Financial planning and education (without the jargon) I Creating blueprints for high-earning sales executives and business owners

I left the financial industry because I saw a problem.

People wanted to work with a planner, but they ended up becoming a number on a spreadsheet.

I had to leave to start something new.

And now?

I'm a fee-only planner who helps salespeople & equity compensated employees under 45 give a purpose to their paycheck.

I left the large financial institutions to start my own independent company. I did it so people could pay for real planning and not just an agenda to sell a hidden product. 

As a true fiduciary, Pashman Financial, LLC was built on that promise by focusing on you and you only.

🔵 Why people hire me? 

Well, people have come to me with the following problems:

- They want peace of mind with their money
- Their old advisor barely communicates with them
- They want an answer tailored to them, not from Google
- They felt pressured to buy a product that wasn't a right fit
- They are great at making money but struggle to keep it
- They want a simple plan that's easy to understand
- They want someone to hold them accountable
- They want someone they can trust

🔵 What are my services?

I help identify your goals, craft a financial blueprint that lays out action items to hit them, and monitor your progress. 

💵 Cash Flow Management  
📈 Equity Compensation
🏡 Real Estate Planning
📊 Investment Planning
📍 Retirement Planning
🛡 Insurance Planning
📚 Education Planning
💲 Tax Management
💳 Debt Repayment
📃 Estate Planning

🔵 Who do I serve?

Age: Individuals and families between 30-50 years old
Target: Sales pros, tech employees, other millennial families
Location: Virtually anywhere in the U.S.

But I love working with people that are driven to make a change. So even if you don’t fit these criteria, feel free to reach out. Your personality is everything. 

🔵 Why I'm different?

1) My model is primarily a flat fee service. No time trap. 

2) I do not require you to hand over your investments nor require a minimum to work with. Managing your assets is optional and I'll still assist you if you do it yourself. My focus is ongoing financial planning. 

3) I focus on how to increase your cash flow, not just your assets. I work with you to ensure your systems are set and consistently educate you on how your finances work. I get paid to truly keep you accountable over time.

You can find my pricing in my "featured" section on the website. 

Stop delaying action. Shoot me a message to schedule a complimentary intro.

Max Pashman, CFP®

50% of people have no idea what tax bracket they're in.

And most think more taxes mean less income. WRONG.

It's not a flat rate. 

The US tax system works at a progressive rate. 

In other words, each level of income is taxed at different rates. 

As new income is included, it is taxed at a higher rate. 

BUT that doesn't mean all of the income is taxed at that rate. 

The highest tax rate is called the "marginal rate". 

The overall tax rate (taxes divided by taxable income) is called the "effective rate". 

Big difference!

Helping Founders and Executives Plan for Early Retirement and Exit

You could skip your annual $7,500 vacation with your family.

Instead, you could contribute to a Roth IRA.

At an average 7% return, over 30 years, that $7,500 annual could grow to about $708,000.

By skipping it, you’d be closer to your retirement.

But there’s one problem.

You traded moments with your family for a bigger portfolio.

Your children will be yours forever.

But they also won’t be kids forever.

For some families, prioritizing these moments matters more.

Because what good is a retirement if it means sacrificing the life you care about along the way?

Most people focus on return on investment (ROI).

We try to focus on something else.

Return on life.

ROL.

The worst financial advice I've seen online: 
 
- Renting is a waste of money 
- Pay all debt first before investing 
- Spend everything now cause YOLO 
- Index Universal Life is better than a 401(k) 
- Don't increase your income so you can avoid more taxes 
- Buy [insert expense] solely because you can write it off 
- Index funds are bad because they are boring 
- Use your credit card as your e-fund 
- Never buy or lease a new car 
- Invest your e-fund 
- 401(k)s are a scam 
- All debt is bad 
 
These can either be challenged, too extreme, or just plain wrong. 
 
What might work for one person might not for another. 

What are some bad ones you've heard?

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pashman-financial-llc

schooloffinances

Your RSUs are income not investments
Your RSUs are income not investments
Your RSUs are income not investments
Your RSUs are income not investments
Your RSUs are income not investments

There's a reason it has "compensation" in equity compensation. 

