Articles & White Papers
Actionable guidance on tax planning, investment management, retirement, estate planning, and strategies for business owners, written by the credentialed advisors at Whitwell & Co.
Annuity Pitfalls: Nine Costly Mistakes
Annuities can offer valuable benefits to client portfolios, but success depends on careful planning and administration. Avoid these nine common pitfalls.
When Your Best Year Confuses the Bank
Conventional underwriting averages two or three years of returns. For founders whose business has clearly turned the corner, that math is wrong on its face.
The 25% Problem: Why Founders Get Declined
When a mortgage applicant owns 25 percent or more of an operating business, most banks consolidate the K-1 with the personal return. For founder-led companies, that paper picture is, by design, unflattering.
The 1920s Banking Model Is Being Replaced
What we are witnessing is not a temporary cycle, a rate hiccup, or a confidence wobble. It is a structural unwind of a business model designed for a world that no longer exists.
The One-Person Billion-Dollar Company
The one-person billion-dollar company is coming. It may already be here. But the version that lasts will not look like a sprint to the front page.
Wealth Manager vs. Financial Advisor
While all wealth managers are financial advisors, not all financial advisors are wealth managers. Understanding the distinction helps you find the right professional for your level of complexity.
RSUs and Stock Options for Executives
Equity compensation is a powerful wealth-building tool, but without a plan, it can also create concentrated risk and unexpected tax bills. Here is how to navigate RSUs and stock options strategically.
Roth Conversions: Is 2026 the Right Time?
With the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act provisions set to sunset, 2026 may present a unique planning window for Roth conversions that could save retirees significant money over their lifetimes.
Charitable Giving Strategies to Cut Taxes
With the right approach, charitable giving becomes a win-win: you support the organizations that matter most to you while meaningfully reducing your income and estate tax liability.
Tax-Loss Harvesting for HNW Investors
Tax-loss harvesting is one of the most effective tools available to high-net-worth investors seeking to reduce their annual tax burden while maintaining a disciplined investment strategy.
Year-End Tax Planning for Business Owners
Year-end is a critical window for business owners to implement strategies that can meaningfully reduce their tax liability for the current year and set the stage for future savings.
Maximizing Social Security Benefits
When you claim Social Security can be as important as how much you have saved. Strategic timing decisions can add tens of thousands of dollars to your lifetime benefits.
Estate Planning Essentials for Executives
For executives with complex compensation packages, multiple properties, and growing families, estate planning is not optional. It is a critical part of protecting everything you have worked to build.
Tax-Efficient Retirement Withdrawals
The order in which you draw from your retirement accounts can have a dramatic impact on how long your money lasts and how much you keep after taxes.
The Case for Alternative Investments
As traditional stock-and-bond portfolios face new challenges, alternative investments offer sophisticated investors additional sources of return, diversification, and inflation protection.
How to Build a Financial Freedom Plan
Financial freedom is not just about accumulating wealth. It is about having enough resources and a clear plan so that money supports your life rather than dictating it.
Succession Planning for Family-Owned Businesses
Only about 30% of family-owned businesses survive to the second generation. A well-designed succession plan dramatically improves those odds while protecting the family's financial legacy.
Fiduciary vs. Broker: Why It Matters
Not all financial professionals are required to act in your best interest. Understanding the difference between a fiduciary and a broker is one of the most important decisions you can make for your financial future.
Self-Directed IRAs: Opportunities and Risks
Self-directed IRAs open the door to investing in real estate, private businesses, and other alternative assets within a tax-advantaged account, but they come with rules that must be followed carefully.
Key Person Insurance for Business Owners
If your business depends heavily on one or two individuals, key person insurance provides a financial safety net that can mean the difference between survival and closure.
Real Estate Capital Gains Tax Planning
Real estate can be one of the most tax-efficient asset classes when you use the right strategies. Understanding your options before you sell is the key to keeping more of your profit.
Banking Risk: Where to Keep Cash
Understanding the fundamental difference between banks and custodians is essential. If you have significant cash in your business or family, it is critical that you are smart about where you keep it.
A Quiet Invitation
Reading about wealth is one thing; applying it to your own situation is another. If something here raised a question about your plan, let us turn it into a conversation about what it means for you. We do not believe in pressure or hard pitches. We believe in the right relationship with the right people at the right time.
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