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Insights from the Presilium team

Years of practical answers on the decisions that shape a financial life, including 160+ Financial Planning Fridays videos. Browse by topic or series.

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Each topic gathers our videos and articles on a single subject, so you can go deep on what matters to you.

126 pieces

Investing & Markets

How Presilium thinks about long-term investing: building a portfolio, riding out volatility, staying invested, and reading the market cycle.

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35 pieces

Retirement & Income Planning

Turning a lifetime of savings into reliable retirement income: when you can retire, how much you can safely spend, the order you draw down accounts, Social Security timing, RMDs, and getting more conservative near retirement.

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29 pieces

Tax Planning

Lowering your lifetime tax bill: Roth conversions and their timing, tax-efficient withdrawals, NUA on company stock, tax-loss harvesting, contribution limits, charitable giving (donor-advised funds, QCDs, gifting appreciated stock), and beneficiary income-tax planning.

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11 pieces

Estate & Legacy Planning

Passing wealth and values to the next generation: the critical documents everyone needs, wills and when to update them, trusts and how families benefit, beneficiary planning, gifting to loved ones, and the multigenerational plan.

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2 pieces

Equity & Executive Compensation

For corporate executives: RSUs, ISOs and NSOs, concentrated company-stock risk, NUA, and 10b5-1 plans.

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8 pieces

Business Owners & Exit Planning

For owners planning a sale: business valuation, understanding your multiple, the wealth gap, the advisors you need, owner retirement plans, QSBS, and avoiding shiny-object syndrome.

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58 pieces

Financial Planning Foundations

The top-of-funnel pillar: what financial planning is and why everyone needs a plan, the family balance sheet, how much to save, emergency and rainy-day cash, consistency, cybersecurity and personal security, and how Presilium adds value.

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Series

Our series

Series

Financial Planning Fridays

Short, practical answers to the planning questions clients ask most, one topic at a time.

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Series

Building Value

For business owners: how to grow what your company is worth and prepare for a successful exit.

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Series

The Big Question

Deeper looks at the decisions that shape a financial life: retirement, legacy, and the trade-offs in between.

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The latest

Recent insights

Video

Financial Planning Fridays #128: Gifting to Loved Ones

For families who have saved more than they will need, lifetime gifting can transfer wealth to children, grandchildren, and others in ways that are both tax-aware and meaningful. This Presilium video reviews effective gifting strategies, the difference between giving now versus at death, and how to align gifts with family values.

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Video

Building Value #7: Shiny Object Syndrome

In this Building Value episode, Presilium examines shiny object syndrome, the tendency for business owners to chase every new opportunity at the expense of focus. It explains how scattered attention can dilute enterprise value and why disciplined prioritization around core strengths builds a more valuable, more sellable company.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #127: Our Core Investment Belief

Presilium shares its core investment belief: the world continues to improve over time, and owning a diversified set of quality businesses through stocks is one of the most effective ways to grow family wealth over the long term. The video frames this philosophy as the foundation for staying invested through market cycles.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #126: The Worst Investment Strategy

After two strong years for the S&P 500, record amounts of new money have flowed into the index even as it has grown more expensive. This Presilium video explains why chasing the recent top performer can be one of the worst long-term strategies and makes the case for diversification and discipline over recency bias.

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Video

The Big Question #20: Where do you add the most value?

In this Big Question episode, Presilium answers where a financial advisor adds the most value. Beyond picking investments, the firm points to comprehensive planning, behavioral coaching during volatility, tax-aware decisions, and coordinating the many moving parts of a family's financial life over time.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #125: Consistency Counts

This Presilium video explains why consistency is often overlooked when evaluating investment returns. Historically, a portfolio that delivered steadier, more reliable returns has at times outperformed a more volatile one, because smaller drawdowns can compound more favorably and may help investors stay the course toward their long-term goals. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #124: Investing Before a Global Crisis

Many investors fear committing money right before a global crisis. This Presilium video studies seven major historical events, including downturns and wars, to show how markets recovered over time and why a long-term, stay-invested approach has historically rewarded patient investors despite scary headlines.

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Video

Building Value #6: Qualified Small Business Stock Exclusion

In this Building Value episode, Presilium explains the Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) exclusion under Section 1202, which can allow eligible founders and early shareholders to exclude a substantial portion of capital gains from federal tax when they sell. It covers eligibility basics and why owners should plan for it early.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #123: 2025 Market Outlook

Presilium's 2025 market outlook uses historical patterns to address three key questions for the year ahead, beginning with whether stocks can continue performing well for a third consecutive year after back-to-back 20% gains. The video frames history as a guide for setting expectations, not a guarantee of results.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #122: Politics and Your Investments

With a new presidential term beginning, this Presilium video examines how the S&P 500 has performed across past administrations and why long-term investors generally should not overhaul their strategy based on election outcomes. It encourages staying focused on the financial plan rather than the political cycle.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #121: 2024 Year End Review

Presilium's 2024 year-end review reflects on a strong year for markets and revisits the historical signals that informed its optimistic outlook entering the year. The video reinforces the firm's habit of using market history as context and the value of staying invested through changing conditions.

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Video

The Big Question #19: How much cash should I maintain in my emergency or rainy-day fund?

