Kenton Mickley at Spearman Financial Services

10/12/2026

“Can we pause retirement contributions and still be okay?”

That was the big question during a recent planning conversation with a family thinking about building their dream ranch-style home.
Walk-out basement.
A barn.
And enough room for some pretty serious free-throw contests on rainy days.

They were trying to balance two important goals:
Saving for retirement.
And building the home they wanted.

So we looked at the trade-offs.
What would happen if they continued maximizing their retirement contributions?
What if they redirected some of those dollars toward a larger down payment?
How would that affect their cash flow and other long-term goals?

We also looked at the income they expect to have in retirement and how much they may need from their investments.

The conversation wasn't about whether one goal was more important than the other.
It was about timing.

Sometimes a financial plan can help you decide which dollars should go toward which goal, and when.

You don't always have to choose between enjoying life today and preparing for tomorrow.

Sometimes you just need a plan for how the pieces fit together.

What financial goal are you trying to balance with everything else right now?

You can schedule a complimentary consultation here:

10/09/2026

“Should I take the monthly pension or the lump-sum rollover?”

That was the question at the heart of a recent retirement planning conversation.

My client is a nurse who is looking forward to having more flexibility in her schedule and spending more time with her grandchildren.
But before making a decision on her pension, we wanted to look at the bigger picture.

How much income do they already have from Social Security and other pensions?
How much do they actually need to cover their expenses?
What would each pension option mean for their cash flow?
And what are the tax and investment considerations of each choice?

We also looked at how a pension decision could fit into their broader retirement and Roth conversion strategy.

There wasn't a one-size-fits-all answer.
The important part was understanding the tradeoffs before making the decision.

That’s one of the things I enjoy most about retirement planning.

Sometimes the question isn't simply, “Which option is better?”
It's “Which option fits the retirement we're trying to build?”

If you're facing a pension decision, it may be worth running the numbers before you choose.

If you are making a decision on a lifetime income or taking a lump sum, I'd be happy to help you think it through. You can text or call me at (740) 263-4453. Happy to help however I can.

10/07/2026

“Can we afford to live on one paycheck once the baby arrives?”

That was the question at the heart of a recent planning conversation.

They were preparing for a major change in their family and wanted to know what their cash flow would look like once one income went away.

So we kept it simple.

We looked at what they spend each month.

What they already had saved.

How much they wanted to keep readily available.

And what would happen if their expenses were higher than expected for a while.

From there, we created some simple guidelines for their cash reserves and decided what dollars could potentially be invested for longer-term goals.

The important part wasn't having a complicated spreadsheet.

It was knowing:
How much cash do we need?
When should we slow down investing?
When can we put more toward our longer-term goals?

Life changes quickly, especially when you're adding a new member to the family.

Having a plan for your cash can help give you more options when those changes happen.

That's one of the things I like about financial planning.

Sometimes the goal isn't to find the perfect answer.

It's to know what your options are before you need them.

How long could your current cash reserve carry you if your income changed?

If you've recently started a family and aren't sure what options are available, I'd be happy to help you think through them. You can schedule a complimentary consultation here:

10/05/2026

“Why do I have statements from seven different places when I only spend from two?”

That question set the tone for a recent financial review.

The client had CDs, annuities, bank accounts, investment accounts, and income coming from several different places.

Nothing was necessarily wrong with any one account.

The problem was that it was becoming difficult to see how everything fit together.

So we started with the basics.
Where is the money coming from?
Where is it going?
How much is actually needed for living expenses?
And what could potentially be repositioned for longer-term goals?

Once we had everything mapped out, we were able to simplify some of the moving pieces and take a closer look at her investment and tax strategy.

We also explored whether Roth conversions could make sense over time, based on her income, tax bracket, and future distribution needs.

That conversation reminded me of something:
Simplicity can be part of a financial strategy.

The goal isn't necessarily to have fewer accounts just for the sake of having fewer accounts.
It's to understand what you have, why you have it, and how the pieces work together.

If your financial life feels scattered, it may be worth taking a step back and looking at the whole picture.

Sometimes clarity starts with simply putting everything on the same map.

If you'd like a second set of eyes on your situation, I'd be happy to help. You can schedule a complimentary consultation here:

10/02/2026

What if your cash reserves each had a job it was supposed to do?

