Your CPA isn't failing you by filing an accurate return; that's their job. But if no one on your team is interrogating that return for what it doesn't say, you have a gap...and it has a price tag. In this episode, Matt Daugherty breaks down the costly gap between tax preparation and tax planning and why we consistently find mistakes on 20-30% of the client returns we review. This is Episode 6 of our series: 10 Ways Your Advisor Is Losing You Thousands.

Our firm reviews around 250 client tax returns a year and we find mistakes on 20-30% of them. In this episode, Matt Daugherty break down one of the most common mistakes: the interest income that gets left off line 2B of your 1040. Matt breaks down a simple fix that could save you a tax headache and put real yield back in your pocket.

Your financial advisor told you to diversify. You nodded — and did nothing. And every year the stock went up, that inertia felt more justified. But "hold and hope" isn't a strategy, and neither is "just sell it." If you're sitting on a large position in your company's stock, this is the conversation your advisor should be having with you. This is Episode 5 of our series: 10 Ways Your Advisor Is Losing You Thousands.

Your advisor keeps telling you to skip your ESPP plan at open enrollment… Which can be a costly mistake. In episode four of our series, Matt admits he spent years steering clients away from Employee Stock Purchase Plans, until he did the math. Between the 15% discount and the look-back provision, a flat or falling stock can still hand you a near-17% built in rate or return.  Learn the buy-and-sell-immediately strategy that erases concentration risk, the tax traps that quietly eat your gains, and why this might be the best asset you’re not using.

Take the 2-minute quiz at ChooseBalance.com to find the blind spots in your stock plans.

You've been overpaying the IRS for years, and your advisor and accountant both missed it. If you’re paid in RSUs, the same reporting error could be quietly taxing your income twice. In episode three of our series, host Matt Daugherty shows you exactly where to look on your own return to see if this has been happening to you, and what you should do if it has.

You’re making more than ever, so why does it feel like you’re treading water? Episode two in our series exposes lifestyle creep: the invisible force that raises your spending to match every raise, bonus, and RSU vest while your finish line quietly slides further away. We run the brutal math on two high earners who look identical from the outside but only one is actually getting wealthy.  

The question that changes everything: do you want to look wealthy, or be wealthy?

The first episode in this ten-part series is an introduction to the tremendous value that financial advisors can bring to the lives of busy professionals. Not working with an advisor or working with the wrong advisor may be costing you thousands in missed opportunities every year. Listen along to find out how!

He spent 28 years climbing to CFO of a publicly tradedcompany, and nearly 20 of them quietly planning his exit. At 51, Mike Pettit iswalking away. Not because he hit a magic number, but because he finally is prioritizing the one thing executives never put first… their time. In this conversation, Mike reveals why his original retirement projections were wrong, the overlooked account that makes leaving in your 50s actually possible, and the "buffet trap" that keeps high earners clocking in long after their house payment stops mattering. If you've ever wondered whether you could afford to walk away, and what it takes, don’t miss this episode.

Have you been dreaming about leaving corporate Americabefore 55? You're not alone, and it's more doable than you might think. But before you talk to your boss, there are a few things you'll want to have figured out. Listen to this week's teaser episode to get a glimpse into Matt’s conversation with Mike Pettit, former CFO of Wabash, who just made his own early exit. Ready to start planning yours? Head to choosebalance.com to schedule a call with our team!

62% of women leave meetings with their financial advisor more confused than when they walked in.  80% of high-net-worth women either don’t have an advisor or don’t like the one they’ve got. Matt sits down with Heather Ettinger — 37-year industry veteran, founder of Luma Thrive, and author of Lumination, to expose why the industry keeps failing smart, successful women and exactly what to demand instead: an advisor who helps you manage your life, not just your money.If you’ve ever nodded through a jargon-filled meeting and left with more questions than answers, this episode hands you the playbook, including the questions to ask before you ever hire (or fire) an advisor.