Chris Brindle
I'm a Financial Planner and Investment Advisor for Sales Reps. I create financial content to help people live a better life without the stress that comes with variable income.
tax mistake
A client got $19,915 back on his taxes. Three life events made it possible. TurboTax would have missed all three. INTENTIONAL FINANCE The $19,915 Difference Filing your taxes and planning them are not the same thing. Read time: 4 min I told a client to stop using TurboTax. He got $19,915 back on his taxes. He got married last year. His wife started working. They paid off their student loans. Three things changed in his life. TurboTax would have processed the inputs and moved on. His CPA knew...
your $6,000 tax mistake
A $23,500 contribution at the 32% bracket saves $6,000+ in taxes today. Are you using the right account? INTENTIONAL FINANCE Roth or Traditional? Why down years in sales are sometimes the best tax planning years you'll have. Read time: 4 min "Roth is always better." You've seen this take. It's on every finance account, every YouTube channel, every LinkedIn post that gets 10,000 likes. The people saying it aren't lying. Roth is powerful. But "always better" isn't financial advice. It's content...
how the wealthy invest
It's not just index funds. Here's what they actually do. INTENTIONAL FINANCE How the Wealthy Actually Invest Most people buy 2-3 funds and call it a strategy. The wealthy do something else entirely. Read time: 4 min I had a conversation recently with someone who had no idea there was anything beyond a mutual fund or two. That's what he had. That was his whole strategy. And honestly, nothing wrong with that as a starting point. But here's what nobody tells high earners: as your income grows...
how to fix it
The 10 questions I ask before I recommend a single change to a client's retirement account. INTENTIONAL FINANCE How to Fix It + Oracle just laid off 30,000. Do you know where your retirement money is? Read time: 4 min Oracle just cut 30,000 jobs. Not temps. Not contractors. Full-time employees. AI is starting to reshape the workforce in ways that felt abstract until they weren't. And even if you're a strong rep, you know how fast a company can decide it doesn't need your headcount anymore....
22 loans. one plan
Most grads with debt build a lifestyle before they build a plan. Here's the framework that actually clears six figures of loans without sacrificing everything in between. INTENTIONAL FINANCE The Plan Nobody Gives You + what to do with six figures of student debt when you're finally earning real money Read time: 4 min Seven years of school. Six figures of debt. First real paycheck. Most people I talk to describe that moment the same way: relief. The problem is what comes next. The lifestyle...
to what end
He spent 40 years afraid of running out. He died with more than he ever used. INTENTIONAL FINANCE The money outlived him. What happens when saving becomes the goal instead of the means. Read time: 4 min Had a conversation this week I can't stop thinking about. A guy reached out after seeing my content on LinkedIn. Smart, high earner, both he and his wife in sales. Done everything right by every standard measure -- maxed the 401k, built the backdoor Roth, funded the 529s for both kids. His...
Know this word:
GDP at 1.4%, inflation at 3%, and the Fed can't help. Here's what matters. INTENTIONAL FINANCE Stagflation Is Back on the Table What it means, why it matters, and what to do about it. Read time: 2 min Oil crossed $100 a barrel this week. The S&P 500 has erased all of its 2026 gains. GDP came in at 1.4% for Q4. And the Fed isn't cutting rates until December at the earliest. Taken individually, none of those headlines is a crisis. Together, they're describing something economists haven't talked...
I'm a Financial Planner and Investment Advisor for Sales Reps. I create financial content to help people live a better life without the stress that comes with variable income.