zoë hartsfield 🌊

good @ building pipeline | bad at most other things | currently building pipeline + evangelism at Apollo

I've generated over 100MM impressions for brands on social media in the past 24 months. Most coming from LinkedIn. Building world class employee, executive and influencer advocacy programs for B2B software companies. 

I'm a marketer by trade, but sales has my heart. Also passionate about helping younger professional level up in their careers (mostly by charing lessons I learned the hard way).

-------------------------------------------------------------

If you're a brand and want to collab on content, shoot me an email at zoe@zoehart.co

If you're a young professional looking for tips, hacks, and learnings to help you level up, hit the bell & follow me on IG (@zoepatience) and TikTok (@zoeeharttt).

If there are other ways you hope to work together, shoot me a DM- let's chat.

Head of Marketing & Evangelism

Standing up the content, community & demand gen functions at Swantide. 
Q1 & Q2 OKRs + Wins:
- 4x inbound traffic
- organized and generated Sales Collateral Library
- guested on 15 podcast + webinars to evangelize the brand
- onboarded tools: HockeyStack, Warmly, Demandwell
- Stood up content calendar
- Stood up product release marketing with CS
- Trained the GTM team on social selling
- Created Community Driven Pipeline Playbook
- Launched Events marketing program hosting in-person and virtual events
- Stood up partnerships program
- Stood up first-ever referral motion (generating 15% of pipeline after 2 months)
- leveraging my personal brand to generate new business opportunities
- Set up GA4 + marketing attribution model
- Generated 50% of pipeline from inbound, content + community
- Generated 39% closed-won revenue from inbound, content + community
- did all of this without ads^ 😏


We are making implementing and configuring salesforce 10x faster, 10x simpler at 1/5 the cost. It's so easy, I can set up your Salesforce instance. DM me if you're about to or just bought SFDC and need help with configuration & system management. We've got you covered 😎

zoë hartsfield

i posted 289 times in the past year. after analyzing my top 50 most viral posts i noticed something. 88% of them use "i", "me" or "my" in the hook. 

when i work with clients this is actually one of the biggest hurdles we have to overcome.

"i don't want to talk about myself"

unfortunately, people will only follow along if you do. 

otherwise your content may as well have been written by anyone.



when you write in the first person, and share from a more vulnerable perspective it breeds more credibility. it makes people feel like "okay, this guy has DONE it"

writing about YOU makes people relate to you. 

putting it into the context of your life and your experience helps people contextualize information. 


so next time you write a hook, ask yourself "could anyone have written this, or could it have only come from me."

and just rewrite it use i, me, or my in the hook. 



that's what makes a personal brand, personal. 



kloveyoubye

zoë hartsfield 👻

i build executive and employee brands on linkedin that drive audience, authority & inbound | executive brand strategy & ghostwriting | founder @ the little ghost

I just saw Block (CashApp & Square) announced major layoffs.  Approximately 40% of their 10k employees to be replaced by AI. And you know what happened to their stock? 

Fricken jumped. 


I’m not here to debate the ethics of AI or dismiss the heartbreak of major layoffs. 

As someone who’s been thru one once before it absolutely sucks. 


But the biggest thing this signals to me is literally every person, regardless of their role needs to get dangerous with AI yesterday. 

Get comfy with: 
- Chatgpt
- Claude  
- Perplexity AI 
- Gemini

Adapt workflow & productivity tools like: 
- Zapier 
- Wispr Flow 
- Gamma 
- Lovable  
- NotebookLM
- Fathom.ai 


just force yourself to use these. a little each day. try eliminating 1 repetitive task or speed up 1 work ritual each week. 

ai can be an extension of you instead of a replacement, but you’ve gooooottta put in the work now to get comfy with it.

graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message

i'm gonna be honest. 2 months into going full time on my biz i've never been more stressed out in my life. instead of showing you the sexy numbers, here's the harsh reality of going out on your own:


YES you have more freedom

 → you also are a team of one. It's a little lonely out here. 



the money is already 2X what I made in my day job.

→ but the expenses are insane right now. tools, branding, a website, accounting, taxes, payroll, new equipment. ya'll i have spent nearly $30k in startup costs for this business and we aren't done yet. 



you get to pick the work you do and what you focus on

→ there are soooo many things that need my attention and it's hard to prioritize. build pipeline, make content, client work and deliverables, brand, strategy, partnerships, operations, accounting, automating what i can automate. sometimes i feel a tad overwhelmed. 



sometimes at night i just drive around my neighborhood with music blaring louder that the scary thoughts in my head and i just mutter to myself "im gonna figure this out" over and over again until my playlist ends or i finally get tired enough to turn my brain off.




i've never been more stressed. 

i've also never had more fun. 

this whole thing is insane, but i am committing to the process and believing i will in fact... figure this out. 


