The market has just come through four strong years, a run that tends to spark two different reactions. Some start bracing for a downturn, convinced the good times are ending soon. Others get comfortable and assume the momentum will continue.

Both reactions miss a useful question: What should you do with the gains you’ve already made?

A strong market is a reason to celebrate. It also creates an opportunity to rebalance your portfolio and, in many cases, take some money off the table while you’re ahead.

Why Retirement Accounts are the Ideal Place to Rebalance

Imagine sitting at a blackjack table with a growing pile of chips. A smart player doesn’t leave every chip in play. As the wins pile up, they pull some aside. That way, if a bad hand comes along, they’ve already locked in part of their winnings.

While we don’t encourage gambling, investing works similarly, especially as you move closer to retirement. In your working years, you can afford to stay aggressive. Every paycheck brings a new contribution to your 401(k) or IRA, which naturally averages out the market’s ups and downs over time. If the market drops, you’re still buying in at a discount with your next contribution.

That safety net disappears once you retire. You’re no longer adding new money every two weeks to smooth things out. If the market drops 10% and you’re relying on that portfolio for income, there’s no incoming paycheck to soften the blow. This is why the years leading into and through retirement call for a different mindset than the years spent building wealth.

Benefits of Taking Some Chips off the Table

One practical advantage of rebalancing inside a 401(k) or IRA is taxes. Because these are qualified accounts, shifting from stocks into bonds or other conservative holdings doesn’t trigger capital gains taxes the way it might in a taxable brokerage account. A strong market gives you a natural window to make that shift efficiently.

This matters because retirement often comes with expenses that are easy to underestimate:

• Out-of-pocket healthcare costs, which tend to climb sharply after age 65
• Joint replacements, new medications, or other care needs that show up with age
• The possibility of assisted living down the road
• Family members who may need financial support

None of these costs come with a working paycheck to help absorb them. Having a cushion of protected, more conservative assets gives you flexibility when life sends an unexpected bill.

There’s a second benefit too. A pullback in the market, paired with a portfolio that already includes some bonds, gives you options. You can use that safer money to buy into the market while prices are down, something that’s much harder to do if you’re no longer earning an income to draw from.

Simplify For Your Loved Ones

Premier’s complimentary Financial Master File consolidates financial and estate documents, contact information, and other instructions to provide clarity for your family and heirs when they need it.

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What Responsible Really Means

It’s worth reframing what this shift is really about. The goal is to make your portfolio responsible for where you are in life, which looks different than simply chasing an idea of “safe.”

Considering age only, a typical  allocation trajectory might look something like this:

• 30s and 40s: heavier in stocks, often 80% or more
• 50s and 60s: gradually shifting toward 60-70% stocks
• Retirement: often settling around 50-60% stocks

That last number depends heavily on what other fixed income you have coming in. Social Security functions somewhat like a fixed income asset, even if its long-term future isn’t guaranteed. Pensions, where they still exist, work similarly. If you’re a public employee with a state pension, that income stream can behave like a bond, paying out a set amount regardless of market conditions.

If your retirement savings are your only source of income beyond Social Security, being responsible with that money matters even more. And if you’re planning to leave money to heirs, it’s worth considering their situation too. A pension typically stops with you or your spouse, but an IRA or 401(k) can be passed down. If your heirs are young, inexperienced, or otherwise unable to manage a windfall, structuring that inheritance safely can be just as important as how you invest it now.

A Downturn is Part of the Pattern

Historically, the market posts a negative year roughly one out of every five years. Pullbacks are simply a normal part of how markets work, showing up on a fairly predictable schedule over time.

This is also, at its core, a basic buy low, sell high strategy. When the market has performed well, trimming back and locking in some of those gains is the disciplined move. It’s also the move that feels the hardest to make, because everything looks like it’s working. That emotional pull to stay fully invested when things are going well is exactly why so many people miss the window to rebalance until it’s too late. 

Where to Go From Here

Four good years in a row is worth celebrating, but it’s also worth acting on. Strong market performance gives you the chance to protect some of what you’ve earned, especially as you get closer to relying on that money for income rather than growth. 

