At $5 Million, You Are Not Planning for Retirement Anymore
At 49 with $5 million, the retirement question is answered. You are on track for $18 million. The tax and estate moves that protect it are cheapest today and weakest later.
Read MoreI'm JB Morris. For over 22 years I've helped high earners make decisions about money that don't have obvious answers. I founded Concierge Wealth Management in Greater Boston, where we follow a fiduciary standard.
Most of what I write here starts with a question a client actually asked me. What do I do with my RSUs when I leave my job? What happens to my stock options if we get acquired? How do I get out of a concentrated position without a tax disaster? Should I convert to a Roth now or wait? When can I actually retire?
Those questions come up constantly for people building real wealth, whether that's through equity compensation, a growing business, or a long career of steady decisions. The answers are rarely one size fits all. So I write them out the way I'd explain them across the table, with real numbers and real examples.
If you're a professional in tech or biotech, a business owner, or someone facing a decision you'd rather not get wrong, this is written for you.
At 49 with $5 million, the retirement question is answered. You are on track for $18 million. The tax and estate moves that protect it are cheapest today and weakest later.
Read MoreFee-only is not one model, it is several. Some flat fees are percentages in disguise. How each model bills you, why my practice is fee-based, and what to ask instead of which label a firm uses.
Read MoreFiduciary is the most important word in financial advice, and the one almost nobody asks about. Here's what it means, how to find out if your advisor is one, and what the difference quietly costs you.
Read MoreHolding too much of one company's stock is one of the most common and most dangerous positions high earners fall into. Here's how to diversify without a giant tax bill, and how one engineer cut a $1.4M single-stock position down to size.
Read MoreThis quarter, Julian B. Morris was quoted in The Boston Globe, Yahoo Finance, GOBankingRates, and BestMoney on family gifting, retirement moves, and couples' finances. His takeaway: money decisions are emotional first, technical second.
Read MoreA Roth conversion in your 40s is usually a mistake for peak earners, but income dip years like a sabbatical or gap between roles can make it brilliant. See how one professional saved $37K on a $300K conversion just by timing it right.
Read MoreAn acquisition does not automatically mean your equity pays out. What happens depends on your grant type, your vesting schedule, and provisions buried in plan documents most people have never read. This post covers what happens to RSUs, sto
Read MoreUnvested RSUs disappear the day you resign. How to read your vesting schedule before you give notice, why your exit date can be worth six figures, what to do with the shares you keep, and how to negotiate an offset.
Read MoreQ2 2026 gave investors and near-retirees plenty of reasons to second-guess their plans. Tariff-driven market swings. Social Security projections pulling forward. The five years before retirement suddenly feeling shorter than expected....
Read MoreAcross conversations on retirement readiness, budgeting frameworks, cryptocurrency risk, and automation, the message remains consistent. Financial success is rarely about complexity. It is about structure, discipline, and aligning decisions
Read MoreJulian B. Morris, CFP®, shares 2025 national media insights from GOBankingRates, Bankrate, and MarketWatch on estate planning, retirement flexibility, investing fees, homebuying decisions, and recession planning for families + high earners
Read MoreBoston advisor Julian B. Morris, CFP®, shares new features in Forbes, Yahoo Finance & The New York Post — real stories about behavior, discipline, and building wealth that actually fits your life.
Read MoreA Personal Snapshot Here’s a real look inside my Coinbase allocations. I wish I could tell you this was a perfectly executed strategy, but most of my crypto positions started as $500-per-token experiments spread over the years. Some...
Read MoreFeatured in Yahoo Finance, Forbes, TIME, TheStreet, and MoneyGeek — sharing real-world lessons on behavior, discipline, and clarity in money decisions. Practical > hype. Read the highlights
Read More💸 FIVE COMMON FINANCIAL MISTAKES IN YOUR 30s, 40s & 50s: Procrastinating on planning 🕰️, ignoring tax strategy 🧾, letting lifestyle creep eat your wealth 🛍️, overloading on company stock 📈, and failing to protect your future 🛡️.
Read More7 smart planning strategies every high earner in Greater Boston should know — from equity comp and tax moves to building the right team. Get expert tips from Concierge Wealth Management, Your Financial Concierge®
Read MoreWhen you are granted stock options, RSUs, or performance shares, it is a major financial opportunity, but also a complex puzzle that most DIY investors underestimate. Managing equity compensation is not just about “holding and hoping.”...
Read MoreWHO IS BLOCKING FOR YOU? ❌⭕️❌⭕️❌ In football 🏈, the job of the Offensive Line is to prevent the defense from making plays so the offense can score 📈 These 🖐️ players open up holes for the Running Back and allow for the Wide...
