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Bradford Financial Center, a national wealth management company, delivers a financial advisor's simple approach to making small changes that can result in big results for your financial future. From budgeting, tax planning, and saving for retirement to college planning, smarter insurance solutions, and building wealth, the practical advice is easy to apply for investors at any level.
All episodes include a "Five in Five" segment where we break down quick-hit financial trends for their listeners.
0:00:02.5 Speaker 1: Welcome to your Wealth Journey podcast powered by Bradford Financial Center, where we'll always share how small changes equal big results because your wealth journey is our focus.
0:00:14.0 Shallon Weis: Welcome back to your Wealth Journey podcast produced by Bradford Financial Center. I'm Shallon Weis, a financial advisor with Bradford with offices in Clarion and Garner, Iowa. And we're proud to serve the heart of America and help people make confident, informed financial decisions.
0:00:29.2 Jim Tausz: Yeah. And I'm Jim Tausz, President of the Bradford Financial Center. With over 50 years of financial planning experience behind me, today's conversation is gonna be one that we hear all the time from people who are doing their best with their money, but wondering, "Am I at the point where I should be getting some help with this?"
0:00:51.9 Shallon Weis: Because for many people, it's not always obvious. There's this idea that you need to hit a certain income level or have a certain amount of money saved before it makes sense.
0:01:01.6 Jim Tausz: And the reality is it's often less about specific numbers and more about what's happening in your life. Certain milestones tend to create more complexity, and that's where the guidance can really make a real difference.
0:01:16.8 Shallon Weis: So today we're going to walk through some of the key moments where bringing in an advisor could help create clarity, reduce stress, and set you up for better long-term decisions.
0:01:26.2 Jim Tausz: And stick around for the Five in Five segment that we have where we'll share some simple ways to decide how it might be the right time for you. But first, let's talk about why timing really matters.
0:01:41.0 Shallon Weis: I think one of the biggest misconceptions is that financial advisors are only for people who have already built significant wealth. In reality, many of the most valuable conversations happen before that point, when decisions are still being made and habits are still forming. It's not about having it all figured out. It's about having someone help you make smarter choices along the way so you can build toward that wealth with more intention and fewer missteps.
0:02:06.5 Jim Tausz: We hear that all the time. But in many cases, the earlier you bring in guidance, the more impact it can have because you're actually shaping decisions as they happen, not trying to fix things after the fact.
0:02:23.2 Shallon Weis: And timing matters because decisions tend to cluster around life changes. And when those decisions aren't coordinated, it can create gaps. Things like starting a new job, buying a home, or planning for retirement. Each one of those moments comes with choices that can benefit from a clear strategy.
0:02:40.1 Jim Tausz: And without that strategy, people often rely on guesswork or advice from multiple sources that may not align, actually.
0:02:48.5 Shallon Weis: So let's start with one of the earliest milestones: beginning your career or stepping into a higher income level.
0:02:55.0 Jim Tausz: This is the big one because it actually sets the foundation. How you handle your income early can actually shape how long-term outcomes happen.
0:03:04.8 Shallon Weis: And we often see people unsure about how much money to save, where to invest, or how to balance current lifestyle with future goals. For example, someone gets a raise and suddenly has a little extra income, but they're not sure what to do with it. Do they increase their 401(k), pay down debt faster, upgrade their lifestyle a little bit, or try to do all three?
0:03:25.4 Jim Tausz: Without a plan, it can feel like every option is really competing. And that's where people either overthink it or perhaps difficult as to whatever feels easiest at the moment happens. Having a clear direction actually helps turn the uncertainty into a simple, confident next step.
0:03:46.4 Shallon Weis: It's also a time when habits are formed, and having guidance can help build habits that support long-term success. And another key moment is any major life change: marriage, starting a family, or even navigating a divorce. These are times when everything is shifting at once, not just emotionally, but financially too. You're combining or separating accounts, rethinking budgets, updating beneficiaries, adjusting insurance, and often redefining what your goals even look like. For example, a couple getting married might each come in with different spending habits, debt levels, or priorities, and suddenly those need to work together. Or a growing family may start thinking about child care, education savings, and long-term protection in a way they never had to before.
0:04:37.4 Jim Tausz: These moments tend to come with a lot of moving parts, and having a plan in place can actually help bring structure to what can otherwise feel like a very uncertain time. Plus, these events often bring emotional and financial complexity at the very same time.
