Teresa M. Fitzgerald, WMCP - Affinity Planning Partners

10/06/2026

20 years in the blink of an eye.
October 6, 2006 was the beginning of something very new, in a Chicago Suburb. This new venture led me to many places, people, memories and new traditions.

20 years later, at my office in my own firm, in a southern zip code, there isn't a day I don't think about my path that brought me to where I am today.

This career happened by complete chance initially, after a significant career change.

Now I know it wasn't chance, but a destiny. Filled with grit, resilience and determination.

A choice to be optimistic and make a difference. A zest for taking circumstances and turning those into opportunities to make an impact.

The best part? Hands down...the people I've met along the way, on this journey. Nothing can replace that, ever. Wonderful clients, advocates and staff.

Everyday people doing extraordinary things for their families, communities and our collective future. I get to be there to see it and be a part of it. How amazing, how special and how meaningful.

Thank you to my clients - working with and for you keeps me going. What I learn along the way and what I get to give, what a gift!!

Thank you to those advisors who have taken the journey with me. Thank you (enormously) to my husband and son and family who have been so supportive of my dreams, despite even the toughest of days, filled with adversity.

Here's to the next 20+ years and all we have to accomplish, experience and impact, together! We're just getting started!

10/01/2026

4th Quarter has just begun - what's behind us and what's potentially ahead in the markets.

The latest quarterly market review is available.

09/14/2026

Annual Connect & Conquer!
A day with Business Women of Fayette and Coweta last month, from attending impactful sessions to leading one on "Courageously Leveraging Your Earnings"

This session was designed with the woman at every stage in life. I see it everyday with my clients, both women and men.

From transitions, whether timely and planned for or untimely and unexpected. Retirement, widowhood, career transitions, business ownership, partnerships, divorce, 2nd marriages, life transitions, etc.

Helping women to accomplish:

✨️Moving into the next phase with clarity, confidence and competence to make financially related life decisions with courage.

✨️Setting boundaries driven by abundance rather than fear, around spending and saving, to create an optimal life and long term financial lifestyle to support dreams, goals, aspirations, worries and concerns.

✨️Navigating investing, saving, planning and accumulating wealth by design during working years.

✨Planning for spending, consuming, retaining wealth and crafting their legacy, by design with an exercise in hindsight.

Thanks to Sara Higgins Bordeaux of Purposed HR for all the work she and the committee did many days leading up to the conference to make it a success!

It was energizing to be with you all-
✨️Your Legacy is my Affinity!

Affinity Planning Partners
https://qrco.de/bdkSwy

08/14/2026

Older generations have already begun transferring trillions of dollars in wealth to their families and to charity in a process that many wealthy families aren’t as prepared for as they should be.

08/05/2026

In nearly 20 years, my clients have taught me what I refer to as 6 Key Care Points. Year after year, regardless of market outcome:
💠Great health as you age, is wealth in itself.
~Without working proactively towards health and wellness, alongside saving for retirement, their families potentially have to spend more in retirement on health expenses than they could've possibly imagined. This is especially significant for women as they live longer.

💠As a consistent saver and living within their means, it's hard for retirees to actually spend and enjoy their money they saved so much and worked so hard to accumulate.

~Why? They're disciplined and at times, overly responsible. They measure their worth by way of account value, net worth and overall nest egg power. While this definitively has a place and construct, time to look at it differently, by time-based utilization planning to truly enjoy their wealth if they're ready.

~They also need to equate spending with a why and feel emotionally connected to the purpose and business of spending, donating and gifting their money.

💠Retirees, if given the option, would love to plan to spend more in certain years in retirement and spending is not linear.

~Gone are the days of advising clients to just kot worry and focus on __% withdrawal rate or spend __% of pre-retirement income retirement as a retirement cash flow plan.

~Clients want more definitive numbers than percentages. Such as planning to spend more the first number years and tailor down. Or spend less the first number of years and rachet it up because of bucket list goals, grandchildren, legacy gifting, etc. Testing and measuring. Updating every 6 months to ensure alignment and accuracy, down to the dollar.

💠Asset location is as important as asset allocation. Knowing more about how markets and taxes impact net cash flow to you and retirement withdrawals.

~While we can't tell the future, making tax efficient location decisions now, inside and outside of your portfolios is vital. From portfolio construction to the proper type of accounts to have more control in retirement. Controlling what you can now to better control the outcome later ideally.

💠Their need to understand how their money, property and assets are taxed and distributed at their passing.

~ In knowing this, they can provide themselves with permission to enjoy their money differently in retirement.

💠Even though the strategies and the planning are well thought and mapped out, even the most confident and competent retirees need affirmation from time to time that the path is solid.

~Being present and listening, at stressful moments. They need affirmation to ease their natural worries. Just like the rest of us. Retirement doesn't exempt them from worrying about their money and goals. They validity that it's a very real awareness.

Affinity Planning Partners

07/23/2026

In our line of work BRINGING value and BEING of value are an important AND necessary alignment in the pursuit of happiness, fulfillment and meangingful generational impact for the clients we serve.

Thank you to Charles J. Lewandowski CFP®, TPCP®, MBA for bringing that day in and day out with your clients.

We loved the warm welcome, conversation and family feel in the Greater Tampa Area!

Affinity Planning Partners Charles J. Lewandowski CFP®, TPCP®, MBA
Natasha Donaldson, MBA

07/23/2026

Here’s how 2026 trend predictions are tracking mid-year across geopolitics, AI and new technologies, inflation, economics, and people risk.

07/13/2026

Early detection for all sorts of ailments will allow doctors to treat conditions before a lot of damage is done

07/04/2026

Happy 4th from my family to yours! Wishing you a safe and fun holiday 🇺🇸

06/29/2026

With 48 teams, 104 matches, and games across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, the tournament highlights how sporting events can trigger tax issues for athletes and teams.