Financial Fortitude

08/25/2026

We spend a lot of time asking: “Am I saving enough for the future?”

But maybe we should also be asking: “Am I using my money to live well today?”

Building wealth matters. But so do the experiences, memories, and opportunities available to us right now.

The goal isn’t to choose between your future and your life today.

It’s to intentionally fund both.

🎙️ Brady Hemmerle and Michael R. Acosta, Genesis Wealth Planning, LLC unpack this in Episode #42 of the Financial Fortitude Podcast: “Stop Overfunding Your Future and Start Funding Your Life.”

Give it a listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/financial-fortitude-tax-wealth-investment-strategies/id1763282785

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/36ZgqCaturhMeh2hkOFHeu?si=5a4d8b7de2ed4c7b

08/18/2026

“I’m just bad at budgeting.”

I hear some version of this all the time. But I don’t think most people are actually bad at budgeting. I think they’re trying to force their financial life into a system that doesn’t fit how real life actually works.

Track every transaction.
Categorize every dollar.
Set rigid spending limits.
Feel guilty when you blow the budget.
Start over next month.

Sound familiar?

In our latest episode of the Financial Fortitude Podcast, Michael R. Acosta, Genesis Wealth Planning, LLC and Brady Hemmerle, CFP® unpack why traditional budgeting often fails, and how we think about building a cash flow system that requires less willpower and more automation.

We get into:

--Why budgeting can feel like going on a financial diet—and why that often leads to burnout.
--Why tracking every expense isn't necessarily the same thing as making financial progress.
--How we use a Wealth Coordination Account to separate saving from lifestyle spending.
--Why we believe in paying yourself first instead of hoping there's money left over at the end of the month.
--How your cash flow system should evolve as you move from young professional → growing family → peak earning years → retirement.
--How to think about emergency reserves and the amount of cash sitting in your checking account.
--How to automatically capture raises, bonuses, and increasing income before lifestyle creep absorbs them.

But maybe the most important point:

A good budget isn't designed to tell you what you can't spend money on.

It should help you intentionally spend money on the things you actually value, while still making progress toward the future you're trying to build.

You shouldn't have to think about your budget every single day.
Build the system.
Automate the important pieces.
Then go live your life.

Listen Here:

Podcast Episode · Financial Fortitude: Tax, Wealth & Investment Strategies for High Income Earners · August 13 · 1h

08/04/2026

For years, we've been told there's one ultimate financial goal:
Pay off your mortgage as fast as possible.
It's become almost a badge of honor.

But here's the question...

What if becoming debt-free actually delayed your ability to build wealth?

That statement usually makes people uncomfortable.
Not because it's wrong, but because we've been conditioned to believe that all debt is bad debt.

The reality is more nuanced.
A 2.75% mortgage and a 9% credit card are not the same thing.

Every extra dollar you send to your mortgage has an opportunity cost.

Could that money have:

• Built an emergency fund?
• Been invested for long-term growth?
• Funded retirement accounts with tax advantages?
• Created liquidity for life's unexpected opportunities?

Sometimes paying off your mortgage early is absolutely the right decision.
Sometimes it's one of the most expensive financial decisions you'll ever make.

The key isn't asking:
"How quickly can I become debt-free?"

It's asking:
"What's the highest and best use of my next dollar?"

That's exactly what Brady Hemmerle, CFP® and I unpack in our most recent episode of Financial Fortitude.

🎙️ In this episode we discuss:

• Why paying off your mortgage early isn't always the fastest path to financial freedom.
• The difference between good debt and bad debt.
• How opportunity cost can quietly cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars over a lifetime.
• Why liquidity is one of the most overlooked pillars of financial planning.
• A practical framework for deciding whether extra dollars belong in your mortgage, investments, retirement accounts, or emergency savings.

Financial planning isn't about following blanket rules.

It's about making intentional decisions that maximize flexibility, reduce unnecessary risk, and help every dollar accomplish the greatest purpose.

I'd love to hear your perspective:

If you had an extra $1,000 today, would you put it toward your mortgage or invest it? Why?

🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-costly-mortgage-mistake-most-homeowners-never-see-e51/id1763282785?i=1000779052495

💡 Have a financial question you'd like us to answer on a future episode?

Submit it at www.genesiswealthplanning.com/ama and we may feature it on an upcoming Ask Me Anything episode of Financial Fortitude.

07/02/2026

Most physicians get a raise in June.
Nobody tells them it's coming.