In this Big Question episode, Presilium answers how much cash to keep in an emergency or rainy-day fund. The general guidance centers on covering several months of essential expenses, adjusted for income stability, fixed costs, and personal comfort, so cash is available without holding so much that it drags on long-term growth.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #119: Roth Conversions

A Roth conversion moves funds from a traditional IRA into a Roth IRA, where they may grow tax-deferred under current rules, including for up to a decade after passing to heirs. This Presilium video explains how strategic conversions may help reduce lifetime taxes and support your retirement and legacy goals, depending on your situation. Past performance does not guarantee future results; this is educational, not investment advice.

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Video

Building Value #5: The Right Retirement Plan

In this Building Value episode, Presilium helps business owners choose the right retirement plan for their company. It compares options such as SEP IRAs, 401(k)s, and cash balance plans, weighing tax savings, contribution limits, and employee benefits to match the plan to the owner's goals and stage of business.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #118: Donor Advised Funds

Donor-advised funds (DAFs) are the fastest-growing charitable giving vehicle. This Presilium video explains how a DAF lets you take a charitable tax deduction in the year you contribute, invest the funds to grow tax-free, and recommend grants to charities over time, often using appreciated assets for added tax efficiency.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #117: Staying Invested in 2024

Each year, founder Jerry revisits the crises of his career, each of which felt like a unique reason to sell at the time. This Presilium video walks through decades of market scares to show that, despite new risks every year, staying invested has historically kept clients' plans on track and rewarded patience.

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Video

The Big Question #18: How Should I Invest?

In this Big Question episode, Presilium answers how to invest by starting with your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance rather than chasing hot picks. It outlines a disciplined, diversified, long-term approach built on owning quality businesses and staying invested through market cycles.

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Video

Tips & Tricks for Today & Tomorrow 8 – Roth Contributions for High Earners

High earners are often phased out of contributing directly to a Roth IRA. This Presilium video explains workarounds, including the backdoor Roth IRA and mega backdoor Roth through a 401(k), that let high-income savers still build tax-free retirement assets, along with the tax rules to watch when using them.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #115: What Do You Own in Your Portfolio?

Most people describe their accounts as simply 'stocks and bonds,' but this Presilium video reframes the picture: investors actually own small stakes in many of the world's most innovative, profitable, and well-run companies. That ownership mindset helps investors stay confident and patient through market swings.

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Events

Virtual Chocolate Tasting

Presilium hosted a one-hour virtual chocolate tasting led by an expert chocolate sommelier, featuring six unique chocolates including contrasting dark bars and a creamy milk selection. This is a client appreciation event listing rather than an educational financial topic.

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Video

Building Value #4: The Advisors You Need

In this Building Value episode, Presilium explains the transition team a business owner needs for a successful sale. It covers the key advisors, including investment bankers or M&A advisors, attorneys, tax specialists, and a wealth manager, and how coordinating them early protects value and proceeds during an exit.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #114: Cybersecurity

With U.S. cybercrime complaints exceeding 880,000 and losses topping $12.5 billion in a year, this Presilium video explains why protecting your finances has never been more important. It shares practical steps to limit exposure and guard accounts and personal information against increasingly AI-powered fraud.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #113: How Long Can Stocks Go Up?

After the current bull market's two-year anniversary, this Presilium video looks at what prior bull markets did past the same milestone. Of 27 bull markets since 1928, twelve lasted longer than two years, with strong average and median returns afterward, offering historical context for investors wondering how long stocks can rise.

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Video

The Big Question #17: When should I become more conservative?

In this Big Question episode, Presilium answers when to become more conservative with investments. The decision should be driven by your time horizon and when you'll need the money, especially nearing or in retirement, rather than by age alone, balancing the need for stability with the need for ongoing growth.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #112: Determining Your Investment Mix

Your stock-to-bond mix is the single biggest driver of long-term portfolio outcomes. Because Presilium plans for clients to live to at least 95, holding too many bonds can lower long-term growth and limit the goals you can fund. Most people can responsibly hold a higher stock allocation than they assume.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays #111: The Top 3 Ways We Can Help

Many families who came to Presilium felt off-track until they addressed three things: they lacked a written financial plan, were missing tax-saving opportunities, and had no disciplined investment strategy. Building a plan, coordinating taxes, and investing consistently were the highest-impact improvements.

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Video

Building Value #3: Determining Your Wealth Gap

Episode 3 of Building Value explains the wealth gap: the difference between the assets you have today and the amount you'll need from your business sale to fund the life you want after exit. Quantifying this gap early shows how much value you still need to build before selling.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays # 110: Why You Should Rebalance

Rebalancing means moving your portfolio back to its target allocation as markets rise and fall. Most investors know they should do it but rarely do, often because they never set a defined target allocation or a rule for when to act. A disciplined process makes rebalancing systematic instead of emotional.

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Video

Financial Planning Fridays # 109: NUA and Company Stock in Your 401k

Net unrealized appreciation (NUA) is a tax rule for employees holding appreciated company stock inside a 401k. Instead of rolling shares into an IRA, you transfer them to a brokerage account, paying ordinary income tax only on the cost basis and long-term capital gains rates on the appreciation.

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Events

Wine Tasting: “In Vino Veritas: An Italian Wine Journey.”

Presilium hosted a virtual client wine tasting, 'In Vino Veritas: An Italian Wine Journey,' on November 7th from 6-7pm EST with Brandon Borcoman of Vin-Decision, exploring Italy's diverse wine landscape from volcanic soils to coastal rivieras.

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