Two incomes, two benefits plans. Today's episode digs into what happens when both spouses are high earners with strong benefits and how money quietly gets left on the table when they're not coordinated. Matt shares how to compare both plans side by side, when a life change like marriage or a baby should trigger a switch, and why this deserves a real review every single year. This is Episode 5 of Season 2: The Benefits Blind Spot.

Many couples keep their own plans and check the same boxes year after year, missing better HSA contributions, richer subsidies, and employer matches sitting on the other spouse's side. Our team at Balanced Wealth Group can help you and your spouse review your plans to ensure you're taking advantage of the right benefits. Connect with us at www.choosebalance.com/contact.

You insure your car, your home, and your business...but not your paycheck? The single largest asset you have! In this episode, Matt reframes the disability insurance conversation around the question that actually matters: what happens to your family if you can't physically go to work again? He explains why a "60% of salary" plan really asks your family to absorb a 40% pay cut and why employer caps leave high earners especially exposed. The goal of this episode is to help you stop thinking in percentages and start thinking in dollars. This is Episode 4 of Season 2: The Benefits Blind Spot.

www.choosebalance.com/contact

If you're doing backdoor Roth IRA contributions, there's a real chance you're paying taxes twice on the same money and never noticing. Episode 100 breaks down exactly how it happens. Matt tells you the exact line to check, how to catch it on past returns, and how to make sure your preparer handles it correctly going forward. A simple mistake...but it happens all the time.

Doing backdoor Roth conversions? We'll check your return for this exact error, at no initial cost or obligation — schedule a call at ChooseBalance.com/contact.

Most people treat their HSA as a spending account for the year's medical bills. Used correctly, it's something far more powerful: the only account that's tax-free going in and tax-free coming out! In this episode, Matt explains why the HSA is the most underused tool for people in the highest tax brackets, how paying medical costs from other cash lets the account invest and grow untouched, and why saving your receipts lets you reimburse yourself decades later. For the right person, the tax advantage is hard to beat. This is Episode 3 of Season 2: The Benefits Blind Spot.

Connect with us at www.choosebalance.com/contact.

Come benefit election time, you're still checking the same box you checked five years ago. With deferred compensation, that box is one of the few money decisions you can't undo. In this episode, Matt breaks down why executives rush their deferred compensation election every November without revisiting it, and why the tax break you take today only becomes a real benefit if the money comes out in a lower bracket than it went in.

Interested in talking with a financial advisor who actually understands your complex benefits? Connect with Matt and his team at www.choosebalance.com/contact.

If you own stocks of companies headquartered overseas, you're likely paying a foreign tax on those dividends and normally the U.S. gives you a credit so you're not taxed twice. But hold those same stocks in the wrong type of account, and you can end up paying that tax without ever getting the credit back. It comes down to knowing what you own, where it's taxed, and holding it in the right bucket.

Want an experienced financial advisor to help you understand the after-tax return on your holdings? Schedule a call at ChooseBalance.com.

Welcome to Season 2 of the Executive Financial Planning Podcast! A full season on the benefits blind spot: the open-enrollment choices high earners rush through every year that quietly costs them thousands.

In this opening episode, Matt walks through the mistakes he sees every open-enrollment season, why "same as last year" is rarely the right answer, and the one question to ask yourself before you click through your elections. This is Episode 1 of Season 2: The Benefits Blind Spot.

Want to make sure you're getting the most out of your benefits? Schedule a call at ChooseBalance.com.

Most people treat their 401(k) as a checkbox: contribute 6%, get the match, move on. This episode runs through a series of "did you knows" that show how much you're likely leaving on the table. Hear about the real contribution limits, after-tax contributions that unlock a mega backdoor Roth, and the NUA strategy for appreciated company stock. Matt also discusses the "tax control triangle" — a simple way to see whether your after-tax, pre-tax, and Roth buckets are out of balance. Managed well, the 401(k) is one of the most powerful wealth-building tools you own.

Interested in discussing your 401(k) strategy with a financial advisor? Connect with Matt's team at Balanced Wealth Group.

www.choosebalance.com/contact

Municipal bonds are tax-free...so they must be the smart move, right? Not always. In this episode, Matt talks about how to compare tax-equivalent yields (and why your state matters), plus the tax-deferred "buckets" worth considering if deferring taxes is really your goal. The lesson: don't let the tax tail wag the dog of your investment portfolio.

Follow along to hear more common tax mistakes and hear Season 2 of the podcast starting next week!

www.choosebalance.com

Balance isn't something you achieve and keep; it's a direction you keep walking back towards. You're juggling five balls: work, family, health, friends, and integrity. Here's the thing most people learn too late — work is a rubber ball. Drop it, and it bounces back. The other four are glass. Drop one, and it's scuffed, nicked, or shattered for good.

This episode steps away money tips to talk about being intentional with the things that truly matter in life. *The original "Five Balls of Life" theory was introduced at the 1991 Georgia Tech commencement ceremony by former Coca-Cola CEO, Brian Dyson.

Don't miss Season 2 of The Executive Financial Planning Podcast starting next week!