It's because they are treated just like your cash. 

Don't believe me?

When they vest, check out your W2. 

It's listed right there next to your salary (your cash compensation).

They may be withheld differently, but it's taxed just the same as income when it comes to tax season.

If you leave it as is, sure it's equity that be treated as an investment. 

But the moment you get it? May as well be just like your cash compensation.

So if you don't know what to do, answer one question instead:

"If this was cash instead of equity, what would you do with it"?

Would you save it?
Would you spend it?
Would you invest it?
If you invested, where?

Your answer really dictates how you should reallocate it.

Especially based on...drum roll please*.... your goals! 

You're already taxed on it when it's fully vested.

Your choice of what to do from there.

Capital gains taxes can be your biggest ally or your worst enemy.

Here’s everything you need to know how they can affect your tax bill:

What is a Capital Gain?

It’s a tax applied when you sell an asset for a profit.

These assets can include:

-Stocks
-Crypto
-Real estate
-Businesses
-Personal property

There are two types of capital gains:

Short Term (STCG):

-> Assets held less than 1 year
-> Taxed as ordinary income

Long Term (LTCG):

-> Assets held more than 1 year
-> Taxed at preferential capital gains rates, separate from income taxes

Here’s a breakdown of the federal long-term capital gains rates for 2026:

Single:

-0%: $0–$49,450
-15%: $49,451–$545,500
-20%: $545,501+

Married Filing Jointly:

-0%: $0–$98,900
-15%: $98,901–$613,700
-20%: $613,701+

Relative to income brackets, you can see the immediate difference.

For Example (Single):

If you earned $200k and had $10k in STCG, it’s taxed as ordinary income.

Assuming a 32% marginal tax rate:

$10,000 × 32% = $3,200 in federal taxes

For $10k in LTCG, it’s taxed at the capital gains rate:

$10,000 × 15% = $1,500 in federal taxes

A huge difference!

But here’s where people mess this up:

Your capital gains rate depends on your total taxable income.

“Taxable income” is your adjusted gross income (AGI) minus below-the-line deductions (standard or itemized).

Which means those ranges include both your income AND your capital gains.

Example #1: Single, $50,000 Income, $10,000 LTCG

Total taxable income: $60,000
This puts all LTCG in the 15% bracket.
Tax:
$10,000 × 15% = $1,500 (Federal)

Example #2: Single, $30,000 Income, $10,000 LTCG

Total taxable income: $40,000
This falls entirely within the 0% bracket.
Tax:
$10,000 × 0% = $0 (Federal)

Example #3: Single, $30,000 Income, $20,000 LTCG

Total taxable income: $50,000
The income takes up the first $30,000.
Leaving $19,450 left in the 0% bracket.
$19,450 × 0% = $0

The remaining capital gains spill into the next bracket:
$550 × 15% = $82.50
-> Total LTCG tax: $82.50 (Federal)

This is why being strategic about when you realize capital gains matters.

By spreading gains over multiple years, you may take advantage of lower brackets.

Finally, remember:

Capital gains are not taxed inside tax-advantaged accounts
(e.g., 401(k)s, Roth IRAs).

That’s why most tax-loss harvesting opportunities live in taxable brokerage accounts.

Disclaimer: This is for financial education purposes only and not financial or tax advice.

"W2 employees never become millionaires."

Bulls***. I've consulted with 100s entering early retirement. 

Many were W2 employees, never actually owning a business. 

Or at least use it as a primary means of accomplishing millionaire status

They've crossed that point using the following methods:

- High savings rate towards stocks and real estate
- Equity compensation (More commonly via ISOs)

Owning a business is a massive opportunity to get there. 

And we've seen people retire early thanks to it too.

But it's not the ONLY method to create wealth.

Gotta pick that path that aligns with you.

But what do they all share in common?

Not sitting on the sidelines. 

They let investing take action. 

You earned hard for your paycheck. 

Now make it work harder for you.