0:04:57.8 Shallon Weis: Oh yes, and that's what makes it so heavy. You're not just making financial decisions, you're making life decisions that carry financial weight. Often at a time when your emotions are already stretched, it can feel like a lot is riding on every choice, and that pressure can make even simple decisions feel bigger than they are.
0:05:17.4 Jim Tausz: Exactly. Things like combining finances, updating insurance, planning for education, and adjusting long-term goals.
0:05:26.8 Shallon Weis: And when those decisions are made without coordination, it can lead to confusion or missed opportunities.
0:05:33.3 Jim Tausz: One of the things that I love about our work is when we hear how having an advisor through these transitions for our clients helps create actual clarity for them and even confidence, and that there is someone there to lean on who can help you and ensure everything is working together.
0:05:53.7 Shallon Weis: Another point where people often consider working with an advisor is when they've built some level of savings or investments. This is usually when things start to feel a little more real. You've done a good job saving, but now you're asking, "Am I doing the right things with this?" It's no longer just about setting money aside. It's about how it's invested, how it's taxed, and whether it's actually aligned with what you want long term. And for a lot of people, that's where uncertainty starts to creep in.
0:06:32.1 Jim Tausz: Yes. Because you've made progress, but you want to make sure that you're not missing opportunities or taking risks that you don't really fully understand. This is where things can start to feel more complex as we go along: multiple accounts, different investment types, tax considerations, and so forth.
0:06:51.8 Shallon Weis: It's a clue for me when I hear people say, "I think I'm doing okay, but I'm not sure if everything is working together," that it's time to help them with guidance. Not because something is wrong, but because there's an opportunity to optimize.
0:07:04.9 Jim Tausz: An advisor can be a guide to help make sure your money is aligned with your goals and working the efficiency as possible.
0:07:13.7 Shallon Weis: So let's talk about one of the biggest transitions: approaching retirement.
0:07:17.5 Jim Tausz: Such an exciting time to meet with our clients, but that's where the questions really start to build. "I don't have enough," they say. "When should I retire?" you might think. "How do I turn savings into income?" And they're not small questions. They're the kind that keep people up at night because the answers aren't really obvious and the stakes feel higher. You spent years building towards this point, and now it's about making sure that it's all going to work together.
0:07:51.4 Shallon Weis: It's also a shift in mindset. You're moving from saving and growing your money to relying on it, and that transition can feel unfamiliar. Having a plan in place helps turn those big, open-ended questions into something more concrete and manageable. And these decisions are interconnected: timing, taxes, investments, income strategy, they all play a role.
0:08:15.6 Jim Tausz: A critical role for planning, that's for sure. Because once you transition into retirement, there's less room for error. Having a clear plan can make people move into retirement with a lot of confidence instead of the uncertainty that might follow.
0:08:35.4 Shallon Weis: And there's one milestone that doesn't show up on a timeline, but we often see it.
0:08:40.5 Jim Tausz: What one are you talking about, Shallon?
0:08:43.1 Shallon Weis: Well, the moment when someone simply feels overwhelmed or unsure.
0:08:47.6 Jim Tausz: Ah, yes. Like they've been managing things on their own, but it's starting to feel a little too much, like it's hard to keep track of, or they're making decisions and wondering if they're missing something very important.
0:09:03.1 Shallon Weis: Sometimes it's not about what's happening around you, it's about what's happening internally. So if you're second guessing decisions, putting things off, or just wishing you had a clearer sense of direction, that's worth paying attention to. A lot of people wait until something big forces the conversation, but often the better time is when you first start feeling that uncertainty. And that's when guidance can help you get ahead of things instead of playing catch-up later.
0:09:30.7 Jim Tausz: Sometimes the best time to bring in an advisor is when you want more clarity and confidence. Not because something is actually wrong, but because you're ready to feel and you're ready to feel more certain about the decisions that you're making and have someone to actually help you think things through. It's really about giving yourself permission to not have all the answers on your own.
0:09:58.0 Shallon Weis: I love that, Jim. Well, it's okay to give yourself permission to not have to manage it all yourself. Honestly, if there's one takeaway from today's conversation, it's that hiring a financial advisor isn't about hitting a specific number.
0:10:12.5 Jim Tausz: Yes. It's about recognizing moments in your life where decisions become more complex and having support to navigate them.
0:10:20.0 Shallon Weis: And those moments can look different for everyone, but they often share one thing in common.
0:10:25.7 Jim Tausz: There are times when having a plan can make a meaningful difference. And starting that conversation earlier rather than later can help you build a stronger financial foundation below your structure of planning.