Here's exactly what happens:

The Social Security wage base in 2026 is $184,500. Once your earnings cross that threshold, the 6.2% Social Security withholding stops completely.

For a physician earning $416K and paid bi-weekly, that's $14,353 over the course of the year.

This breaks out to $992 appearing in their paycheck every month from roughly mid-June through December. (assuming no incentive compensation)

The problem is that without a system, that extra trip is booked before the deposit clears. The paycheck gets bigger and the spending adjusts. By December, there's nothing to show for it.

We call this the built-in raise most high earners never keep.

The fix is simple: build the cash flow system before you hit the Social Security wage cap.

Know the exact month your withholding shifts. Automate the redirect before it lands. Assign every dollar a job the day the “raise” begins.

The job didn’t change. Still earning the same $416k each year. Lifestyle remained static.

Just $14,353 that builds wealth instead of disappearing into it the lifestyle abyss.

Brady Hemmerle and I go deeper on this in Episode #47 of Financial Fortitude, including what happens when bonuses accelerate the timeline and how the Additional Medicare Tax changes the math further.

Listen Here:

Podcast Episode · Financial Fortitude: Tax, Wealth & Investment Strategies for High Income Earners · June 4 · 33m

06/04/2026

The most expensive financial mistake isn't a bad investment.

It's the ten years you waited before making one.

Brady and I recorded an episode recently that we've been wanting to make for a long time, the real money mistakes that quietly cost high earners the most. Not the dramatic ones. The slow, invisible ones.

The paycheck that grew but the wealth that didn't.
The discipline-based system that worked until life got busy.
The insurance gap nobody thought about until it was too late.

Here's what we cover in this episode:

Why delaying investing by 10 years costs more than most people realize, and how compounding works against you when you wait.

How lifestyle creep turns high earners into high spenders, and why income growth doesn't automatically mean wealth growth.

Why discipline fails over time, and how automation builds what willpower can't sustain.

The biggest financial mistakes by decade, your 20s, 30s, and 40s each require a completely different strategy.

We don't talk about theory on this show. We talk about the patterns we see in real planning conversations, and what it actually takes to change them.

🎙️ Financial Fortitude — new episode out now.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-money-mistakes-did-we-make-in-our-20s-and-30s-e46/id1763282785?i=1000768873354

Got a question you want us to tackle on air? Submit it at genesiswealthplanning.com/ama

Podcast Episode · Financial Fortitude: Tax, Wealth & Investment Strategies for High Income Earners · May 21 · 39m

06/01/2026

Did you know there comes a point during the year when many high-income earners simply stop paying the 6.2% Social Security tax?

For 2026, that wage cap is $184,500.

Meaning…

Once your earned income exceeds that threshold, every additional paycheck for the remainder of the year gets a little “raise” built in.

The problem?

Most people never intentionally capture it.

The extra cash flow quietly disappears into lifestyle creep, random spending, or a checking account with no real purpose.

But what if you intentionally redirected those dollars instead?

What could that mean for your family over time?

• Building a stronger emergency fund
• Maxing out retirement contributions
• Accelerating debt payoff
• Funding annual family vacations guilt-free
• Investing toward financial independence
• Creating margin and flexibility in your life

At Genesis Wealth Planning, we built a calculator that helps identify:

✔️ When your Social Security tax “cliff” is reached
✔️ How much additional cash flow you could recapture per paycheck
✔️ The long-term wealth-building potential of redirecting those dollars intentionally

For many high earners, we’re not talking about small money.

We’re talking about thousands of dollars annually that often slip through the cracks unnoticed.

Cash flow management is not just about budgeting.

It’s about building systems with intentionality.

Your income alone does not create wealth.

What you systematically capture, allocate, and compound does.

Comment “show me the money” below and we’ll send you the calculator via DM.

Don’t let these dollars disappear on autopilot.

05/28/2026

Most people think financial planning is about retirement projections, investment returns, or building wealth over time.

But there’s one moment that can instantly test everything you’ve built…

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲.

And unfortunately, most families are financially unprepared for what happens next.

Not because they lack intelligence or resources.
But because no one ever showed them what to do when grief and money collide at the same time.

This week on 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲, Michael R. Acosta and Brady Hemmerle unpack one of the most emotionally difficult and financially overlooked transitions a person can experience:

Becoming a widow or a widower.