Most have no clue what a write-off does.

Here's a quick breakdown of what it is:

A write-off is merely a deduction.

So use the example:

→ You get a $20,000 expense to write off
 → If your income starts at $200,000?
 → It gets lowered to $180,000
 → So what does that mean?

Here's what it does not mean:

IT DOES NOT MEAN $20,000 LESS TAXES.

A deduction does one thing:
Reduces income taxable.

In this case, a single person in 2025:
(Using only federal taxes in this example)

→ The entire $20,000 is in the 32% bracket
 → The amount taxed? $6,400 federal
 → So with the taxes saved?
 → You netted - $13,600

So yes, you saved more in taxes.

But you still spent money in the end.

It's not a dollar-for-dollar save.

It's a reduction in income taxed.

Big difference!

Note: Post is purely educational and not financial or tax advice*

You don’t need a financial planner if you’re HNW.

You just need to do the following:

- Investment planning
- Portfolio construction
- Asset allocation modeling
- Rebalancing across taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts
- Tax-aware asset location
- Capital gains management
- Tax-loss harvesting (and not violating wash sale rules)
- Multi-year tax projections
- Roth conversion timing and sizing
- AMT modeling
- Net investment income tax planning
- Equity compensation analysis (RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, ESPPs)
- 83(b) election decision modeling
- ISO AMT exposure tracking
- Concentration risk analysis
- Diversification strategy for concentrated stock
- Trading windows and blackout period planning
- Liquidity planning for large tax events
- Cash flow modeling across good and bad years
- Emergency fund optimization
- Opportunity cost analysis of excess cash
- Life insurance needs analysis
- Disability insurance review
- Umbrella liability coverage review
- ACA subsidy modeling
- Medicare planning
- Early retirement feasibility modeling
- Sequence-of-returns risk management
- Withdrawal strategy optimization
- Tax-efficient withdrawal order
- Guardrails vs fixed spending analysis
- Social Security claiming strategy
- Survivor benefit analysis
- Longevity risk modeling
- Estate planning coordination
- Beneficiary review across all accounts
- Annual exclusion tracking
- Lifetime exemption modeling
- Charitable giving strategy
- Entity structure planning considerations
- Reasonable compensation analysis
- Backdoor and Mega Backdoor Roth execution
- Exit planning scenarios
- Real estate analysis 
- Rent vs sell decision analysis
- 1031 exchange considerations
- Stress testing everything above
- Updating all of this every year
- And not panicking during market drawdowns
- And explaining it clearly to your spouse
- And actually implementing it correctly
- And staying compliant

Good luck!

A 👏 401k 👏 IS 👏 NOT 👏 A 👏 SCAM 👏

Here are some interesting facts about it:

- Has higher contribution limits than an IRA
- Provides a match via an employer
- Does not have income limitations
- Can offer a Roth component
- Can provide a Mega Back Door Roth

But you're probably thinking...

"My money is trapped in here forever!"

Not really. 

Why you won't generally get penalized until you are 59 1/2, there are exceptions to this:

But there are exceptions to getting funds out early penalty-free:

- Roth Conversion Ladder
- 72(t) Withdrawals (SEPP)
- Financial hardship (if allowed)
- Qualified Reservist Distributions
- Medical expenses
- Rule of 55
- Disability
- Death
- Etc.

In other words, you can take your money out with exceptions and specific strategies.

It can be an excellent vehicle for financial independence. 

Do you have a 401k?

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I love it when LinkedIn Influencers are like "the new algo is hurting my reach" and I will look at their content and think yeah it's definitely not the algo bro...

Them: We're looking to get a home.

Lender: How much were you looking to borrow?

Them: Well, how much can we?

Lender: 28% of your gross income. 

Them: Awesome. Let's do it. 

......

Them: We need help. How come it feels like we are stuck? We make really good income! 

Advisor: Let's take a look at your finances.

checks it*

Advisor: Well, I've found the problem. Your mortgage is 50% of your net income.

... 

Affording a down payment doesn't mean you can afford a property.

