Haze Matthews - Financial Advisor

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Haze Matthews - Financial Advisor

Securities offered through Cetera Wealth Services, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity.

Advisory Services offered through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC, a registered investment Advisor. Haze Matthews works with business owners, families, and professionals throughout the Southeast. He helps clients build long-term strategies across public markets, private alternative investments, insurance planning, and comprehensive wealth management, with a focus on clarity, tax efficiency, and lasting growth. Working alongside his team at Commonwealth, Haze takes time to understand what matters most to each client so that every part of their financial picture is accounted for. A graduate of Wofford College, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance, Haze brings a disciplined and relationship-driven approach to his work. He is a fiduciary and holds FINRA Series 7, Series 65, Series 63, and Series 6 registrations, along with his life and variable products licenses. He sees his role as a steady partner to his clients, helping them make sound decisions, navigate complexity, and align their finances with their long-term goals. A native of Aiken, South Carolina and now based in Charleston, Haze is active in his church community and enjoys tennis, travel, and time spent with family and friends. What he values most in this work is earning the trust of the people he serves and being someone they can rely on when it matters.

10/01/2026

Most people know their credit score matters, fewer people know what actually goes into it.

Your FICO score is generally based on five main factors:

1. Payment history (35%)
Paying on time is the biggest factor. Setting up autopay for at least the minimum payment can be a simple safety net.

2. Amounts owed (30%)
A big part of this is credit utilization, or how much of your available credit you're using. For example, a $1,500 balance on a $5,000 limit is 30% utilization. Generally, lower is better. Paying down your balance before it gets reported can also help keep utilization lower.

3. Length of credit history (15%)
Older accounts can help your score. Before closing your oldest credit card, it may be worth thinking twice, especially if there's no annual fee.

4. New credit (10%)
Applying for several cards or loans in a short period can temporarily hurt your score.

5. Credit mix (10%)
Having experience with different types of credit, like credit cards and installment loans, can help a little.

But that doesn't mean you should take on debt just to improve your credit mix.

The good news?

The two biggest factors are largely within your control.

1. Pay on time.
2. Keep your balances manageable.

Do those consistently, and you're taking care of a big part of the equation.

If you ever want to talk through how credit fits into your bigger financial picture, I'm happy to be a resource.

09/29/2026

Inflation is one of the most talked about numbers in the economy, and one of the most misunderstood.

Here is the part that trips people up:
When inflation falls, prices do not fall with it. Prices are still going up, just at a slower pace.

Look at what consumer prices actually did:
2021: 4.7%
2022: 8.0%
2023: 4.1%
2024: 2.9%
2025: 2.6%

Going from 8% down to under 3% was real progress. But notice that not one of those years is a negative number. Every single one stacked on top of the year before it.

That compounds. Something that cost $100 at the start of 2021 runs about $125 today. The rate came down. The price never did.

Three terms worth knowing:

1. Inflation is how fast prices are rising.

2. Disinflation is prices still rising, but more slowly. That is what 2023 through 2025 looked like.

3. Deflation is prices actually falling. It is rare, and it usually shows up when spending has dried up and jobs are at risk. It sounds wonderful until you find out what it takes to get it.

And none of this moves in a straight line. Inflation has drifted back up this year, running 3.4% in August, mostly on energy.

So the headlines can sound calm while groceries, rent, insurance and eating out still feel heavy. The economy is not getting cheaper. It is getting more expensive more slowly.

Which means the goal was never for prices to return to 2020. The question worth sitting with is whether your income and your savings have kept pace with where prices are now.

Most people have never actually checked.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI.
Educational content only. Not financial advice.

09/22/2026

A raise feels big for about two paychecks.
After that, it just feels like your paycheck.

That’s why one of the best times to decide what to do with the extra income is before you get used to spending it.

Say you get a $3,000 annual raise.

You could increase your 401(k) contribution, put some toward savings or investments, and still keep some of the extra money to enjoy.

It doesn’t have to be all or nothing.

The easiest money to save is money you never got used to having.

If part of the raise starts going toward your future from day one, there’s a good chance you won’t miss it.

Enjoy the raise.

Just make sure your future gets one too.

If you recently got a raise and aren’t sure what to do with the extra income, I’m always happy to talk it through.

Educational content only. Not individualized financial advice.

09/17/2026

You've probably heard a lot about interest rates lately. But what are they, and why should you care?

An interest rate is simply the cost of borrowing money. If you borrow, you pay interest. If you save, the bank pays you interest.

The Federal Reserve sets a key rate that affects what banks charge each other. Banks then pass that on to you.

Here's how that shows up in everyday life:

Buying a home or car. When rates go up, your monthly payment on a new loan goes up too. When rates go down, borrowing gets cheaper.

Credit cards. Most credit cards have rates that move with the Fed. Higher rates mean carrying a balance costs you more.

Your savings. Higher rates usually mean your savings account earns more. Lower rates mean it earns less.

Prices in general. The Fed often raises rates to slow down rising prices and lowers them to help the economy grow.

You don't need to predict what happens next. Knowing how rates affect your money is a great first step toward making smarter decisions.

