Many business owners think tax planning starts with the income statement.

In my experience, it’s what’s on the balance sheet that often drives tax strategy.

Asset purchases, depreciation, loan balances, and interest deductions all originate there. If the balance sheet isn’t current, tax planning quickly becomes a guessing game.

Not long ago, I worked with the owner of a home health care company. He was still working in his 70s and wanted to understand what he would need to sell his business for in order to close what we called his “wealth gap.”

Like many owners, he was focused on the income statement. Revenue, expenses, and profit get most of the attention because they show how the business performed.

His expectation was that he could sell the company for 2x-3x gross revenue.

I felt that expectation was unrealistic. The business was in a service-based industry where buyers tend to be more cautious and litigation risk is higher.

There was also something on the business' balance sheet that was jumping off the sheet.

It was an immediate red flag.

More than $300,000 was recorded as “loans to shareholder.” In simple terms, the business had advanced money to the owner and was carrying it as an asset on the balance sheet. Situations like this can raise questions for both tax authorities and potential buyers if they are not properly documented and structured.

And that wasn’t the only surprise.

The person running the business wasn’t actually the owner. His spouse, who had never worked in the business, owned 100% of the company. Neither of them was taking a salary. Instead, the company was paying for their personal expenses.

Situations like this can create tax complications, complicate valuation, and raise concerns for a future buyer.

This is why the balance sheet matters so much.

It tells you where your business stands right now. It shows what the company owns, what it owes, and what remains for you as the owner. When it’s accurate and current, it becomes one of the most useful tools for understanding the financial strength of the business.

It’s also where early warning signs appear.

Receivables rising faster than revenue.
Inventory quietly tying up cash.
Debt levels creeping higher than the business can comfortably support.

In many cases, these trends show up in the balance sheet months before they become real operational problems.

One of the simplest habits a business owner can adopt is reviewing the balance sheet monthly, not just once a year with the accountant.

Revenue tells you how the business performed.

The balance sheet tells you how strong the business actually is.

02/27/2026

I often see idle chatter from my peers about claiming
Social Security early.

Some of my fellow advisors are open to claiming early. Some are stern in avoiding it at all cost, recommending delaying to age 70.

In practice, there’s only one reason I’m usually willing to recommend it for a primary earner: a legitimate health concern that materially shortens life expectancy.

For a breadwinner, claiming early permanently reduces their own benefit — and in many cases can also reduce the survivor benefit a spouse may depend on later. That’s a lifetime consequence for the household, not just a personal trade-off.

There’s another risk that often gets overlooked. If a primary earner claims before full retirement age and continues working, earned income above certain thresholds can reduce — or even eliminate — their Social Security benefit in the near term.

Delaying Social Security isn’t about chasing a bigger check for its own sake. It’s about protecting the long-term income floor of the surviving spouse — especially when one benefit will eventually disappear.

Rules of thumb cut both ways.
But once a primary earner files early, there’s no undoing the impact on survivor income.

Is this decision being made with the surviving spouse in mind?

Read the full article 👇
https://www.martinstrategicwealth.com/claiming-social-security-early/

02/26/2026

The date you sign a contract can have a big effect
on the after-tax return from a major investment.

With the new tax rules, when you start a project matters as much as what you buy. The timing of signing contracts, starting construction, and putting equipment to use can decide if your money returns quickly or stays tied up for a long time.

Because of this, many business owners are rethinking how they plan for growth and buy equipment. Some tax incentives are now better, while others are going away. Once you set your timeline, the tax results are usually fixed.

You can’t change these decisions when tax time comes.
It’s important to make these choices early, while you still have options.

Is there still time to change the timing of your next big purchase?

Read the full article👇
https://www.martinstrategicwealth.com/new-tax-rules-business-assets/

01/22/2026

If you’re child-free, the biggest retirement risk isn’t the capital markets.

It’s longevity.

Statistically, you’re likely to live longer than you expect and you’ll carry more responsibility for your own care.

Think about what that actually means:
• Scheduling doctor visits
• Managing insurance claims
• Coordinating physical therapy
• Handling medications
• Responding to emergencies

No children to step in.
No default backup when something goes sideways.

Longevity becomes both a financial risk and an operational one.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
➜ You can outlive your income strategy
➜ You can outlive your support system
➜ You can outlive your assumptions

Planning early gives you leverage and options that might not be there in the future.

You can influence where you live, how you live, and who steps in if your health takes a turn. You can also decide who manages decisions if you can’t and what happens to the things you own.

Entrepreneurs are excellent at crisis management.
Retirement is a terrible time to rely on improvisation.

The risk of becoming incapacitated isn’t hypothetical—it’s a real possibility. Estimates suggest:
• A meaningful percentage of adults experience some form of incapacity during their lifetime
• The likelihood rises sharply with age

One day you’re paying bills and reviewing investment statements. The next, you can’t tell a legitimate invoice from a scam.

If you don’t have children or a reliable support system, you’re exposed. That’s why getting your affairs in order isn’t optional.

If tomorrow you couldn’t manage money, paperwork, or decisions, who would take over—and would they have both the knowledge and the legal authority to act?

I wrote more about this here:
“Retirement Planning When You’re Child-Free: A 2025 Playbook”

A 2025 playbook for retirement planning when you’re child-free. Learn how to maximize savings, plan for long-term care, secure health coverage, and build a legacy that reflects your values.

01/12/2026

Many business owners think investment management is the whole plan.
It’s just the tool you use to put your plan into action.

If you’re 5 to 10 years away from leaving your business, your control over what happens starts to shift.
While you’re still running things, you make the decisions.
Once you step away, factors like markets, taxes, buyers, and timing become more important.

Owners mistakenly treat their portfolio as the strategy itself, rather than as the means to carry it out.

Your portfolio can’t decide when you retire, how much you can spend, the best time for a Roth conversion, or if selling your business will put you in a higher tax bracket for a short time or longer.

You gain control by planning, not by picking individual funds.

A thorough financial plan turns your preferences into clear steps, such as planning withdrawals, covering income between selling your business and starting Social Security, setting aside funds for your legacy, and adjusting risk as you leave work. Investment management works best when it follows these choices, not just assumptions.

👇 To learn more, check out "Investment Management vs. Financial Planning — What’s the Difference (and Why You Need Both)." https://www.martinstrategicwealth.com/investment-management-vs-financial-planning/

01/11/2026

The biggest mistake business owners make isn’t leaving too soon. It’s waiting until it’s too late to realize the business wasn’t prepared.

Most owners don’t put off succession planning because they don’t care. They delay it because the conversation feels uncomfortable, too soon, or disruptive to daily work. But the truth is, leadership transitions don’t wait for the perfect time.

A successor needs time. Not just weeks or months, but years.
Customers need things to keep running smoothly.
Employees need to know what to expect.
Family members need clear expectations.
And the business needs to show it can run well without the founder’s daily involvement.

◆ Succession planning doesn’t mean giving up. It’s actually how you keep control.

It lets you hand over authority step by step rather than all at once.
It helps make sure your company’s valuation, culture, and vision stay strong when you step back.

When done well, succession planning is more than just paperwork. It gives you confidence that your legacy will stay strong, your employees will feel secure, and your family will know how to make decisions when you’re not there.

Leaving the business is the last chapter, but succession planning is what makes the story worth finishing.

👇 Check out my article: The Benefits of Business Succession Planning
https://www.martinstrategicwealth.com/when-to-start-exit-planning-to-sell-your-business/

01/10/2026

Most business owners spend years planning for
payroll, growth, taxes, equipment, staffing, and expansion.

But their personal dreams often end up scribbled on sticky notes and tucked away in the back of their minds under 'someday.'

But 'someday' is not a real date.
It's just a placeholder.
Placeholders usually get pushed aside when life gets busy.

➜ Planning your bucket list is not just wishful thinking.
➜ It's about deciding how to use your resources.
➜ That means your time, money, energy, and health.

All of these are limited, and they change as you age, as your mobility shifts, as your family’s needs change, and as you get closer to retirement.

People who retire successfully don’t have fewer dreams
They just have fewer regrets.
That’s because they matched their intentions with the right timing.
They knew which experiences made sense for their most active years,
which ones fit better during slower years,
and which should be shared while relationships are at their best.

◆ A bucket list that is budgeted, scheduled, and fits your financial plan
◆ It is not an indulgence.
◆ It’s about having purpose and a plan.

👇 Read more about "Bucket List Planning."
https://www.martinstrategicwealth.com/bucket-list-planning/

01/09/2026

Year-end is one of the few times business owners actually step back from running the business and look at where it’s heading.

Most of the year is spent operating. December is when decisions become directional.

⬙ Compensation.
⬙ Distributions.
⬙ Capital spending.
⬙ Tax planning.
⬙ Retirement contributions.

👉 These aren’t clerical tasks. They affect cash flow, risk, and how prepared the business is for whatever comes next — growth, transition, or exit.

➜ Year-end decisions don’t just change this year’s taxes. They quietly shape valuation, liquidity, and how dependent the business still is on you. Done well, they clean things up. Ignored, they compound problems that surface later — when the leverage is gone.

➜ If ownership actually means control, this is one of the moments when it has to be exercised.

The year doesn’t just end.
It sets the direction for the next one.

If you want to use this window to make intentional decisions — not reactive ones — schedule a Strategy Session.

👇 Read my article: Year-End Financial Planning for Business Owners

Learn how business owners can strengthen performance, optimize taxes, and prepare for growth or exit through smart year-end financial planning.

01/08/2026

Most business owners find out what their company is worth when they no longer have the leverage to change it.

◆ A health event forces the conversation.
◆ A partner disagreement accelerates plans.
◆ A buyer appears unexpectedly — with their timeline, not yours.

If the valuation is a surprise, the negotiation becomes a reaction.

A business valuation isn’t about selling tomorrow — it’s about being prepared for whatever tomorrow brings.

For business owners 5 to 10 years from retirement, the valuation becomes the foundation of every major decision that follows — tax strategy, deal structure, buyout terms, leadership planning, retirement income, and family expectations.

Knowing the number early gives you time to influence it — to eliminate risks buyers punish, emphasize strengths buyers pay for, and restructure performance metrics that increase multiples instead of discounting them.

Business valuation isn’t a document — it’s direction.
Without it, you’re navigating blind.
With it, you lead — conversations, timing, and outcomes.

👇Check out my article: What Every Business Owner Should Know About Valuation. https://www.martinstrategicwealth.com/business-valuation-guide/