There's more to owning than just the price:

The costs you see. 

The costs you don't see. 

Don't lose sight of them.

40% of business owners aren’t sure they picked the right entity.

Here's what you need to know about entity structure:

When choosing a tax entity, you gotta choose with what aligns with you.

Some of the characteristics include:

→ What legal protection is provided
→ Is the income earned a pass-through
→ Are there self-employment taxes 
→ How much admin is there
→ What are the tax impacts 
→ Is there double taxation
→ How much does it cost

And so on. 

Consulting with the combo between a CPA and CFP is a great way to make sure you are on the right path here!

What kind of business do you currently have?

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Joe w/ $50K wants as much as Mia making $100K. 
 
Mia w/ $100K wants as much as Bob making $200K. 
 
Bob w/ $200K wants as much as Zoe making $400K. 
 
The problem? 
 
Income levels don't have a ceiling. 
 
And there are 8 billion people on this planet. 
 
So it's inevitable someone will be making more than you. 
 
Do yourself a favor and use a fair benchmark to compare to: 
 
Joe with $50K should aim to make more than Joe. 
 
Mia with $100k should aim to make more than Mia. 
 
Bob with $200K should aim to make more than Bob. 
 
Zoe with $400k shound aim to make more than Zoe. 
 
Stop basing your progress on someone else's. 
 
Want a better measurement to use? 
 
Grab a mirror and stick with it.

If your ESPP has a "look back", you're stting on a wealth hack. 

Here's the opportunity sitting in front of you. 

ESPPs are relatively simple. 

- You set aside your paycheck on a monthly basis for a period of time
- You buy your company stock at the end of the period
- Company let's you buy at a discount (usually 15%)
- The discount puts you at an immediate gain 

There some things to look out for like taxation, liquidity, and blackout periods to see how the ESPP works for you. 

But some have a provision called a "look back" period. 

The discount is applied either at the lower of the enrollment date or purchase date. 

For example:

If the enrollment price was $100 and $50 at the purchase price, the 15% is applied at the purchase price. 

If the enrollment price was $50 and $100 at the purchase price, the 15% is applied at the enrollment price. 

If the latter occurs you are looking at not only at 15% discount, but appreciation already of $50 between the $50 and $100! 

It's one of those great perks that can increase your wealth via your employer benefits. 

Don't discount the value of your company discount!

There’s a more tax-efficient way to own an index.

But is it worth it? Here’s a breakdown of direct indexing:

What is direct indexing?

It’s still passive investing.

But instead of owning an index fund, you own the individual stocks that make up the index.

Same market exposure.
Different implementation.

The goal isn’t higher returns.
The goal is tax efficiency.
Index funds are already very tax-efficient, especially ETFs.

But there’s one thing they can’t do:
They can’t pass individual stock losses to investors.

Losses inside a fund stay inside the fund.
With direct indexing, you own each stock directly.

That allows for:

Ongoing tax-loss harvesting
Offsetting capital gains
Deferring taxes while staying invested

Over time, this can increase after-tax wealth even if pre-tax returns are similar.

Some studies suggest direct indexing can add incremental after-tax value over long periods (often cited at 1%–2%), but results vary widely based on volatility, tax bracket, cash flows, and implementation.

Important tradeoffs to understand.
This strategy is not a free lunch.

Here’s what actually matters.

1) Cost

Most platforms charge roughly 0.10%–0.20%.
But additional costs may include:

Trading costs
Cash drag
Tracking error
Etc.

These reduce the net benefit and must be weighed against expected tax savings.

2) New money works best

Selling existing index funds to switch strategies often creates taxes that wipe out the benefit.

Direct indexing tends to work best with new dollars, such as:

Income
Liquidity events
Sale or acquisition proceeds
Using fresh capital avoids unnecessary tax friction.

3) Tax benefits depend on markets

The biggest advantage comes from harvesting losses, which requires volatility.

In prolonged bull markets:
Losses become harder to find
Unrealized gains accumulate

Tax benefits shift from harvesting losses to deferring gains, and eventually decline.