If it’s been a while since you looked at your allocation or this positive run has left your portfolio more aggressive than you’d like, now is a good time to talk to an advisor about what a more responsible mix could look like for your situation.

At Premier Financial Group, we are our clients’ partners and greatest champions. We’ll sit down with you, look at your financial picture, and listen to your needs and goals to provide recommendations for managing your portfolio. Reach out to us to get started.

Most people spend their working years contributing what they can to a 401(k) and hope it’s enough. But the years right before retirement offer a few opportunities to close the gap. Two of the most important are the standard catch-up contribution and a newer, more powerful version called the super catch-up.

Both let people nearing retirement put away more money than younger savers. But the rules are specific, the window is narrow, and most never hear about the second one until it’s too late to use it. 

Here are the basics you should know about both.

The Basics: Catch-up vs. Super Catch-up

For years, the standard catch-up contribution has given savers age 50 and older the ability to put extra money into their retirement accounts each year on top of the normal contribution limit. It applies to both IRAs and employer-sponsored plans, and the amount is adjusted periodically, similar to how the standard contribution limit changes from year to year.

The super catch-up is different and more specific:

• It’s available during the calendar years in which you turn 60, 61, 62 or 63.
• It applies to most 401(k)s, 403(b)s, governmental 457(b)s, and the federal Thrift Savings Plan. A separate higher catch-up limit also applies to SIMPLE plans.
• For 2026, the higher catch-up limit is $11,250 instead of the standard $8,000 catch-up. Combined with the regular $24,500 contribution limit, an eligible saver could potentially contribute up to $35,750.
• There’s a related wrinkle for higher earners. Beginning in 2026, if your prior-year FICA wages from the employer sponsoring your plan exceeded $150,000, your catch-up contributions generally must be made on a Roth basis. That means those contributions are made after tax rather than reducing your taxable income today.

Once someone turns 64, the super catch-up is no longer available. The standard catch-up is still an option, but the higher limit only applies during those four years.

Where the Rule Came From

The super catch-up was created as part of the SECURE 2.0 Act, a broad retirement law enacted in 2022 that expanded retirement savings opportunities and updated many of the rules governing workplace retirement plans. Among its provisions was a higher catch-up limit for workers ages 60 through 63, giving people approaching retirement an additional opportunity to increase their savings.

Why the Window is Easy to Miss

Despite the size of the opportunity, it’s not something most people stumble across on their own. Unless an employer or plan administrator specifically flags it, the first time many people hear about the super catch-up is often close to, or even after, their eligible window has passed. It isn’t widely advertised, and because it applies to a relatively small slice of savers for a short span of time, it simply doesn’t make headlines the way other retirement rules do.

That’s why we bring it up proactively with clients in their late 50s, rather than waiting for them to ask. 

How to Decide if it’s Right for You

Qualifying for the super catch-up doesn’t automatically mean it’s the right move. A few questions are worth working through, ideally with your financial advisor:

Do you need this money for more immediate needs? The budget has to make sense first. Contributing $11,250 in a single year isn’t something to decide on the fly; it requires knowing where that money is coming from.

What’s the tax impact this year? Depending on your income and how the contribution is made, a super catch-up may reduce your taxable income today or be made on a Roth basis with after-tax dollars. Understanding the tax treatment is an important part of deciding whether it makes sense for you.

What’s the realistic time horizon for this money? Someone contributing at age 63 and retiring at 65 might only see two years of growth before they need to draw on it, unless they think of it with a longer-term outlook. Retirement isn’t a cliff where all savings get withdrawn at once. Money contributed in these years can still stay invested and compound for a decade or two, depending on how it’s eventually distributed.

Is this really about “catching up” or about maximizing savings? While the name implies playing catch-up, the strategy can also be useful for people who are on track but want to maximize their retirement savings during these years.

If you’re 50 or older but outside the 60-63 window, the standard catch-up may still provide an opportunity to save more for retirement.

