Haas Wealth Strategies

10/01/2026

Calling all parents of college-bound students: the 2027-28 FAFSA is open as of today, October 1!

If you have a high schooler (or a college student) who will need financial aid next year, this is the form that unlocks grants, scholarships, work-study, and federal loans. It's free, and it takes about an hour. That hour could save your family a lot over time.

You might think that you make too much money and it's pointless. But it's not. There is no income cutoff to file. Plenty of families are surprised by what they qualify for.

Here's how to get started:

1. Create a StudentAid.gov account. Your student and each contributing parent need their own.
2. Gather recent tax returns, cash account balances, child support records, and Social Security numbers.
3. Build your school list. Add every college your student is considering so they can see your information. Order doesn't matter, and you can add more later.
4. File early. Some state and school aid is limited, and many colleges set priority dates as early as January. The federal deadline is June 30, 2027, but waiting that long can cost you.
5. Check your state's deadline too.

And a heads-up: this isn't a one-time form. You'll file again every year your student is in school, so set a reminder for next October.

If you have questions about getting started, send me a message, and I'll point you in the right direction.
Know a parent who could use this? Please share this post.

Send a message to learn more

09/22/2026

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month, so it seems like a good time to talk about a question I hear often: How much life insurance do you actually need?

I’ve never loved rules of thumb like “10× your income.”
It can be a useful starting point, but it doesn’t tell you much about the life you’re actually trying to protect.

I put together a quick way to think it through. Watch below. Hope you find it helpful.

07/28/2026

If your child has a summer job, you have a small window to build a habit that most adults wish someone had built for them at the age of 16.

A Custodial Roth IRA lets your child start investing with their own earned income, and you manage the account until they reach the age of majority (usually 18 or 21, depending on your state). Here's what to know before you set one up:

• Your child needs actual earned income, W-2 or documented self-employment, to contribute. If they don’t have a paycheck, they can’t contribute.

• You can also gift the contribution yourself, as long as it doesn't exceed what they earned that year.

• Withdrawals of earnings are tax-free and penalty-free once the account is at least 5 years old and your child is 59½. A few other circumstances can qualify for early access too.

• There's no required minimum distribution, ever, for the original owner.

A 16-year-old who contributes for even a few summers has decades of compounding ahead of them before they've even started their career. That's a head start most of us never got.

07/08/2026

Self-insuring isn't the absence of risk. It's just choosing to carry all of it yourself. Candy Messer and I talked through what that means on her podcast. �You can watch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/EEPAfJ_EW-I

07/01/2026

I talk about money for a living, but some of the best financial conversations start with a book. Here are five I'd hand to someone I care about, depending on where they are in life.

06/15/2026

Tax reminder! Your second-quarter estimated income tax payment is due tomorrow, June 16, 2026.

If you're self-employed or earn income that isn't subject to withholding, now is the time to make sure your payment is on track. A missed or underpaid estimated tax payment can mean penalties come filing season.

Not sure how much to pay? A good rule of thumb is to pay at least 90% of what you'll owe this year, or 100% of last year's tax liability - whichever is smaller. If you want more specific information, check with your tax, legal, or accounting professional.

06/07/2026

Learning never stops. I’m on my way to the global conference for insurance agents and financial advisors. Looking forward to connecting and gaining knowledge that I can bring home and share with my clients.

Million Dollar Round Table

04/28/2026

April is National Social Security Month, a good reminder to review your claiming strategy.

When you claim Social Security can impact your lifetime benefits. Claiming at 62 means accepting a permanent reduction, while waiting until 70 will increase your monthly payment. The right timing depends on a wide range of factors, including your health, income needs, and overall retirement strategy.

If you’re within a few years of claiming, now’s a great time to review how Social Security fits into your bigger financial picture.

Questions about your retirement strategy? Let’s talk.

03/18/2026

March Madness is here. 🏀 And every great coach does one thing before tip-off: they stress-test the game plan.

They don't just ask "what's our best play?" They ask "what breaks us if it goes wrong?"
Here's my unpopular opinion: most investors never do this.

Your strategy shouldn't be built around returns. It should be built around YOUR life. Retirement timing. Tax efficiency. What happens if the market drops 30% the year you planned to retire.
That's how you build a portfolio that doesn't just perform. It protects.

03/12/2026

Today marks Women’s Equal Pay Day - a reminder of the ongoing journey toward equity in the workplace.

This date represents how far into the year the average woman must work to earn the same as the average man did last year. While progress has been made, the work isn’t done.

Awareness is just the beginning. Financial confidence, access to resources, and ongoing conversations all help move the needle forward.

Let’s keep showing up, speaking up, and supporting one another.