đź Open Enrollment: The Annual Game of âGuess What These Benefits Actually Meanâ
Every fall, HR drops that mysterious email: âItâs time for open enrollment!â And suddenly, youâre scrolling through options that sound like they were written by a committee of lawyers and robots.
â ď¸ âHigh-Deductible Health Planâ sounds scary. đ° âHealth Savings Accountâ sounds like a trap. đĄ And âFlexible Spending Accountâ? Not flexible enough when you forget to use it by December. Thatâs where planning actually pays off. In this weekâs video, I break down how to make smart benefit elections that fit your financial plan, not just your employerâs brochure. Because open enrollment shouldnât feel like a pop quiz you didnât study for.
The Parent 529 Playbook: How to Pull Money the Right Way (and What to Do with Leftovers)
If youâre paying college bills with a 529, this is your 4-minute, no-nonsense guide. Youâll learn exactly when to take distributions, what actually qualifies, how to keep an audit-proof paper trail, and smart moves for leftover funds (yes, including the Roth IRA path). No fluff. No âmy kid needed the laptop for Netflix.â
What youâll learn
Timing rules: Match the 529 distribution to the expense in the same calendar year
Retirement Red Zone: The 20-Year Game Plan (From the 20 to the Goal Line) đ
You canât âcramâ for retirement. Thatâs not a planâthatâs a Hail Mary with a flat football. In this video, I (Nick St. George, CFPÂŽ) lay out a clear, yard-by-yard blueprint from 20 years out to 24 months before retirementâso youâre not guessing at the goal line.
What youâll learn
How to set your savings rate, kill high-interest debt, and build smart tax buckets (pre-tax, Roth, brokerage)
When to use Roth strategies, avoid concentration risk, and optimize benefits (HSA, ESPP, deferred comp)
How to defend against sequence-of-returns risk and start income design early (pensions, RSUs, options)
Why Social Security timing (62 vs. FRA vs. 70) is a math problem, not a vibe
đŽââď¸ In the Retirement Unit, financially-motivated crimes against common sense are considered especially heinousâŚ
These are their stories. DUN DUN.
Hi, Iâm Nick St. George, CFPÂŽ, and in todayâs episode of Retirement & Order, we meet Rob and Jen Langston. (Not their real names, of courseâthe names and some details have been changed to protect the financially innocent.)
Theyâre retired. Living the good life. Then BOOM đĽâcurveball. One of their adult kids hits a financial snag.
Rather than torch their retirement plan with capital gains or mortgage stress, we got creative. No, not “hide your money in a coffee can” creativeâstrategic creative.
We used an asset-backed loan against their taxable investment account. â No closing costs â No tax returns or underwriting drama â No capital gains â No disruption to their portfolio
Just fast, flexible helpâwith structure, boundaries, and peace of mind.
đŻ Moral of the story: You can be generous without going broke.
If you’re in the same boat, donât play financial detective solo. Book a quick callâletâs protect your retirement and your sanity.
Then you might be playing a dangerous game of financial Jenga â 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).
đ¨âđŠâđŚ The Daltons? College bills are now. đś The Simmons? Planning way ahead. Different stages. Different strategies. One simple truth: planning always wins.
And yes â in the spirit of Law & Order â the stories are real, but the names have been changed to protect the innocent (and the occasionally tax-confused).
If youâve got RSUs vesting and arenât sure whether to sell, hold, or hide⌠Watch this before you let the tax tail wag your financial dog.
đŚ Bonus: I explain RSUs in plain English â no CPA required.
đĽ Watch the full video or catch the podcast version â your future self (and your accountant) will thank you.
đŹ If you believe retirement is just about having enough money, then you’re missing the bigger picture.
Sure, money matters, but retirement isnât just numbers on a spreadsheetâit’s about experiences. It’s trading your morning commute for sunrise tee times, swapping endless meetings for endless adventures, and replacing your daily grind with checking off your bucket list. đď¸ââď¸đ´âľ
Retirement is the freedom to choose how you spend your daysâmaking memories, traveling, and finally taking the time to truly enjoy what you’ve earned.