Read MoreSANDWICH GENERATION 🥪Remember when your parents took care of you❓For many millennials, the roles are reversed ⏮️ and they’re now providing financial and emotional support to their parents in addition to their own children ‼️The...
Read MoreHIGH NET WORTH MILLENNIALS & GEN X
Read MoreHow do you value the time you save? The more time you save, the more you can focus on areas of your life you enjoy and the people you live
Read MoreThe Internal Revenue Service recently released updated income tax brackets, standard deduction, and retirement contribution limits for the 2024 tax year. While these taxes are not due for some time, it may benefit you to start...
Read MoreInvestors know that the stock market moves in cycles, but few are comfortable when the cycle takes stock prices lower. And since late August, the cycle has been decidedly lower. If you’re looking for reasons to worry, you...
Read More😀 DOES MONEY BUY HAPPINESS? 🙃In 2010 a study by a Nobel Prize winner said money could boost happiness up to earning of $75,000 and then would level off. Recently, a new study conducted by the some of the same Nobel...
Read MoreWhy I Pay Someone to Help Me Work Out & Why It’s Similar to Financial PlanningGYM 🏋️♀️✅ Programming - writing workouts that focus on full body strength and conditioning✅ Safety -...
Read MoreThe "FIT SHAPE" Philosophy is the way we work with you to help you plan for the future. First, you decide if you are the right "FIT" for Concierge Wealth Management."F.I.T."FIND out about each other. 🗣️IDENTIFY...
Read More🎯 PEN AND PAPER: Write down what you want to accomplish on a piece of paper. Place that paper in a spot you will see every day, such as your refrigerator or a sticky note hanging off your computer monitor🎯 BUILD...
Read MoreA strong Friday rally triggered by fresh signs of moderating inflation pushed stocks into positive territory to begin the new year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.46%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 advanced 1.45%....
Read MoreIn a holiday-shortened week, erratic trading left stocks marginally down for the week.The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.17%, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 slipped 0.14%. The Nasdaq Composite index fell 0.30%. The MSCI...
Read MoreWishing you a Happy Holiday Season 🕎🎄🎁 plus a Happy & Safe New Year 🎉🥳🎊 From my family to yours. More than grateful 🙏 to celebrate 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣2️⃣ and beyond with all of you 🙌 ❤️, The Morris Family (JB, Ariana, Jocelyn, and Addison)
Read More❓WHEN DO YOU NEED AN OLYMPIC SIZE POOL❓Let's talk about LIQUIDITY 🆘💦💦💦🚨5 weeks left of summer ☀️!Maybe you have been swimming in a few different pools this summer.❓How much LIQUIDITY💦💦💦 or 🚨EMERGENCY MONEY🚨 you should have...
Read MoreBack in 2006, I bought my first condo in an "up and coming" neighborhood in Boston known as the South End. I had previously lived in the Back Bay and the condo was a 10 minute walk further from all of the places I was frequenting. The...
Read MoreFINANCIAL PLANNING UNSCRAMBLES YOUR BRAIN 🧠NO PLAN 🍳🍳 No strategy🍳 No long term clarity🍳 Confused🍳 Overwhelmed🍳 Not organized❓Are you thinking, “This 👆feels like me❓”WITH PLAN 🥚 🥚 Strategy🥚 Clarity🥚 Less...
Read MoreWe just adopted a new puppy. He’s the fourth dog I’ve owned over the last two decades. Here are some proactive steps I have taken with with each dog to protect their longevity or make sure they’re taken care of in the...
Read MorePROGRESS > PERFORMANCE ❗️❕❗️PROGRESS✅ Happens incrementally 📶✅ Takes time ⏳✅ Immediate results may not show✅ Small steps 🐾🐾🐾 towards a target 🎯✅ Requires Dedication✅ Ongoing 🔄PERFORMANCE⚠️ Is fleeting ⚠️ Can involve luck 🍀⚠️...
Read More❓What is Financial Planning ⁉️👣👣👣👣A series of small steps over time that compound to help you solve your problems 👣👣👣👣NOTE: Plan will not always move in a straight line 🌀 because life doesn’t. Your plan needs to adapt...
Read MoreThe overlap ↔️ between your Financial Goals 💰 and your Life Goals 🎯FINANCIAL GOALS 💰💰💰💵 Emergency Fund🎓 College Savings🏠 New Home✈️ Travel🏖 RetirementLIFE GOALS 🎯🎯🎯🔒 Security⛑ Safety😎 Stress Free🥳 Fun🧸 Comfort❤️...
Read MoreEvery decision we make in life has good ✅ or bad consequences ❌ In planning for your future 🔮 It’s somewhat of a financial 🦋 effect. We have two ✌️paths:🟢 Is a series of small good ✅ decisions that over time will increase ⏫...
