Mason & Associates, LLC

EP75-Why Federal Retirees Need Specialized Advice Is it time to refinance? Are you operating based on old rules? Is down sizing in retirement a real thing? https://lnkd.in/ezzT6Cb4

Protecting Yourself from Yourself- Why Federal Employees Benefit from Professional Financial Planning. In this episode Michael R. Mason, CFP®️, John Mason, CFP®, and Tommy Blackburn, CPA, PFS, CFP® address several areas of financial planning, including personal biases or misconceptions that can be passed down from generations. Financial planning requires you to do things in advance. For instance, we need estate planning documents before you're sick. We've seen this for decades, it's hard for folks to determine the "right time" to begin taking action and sometimes they wait too long. https://lnkd.in/e3GwCBYS

What an honor to spend some time with Elaine Floyd, CFP®! Thank you Elaine for agreeing to be a guest on the Federal Employee Financial Planning Podcast and for sharing insights from your extensive experience in retirement and Social Security Planning John Mason, CFP®and Tommy Blackburn, CPA, PFS, CFP®spent an hour chatting with Elaine and could have gone longer! https://lnkd.in/e6_FFC5Y

Are you a Federal Employee covered by the Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) or Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS)? If so, it may be time to activate your millionaire powers. Are you at or near retirement and not feeling empowered? Full Episode: https://lnkd.in/ez7P-5bV

Thrift Savings Plan- TSP Competitive Advantages & Disadvantages 📹 https://lnkd.in/gRqQfBwW Full transcript and show notes: https://lnkd.in/gHwttJmW

📹🎙️Federal Employee Financial Planning Podcast- Financial Planner to Client Ratio How many clients per financial planner? There is no "right" answer to this question. In this episode we discuss the Mason & Associates philosophy. Our planners provide financial planning and tax planning services to about 100 families per advisor. Your hosts: John Mason, CFP®, Ben Raikes, CFP®, EA, Tommy Blackburn, CPA, PFS, CFP®, and Mike Mason, CFP® https://lnkd.in/e4v_hTCB

I'm incredibly excited and honored to share that I've joined the inaugural Virginia Tech Financial Planning and Wealth Management Advisory Board. Our first meeting was a fantastic start, and I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with such a talented and dedicated group of professionals. I’m proud to give back to the institution that shaped my journey and that of many others, including John Mason, CFP® and Ben Raikes, CFP®, EA of Mason & Associates, LLC, and humbled by the trust placed in us to help guide the future. Looking forward to contributing to the success and growth of this amazing program! Jesse Lineberry, MSF, CFP® #FinancialPlanning #VirginiaTechFinancialPlanningProgram #Gratitude #Pride #GivingBack #Education

Federal Employee Financial Planning Podcast- Get the Most Out of Your Financial Planner https://lnkd.in/e7zWdibh What you will learn: •The importance of having an ongoing relationship with your financial planner. (4:55) •What a long-term relationship with your financial planner should look like. (8:00) •Why existing clients always take priority over prospects. (10:30) •The benefit of having someone to hold you accountable. (15:00) •The power of writing down your goals. (19:40) •Why having a flexible plan is essential for success. (23:00) •How John, Tommy, and Ben prepare for client meetings. (27:30) •The importance of ensuring the clients understand their plan. (33:00) •Why John, Tommy, and Ben always have a game plan for client meetings. (36:00) Ideas worth sharing: “Requesting documents from clients is not a sales pitch—it’s how you add value.” - Mason & Associates “Part of what we do is forward-looking. We’re not just reviewing your investments or recording things from last year—we’re doing tax planning and looking at your entire financial plan to make things easier moving forward.” - Mason & Associates “A financial plan needs to be actionable and attainable.” - Mason & Associates Tommy Blackburn, CPA, PFS, CFP®, Ben Raikes, CFP®, EA, and John Mason, CFP®.

Mason & Associates, LLC proudly sponsored the Memorial Day Freedom Run in Yorktown, Virginia. We honor those who made the biggest sacrifice for our country. Ben Raikes, CFP®, EA and I ran along with over 200 other runners from the community. This was such a great experience and it was wonderful to see the large number of runners of all ages. During the race, I realized that I wasn't going to finish strong...who would after only 3 weeks of running training. I didn't quite limp to the finish line but those in front of me certainly finished stronger. If you want to finish strong in your financial plan, you need to train early and train often. The training doesn't start the year before retirement. If you don't start training, your race (retirement/financial plan) will be more challenging than those who spent a lifetime preparing. You'll finish, you don't have a choice, but it won't be on your terms. Start your financial plan now!

"Financial Planner Near Me" might be the default search phrase for folks looking to hire a financial planner but maybe not the best. Consider searching for something more specific, "Financial Planner for Federal Employees" or "Federal Employee Financial Planning". Yes, this is self serving but Federal Benefits are complex and working with someone who specializes with federal employees is probably better than finding someone local. Luckily for us, potential clients find us by searching any of the terms mentioned above. Federal Employee Financial Planning Podcast: Are Virtual Meetings as Good as In-Person? https://lnkd.in/e8yXMjZz