4) Wash sale coordination matters

Loss harvesting must be coordinated across taxable accounts, spousal accounts, and any index funds held elsewhere.

Poor coordination can reduce or eliminate the benefit.

5) You need an exit strategy

Deferred taxes eventually come due unless there’s a plan.

Is this money for retirement, charity, heirs (step-up in basis), or future liquidity?

Direct indexing works best when paired with broader tax and estate planning.

6) Benefits skew toward higher earners

The tax alpha is largest when tax rates and taxable balances are high.

For lower brackets or smaller portfolios, added cost and complexity may outweigh the benefit.

Bottom line

Direct indexing isn’t a magic upgrade.
It’s a tax optimization tool.

For the right investor, at the right time, with the right plan, it can add meaningful after-tax value.

For others, a low-cost index fund may be the better answer.

That’s why this should be a planning decision, not a product pitch.

If you’re exploring it, talk with a fee-only planner to see if it actually fits your situation.

I feel like I've seen these phases with early reitrees:

Stage 1: They fire their advisor cause they don't like performance or service
Stage 2: They do it themself and are happy with it
Stage 3: The more they research, the more they realize there's more to just investing
Stage 4: They keep getting conflicting answers to from thousands of voices online, but unsure which applies to them
Stage 5: They hire a financial planner for a second-hand opinion 

And guess what?

That new advisor is not the person trying to sell them some fancy product or performance.

It's the advisor who:

- Looks at their whole picture
- A structure to implement it
- Has an incentive to do so

I love it when people are able to handle finances on their own. 

But once you need some help?

You know where to find us.

Most people don’t actually know the tax status of their accounts.

Quick refresher 👇

Taxable Accounts:

- Individual Brokerage
- Joint Brokerage
- UTMA / UGMA

Pre-Tax Accounts:

- Traditional IRA
- SIMPLE IRA
- SEP IRA
- 403(b)
- 401(k)
- 457

Post-Tax Accounts:

- Roth IRA
- Roth 457
- Roth 401(k)
- Roth 403(b)
- Roth SEP IRA
- 529 (Could have a state deduction)

Triple-Tax:

- HSA (One of a kind)

Before worrying about returns?

Make sure you know how your money is taxed.

Which of these are you using?

If the recent 4,000 employees laid off by Block caught your attention, this is your wake-up call to revisit your emergency fund. 

Not your retirement accounts.
Not your brokerage accounts.
Not your company equity.

Your cash. 

Yeah, the boring cash loses to inflation over the long run.

But in the short run:

- Easily accessible
- Removed from market volatility
- Not taxed when withdrawn or liquidated

How much to fund is how you answer this question:

"How long can I reasonably live off my essential expenses?"

Just understand this about the stock market. 

It carries a risk of losing money, no matter how long you park it for.

But the longer you have it, the chances of that are cut significantly.

Not "eliminated", but the risk of losing money is statistically lower. 

That risk is put on full max if you need it now. 

The S&P 500 is not a viable fund in the near term. 

The asset that remains fixed near term is. 

Adjust accordingly!

Top ways early retirees pull their accounts penalty free:

- Roth conversions that have been moved after 5 years
- Distribute HSA funds backed by medical expenses
- Separation of service with a 457 plan
- Use a brokerage account
- Roth IRA contributions
- Rule of 55
- 72(t)

Alongside many more to implement. 

The question becomes which of these applies to you?

You won't know with a black and white answer. 

Find the one for you.

Chief Commission Officer 💰 I help salespeople find commission errors 🔥

Dan Goodman has been a fierce and passionate advocate for employees for nearly three decades. What started out as a hobby helping friends and family verify commission pay and identify and recover pay errors, soon became a mission that led to the founding of TruCommish. A commission audit service for salespeople. 

Recently, to help a wider audience of employees beyond salespeople and pay errors, Dan founded, Dan Goodman Employment Advisory. Dan's passion is to encourage and empower employees to stand up against wrongdoing. To not have years or decades of regret for being mistreated and doing nothing about it. 

