Note Advisors

What a beautiful day to come together for a great cause! 🇺🇸🏌️‍♂️

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Wanakah Country Club for our 10th annual Tee It Up for the Troops golf tournament.

We’re incredibly grateful to our sponsors, clients, volunteers, and golfers for helping make this event such a success. Together, since 2016, we’ve raised more than $1 million to support local veteran programs and National Tee It Up for the Troops initiatives.

Thank you for showing up, giving back, and honoring those who have served our country. We couldn’t do it without you! ❤️🤍💙

Do you know what your 401(k) plan actually costs?

We recently had a business owner come to us for a second look at their retirement plan after a new hire questioned what they were paying.

When we dug into it, the costs were higher than expected, largely because of fund expenses that had never really been questioned. The business owner had no idea.

Retirement plans aren’t always transparent, especially when a plan has been in place for years, and unless someone takes the time to review the documents and understand the structure, those costs can go unnoticed for years.

Legacy planning isn’t just about what you leave behind. It can also be about what you choose to give while you’re here.

We’re seeing a generational shift in how people think about passing down wealth. Rather than waiting to leave money behind, some parents and grandparents are choosing to give now, while they’re here to see their children and grandchildren enjoy it.

But even if giving the money away is part of the plan, your family may not be as comfortable receiving it.

That’s why family communication is so important. When everyone understands the bigger picture, gifting can feel less like “giving money away” and more like carrying out the plan exactly as intended.

When most people think about saving for retirement, they default to an IRA.

It is a solid starting point, but it can be more limited than people realize. You are contributing your own dollars, there is no employer match, and there is only so much you can set aside each year.

As income grows, that structure can start to fall short. Options like a SIMPLE IRA or a 401(k) open the door to higher contribution limits and, in many cases, employer contributions as well.

In a 401(k), it is common to see matches around 5 percent, sometimes with additional profit sharing depending on the plan. Over time, those differences add up.

The type of account you have plays a meaningful role in how much you can actually save and how efficiently you build toward retirement.