Read More❓ When was the last time your financial advisor asked WHY you were planning and investing ⁉️❓ When was the last time your financial advisor asked what you want your yourself in the future ⁉️❓When was the last time your financial...
Read MoreLast night I was asking my Kindergartener when will she learn to read so she can help me work. I said I’d pay her $1 for her help.She went on to explain to me how she would put the bills into her piggy bank and save as follows:🐷...
Read More❓WHAT IS THE BEST INVESTMENT⁉️Special 💲50 Meal EditionCheeseburger 🍔 v. Pizza 🍕v. Michelin Chef Mystery Item 🧑🍳Most people ❤️ burgers 🍔 & pizza 🍕Here we are also guaranteeing it is the best 🍔 or 🍕 you have ever had....
Read More♾❓🌀‼️Behavior is the only pattern that is going to influence your 💰 for better 👍 or worse 👎Each day we are faced with decisions, both big and small. Sometimes the BIG decisions are scary 😱 and we kick 👟 the can 🗑 down the road....
Read MoreTHE 💯% GUARANTEECHANGE WILL HAPPEN OVER TIME✅ Goals 🎯✅ Jobs 💼✅ Markets 📈📉📈✅ Family 🤰👨👩👧👦✅ Values 💸✅ Dreams 💭Planning is a Process 🔁, not a one time exercise.The more we repeat the process ♾, the closer we...
Read MoreYou have dreams 💭, wishes🧞♂️, ambitions 🔮How will you accomplish this alone❓The world 🌎 is a big scary 👻 and confusing 😵💫 placed.It’s easy to get overwhelmed 🤯Before you lose your head, talk 🗣 to a Real...
Read MoreA one time financial plan is a quick fix 🔧. My experience is that people want this to “say I have a plan!”The truth is that Plan is worthless 📉 the second ⏲ you walk out the door 🚪.Why⁉️📄 It was built on guesses 🤔 and...
Read More❓WHAT IS THE BEST INVESTMENT⁉️DIY Investing 🪶 v. 1x Financial Plan 📑 v. Ongoing Financial Planning Relationship ♾DIY Investing 🪶🪶 Control your own destiny 🔮🪶 Implement how you want🪶 Potential to get 💰 or 😭 quick🪶 Unlimited...
Read More❓WOULD YOU RATHER BE A 🐛 OR A 🦋❓The Metamorphosis of Financial Planning🐛 ➡️ 🦋👉 Financial 🐛’s have something great in them but need help 🤝 to bring it out🐛 Don’t know their purpose🐛 Aren’t sure what they are...
Read MoreNow and again, the price action on Wall Street can surprise even the most seasoned investors.Look no further than when President Biden in late April proposed an increase in the tax on capital gains to 39.6% from 20% for those...
Read MoreNon-fungible tokens, or NFTs, have been the recipient of the latest buzz. NFTs are digital files attached to blockchain codes. If you know anything about digital currencies, you’re probably aware that these blockchain codes are...
Read MoreAre your financial goals well-defined? While "I want to have lots of money" may sound like a great goal, it's just too vague. How much is "lots?" If you don’t know … how will you know when you have it? And will the...
Read MoreSpend today, save tomorrow?Okay, we've all been there. But if it seems you're always living paycheck-to-paycheck and never able to save anything for the future, then it may be time to make a change .April is Financial Literacy Month....
Read MoreAmong the many changes arising from the pandemic, one of the most noticeable was a change in American spending habits.A survey released in March 2021 by Pew Research shows that Americans have increasingly chosen to put away what extra...
Read MoreHardly a day goes by that the topic of bitcoin or other cryptocurrency assets doesn’t come up in meetings with clients and prospects or from friends and relatives who want to know, “what all the buzz is about?”The...
Read MoreThis time of year, you might glance at an account statement and see there has been an adjustment. But there may not be any cause for concern.Many mutual funds in December pay shareholders capital gains distributions that they have...
Read MoreYour investment strategy is a lot like a marriage. One day you may feel like everything’s going swimmingly. The next day, there might be an argument over who forgot to load the dishwasher. And even the best marriages and...
Read MoreThe world's events always affect the markets and making smart investment choices requires you to look at what's happening around the world. But what about during an election year? How should you invest while the country is deciding...
Read MoreMany experiences in my life I use as a parallel to financial planning and investing. My family is in the process of building a new house. We have an excellent contractor/builder who has guided us through most of the process and made it...
Read MoreHow to get the most value out of your advisor relationship Here are some practical tips to consider as you begin your new relationship with me as your financial advisor. Practical Questions to Ask: What services do you provide? What...
Read MoreI hope this finds you safe and healthy. These are unprecedented times for certain. I would like to take this moment to acknowledge the challenges we are facing, and to commend you for holding steady.A quick update on your team:Our...
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