Ask Before it’s Too Late

If you’re approaching your early 60s and want to learn more about the super catch-up, contact Premier Financial Group well before the window opens. Our knowledgeable financial advisors will help you understand all your options, develop a retirement strategy, and make sure you’re doing everything you can to build the financial future you want.

This content is not intended as personalized financial or tax advice. Consult a qualified financial advisor to discuss your specific situation.

Good financial planning isn’t a single decision made once. It’s a series of decisions, made at the right moments, that build on each other over a lifetime. 

Plus, priorities shift considerably depending on where you are. What matters most at 25 looks very different from what matters at 55, and different again at 75. Yet the stages are connected. Early habits shape your options in midlife, and pre-retirement planning determines the peace of your life after retirement. 

This guide brings together all stages of financial life. Whether you’re just getting started, deep in the middle years, or approaching retirement, there’s something here for you.

Teens, 20s, and 30s: Build the Habit Early

The biggest financial advantage available to a young person is time. The earlier someone begins building habits, the more those habits can compound, and the more options they create for the future. 

Starting strong in these early years doesn’t require a lot of money; it requires consistency and discipline.

A few priorities that make the biggest difference at this stage:

• Start contributing to a retirement plan as soon as one is available. Even modest contributions made early can grow into something significant over decades.
• If your employer offers a matching contribution, take it. That match is part of your compensation, and leaving it unclaimed is leaving money behind.
• Treat early retirement savings as hands-off money. Avoid cashing out a workplace retirement account when changing jobs. Review your options carefully before deciding where to move or keep the funds.
• Consider whether a Roth IRA fits your tax situation. Younger earners who are currently in a lower tax bracket may benefit from decades of potential tax-free growth.
• Help the next generation get an early financial start. Parents and grandparents can use 529 plans, custodial investment accounts, and contributions to a working teen’s Roth IRA, subject to applicable limits.

Read the full blog to get further guidance on each of these moves.

40s, 50s, and Pre-Retirement Years: Get Serious About Planning

Midlife is when the idea of retirement no longer feels distant and abstract and financial planning gets real. Goals that felt flexible in your 30s start to feel fixed, and the decisions you make in this decade or two will shape what the next chapter will look like. 

Fortunately, this period of life also comes with advantages. You’re likely earning more than you ever have. Certain expenses, like childcare or school costs, may be winding down. And if you’ve fallen behind on savings, there are tools available to help you catch up.

Here are some important focus areas:

• Take stock of where you actually stand. How many working years do you realistically have ahead? What will you need to live on in retirement? Getting honest about these questions is the foundation of everything else.
• Build a coordinated retirement and tax strategy. Consider how much to contribute to workplace and individual retirement accounts, along with the applicable tax treatment and eligibility rules.
• Take advantage of catch-up contributions when eligible. Beginning in the year you turn 50, you may be able to contribute more to certain retirement accounts.
• Estate planning and insurance can no longer be deferred. Getting documents in order and ensuring adequate coverage is one of the most important things you can do for your loved ones.
• If you feel behind, work with an advisor. What feels out of reach is often more achievable than you may assume, but you need someone to run the numbers with you and map a realistic path forward.

Read the full post to dive deeper into each of these, including how to think about the years between now and retirement.

Retirement and Beyond: Simplify, Protect, and Transfer

In retirement, the goal moves from building wealth to protecting it, and eventually, to pass it on to the people you love. This stage encompasses account titles and beneficiaries, personal property and real estate, and making sure your family isn’t left to untangle a complicated financial picture at an already difficult time.

An important thing to understand about these tasks is that they are easier to navigate and complete with time. The families that are spared the most difficulty are almost always the ones where someone got organized while they were healthy and had the bandwidth to do things thoughtfully.