I’d love to hear what’s at the top of YOUR retirement bucket list. Skydiving? A month in Italy? Finally beating your personal best on the golf course?
đ Share your dream retirement experience below! đ
How to Save for Your Kids and Your Retirement (Without Losing Your Mind or Your Money)
Letâs play a game: Youâve got one dollar.
đź Your kid wants to go to college (and preferably not be buried under student loan debt). đ§ Youâd like to retire someday without eating cat food.
So… who gets the dollar?
Welcome to one of the most commonâand emotionalâfinancial dilemmas: Do I save for my kidâs future or secure my own retirement?
Hereâs the answer: đ You can do both. You just need a strategy that doesnât come from the back of a cereal box.
1. Secure Your Oxygen Mask First
You know the airplane analogyâand itâs true. If youâre not okay financially, your kidâs future isnât either. Prioritize building your retirement foundation first. Your kids can get scholarships, part-time jobs, or choose a more affordable school. But thereâs no financial aid for retirement (unless your kid becomes a billionaire and returns the favor).
2. Automate Both Goals (Even If It’s Uneven)
Donât overthink perfection. Set up automatic contributions to your retirement and a 529 or custodial account for your child. Even small, consistent contributions compound over timeâand you wonât have to decide which goal wins every month. Youâre funding the future on autopilot.
3. Donât Guilt-Trip Yourself
This isnât a competition of love. Choosing to prioritize your long-term stability doesnât mean you donât care about your kids. It means you want to avoid becoming a financial burden on them later. (And letâs be honestâtheyâre already going to blame you for something, might as well not add âfinancial stressâ to the list.)
đď¸ Give the full audio a listenâI unpack this balancing act with a dose of real talk, some strategy, and a little humor (because letâs face it, finances can be stressful enough without sounding like a spreadsheet).
Remember: đĄ Youâre not choosing between your future and theirs. Youâre building a plan where everyone wins.
Letâs un-eff your financesâone smart move at a time.
What can market pullbacks teach us about investing?
Tune into this round of Un Eff Your Finances, Nicholas St. George dives into the intricacies of market pullbacks. Buckle up as Nick unravels the chaos and gets to the heart of why these pullbacks aren’t just unavoidable but can actually work in your favor!
Nick discusses:
(00:03:00) The normalcy of market pullbacks and how history shows they’re nothing to fear
(00:06:04) Strategies to use pullbacks to your advantage through smart planning
(00:08:16). Keeping emotions in check during volatile times and sticking to your plan
(00:14:3) The impact of inflation on spending power and why long-term growth is vital
(00:25:20) The importance of having a solid and adaptable financial plan in place
What’s the secret sauce for building wealth while juggling life’s chaos?
Nick St. George from St. George Wealth Management kicks off the latest episode of Un Eff Your Finances with an engaging discussion on the importance of a structured financial plan for busy executives and business owners. With a mix of humor and expertise, he breaks down why starting early is key, the risks of an unstructured approach, and how failing to plan is essentially planning to fail. This episode dives into the mindset of strategic achieversâthose who are too busy to manage every financial detail but want their money to work just as hard as they do.
Nicholas discusses:
(00:02:22) Strategic financial planning for busy professionalsÂ
(00:04:20) The importance of starting retirement savings earlyÂ
 (00:06:13) Real-life investment missteps and successes
(00:12:27) Creating a flexible financial game planÂ
(00:20:03) The role of a financial advisor in managing emotions and legacy planningÂ
What questions should you ask before entrusting your finances to an advisor?Â
Dive into this episode where Nicholas St. George uncovers the essentials to choosing the perfect financial partner. Whether you’re a hotshot business owner or just getting started in the financial game, these insights will keep you on the straight and narrow.
Nick breaks it down with humor and honesty, so you don’t end up with regrets.
This installment of Un Eff Your Finances highlights:
(04:36) What is a fiduciary?Â
(06:05) How advisors get paid and why it mattersÂ
(11:09) Why knowing your advisor’s qualifications upfront saves headachesÂ
(12:06) The real deal on financial planning licensesÂ
(15:14) A philosophy that stands the test of financial timeÂ
