Beacon's Spotlight

In the latest episode, Doug Orton of MFS joins Beacon's Spotlight to discuss the “Mega Backdoor Roth”—a retirement-planning strategy that may allow certain participants in employer-sponsored plans to make additional after-tax contributions and potentially convert those dollars to Roth assets. We cover how the strategy works, who may be eligible, the plan features required, and important tax and implementation considerations.

Succession planning, family wealth conversations, retirement transitions, and lessons learned from decades of client-facing financial planning work.

On our season 2 episode 7, we welcome Ron Kurti onto Beacon's Spotlight to discuss artificial intelligence. Ron shares his preferences for platforms and prompts along with some helpful reminders on utility and security.

With special guest Michele Smith, we cover co-buying andfamily-assisted purchases, creative financing strategies like buydowns, recent changes to buyer-agent compensation, and practical updates buyers and sellers should consider. We also touch on how real estate decisions can affect cash flow, long-term planning, and generational wealth.

This episode of Beacon’s Spotlight takes a fresh look at college planning from two important angles: admissions and funding.

First, I cover practical college admissions tips for families that are starting to plan for the undergraduate application process. Next, I highlight recent 529 plan updates that may create more flexibility for K-12 expenses, additional credentialing, and grandparents helping with education costs.

Tune in to Beacon's Spotlight as I discuss strategies with Joe Kingsley from Inland, to exchange real estate in a tax favorable manner. We also break down Opportunity Zones and the tax law changes coming in 2027 to make them even more attractive.

For our first mailbag episode, David helps the audience navigate through retirement income decisions including when to elect Social Security and what factors may help you decide on the timing. Then we pivot back over to the estate planning angle to touch on a specific type of trust and how it can be implemented.

Beth Woodruff joins Beacon's Spotlight to highlight the key steps in developing and growing a successful brand.

John Long, partner @ Stewart Law, joins Beacon's Spotlight to discuss some more advanced estate planning strategies. First we tackle intentionally defective grantor trusts (IDGTs) and the benefits to using these. We then pivot to Family Limited Partnerships or LLCs and the differences there. Finally, we look into business succession planning for our entrepreneurs and business owners.

Dr. Todd Listwa joins the podcast to share his experiences in the healthcare industry. First we discuss advanced health directives, then we transition into Medicare offerings, and we finally pivot into changes in the healthcare realm due to the One Big Beautiful Bill that passed into law in July.