Prioritize the following:

• Consolidate accounts and review beneficiary designations. Old accounts from former employers, outdated beneficiaries, and financial assets spread across multiple institutions are among the most common sources of confusion for survivors.
• Address personal property and real estate proactively. High-value belongings should be documented and assigned. Maintaining a home well, or selling it while you still have the energy to manage the process, is a genuine gift to heirs who would otherwise inherit the burden.
• Complete and keep current your estate documents, including a will, trust if applicable, and powers of attorney. Procrastination on this is common, and the cost of that delay falls on the people left behind.
• Spend what you’ve worked to build. Many retirees continue to live well below their means out of habit. Enjoying the life your savings made possible is part of the plan.

Read the full blog to get a more comprehensive look of what this stage requires.

Make Things Easier for Your Family

Premier’s complimentary Financial Master File helps you organize important documents, contacts and instructions in one place, so your family knows where to turn when they need it.

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Wherever You Are, the Time to Start is Now

Each stage of financial life connects to the next. The decisions made early create options later, and the planning done in midlife shapes what retirement looks like. And the work of simplifying and organizing in the later years determines what families inherit alongside the wealth itself.

The best time to be intentional about your finances is wherever you are in the journey. Premier Financial Group works with clients across generations within the same family. If you’re ready to clarify where you stand and what moves to make next, contact us and we’ll connect you with one of our advisors.

Key Takeaways

• Your 40s and 50s are an important window to reassess whether your retirement plan, savings strategy, debt picture, and Social Security expectations are aligned with the future you want.
• Midlife financial planning should include tax strategy, catch-up contributions, estate planning, insurance coverage, and a lifestyle audit to redirect freed-up cash flow toward savings or debt reduction.
• If you feel behind on retirement savings, midlife is not too late to make meaningful progress. A financial advisor can help you run the numbers, clarify what is realistic, and build a plan for the years ahead.
• Waiting to plan can reduce your future flexibility. Taking action now can help preserve more options for retirement, lifestyle decisions, and long-term financial peace of mind.
• The goal in midlife is not perfection. It is creating a concrete plan that helps you enjoy life now while preparing responsibly for the future.

Something shifts in our 40s and 50s. The years of hustling are winding down, kids are older, and for the first time in a while, there’s enough mental space to ask “Am I actually on track?” 

Unfortunately, the honest answer for many is: not as much as they’d hoped.

If that’s your situation, try not to panic. Late is always better than never, and midlife is one of the most powerful planning windows you’ll have. The key is not to waste it.

Reassess Where You Stand

Back in your 20s and 30s, concepts like retirement and financial independence seemed far away and abstract. Now, they start to feel more concrete. 

You’ve potentially built a career, raised a family, and managed a household. Now you have enough experience to be realistic about what’s possible and what isn’t, and that clarity is valuable.

This is the time to ask some honest questions like:

• How many working years do I have left?
• What will I actually need to live on in retirement?
• What debts have been paid off and what is still on the horizon?
• What does my Social Security picture look like?

Avoid the trap of measuring your progress against a friend’s, colleague’s, or relative’s. Everyone’s situation is different, the rules have changed over time, and comparison is rarely useful. Focus on whether your plan is working for your life and goals.

The Decisions You Can No Longer Put Off

Rather than approaching this crunch time stressfully, let it empower you and use it as an opportunity for financial peace of mind. Here are the most important decisions that deserve your attention:

• Tax planning: Get a plan in place, thinking carefully about how much of your retirement contributions should go where and why. Can you contribute to both an IRA and a 401(k)? What’s the most tax-efficient way to build wealth between now and retirement? Keep in mind that the answers to these questions aren’t always simple and may require conversations with a professional.
• Catch-up contributions: The IRS allows people age 50 or over at the end of the calendar year to contribute additional amounts above the standard limits for both 401(k)s and IRAs. It’s one of the rules working in your favor at this stage, and it exists specifically to help people who want to accelerate savings in the years leading up to retirement. 
• Estate planning and insurance: This is often uncomfortable, but the reality is that people can pass suddenly and unexpectedly. Getting a will, beneficiary designations, and powers of attorney in order, and making sure you have sufficient life and health insurance coverage is one of the most important things you can do for the people who depend on you. Insurance gets more expensive with age, so waiting has a real cost.
• The lifestyle audit: Certain expenses that consumed a big share of your budget a decade ago, like childcare, kids’ activities, and school costs, may be starting to wind down. Instead of spending the freed-up cash flow, you can redirect even a portion of it into savings or paying down remaining debt. This can make a meaningful difference in the years ahead. 