If you have questions about what this means for you, feel free to reach out.

09/14/2026

I sat down with a client recently to go through their employer retirement plan.

They knew they had a match, and they were already taking full advantage of it.

But when we opened the actual plan document, we found an important detail:

Every employer contribution has to sit for one year before it fully belongs to them. In this case, that employer match is 5%.

That changed the conversation.

They are not sure how long they want to stay with the company, and now they know that leaving at the wrong time could mean walking away from some of that employer match.

That is not a reason to stay at a job or leave one.

It is just something worth knowing before the decision is in front of you instead of finding out afterward.

Most employer plans have a few details like this:

• How the match actually works
• When employer contributions become fully vested
• Whether a Roth option is available
• What happens to the account when you leave

None of it is especially complicated once someone walks you through it, but most people never read the plan document on their own.

If you have never gone through yours, I’m happy to sit down with you and walk through what your plan actually offers.

Educational content only. Not individualized financial advice.

08/24/2026

Our 2026 Sales Summit brought our advisors together last week for a day of learning, conversation, and growth. We challenged ourselves to think differently, raise the bar, and continue finding ways to deliver our best. It was a great day to step away from the day-to-day, spend time together, and focus on our team and what we are building together. We’re excited to carry that momentum into all that’s ahead.

08/11/2026

It’s easy to think about money in two buckets:

Today covers bills, everyday spending, and emergency savings.

Retirement is money you’re setting aside for much later.

But there’s a lot of life in between.

A home purchase.
A car in a few years.
A move.
Starting a business.
A career change.

That’s your middle money, and it deserves a plan too.

How you handle that money depends on when you’ll need it, how accessible it needs to be, and how much risk is reasonable for the time you have.

Today. The Middle. Retirement.

Give every dollar a job.

What's sitting in your middle bucket right now?

Educational content only. Not individualized financial or investment advice.

08/05/2026

Trump Accounts went live on July 4, and they are worth understanding whether or not you end up using one.

A simple explanation:

A Trump Account is a traditional IRA opened for a child under 18. Children born from 2025 through 2028 can receive a one time $1,000 contribution from the federal government once an adult opens an account for them. Parents, grandparents, and in some cases employers can add money on top of that, up to a combined $5,000 per child per year for 2026 and 2027.

The funds generally stay put until the year the child turns 18. From there the account converts to a traditional IRA and follows traditional IRA rules.

What makes this one different from most accounts I talk about is the runway. A child born this year is roughly six decades from retirement. Very few savings tools ever get to start that early, and time is the one thing you cannot add later.

Two things worth knowing: enrollment is not automatic, an adult has to open the account, and some of the rules are still being finalized.

I have been reading the guidance as it comes out, and I am glad to walk anyone through how these work and where they might fit next to what you already have going.

07/30/2026

Earlier this week I asked whether you might have an old 401(k) sitting with a past employer. Say you found one. What are your choices?

There are basically four, and none of them is automatically right for everyone.

Leave it where it is. Sometimes fine, especially if the plan is good and low-cost. The risk is the one from Tuesday: out of sight, out of mind, and the fees are now yours.

Move it into your current employer's plan. Keeps everything in one place and one login. Whether it's a good move depends on how your current plan stacks up against the old one.

Roll it into an IRA. Often opens up more investment choices and lets you see it alongside the rest of your picture. It also comes with its own trade-offs worth walking through before you decide.

Cash it out. Almost always the most expensive door, because you can get hit with taxes and a penalty, and you pull that money out of its growth years for good.

The right answer depends on your plans, your other accounts, and where you're headed, which is exactly why "just roll it over" isn't advice, it's a starting point for a conversation.

I've helped a few people work through this recently. If you've got an old account and you're not sure which of these fits you, send me a message and we'll look at it together.

04/22/2026

Recently I've had some conversations with clients who are watching the news about Iran and oil prices and wondering what to do. Their accounts are down. They've been talking with friends and coworkers who are going through the same thing.

Here's what I share with them.

You are not investing alone.

162 million American adults have money in the stock market right now. Most of them through a 401k, an IRA, or a retirement plan they contribute to every paycheck. When the market drops, it's not just happening to you. It's happening to your neighbor, your coworker, the person standing behind you at the grocery store.

During the 2008 financial crisis, 80% of 401k participants kept contributing. Not because they were brave. Because their paycheck hit on Friday and their contribution went in automatically.

Today, 88% of eligible workers with a 401k are participating, the highest rate on record. And last year, 45% of participants increased their savings rate, according to Vanguard.

Being uneasy when the market drops is completely normal. It does not mean something is wrong with your plan. But there is a difference between feeling uncomfortable and making a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion.

If you are watching your portfolio right now and feeling uneasy, just know you are one of 162 million people experiencing the same thing. Historically, the vast majority of retirement plan participants have continued contributing through periods of volatility. That does not mean every situation is the same, but understanding how others have responded can help put your own experience in perspective.

Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. Educational purposes only. Every situation is different.

Address

225 Seven Farms Drive, Suite 106
Savannah, GA
29492

Telephone

+19123582455

Website

http://commonwealthfg.com/

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