September 2026

From Portfolio Performance to Purposeful Retirement Planning (Ep. 208)

By Retirement Unlocked | September 23, 2026

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Are you approaching retirement and wondering whether your investments, spending, taxes, estate plan, and future goals are all working together?

A retirement plan should do more than track portfolio performance. It should help you understand how your money can support the lifestyle you want, while accounting for income needs, taxes, market risk, family priorities, and changing circumstances.

In this episode, Larry Heller, CFP®, CDFA®, explains how to build a retirement plan around the life you want rather than letting investment returns drive your decisions. He shares how cash flow, time horizons, risk tolerance, tax planning, estate planning, and investment decisions can work together to support both near-term needs and long-term priorities.

Larry discusses:

Why retirement planning should begin with your goals, priorities, and vision for the years ahead
How different time horizons can influence the way short-term and long-term assets are invested
How creating a regular retirement paycheck can make the transition away from employment income feel more familiar
Why taxes, Roth conversions, beneficiary designations, insurance, and estate planning need to be coordinated
How retirement progress can be measured by lifestyle, financial flexibility, family priorities, and long-term goals
And more!

Connect with Larry Heller:

Heller Wealth Management is now part of Savant Wealth Management. Savant is a Registered Investment Advisor. This content is provided for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as personalized investment advice.

Effective March 31, 2026, Heller Wealth Management joined Savant Wealth Management (“Savant”). A copy of Savant’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available at www.savantwealth.com/disclosure-brochures/

Planning to Sell Your Trade Business? What to Do Before Retirement (Ep. 207)

By Retirement Unlocked | September 9, 2026

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How do you sell a trade business and turn decades of work into retirement income? If you’re a contractor, electrician, plumber, landscaper, HVAC professional, or another skilled-trade owner thinking about retirement, the decisions you make before the sale may affect what your business is worth, how much you keep after taxes, and how the proceeds support your retirement.

In this episode, Larry Heller, CFP®, CDFA®, explains what business owners should consider before selling a trade business. He covers how buyers may determine a company’s value, why clean financial records and documented processes can support a sale, and how reducing owner dependence may make the company easier to transfer. Larry also examines how the sale structure, capital gains taxes, installment payments, retained equity, retirement income planning, and estate considerations work together. Beyond the financial questions, he explores how owners can prepare for their identity, purpose, and daily life after leaving the company.

Larry discusses:

How far in advance you should begin planning to sell a trade business
What buyers may review when determining how much a business is worth
Why clean financial records and documented processes can support a future sale
How owner dependence may affect business value and the transition to a new owner
And more!

Connect with Larry Heller: