Security Financial Management, Inc.

10/27/2026

The headline index is only one piece of the picture. In the same month, the Nasdaq rose, the Dow fell, and the S&P 500 landed in between, because each one holds different companies. Your own accounts can look different again.

The rest of the October snapshot (as of October 14): inflation rose to 3.7%, the 10-year Treasury reached 5.19%, hiring slowed to just 29,000 jobs, and the Fed raised its target range to 3.75–4.00%.

Markets move daily, but the dates that shape your 2026 taxes don’t. Loss harvesting, Roth conversions, and RMDs all run on the calendar, with traditional IRA RMDs due December 31. Rising yields also mean more taxable interest from cash and new bonds.

See how the numbers connect to your year-end decisions 👉 https://sfmadvisorgroup.com/year-end-tax-planning-market-commentary/

10/26/2026

Ask five households how to cut their tax bill and you’ll hear five different tools. The problem is that each tool solves a different problem, and the wrong one for your situation can cost you.

Here’s what to know about each:

🎁 QCDs: Starting at age 70½, you can send up to $111,000 (2026 limit) from your IRA straight to a qualified charity. It stays out of taxable income and can count toward your required minimum distribution. It can’t go to a donor-advised fund.

📈 Donor-advised funds: Giving long-term appreciated securities directly generally avoids recognizing the gain, and itemizers may deduct the fair market value.

🔁 Backdoor Roth: A non-deductible IRA contribution followed by a conversion. Watch the pro-rata rule. If you hold other pre-tax IRA money, the conversion is taxed proportionally (Form 8606).

📉 Loss harvesting: Up to $3,000 of net losses a year can offset other income, but the 30-day wash-sale rule can wipe out the benefit. The tax saved can also come back later as a larger gain.

Mike Allen’s rule of thumb in the conversation is not to let the tax tail wag the dog. The tools work best when they’re coordinated with your full return and your broader plan, with your CPA and planner at the same table.

Watch or read the full conversation 👉 https://sfmadvisorgroup.com/tax-planning-strategies-high-earners-retirees/

10/16/2026

📊 Markets entered the third quarter expecting lower rates and a more supportive backdrop for bonds.

⚠️ Instead, stronger growth, higher oil prices, and renewed inflation concerns pushed yields sharply higher while forcing investors to reassess expectations for both stocks and bonds.

Watch this week's Money with Murphy to learn more. ⬇️

Markets entered the third quarter expecting lower rates and a more supportive backdrop for bonds. Instead, stronger growth, higher oil prices, and renewed inflation concerns pushed yields sharply higher while forcing investors to reassess expectations for both stocks and bonds.

10/15/2026

What happens when you hand high schoolers $500K in real money to invest?
Quint Tatro breaks down his radical financial literacy program in our latest episode.
Watch it now: https://linktr.ee/sfmmedia

10/13/2026

🔍 In this edition of ‘A Minute With Mitch,’ Mitch and Trevor discuss using a security-backed line of credit to access liquidity without selling certain investments.

🧾 They review how borrowing may avoid a sale and associated capital gains, while also involving interest costs, market risks, and collateral requirements.

🏛️ They also explore how lending, taxes, and estate planning can intersect in wealth-transfer discussions.



Learn more about the SFM process: www.SFMadvisorgroup.com

10/13/2026

Roughly eleven weeks remain in the 2026 tax year, and several year-end moves can’t be undone once the calendar flips.

Each decision has its own rules:

📉 Loss harvesting: the date the trade executes decides the tax year, not the settlement date. Watch out for the 30-day wash-sale window, which also counts purchases by a spouse or in your own IRA.

🔄 Roth conversion: it’s reported on the return for the year you convert, and since 2017 it can’t be reversed. Take your required minimum distribution first, because it can’t be converted.

🎁 Charitable giving: new for 2026, non-itemizers can deduct up to $1,000 in cash gifts ($2,000 joint). Donor-advised fund gifts don’t qualify. IRA owners 70½ and older can give up to $111,000 directly to charity.

📅 Income timing: 2026’s 0% capital gains bracket tops out at $98,900 of taxable income for joint filers and $49,450 for single filers. Before deferring income into 2027, check what that year already holds.

Each section also lists a common mistake to avoid and a short checklist you can run through with your tax professional.

Get the full 2026 breakdown, with an IRS source for every rule
👉 https://sfmadvisorgroup.com/year-end-tax-planning/

10/13/2026

Most households treat year-end tax planning as a deduction hunt. Find them, claim them, done.

The catch is that a deduction only fixes one number. Your gains, losses, Roth conversions, and charitable gifts all land on the same return, and each one changes the income the others are measured against. A Roth conversion, for example, can shrink the $6,000 senior deduction for people 65 and older. A required minimum distribution can’t be converted at all. And a qualified charitable distribution can’t be sent to a donor-advised fund. Each choice can be sound by itself and still collide with another.

We call this pattern Annual Optimization Bias. It’s the confidence that comes from counting what’s visible while the rules connecting your decisions sit out of view. The fix isn’t more deductions. It’s seeing the whole return before December 31.

Read the full breakdown of why coordination matters more than any single deduction 👉 https://sfmadvisorgroup.com/year-end-tax-planning-coordination-failure/

10/07/2026

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

Mitchell Walk, AAMS® recently attended the SEI Investment Summit,

connecting with industry leaders Bryan Hoffman, CFA and Eugene Barbanecagra, CFA and bringing back fresh perspective!

10/02/2026

🏦 One Fed rate hike is unlikely to change the economy overnight, but it could signal where interest rates are headed.

🛡️ In this week's Money with Murphy, Kara examines why some companies and consumers are better protected from higher rates, while others may feel the pressure almost immediately.

🏠 She also explains why mortgage rates could remain elevated regardless of the Fed's next move.

Learn more by clicking below ⬇️

Discover how a potential Fed rate hike could affect consumers, businesses, borrowing costs, and mortgage rates in Kara Murphy's latest market update.