Curious about your retirement savings? Our How Much Do I Need To Retire? quiz gives you an idea of where you stand and a starting point to think about your long-term planning.

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Most people nearing retirement have heard of the famous "4% rule," but few actually understand how to apply it to a shifting financial landscape. It’s easy to look at a static portfolio balance and assume you're set, only to close your eyes to the real-world friction of pre-tax calculations, health insurance gaps, and compounding inflation.

In this episode, Scott and Nick break down the framework for mapping out a realistic 10-year retirement runway. They break down a case study of a client balancing a multi-million-dollar portfolio and walk through the math of safe withdrawal rates without draining your security. They discuss the "smile" of retirement spending, the operational hazard of drawing entirely from pre-tax IRAs, and why setting flexible guardrails is the key to tuning out day-to-day market volatility.

You don’t just want to focus on hitting a random number you read in an article. You want to understand what that number has to support and where the cash flow actually comes from.

If you’ve been wondering how to prepare for shifts in retirement spending over time, you’ll want to tune in! The episode focuses on building a dynamic strategy that lets you live a fulfilled life today, without running into the danger zone tomorrow.

Ready to learn more?

• Scott Frank on LinkedIn
• Stone Steps Financial
• Nick Covyeau on LinkedIn
• Swell Financial

Leave us a question!

Money can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. When you’re able to understand the complexities, you can make better decisions to improve your daily life. Connect with us at Stone Steps Financial.

Curious about your retirement savings? Our How Much Do I Need To Retire? quiz gives you an idea of where you stand and a starting point to think about your long-term planning.

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Most tech and biotech executives we know have too much of their net worth in one stock. They know they should do something about it, but they usually end up just closing the tab on their stock comp page.

In this episode, Scott and Nick break down the framework for moving from a "home run" mindset to a "nest egg" reality. Using a real-world scenario of a client with over 30% concentration in one company, they walk through the math of de-risking without losing the upside. They discuss the "sequencing" of tax brackets, the psychological barrier of "break-even-itis," and why you should treat your RSUs exactly like a cash bonus.

It’s not just about selling shares; it’s about understanding your "enough number" and separating your vested security from your unvested potential.

If you’ve been watching your company stock climb and wondering if you're taking too much risk, this episode is for you. It’s about building a plan that protects the life you want to live, even if your company hits a 16-year plateau.

Ready to learn more?

• Scott Frank on LinkedIn
• Stone Steps Financial
• Nick Covyeau on LinkedIn
• Swell Financial

Leave us a question!

Money can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. When you’re able to understand the complexities, you can make better decisions to improve your daily life. Connect with us at Stone Steps Financial or Swell Financial.

Curious about your retirement savings? Our How Much Do I Need To Retire? quiz gives you an idea of where you stand and a starting point to think about your long-term planning.

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There's a tab a lot of tech professionals have open right now. It's from Fidelity or E-Trade, it shows how much company stock they're sitting on, and most of them close it without doing a thing. Because the moment you start thinking about selling, it gets complicated.

In this episode, Scott and Nick break down what to actually do when a big chunk of your net worth is tied to your employer's stock, whether that's RSUs, ISOs, ESPPs, or some combination of all three.

They walk through why concentration happens quietly and compounds fast, especially when you're getting promoted, the stock is climbing, and new grants keep coming in. And they explain why "just diversify" is technically correct advice that leaves out everything that actually matters.

The real conversation is about sequencing. How to unwind a concentrated position across multiple years, in a tax aware way, without triggering a bill you didn't plan for. That means looking at your income year by year, understanding which shares to sell first, knowing how to stop feeding the position, and factoring in the unvested shares that don't show up on your balance sheet yet but still count.

If more than 10 to 20% of your net worth is sitting in a single stock, and especially if you're within five to ten years of retirement, this episode is for you. Scott and Nick close with a clear framework for building a plan before, during, and after, and why the clients who act earlier always walk a little lighter.

Concentration isn't the problem. Concentration without a plan is.

Ready to learn more?

• Scott Frank on LinkedIn
• Stone Steps Financial
• Nick Covyeau on LinkedIn
• Swell Financial

Leave us a question!

Money can be confusing, but it doesn’t have to be. When you’re able to understand the complexities, you can make better decisions to improve your daily life. Connect with us at Stone Steps Financial or Swell Financial.