Before you can plan your future, you must establish a clear baseline of your current financial health. In this kickoff episode of the Retirement Readiness Journey, Rose Price, CFP®, and Chris Mellone CFA, CFP®, AIF® explore the essential steps to take ten years before your target retirement date. From analyzing asset location to auditing your debt, learn how to prepare your portfolio for the long haul.

Key Topics Covered:

• Calculating Net Worth: Learn how to organize diverse assets including 401(k)s, TSPs, real estate, and unique collectibles.
  
  
• Strategic Debt Management: Understand the difference between "good" debt like mortgages and "bad" high-interest liabilities.
  
  
• Asset Location & Taxes: Why your 401(k) shouldn't be your only bucket and how to utilize Roth options for better tax flexibility.
  
  
• Cash Flow Tracking: Move beyond digital spending to understand your true cost of living and identify "lifestyle creep".
  
  
• Optimizing Savings: Discover systematic ways to redirect pay raises and "found money" into wealth-building investments.
  
  

Visit vlpfa.com to download resources or schedule a complimentary consultation to begin your personalized Retirement Readiness Journey.

In this special "Year in Review" episode, the team at VLP Financial Advisors dives into the biggest accomplishments, market reflections, and firm growth of 2025. They also look ahead to 2026, sharing major initiatives like a new office and an exciting new podcast series. Don't miss this candid conversation about the market's volatility, the impact of legislative changes, and the core values driving the firm's success.

Key Discussions and Takeaways:

• Firm and Podcast Growth: Review the significant growth in 2025, including the firm adding over 30 new client households and surpassing 1300 YouTube subscribers.
• Podcast Achievements: Highlights include reaching episode 42 and the success of "short form" content, such as the video on "Financial Scams in the World of AI" (over 7,000 views) and the top short with nearly 30,000 views.
• 2025 Market & Legislative Reflections: Discussion on the market's quick changes, the impact of "Liberation Day," and the "Big Beautiful Bill," which affected taxes, particularly the SALT cap.
• Firm Awards and Recognition: Highlighting awards such as the Investment News Top Places to Work (won again in 2025) and being named to the watchlist for fastest-growing female-led advisory firms.
• Looking Ahead to 2026: Exciting plans include a new office move off of Pinnacle Drive and the launch of a new "Retirement Readiness Journey" podcast series in January.

The team attributes their success to the continued trust and referrals from their clients, partners, and team. Gain valuable insight into how this growing firm manages volatile markets and leverages technology like AI and new social platforms, such as their new Instagram account (@vlpfinanciadadvisors), to better serve their clients.

Your questions and feedback drive the conversation! If you have topics or financial questions that come up during the holidays, please share them with the VLP team to inspire future episodes.

Deciding whether to retire now or work a little longer is one of the most common questions clients bring to our team. In this episode of The Live Greater View, Chris Malone and Dan Lash walk through the financial, emotional, and lifestyle factors that shape this decision. From the impact of one extra year of income to the psychological shift of spending down savings, they share the conversations they have every day with people nearing retirement.

Whether you feel ready to stop working or you’re unsure what life after full-time work would look like, this episode gives you a grounded look at what truly matters when choosing your timeline.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The financial benefits of working an additional year, including savings, reduced withdrawals, healthcare costs, and Social Security timing
• The emotional and lifestyle readiness needed for retirement and why the “vision” for your days matters as much as the numbers
• How forced early retirement, market risk, and distribution planning change the conversation

Why this matters:
Retirement is not just a date on a calendar. It is a major life shift that blends money, mindset, and lifestyle. Understanding each piece helps you enter retirement with confidence instead of second-guessing.