If You Feel Behind, Don’t Go it Alone

This time in life can be overwhelming, and even feel like the window of opportunity has passed. If you’re feeling anxious about the state of your finances, you’re not the only one. Many people who’ve been managing their retirement funds and other investments on their own realize this approach hasn’t moved the needle enough. 

But that doesn’t mean it’s time to throw in the towel. What feels out of reach may be more achievable than you think. You just need someone who can run the numbers and guide you along a better path. Financial advisors can help you figure out what’s actually possible, then build a plan to get you there. That means looking at what you’ll need to live on, how long you may need to keep working, what your money needs to do between now and then, and how to make the most of the years you have. 

Plan Now or Pay the Price Later

The cost of waiting goes beyond finances; it can significantly reduce your options. Every year of planning you do now is a year of flexibility you’re buying for later. 

Sure, the moves you made (or didn’t make) in your 20s and 30s shaped what is possible now. But there’s still time for action that will determine what the next chapter looks like. Start planning, get the right people in your corner, and remember that the goal is progress, not perfection. 

Premier Financial Group works with individuals and families who have accumulated meaningful assets and are ready to stop winging it and start building a more coordinated plan. If you’re looking for guidance that helps you enjoy life now while preparing responsibly for the future, contact us to start the conversation.

This material is for informational purposes only and should not be considered individualized financial, tax, legal, or insurance advice. Please consult with the appropriate professional for guidance based on your specific situation.

Next up in our “Financial Moves to Make at Every Stage of Life” blog series is “Retirement and Beyond: How to Simplify, Protect, and Transfer Wealth Well.”

Key Takeaways

• The best time to start building financial habits is earlier than most people think — even small amounts saved consistently can create meaningful momentum over time.
• A first job with a 401(k), 403(b), or employer match is one of the earliest opportunities to begin building long-term financial security.
• Retirement savings should be treated as hands-off money. Cashing out old retirement accounts can create tax liability, penalties, and lost years of compounding growth.
• Roth IRAs can be especially valuable for young earners because contributions are made with after-tax dollars while future qualified growth and withdrawals can be tax-free.
• Parents and grandparents can help young people get started through Roth IRA funding support, 529 college savings plans, and custodial accounts.
• The main goal is  to start early, stay consistent, and let time work in your favor.

Most people don’t remember the first time they saved money. A summer job, a birthday gift tucked into a bank account, a paycheck where someone advised to put some of it away. It didn’t feel momentous at the time.

But those early forgettable moments turn out to matter more than almost anything that comes later. Not because of the dollar amounts, but because of what they set in motion.

Premier Financial Group has worked with clients at every stage of life, and the pattern we keep coming back to is consistent. The people with the most financial freedom in their 50s and 60s are almost always the ones who started building habits in their teens and 20s. 

Our blog series “Financial Moves to Make at Every Stage of Life” was built around that idea. Each installment focuses on the financial moves that matter most at a specific stage of life. We’re starting at the beginning, which is where the biggest long-term opportunities are.

Why Starting Early Changes Everything

The most important move any young person can make is just to begin. It doesn’t have to be a lot. A teenager with a part-time job can open a savings account and put something away each pay period. A young adult landing their first real job can sign up for their employer’s retirement plan and contribute even a modest percentage of their paycheck. 

The dollar amount doesn’t matter so much at this stage. Even $50 per pay period builds momentum over time, and the compounding effect of consistent contributions to a retirement investment account can become something meaningful. We’ve seen people struggling in their 40s and 50s because they treated early retirement savings as optional.

Your First Job Is Your First Opportunity

When you land your first job with a retirement plan like a 401(k) or 403(b), one of the most important things to find out is whether your employer offers a matching contribution. Many do, and it’s one of the most straightforward financial advantages available.