i wrote a little more about it PLUS some interesting trends i am seeing on LinkedIn (for personal brand + those trying to social sell on here) in my latest newsletter. 

dropped it below if ya wanna check it out.

the realities of working from home: (a pros and cons list) 

pro: my commute is 14ft 
con: there is almost no separation 

pro: i can easily take a break & run and errand or do laundry
con: so many things to distract me from deep work 

pro: my dog gets to hang with me all day 
con: n/a

pro: my home office is optimized for me & the way i like to work & focus 
con: right now my home is a construction zone and i am banished to the living room 

pro: free coffee and snacks all day 
con: i supply all the coffee and snacks for the team (the team is me) 



i get why people like an office, i really do. but you will not catch me working 5 days a week from an office ever again. the flexibility and freedom are too valuable to me. 


this office set up sucks rn though 


the price we pay i guess 





kloveyoubye

i know people are frustrated by linkedin's algo, but as someone who's made content here for 4+ years... change is the name of the game. here's some shifts i've seen on Linkedin in 2026 (and what to do about it):

- the rise of ai means there is MORE content. 

creating your own style and flare to content is more important than ever


- content that could only come from YOU is the way to stand out/cut thru the noise


- pivot away from "advice" and lean into lessons learned 

how i > how you should


- share proprietary data

"i analyzed my top 50 posts" > "reach in general is down"


- go outbound with your audience. 

you have 100 weekly connection requests, use them


- up your comment game

engage with your ideal audience AND the creators who already have your ideal audience (steal their followers)

- a team of creators > one voice

if you're a founder, exec or marketing leader do whhhhatever you have to to get a handful of team members on linkedin. 5 employees will feel like a brand FORCE more than just one founder posting 3x a month.




i spend too much time here, so steal my nerdy observations

or don't

i'm not your mom




butidoloveyoubye

LinkedIn Algo update 2026

i saw 4 major brands all attempt LinkedIn takeovers on Tuesday. 

the two that dominated my feed?

Nooks​ + Profound​

why did their plays work and the other two kiiiiinda flop?


Nooks leaned HARD into the founder's post. 

they got employees, customers and partners to like, comment, share. I managed to see Dan Lee​'s post 5 times in the same day. 

well produced video.

tons of engagement. 

lot's of "reposts" from their team. 


Profound took a slightly different route. 

i also saw their founder's post CRUSH 

again, highly produced, massive engagement etc.

but they leaned harder into the influencer/brand partnership angle. 

i saw at leeeeast 5 posts from your favorite marketing influencers sharing the announcement from their own unique POV. 


my money is on Profound having garnered more impressions but both companies were unavoidable on Tuesday. 



common denominator? meaningful story post giving context to the announcement from the founder.


if you haven't baked executive brand into your 2026 marketing plan- you may want to revisit that strategy doc. 





if you don't your competitors will, and it's reeeeeally hard to catch up once they get ahead.

5 years ago i had 6 followers on LinkedIn. today i have 73k.

these are my top 4 recommendations to grow on linkedin in 2026:

1. write about the same 4-5 things, over and over

instead of "picking a niche" just pick a few topics you could speak about with a friend for over an hour.

people have to know what you know, and if you talk about everything they'll never be able to nail down what your expertise is actually in.

2. make people better at their life or job

i ask myself two questions before i hit post:
1. will this help someone be better at their job/have a win TODAY?
2. will this make people feel something?

if the answer is no to both, scrap it and start over. 

3. format doesn't matter as much as familiarity does

people talk all the time about which medium is going viral. 
pick 2-3 you like making and stick to them. 
i do static image, video and carousels. 
people expect those from me.
pick yours
do those

the goal is to be familiar and that comes with repetition.

4. just keep going.

pick a timeframe
30 days
90 days 

whatever stick to it. 

i recently did a 100 day posting challenge, grew my following by 7k and garnered 10MM impressions. 

half of "winning" on this platform is just outlasting everyone else in your industry who gives up. 






and if all else fails and you're like- Zoe i do not have time for this... hire a ghostwriter 😎

your success as a content creator hinges directly on your willingness to feel cringe for a few months while getting started. 

most people quit.

and those that don't are all the people you call "lucky" and "a natural."


sharing your story isn't natural. 
talking to a camera isn't natural.
building a following isn't luck.


everyone starts at 0. 
few people push past the uncomfy to get to 1.






ps. i still hate filming myself in public but ya do what ya gotta do eh?


kloveyoubye

i have helped 4 companies do major announcements on linkedin. each more epic than the last. after running this play 4x + generating millions of impressions in a day for each, here's what works:


- you need individual voices (not just 20 reposts of the CEO)

- you need original copy (sorry marketing, you can't just spam LI with 15 of the same thing from different profiles

- you need POV/skin in the game (let each person share why this moment means something to them 

- you need customers (get them under embargo or NDA and have customers join in on the fun!)