A chunk of it accounted for your emergency fund, another for gifts, property taxes, down payment, vacation, etc. etc.

That was the light-bulb moment during a recent client review.

They had more than six months of expenses sitting in a traditional savings account.

There’s nothing wrong with having an emergency fund. In fact, I think having one is an important part of a financial plan.

But we started asking a simple question:
Does all of that cash need to be sitting in the exact same place?

Depending on the account and current interest rates, moving some savings to a higher-yielding savings option may allow that money to earn more interest while still keeping it available for emergencies.

We also looked at their investments and tax situation.

There may be opportunities in some years to realize investment gains while staying within a lower federal capital-gains tax bracket, depending on their income and overall situation.

None of this was about taking on more investment risk.

It was about looking at the dollars they already had and asking whether each one still had the right job.

Sometimes financial planning isn’t about finding more money.

It’s about making better use of the money you already have.

When was the last time you gave your cash and tax strategy a second look?

If you’d like a second set of eyes on your financial situation, I’d be happy to help.

You can text or call me at (740) 263-4453. Happy to help however I can.

09/30/2026

When the market drops, the hardest part isn't always knowing what to do.

Sometimes it's staying calm enough to follow your plan.

I had a conversation with a client recently after he noticed the market had dropped.

He had some money available and wanted to talk through whether putting some of it to work made sense.

The important part wasn't trying to predict what the market would do next.

It was that we had already talked through his cash flow, debt, savings, and overall financial goals.

So when the market moved, he didn't have to start making decisions from scratch.

He had a plan to come back to.

That's one of the things I like about financial planning.

You can't control what the market does.

But you can control how prepared you are to make decisions when it does something unexpected.

Volatility is part of investing.

Having a plan can help you focus less on the headlines and more on what makes sense for your situation.

If you'd like a second set of eyes on your investment plan, I'd be happy to help you talk through it.

You can schedule a complimentary consultation here:

08/21/2026

One of the hardest financial decisions you'll ever make may come during one of the hardest seasons of your life.

I recently met with someone who had lost a loved one.
They walked in with a stack of paperwork and one simple question:
"What do I do now?"

In moments like that, the financial decisions can feel overwhelming.
Insurance paperwork.
Retirement accounts.
Bills.
Taxes.

Questions you never fully enjoy answering all at once.

In my experience, one of the biggest benefits of having a financial plan isn't just knowing what to do.
It's having someone help you slow down, understand your options, and make decisions that fit your goals and your new reality.

Money can't replace the people we love.
But having a plan, I feel like, can help make an incredibly difficult season a little less overwhelming.

If you or someone you know is navigating a major life change and would like someone to help think through the financial side of it, I'd be happy to help.

You can schedule a complimentary consultation here:

08/19/2026

I don't want to be retirement-rich but life-poor today.
I don't think that's an uncommon feeling.

I recently met with a young family trying to balance all the things life throws at you.
Young kids.
Home projects.
Family vacations.
Retirement.

The conversation wasn't about whether they should save for the future.
It was about finding a way to enjoy life today without losing sight of tomorrow.

I've met people who saved everything for retirement but later wished they had done a little more with their kids while they were young.
I've also met people who enjoyed every dollar today but wished they had prepared more for the future.

In my experience, most people don't need to choose one or the other.
They need a plan that helps them balance both.
Because every dollar has a purpose.

Some dollars are meant to create memories this year.
Others are meant to provide freedom years from now.

The goal isn't to maximize one at the expense of the other.
It's to build a plan that supports the life you're living today while preparing for the life you hope to have tomorrow.

If you've been wondering how to balance today's priorities with tomorrow's goals, I'd be happy to help you think it through. You can text or call me at (740) 263-4453. Happy to help however I can.

08/17/2026

One of the biggest surprises for new business owners isn't paying estimated taxes.

It's realizing they're now in charge of building their own retirement plan.

When you work for someone else, retirement savings often happen in the background.

When you work for yourself, those decisions become your responsibility.

That can feel overwhelming.
But it can also be an opportunity.

An opportunity to build a plan around your goals instead of simply accepting what's offered by an employer.

In my experience, one of the best things a new business owner can do is think about retirement early, even if the business is still getting off the ground.

Your future self will likely be glad you did.

If you've recently started a business and aren't sure what retirement options are available, I'd be happy to help you think through them. You can schedule a complimentary consultation here:

08/14/2026