If your employer matches up to a certain percentage of your contribution and you’re not contributing at least that much, you’re leaving part of your compensation on the table. That match is part of what you earn, it just requires you to take the step of enrolling and contributing to collect it.

If you’re just starting out and your employer offers this benefit, make signing up one of your first priorities. Your future self will be glad you did.

Treat It Like It Doesn’t Exist

Contributing early only pays off if you leave the money alone. And this is where a lot of people undo the good work they’ve started.

One of the most common wealth-eroding actions we’ve observed over the years is cashing out a retirement account when leaving a job. It’s tempting because the balance is sitting there and it seems like a reasonable short-term solution. But it comes at a steep cost:

• Taxes
• Early withdrawal penalties
• Years of compounding growth lost

We’ve seen people in their late 30s essentially starting over because they made that choice multiple times in their 20s. Instead, treat retirement savings like hands-off money. When you change jobs, roll the account over rather than cashing it out. People don’t realize that the growth of $1 in a diversified stock portfolio earning an annual return of 8% can grow to $1,359 in 30 years.  It pays significantly to keep each dollar invested over the long-term.

The Roth IRA Is One of the Best Tools for Young Earners

If you’re in your teens or 20s and earning income, a Roth IRA deserves your attention. The reason it’s so well-suited to younger earners comes down to taxes. Contributions are made with after-tax dollars now, and qualified withdrawals in retirement can be tax-free. When you’re earlier in your career and likely in a lower tax bracket, that trade-off is especially favorable. 

A working teenager with earned income may be eligible to contribute to a Roth IRA, typically through a custodial Roth IRA if they are still a minor. And a note for parents and grandparents: If a young person in your family has earned income, you can gift money specifically to fund their Roth IRA up to their earned income for the year, within the annual contribution limits. It’s one of the most tax-efficient ways to give a financial head start to someone you love.

How Families Can Help

Beyond helping fund a Roth IRA, parents and grandparents can help the next generation build financial systems early.

529 college savings plans can be a helpful place to start. When a child is born, opening a 529 plan and contributing consistently over time may give the account an opportunity to grow before going to college. Like any savings goal, it can help to begin with the amount you hope to have available, then work backward to determine a monthly contribution that fits your budget. Once that number is set, automating contributions can make saving easier and more consistent.

529 plans can also create a meaningful opportunity for the whole family to participate. Relatives who want to give a lasting gift for holidays, birthdays, or other milestones may contribute directly to the account instead. When used for qualified education expenses, 529 plans can offer tax advantages, though rules and benefits vary by state and individual situation.

529 accounts have another special feature. If a child decides later in life that higher education is not part of their plan, the account can be converted to a ROTH IRA for retirement savings instead.

Custodial accounts, including UTMA and UGMA accounts, are another option families may want to understand. UTMA stands for Uniform Transfers to Minors Act, and UGMA stands for Uniform Gifts to Minors Act. Both allow assets to be held for the benefit of a minor and managed by a parent or other custodian until the child reaches the applicable age of majority or termination age, which varies by state and account type.

Unlike 529 plans, custodial accounts are not limited to education expenses. However, assets placed in these accounts are generally considered the child’s property, so families should understand the rules, tax considerations, and potential financial aid impact before contributing. For some families, they can be a useful way to pass along assets while helping the next generation build financial awareness.

The Best Time to Start Is Now

If you’ve read this far and you haven’t started yet, or have started but you haven’t revisited your contributions in a while, consider this your nudge.

Time is one resource in financial planning you can’t earn back. Every year of compounding growth you miss in your 20s is much harder to make up in your 40s. Those who build the habit early, keep it consistent, and leave it alone will have the most options later in life.

You don’t need to have it all figured out; you just need to start somewhere.

At Premier, we have expertise for every stage of life, including when people are just getting established and those who are helping their next generations build their foundation. If you want to talk through what makes sense for your situation, we’re here to help.

Next up in our series is “Midlife Money Moves: What to Focus on in Your 40s, 50s, and Pre-Retirement Years.”