- you need a unified theme or story (this is what ties it all together and makes it cohesive)

- you need this play to be rare (you can only run it 2-3x in a year so save it for the big stuff)


and for the love of all that is good-- do NOT repost with thoughts... 

idk why LI even has that feature it is the worst performing post you'll ever publish, just repost without thoughts and move on if you're not going to write something original. 





kloveyoubye

weekends are for renovation updates. If you didn’t know, i’m turning my 4 & 2 into two units. and so far the project is a disaster: 

turned out my plumbing needs to be moved behind the walls, the north side of my house is too close the the property line for a well-window and my electrical panel is too small. 

but don’t worry, for the small price of an additional $29k you too can have a bunch of stuff brought up to code that no one will ever see or notice. 


with more money and a positive attitude, you can solve any problem :) 

kloveyoubye

made ONE change to my linkedin headline that worked so well I had to change it back 😂. 16 inbound leads in 48 hours. steal it (but heads up it can be powerful):



the only update i made to my headline was adding "ask me about building an executive brand that grows audience and inbound on linkedin" as the last line



i just told people super explicitly why they should reach out to me. i even gave them the question to ask



this works in pretty much any space, with any cta. 



"ask me about how to hit 10k followers on titktok in 90 days"



"ask me about a free cybersecurity audit"



"ask me about how to get a 12%+ connect rate on cold calls"



^ the expertise needs to be there. if it's an offer it needs to be genuine. you should have receipts ready to go to prove that you know how to do whatever you're telling them to ask you about...



but sheeeeeeesh 



as soon as i put it there people took me up on it.



there are a lot of folks watching on this platform- invite them to the conversation. 





try it and lemme know how it goes!



or don't... i literally do not care.

here’s more stuff your boss really doesn’t want you to know. anyone on the job market (or up for promotion) this one is important: don’t take the bonus. 

or i mean do it if you want but you should read the fine print 


MOST performance bonus’s baked into comp plans are a way to keep annualized compensation off the company books. 

they’re also almost always tied to company performance (which you have no control over) and your personal performance (which you do control). 


meaning- you could CRUSH, and if the company misses the number you’re likely not getting your bonus (and if you are you’re not getting all of it). 


the company also has discretion if they want to change the bonus plan or structure even after you sign (this happened to me once) 


it’s also *sometimes* taxed differently (but you have to check your specific situation) at a much higher rate. 


instead of taking the performance bonus, i’d try to negotiate more cash comp. 

they offer you a 30k bonus? ask for 20k added to your base, no bonus. 


i’d never take a role with a performance bonus again. 



but i work for myself now so i guess the “bonus” would be me not going out of business 


kloveyoubye

if i had a million dollars to spend on influencer marketing, i'd take $100K of it and throw it back at my own employees.
here's why:

when you pay external influencers (hi, it's me), you're paying for rented audiences. one post. maybe two. then it's gone. and you have zero control over whether they actually give a shit about your product long term.

but your employees? they're already on payroll. they already know the product. 
they already talk to your customers every single day.
they're homegrown influencers waiting to happen.

think about it.

LinkedIn is a virtual highway. your employees are 10 billboards on that highway.
right now? they're all blank.

or worse, they're posting about their weekend hikes and sharing company announcements copy and pasted from marketing that get 4 likes from other employees.

meanwhile you're cutting $50K checks to creators who pronounce your product name wrong and move on to the next sponsor by tuesday.

don’t get me wrong there is absolutely a place for influencer marketing in your stack- you cannot beat that reach BUT, you need to invest in a longer term strategy.

i've seen what happens when you flip the math.

at one company i worked with, 4 employees started posting consistently. app mentions went from 100/month to 300/month in 60 days. 3x. just from internal people actually talking about what they do.

customers started talking. prospects started talking. influencers hit us up to collab. it was mad.

i love getting paid to post for brands. but the smartest companies i work with? they're also investing in the people already inside the building.
homegrown + rented = big brand payoff.

i used to generate 40% of my pipeline as an SDR from my linkedin content. anywhere between 5-8 meetings a month straight off my posts. so this is now a core belief: 


content is a salespersons job. 
content is a salespersons job.
content is a salespersons job.
content is a salespersons job.
content is a salespersons job.


i’ve done this across 5 companies, different industries and selling to different personas. 

i’ve also trained hundreds of reps to do it. 


here’s the basics:


-(OFTEN) write about the problem your prospect faces 
-(SOMETIMES) write about the playbooks you use (or you’ve seen work) to get the results/solutions to that problem 
-(OCASSIONALLY) write & pitch the product you actually sell

sprinkle in your personal passions, and pov on the matter & you’ve got yourself an engine that drives audience, authority & inbound. 


it’s not easy- but it is simple. 




kloveyoubye

No alternative text description for this image

"i know some founders who use ghostwriters + their content is boring" 
yea... their ghostwriter probably sucks + just uses chatGPT. here's how good ghostwriters make sure your content doesn't suck:



1. they need decent source material. 

i do this with weekly sourcing calls, but you could also use books, podcasts, customer call recordings, team meetings, internal slack etc... if they are posting generic content geared toward your niche of course it's bland... its not YOU.