0:10:41.5 Shallon Weis: So thanks for listening to this episode of Your Wealth Journey with Bradford Financial Center.
0:10:46.8 Jim Tausz: If you found this helpful, consider sharing it with someone who might be navigating one of these milestones.
0:10:54.1 Shallon Weis: And if you're wondering whether now might be the right time to talk to an advisor, that's a great question to explore.
0:11:00.2 Speaker 1: In our last five minutes, we'll bring listeners a roundup of five smart ideas they can apply to their own wealth journeys. So let's get started with this episode's Five in Five.
0:11:09.2 Shallon Weis: So before we wrap up, let's move into our Five in Five segment. Today we're focusing on simple signs that it might be time to consider working with an advisor.
0:11:19.4 Jim Tausz: These are quick check-ins and can help you assess where you really are at this time.
0:11:27.2 Shallon Weis: So tip one: when you're making financial decisions alone. If you're making big financial decisions without a clear strategy, it might be time for guidance. For example, you might be deciding whether to buy a home, change jobs for a higher salary, or invest a lump sum of money. Each of those decisions has multiple layers: taxes, timing, long-term impact, and how it fits into your overall goals. Without a plan, it can feel like you're making each decision in isolation, hoping it all works together later. So guidance helps connect those decisions so that you're not just making a good choice in the moment, but a smart one for your bigger picture.
0:12:06.5 Jim Tausz: Well, tip two: your financial life feels maybe a little bit scattered out there. Multiple accounts, different investments, no clear connection between them. It can look like a 401(k) from a previous job, or you could look at a current retirement account, a savings account, maybe an investment that opened up a few years ago somewhere else. All doing their own thing. None of it is necessarily wrong, but can sure feel like things are scattered. And when everything is in a different place, it's hard to answer simple questions like, how am I actually doing? Or, are all the things that I have working towards the same goal? That's actually where people start to feel a little bit disconnected from their money, like they're managing pieces of a plan instead of their real plan.
0:13:07.1 Shallon Weis: And tip three: you're experiencing a life change. Major transitions often benefit from a coordinated plan, because during those moments it can feel like everything is shifting at once. There's excitement, stress, uncertainty, and a lot of decisions happening all at the same time. Having a plan helps bring a sense of steadiness, so instead of feeling like you're reacting to everything, you have something to guide you through it.
0:13:33.4 Jim Tausz: Tip four: you're unsure that you're on track. If you're asking that question, it's really worth exploring. For example, if you find yourself thinking, "Am I actually saving enough for retirement? Are we doing the right things with our money now?" That's usually not a random thought. It's a sign that you're really looking for more clarity. Those questions tend to come up when you've outgrown guessing and want to be more confident about what the real answer is for you.
0:14:12.4 Shallon Weis: And tip five: you want more confidence. Working with an advisor isn't just about returns. It's about clarity and having a clear, confident plan. It's about being able to look at your finances and understand what's happening and why. Instead of wondering if you're doing the right things, you have a plan that connects the pieces and gives your decisions direction. And for many people, the biggest shift isn't in the numbers, it's in how they feel. Less second guessing, fewer sleepless nights, and a stronger sense that things are under control.
0:14:47.9 Jim Tausz: If any of these resonate with you, it might be worth actually having a conversation sooner than later. This is what we do at Bradford. We start with a conversation about how you're feeling about your financial situation, what your goals look like, how together we can map a clear plan to manage your journey ahead. Even one conversation can help bring a lot of clarity to your financial life.
0:15:17.1 Shallon Weis: And honestly, it's one of our favorite parts of what we do. So, thanks for spending a little time with us today, and we'll be back soon with another conversation to help you along your wealth journey with Bradford Financial Center.
0:15:32.7 Speaker 1: Thank you for tuning in to your Wealth Journey podcast, powered by Bradford Financial Center. Be sure to tune in to our next episode where we'll continue to explore the smart financial strategies you need to know. Securities are offered through United Planners Financial Services, member FINRA, member SIPC. Advisory services are offered through Bradford Financial Center, a registered investment advisor. Insurance services are offered through Bradford Insurance. Tax and accounting services are offered through Bradford Tax and Accounting Network. Bradford Financial Center, Bradford Insurance, and Bradford Tax and Accounting Network are not affiliated with United Planners. Neither Bradford Financial Center nor United Planners provide tax or legal advice. This podcast is for general information and educational purposes only and is not intended to be specific advice for any individual. Consult your financial professional regarding your personal situation. All investing involves risk, and there's no guarantee that any strategy will be successful.