Tax planning happens now. Tax prep happens in April. And unless you've got a DeLorean that hits 88 mph, there's nothing you can change in February.

Most people think year-end planning means checking how their portfolio did. In this episode of Un Eff Your Finances, Nick St. George, CFP®, explains why your portfolio may be the least important thing on the list, and walks through the 8 things to review before December 31st, while you still have time to act.

In this episode:

1. Taxes: What can you still change? Roth conversions, capital gains and losses, charitable giving, income timing, and why minimizing this year's taxes can make your RMD years more expensive.

2. Employer benefits: Stop clicking "same as last year." 401(k) auto-escalators, Roth vs. pre-tax, HSAs, health plans, disability, and group life coverage.

3. Life insurance: Does it still solve the same problem? A back-of-the-napkin way to size your insurable risk, and why insurance is a fire extinguisher, not an investment.

4. Estate planning and beneficiaries: Why "all my children" is a bad beneficiary designation, how TOD and POD work, and why your family needs to know where the documents are.

5. Kids, grandkids, and education: Helping adult kids without compromising your retirement (nobody gives you a loan for retirement), plus what 529s can be used for now.

6. Cash flow and retirement readiness: Using AI to find out what you actually spend. Hint: it's probably 20-30% more than you think.

7. Outlook: Plan for uncertainty instead of trying to predict it. Nobody had a pandemic on their 2020 bingo card.

8. The portfolio: Does it support your plan? The plan should drive the portfolio, not the other way around.

Your year-end review shouldn't just answer "How did my investments do?" It should answer a bigger question: "Am I making the right financial decisions while I still have time to make them?"

Don't eff around and find out with your retirement plan. Book your year-end review before Thanksgiving turns into January.

📅 Schedule a conversation: https://oncehub.com/NICKSTGEORGE

📧 Want Nick's AI spending-analysis prompt? Email: nick@stgeorgewealth.com

#YearEndPlanning #TaxPlanning #RetirementPlanning #RothConversion #FinancialPlanning #UnEffYourFinances

Nicholas St. George is a Registered Representative with, and securities and advisory services offered through, LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC. This material is for general educational purposes only and is not individualized tax, legal, or investment advice. Please consult your tax and legal professionals regarding your specific situation. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

What does financial advising actually look like when you get beyond investments, charts and market predictions?

In this episode of Un‑Eff Your Finances, Nick sits down with summer intern Ryan Dunn, an All-American golfer and senior at Oglethorpe University to unpack what Ryan learned during his firsthand look at the financial-planning profession.

They discuss why every financial plan has to be personal, the importance of understanding the person behind the portfolio, and why an advisor’s real job often comes down to answering one question: “Am I going to be okay?”

They also get into:

• What college teaches about finance—and what it doesn’t
• Why financial advising is a people business
• Using AI as a tool without letting it do your thinking
• Investing versus chasing social-media trading hype
• The entrepreneurial reality of building an advisory practice
• Why experience and real client conversations matter
• Ryan’s promotion from summer intern to Director of Golf
• The very loud hole-in-one that capped off an unforgettable summer

It’s a candid conversation about planning, people, technology, career lessons and golf—with just enough questionable HR material to keep things interesting.

Subscribe to Un‑Eff Your Finances for practical conversations about retirement, taxes, investing and making smarter financial decisions without all the unnecessary financial-industry nonsense.

Most retirees are asking the wrong tax question.

They ask, “How do I pay less this year?”
But the better question is, “How do I pay less over the next 10 years?”

In this episode, I break down the tax trap that can happen before RMDs begin — when retirees avoid taking IRA withdrawals or doing Roth conversions during low-income years, only to face bigger forced withdrawals, higher taxable income, possible IRMAA Medicare surcharges, and rising living costs later.

We’ll cover:

• What RMDs actually are and why they matter
• How IRMAA can quietly increase Medicare premiums
• Why inflation makes tax planning even more important
• How Roth conversions may help before RMD age
• Why withdrawal sequencing can make or break a retirement income plan
• The danger of planning around one tax return instead of the next decade

The goal is not to pay more tax.
The goal is to pay tax in the right years, at the right rate, with the most control.