We discuss:
• The difference between financial decisions that are urgent vs. those that should wait
• Why the first 6 months after a loss are often where costly mistakes happen
• The “widow’s tax” and how income/tax brackets can quietly shift after a spouse passes
• Why liquidity and organization matter more than investment performance during a crisis
• How to structure accounts, documents, and financial systems before tragedy occurs
• Smart Social Security, pension, and tax planning considerations after a loss
• A practical framework to move from overwhelm → clarity → confidence

One of the most important questions we ask in this episode:

“𝗜𝗳 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄... 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆?”

That question changes how you think about planning.

Because true financial planning isn’t just about growing wealth.
It’s about making life easier for the people you love when life gets hard.

This is one of the most important conversations we’ve had on the podcast.

Listen Here:

Podcast Episode · Financial Fortitude: Tax, Wealth & Investment Strategies for High Income Earners · May 7 · 48m

05/22/2026

Most parents are told to “just open a 529 plan and call it a day.”
But building wealth for your children is a lot more nuanced than that.

On 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 #𝟰𝟰 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲, Brady and I break down the real strategy behind education and generational wealth planning:

• When a 529 plan makes sense… and when it doesn’t
• Why Roth IRAs for kids can become one of the most powerful long-term wealth building tools available
• The hidden tradeoffs inside UTMA/UGMA custodial accounts
• How account ownership impacts FAFSA and financial aid eligibility
• Why overfunding education accounts can quietly create tax and flexibility problems later
• The difference between flexibility, control, and tax efficiency — and how to balance all three intelligently

The reality is this:

Most high-income earners and business owners don’t need a single account strategy.
They need a coordinated framework that evolves as their children grow.

Because the goal isn’t simply “saving for college.”

The goal is creating optionality, flexibility, and financial stewardship across generations.

If you’re a parent trying to make smarter decisions for your family’s future, this episode is worth the listen.

🎙️ 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 #𝟰𝟰 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/only-using-a-529-plan-theres-a-better-way-to-save/id1763282785?i=1000763187770

Podcast Episode · Financial Fortitude: Tax, Wealth & Investment Strategies for High Income Earners · April 23 · 52m

04/20/2026

𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲

Most people think financial planning is about solving problems, paying off debt, increasing income, hitting a number.

But what if the real issue isn’t your strategy…
it’s your direction?

You can be “doing everything right” on paper and still feel off.

Because 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲.

The people who feel confident and fulfilled with their finances don’t just optimize… they align.

They use money as a tool, not a scoreboard.

In our most recent episode of 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲, Brady Hemmerle, CFP® and I break down how shifting from reactive planning to purpose-driven decision-making changes everything:

• How you spend
• How you invest
• How you define success

If you’ve ever thought:
“𝗜’𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁... 𝘀𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁?”

This episode will challenge how you think about money.

Because the goal isn’t just to build wealth, it’s to build a life that actually feels like yours.

🎙️ Listen to the full episode here.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/stop-overfunding-your-future-and-start-funding-your/id1763282785?i=1000757799452

Podcast Episode · Financial Fortitude: Tax, Wealth & Investment Strategies for High Income Earners · March 26 · 58m

02/25/2026

𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄... 𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗕𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗢𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻?

Most high earners and retirees are taught the same playbook:

Need liquidity?
Sell investments.
Trigger capital gains.
Hope the market timing works.

But what if that’s not the most strategic move?

On this week’s episode of 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲, Michael R. Acosta, Genesis Wealth Planning, LLC and Brady Hemmerle, CFP® break down 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀-𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁 (𝗦𝗕𝗟𝗢𝗖𝘀) 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 — not theory — through practical case studies across multiple life stages.

This isn’t about financial gimmicks. It’s about liquidity strategy, tax efficiency, and optionality.

🎙️ 𝗜𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲, 𝘄𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿:

• How investors create liquidity without selling appreciated assets
• Why borrowing against investments can potentially reduce taxes and preserve compounding
• When SBLOCs work exceptionally well and when they introduce real risk
• How interest arbitrage functions in practice (not just on spreadsheets)
• Real case studies involving home purchases, business equity, and retirement planning
• How retirees use SBLOCs to manage sequence-of-returns risk
• The guardrails advisors must use to avoid overleveraging or margin pressure

For high-income professionals, executives, and retirees, flexibility often matters more than optimization.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀:

Is selling your investments always the smartest move or just the most familiar one?

🎧 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-sblocs-can-help-retirees-or-business-owners-access/id1763282785?i=1000749393580

And if you have a financial question you'd like us to tackle on a future episode, submit it at: www.genesiswealthplanning.com/ama

Podcast Episode · Financial Fortitude: Tax, Wealth & Investment Strategies for High Income Earners · February 12 · 40m