Steve Hartel, MBA, AIF, Financial Advisor

10/02/2026

I hate being sick. It sucks! It literally hurts to breathe. It hurts to swallow. My nose is raw. My lips are chapped. My voice is 3 octaves too low. When I cough, it feels like my ribs are broken and like I'm coughing up pieces of my lungs. Ugh.

23/01/2026

New data: Only 5% of eligible investors are making catch-up contributions to their retirement accounts. These are designed to give workers age 50 and older an extra opportunity to build retirement income. 95% of you are missing out on extra compounding and not doing the best tax planning. New rules in 2026 apply for those earning $150K or more. Ask me for details!

26/11/2025

Steve's Timely Tip:
Never buy a stock right before it pays a dividend. When a $10 stock pays a $1 dividend, its stock price drops by that same dollar. So, right before the dividend, you own one share worth $10. Right after the dividend, you own one share worth $9 and $1 in cash from the dividend. You didn't gain any ground, and the dividend might be taxable income to you, so you might end up losing ground. Purse Strings

24/11/2025

So often, when I look at a client's estate plan, it has outdated information that doesn’t reflect the client's current needs. Are your kids adequately cared for? Guardians still correct? Have you moved since your will or trust was created? These details matter a lot. Drop me a line and we can talk about your estate plan and, if needed, we can easily create new docs through Vanilla.

18/11/2025

Every family needs a well-crafted estate plan, regardless of your asset level. That’s why I am thrilled to introduce Vanilla to my clients.

With Vanilla, I can marry your financial plan with your estate plan and visualize it with helpful graphics that make sense of the complexities. I can also model new strategies that will help mitigate taxes, with up to 40% savings. Don't have an estate plan? Vanilla even enables the creation of new estate documents like wills, trusts, and powers of attorney using advanced AI technology approved by estate attorneys. Reach out for more info!

10/11/2025

Get clarity on your income options

03/11/2025

Learn to turn savings into income

27/10/2025

Build a plan for income, taxes & timing

23/10/2025

Attending the Investments Crypto Connect Conference in Denver today. Learning all about the future of crypto, how to properly use it in portfolios, who the players are, what the 6 sectors of the crypto market are (crypto currencies like Bitcoin are just 1 of those 6),and so much more.

20/10/2025

Guide for turning retirement savings into income

16/09/2025

I am delighted to personally invite you to attend a special educational webinar about the important strategies that have helped my clients protect their income from unnecessary taxation in retirement.

This event will feature a leading professional and best-selling author on creating tax-free retirement income streams, Patrick Kelly. (Which means you don't have to listen to ME talk for 45 minutes! 😂)

During this 45-minute virtual event, attendees will learn…

The reasons why families may be exposed to greater tax risk in retirement.

Potential tax liabilities for retirement income.

Different strategies for mitigating tax risk in retirement.

Tax Diversification and Retirement: What You Need to Know

To register, please select one of the event links below.

September 23, 2025 at 6:30 PM ET
https://go.simplicitygroup.com/e/887923/e-Recipient-Email-source-email/2yb6rs/1005654178/h/nOOEIsY969zk-Qo8op7Dy2PVKJvjNX0oVTy1lNF3Ydc

September 25, 2025 at 9:30 PM ET
https://go.simplicitygroup.com/e/887923/e-Recipient-Email-source-email/2yb6rp/1005654178/h/nOOEIsY969zk-Qo8op7Dy2PVKJvjNX0oVTy1lNF3Ydc
​​​​​
I sincerely hope you can take advantage of this free learning opportunity! I encourage you to take notes and reach out to me afterwards with questions.

Best regards,

Steve Hartel

The presentation and materials are not endorsed or approved by any other Government Agency. This is designed to provide general information on the subjects covered. Pursuant to IRS Circular 230, it is not intended to provide specific legal or tax advice and cannot be used to avoid penalties or to promote, market, or recommend any tax plan or arrangement.

Patrick Kelly will be your host, speaking about tax diversification and retirement. He is a financial services veteran of 30+ years, leading educator of over 100,000 professionals, and a renowned author of 6 financial planning books. Over 500,000 people have read his best-selling book, and now you c...