Because the cheapest tax year is not always the smartest tax plan.

Listen now: The Tax Trap Before RMDs: Why Paying Less This Year Can Cost You More Later

Before I ever recommend an investment, I ask five questions.

Not about stocks.
Not about the market.
Not about what your neighbor is buying.

Because great retirement planning has very little to do with chasing returns—and everything to do with building a strategy around your actual life.

In this episode, I walk through the five questions I ask every new client to uncover:

• What “work optional” really looks like for them
• Where their retirement income will actually come from
• The tax risks hiding inside their current accounts
• What happens if life doesn’t go according to plan
• What they’re truly optimizing for: lifestyle, legacy, flexibility, or something else

This episode pulls back the curtain on how I work, how real financial planning should feel, and why a portfolio alone is not a retirement plan.

If you can’t clearly answer these five questions… you may be guessing more than you think.

Most high-income W-2 employees are doing exactly what they were told to do:

Max out the 401(k). Save aggressively. Keep building.

The problem? Almost nobody is showing them what happens later.

In this episode, I break down one of the most overlooked tax strategies I see with professionals in their 40s and 50s—and why waiting too long to address it can create a massive tax problem in retirement.

We cover:

• Why “tax deferred” doesn’t always mean “tax efficient”
• The hidden future risk of large pre-tax retirement accounts
• How backdoor Roth strategies work
• Why Roth conversion planning matters before RMDs begin
• The difference between tax preparation and actual tax planning

If you’re building wealth but haven’t thought about what your tax bracket could look like at 70… this episode is for you.

Because retirement planning isn’t just about growing your money.
It’s about keeping more of it.

You don’t mess up retirement at 65…
You lock in the mistakes at 45.

In this episode, I break down why I focus on the Retirement Red Zone—the 10–20 years before you retire—and why that’s where the biggest financial decisions actually get made.

🎓💸 Got RSUs and college-bound kids?

Then you might be playing a dangerous game of financial Jenga — and Uncle Sam is just waiting to topple your tower.

In my latest video, I break down two real-life families navigating college costs, RSUs, and the ever-persistent tax goblin that shows up uninvited (and never brings snacks).

👨‍👩‍👦 The Daltons? College bills are now.
👶 The Simmons? Planning way ahead.
Different stages. Different strategies. One simple truth: planning always wins.

And yes — in the spirit of Law & Order — the stories are real, but the names have been changed to protect the innocent (and the occasionally tax-confused).

If you’ve got RSUs vesting and aren’t sure whether to sell, hold, or hide…
Watch this before you let the tax tail wag your financial dog.

📦 Bonus: I explain RSUs in plain English — no CPA required.

🎥 Watch the full video or catch the podcast version — your future self (and your accountant) will thank you.

#FinancialPlanning #RSUs #CollegePlanning #TaxStrategy #SmartMoneyMoves #FinancialAdvisor #HighIncomeFamilies #DunDun

We’ve all been there:
🔹 Debating if your adult kids need another “loan” or just a reality check.
🔹 Arguing about who inherits grandma’s prized casserole dish.
🔹 Rolling your eyes at yet another Amazon box mysteriously appearing at your doorstep.

Money fights happen. But they don’t have to turn your relationship into a Netflix drama.

Here are 5 common money battles couples face—and how to fix them:

1️⃣ Supporting Adult Kids:
They’re adults, but somehow your payroll keeps growing. Time to draw some boundaries before your home turns into a wildlife preserve (you know, “Don’t feed the animals,” right?).

2️⃣ Inheritance Drama:
Decide together who gets what before your kids decide with lawyers. (Spoiler alert: No one enjoys a family feud sequel).

3️⃣ Opposite Spending Styles:
Whether you’re the “budget wizard” or the “flash sale aficionado,” create space for BOTH styles. A little compromise = fewer glares at dinner.

4️⃣ Hidden Spending:
If you’re hiding packages or credit card statements, you’re not hiding money—you’re hiding trust issues. Pour some bourbon, and have the talk regularly. No judgment, just honesty.

5️⃣ Conflicting Goals:
Camper vs. 401(k)? Retirement vs. adventure? It’s not “either/or,” it’s “yes, and.” Dream together, plan together, thrive together.