For generations employers have relied on lack of information or misinformation provided to employees to coerce, mislead, and take advantage of them. Whether it is wrongly using PIPs to terminate employees, the farce of unlimited PTO, the false deadlines to respond to a severance, the façade of compensation plans being legal binding documents that the employer can change at any time without your agreement. The list goes on and Dan is here to shed light on these wrongful practices, educate employees on their rights and help to ensure the best possible outcome when these harmful situations arise. 

Dan assists employees across 8 practice areas: employment agreements, restrictive clause, severance offers, PIPs, stock/equity grants, compensation plans, commission/pay disputes, and general coaching, guidance, and advice. If you need help in any of these areas, book some time on Dan’s calendar for a paid call and he can help you sort through it all. 

Finally, Dan brings his passion for numbers and analysis along with his passion for uplifting the often-downtrodden salesperson at the moment they feel most isolated. Dan naturally has an analytically driven financial mind. He holds a BBA Cum Laude in Finance and an MBA Magna Cum Laude in Entrepreneurial studies from Babson College

Dan’s mission is to provide truth and transparency around the employer/employee relations. Shedding a light on many of the morally and often legally questionable practices by employers.

Dan Goodman

How low can employers go? How petty and pathetic can they be?

How about terminating an employee mid-week before the start of a new month just to save on their portion of 1 month healthcare premiums, leaving the employee with no insurance and no job effective immediately. 

And this is how they treat employees who they like. Employees who they have had no complaints or concerns with. People who have showed up, worked hard, and produced on behalf of their employer every day. 

Recently, I have heard from more than a half a dozen employees who were terminated in the middle of the week on the last day of the month. 

Typically, health insurance premiums are paid the first of the month for the that month of coverage. By terminating the employee at the end of the month, the employer does not have to pay health premiums for the employee the following month. 

They get to save hundreds of dollars in return for leaving the employee further stressed and upset with one more huge thing to worry about. 

An even worse trend I'm seeing. Employers canceling health insurance mid month, even though the premiums have already been paid for, including a portion by the employee. Just unreal. Petty and pathetic. 

The employer could care less about the cancer treatments, expensive lifesaving medications, scheduled surgeries, or children who need regular medical attention. 

Nope you’re just a number on a spreadsheet, a delete key on a keyboard and poof goodbye employee who was nothing buy loyal and productive.

How can this situation exist? Who are these heartless souls? How did they ever get into a position of leadership or decision making? 

Have you ever been terminated and had your health insurance end instantly or in a few days?

🥊Employee Advocate 🔄 Counter to Human Resources 🦸 Severance Whisperer 🤫 Founder/CEO 🔥 Entrepreneur🏌‍♂️ 🏖. I consult on all employment related matters including Job Offers, PIPs, Comp Plans, Equity Grants and more.

Don’t debate the PIP. Don’t get stuck on the gerbil wheel. That’s where your employer wants you to be. 

PIPs are weapons to push employees out of a job or to justify terminating employees in a protected class. 

Don’t spin your wheels trying to defend yourself against the intentionally false, gaslit claims of the PIP. 

That’s what they want you to do. To stay stuck reacting to their false claims and defending yourself rather than stepping back and seeing the forest through the trees of what’s really going on. 

You likely have experienced for weeks if not months or longer, a targeted plan to make you so miserable you would just leave on your own. 

When you didn’t, the plan culminated with an undeserved and unachievable PIP. Don’t get upset and debate the lies of the PIP, that’s where they want your mind to be.

Sign it or not. They will just move forward with it either way. They only want/need you to confirm that you’ve received it and reviewed it. 

Document your situation to prove the targeted efforts to manage you out of the business and most importantly look for a job. 

If you get a new job and have not been terminated yet, push your start date out as far as you can and try to negotiate an exit with a severance. 

You’ve got nothing to lose. Worst case they’ll terminate you or tell you to resign if you don’t want to be there anymore. 

You also may find it therapeutic to document what you’ve experienced whether you share it or not.

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The Battle

Max Pashman, CFP®

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Posts

Engagements

Likes

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