2. they should use AI (but not how you think)

i don't use ai to actually write the final product. i use it for call recordings, note taking, parsing out posts/story segments, post analytics and checking for grammar. 

the writing is the only part i do myself, but i leverage ai in the process surrounding the writing (i write better hooks than chatGPT... what can i say 🤷🏻‍♀️)



3. they're recording the data week over week over week but analyzing month over month

the algo is weird. i don't put too much stock in any one post or trend. you want monthly improvement and to look at outliers to try and replicate success




and if the ghostwriter doesn't start the whole thing with a brand identity framework and content strategy, you're doomed from the start. 





please use this when you're evaluating ghostwriters. ^

i'm not trying to convince you to work with me. tbh, i am not a fit for everyone. 

but nooooobody should have to pay their good $$$$ for someone to just type "give me 10 posts for a CEO of a B2B Saas Company in MarTech for LinkedIn" and just copy and paste the results to you. 

and i know several ghostwriters pulling $20k+/mo just doing this for a bunch of founders and CEOs 


don't make that mistake.


your stories + ghostwriter's packaging. 



that's the magic.

it’s a shame i don’t have a brand deal with my call recorder… this would make a decent ad tbh. 

saved my life today. 


for real, record all your calls guys… you never know when disaster will strike. 

kloveyoubye

you ego makes you a terrible analyst. (myself included). look at these 4 posts from feb and tell me which one was the best.

1. image, 110k impressions 63 comments, 314 likes

2. video post, 40k impressions, 59 comments, 211 likes

3. image post, 50k impressions, 39 comments, 180 likes

4. image post, 9k impressions, 22 comments, 62 likes



off the top you'd think 1 was the standout yea? 

1. was a post about my sister's series and while it had great engagment, that's all it was.

2. was a brand sponsored post, drove a lot of clicks and i made $$$ off that partnership

3. was a post trying to help a friend who was just shy of 3k followers. she's a great writer so i told folks to follower her- she gained 350+ followers that day.

4. was a breakdown of how i think about ghostwriting as someone who's written for dozens of executives. 2 meetings booked- one call close. 




it's easy to get in your head about what's working, but linkedin like any social media can be used as a funnel. some posts grow your audience, some grow your business. you need a mix.


here's the split i try to stick to (and recommend to my clients):

60% Top of Funnel - Problem posts (educate the people about a problem in your niche) this content is lighter, broader and gains eyeballs

30%Middle of Funnel- Playbook posts (give away all your best info for free) break down a process, template or framework for the personas you help. help them solve one specific problem TODAY. make it easy to implement right now

10% Bottom of Funnel - Pitch your sh*t (or POV) tell personal stories, share wins or straight up hit em with a "DM me if you need help with X"




Which bucket do you think this post falls into?^

top tier VCs (any VCs really) should have an in-house team of ghostwriters for all their port-co founders. investors who aren't putting $$$ into founder content are wayyyy behind... it would be so simple:

those founders should be writing newsletters, posting on linkedin, X, maybeeee even IG and youtube.

they need to be telling stories, sharing the behind the scenes of building the company and walking people through the problem their product solves in real time. 

not polished marketing videos- from the desk of the CEO etc.


and i know investors want the founders focused on build the thing, but a founder brand is an essential component of the company brand in 2026. the need to be building the brand if they have a shot at beating out their competition. 

so if they don't have the time, give them a way to do it that doesn't require much of their time. 

have a professional interview them 2x a month (or just listen to call recordings, or drop in on team meetings) and write the dang content for them. 

and if you don't want to hire someone in house then have a handful of partners on deck and connect them with your founders early. 



executive brands can be the difference maker when customers are choosing between two products. 

in a world of AI when products can be spun up in a matter of hours with vibe coding... your TEAM is the moat. 



any VCs out there already doing this? 

if not, why not... what am i missing?

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.

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.

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?

undefined undefined

pashman-financial-llc

schooloffinances

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.

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*

"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.

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.

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.

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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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.

Daniel Goodman CFP®

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!

Investing in moments like these, where AI isn't around for miles, is becoming one of my favorite things to do. 

Feel like this is going to be a massive trend in 2026 in beyond. 

Make sure your financial plan accounts for them! 

What experiences are you investing towards?

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.

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