Financial Insights

Should you pay the IRS now or later? This guide breaks down Roth and Traditional retirement accounts, contribution limits, phase-outs, RMD rules, and simple decision cues so you can pick the option that saves you the most over time.

Building your own business and retirement plan means juggling deadlines and forms. This Solo 401(k) Compliance Calendar outlines each critical IRS due date, from plan adoption to annual filings, so you can stay compliant and focused on growth.

Holding too much of one company’s stock can jeopardize your wealth—and selling may spark a hefty tax bill. Explore five advanced techniques to hedge risk, diversify exposure, and defer capital gains while keeping your goals on track.

California investors face new climate-disclosure rules and market pressure to consider environmental, social, and governance risks. This guide walks step by step through building an ESG integration framework that meets the state’s regulations while staying focused on long-term returns

This in-depth guide explains why most fortunes fade after three generations and shows how tax-efficient trusts—from credit-shelter and QTIP to dynasty and SLAT—can preserve, protect, and grow family assets for decades. Learn how to pair the new $15 million federal estate-tax exclusion with proven trust structures to reduce taxes, safeguard control, and ensure your legacy endures.

If you’ve already maxed out your $23,500 elective deferral (plus any catch-up) in your Solo 401(k) and still feel the itch to save more, you’re in the right place. The Mega-Backdoor Roth strategy lets you funnel up to the IRS’s $70,000 annual addition limit into after-tax contributions—and then convert them into Roth dollars for decades of tax-free growth. This step-by-step playbook walks you through plan setup, payroll withholding, conversions, and year-end filings.

Market pullbacks don’t have to hurt. Discover how tax-loss harvesting converts temporary losses into real tax relief, protects future gains, and fits smoothly into a disciplined investment plan—complete with wash-sale guidance, crypto nuances, state quirks, and charitable giving hacks.

Great portfolios start with a great mindset. This article breaks down the hidden force behind market success—emotional intelligence—using case studies from Buffett, Templeton, Munger, Tudor Jones, and Dalio. Learn the biases to avoid, the checklists to use, and the risk rules that keep winners in the game.

Choosing between a Solo 401(k) and a SEP IRA in 2025 isn’t just about bigger numbers—it’s about matching contribution limits, Roth access, filing deadlines, and future hiring plans to your one-person business. This guide breaks down the rules, runs real-world examples, and flags common pitfalls.

From 529 plans to Roth IRAs, this guide breaks down every major college-savings option, compares tax perks, and shows Los Angeles parents how to mix and match accounts for K-12 through graduate school.

The stock-market conversation still treats “value” and “growth” as if they were rival religions. Benjamin Graham is usually cast as the patron saint of deep-value bargain hunting, while fast-growing firms are portrayed as temptations best resisted.

A fee-only fiduciary advisor puts your interests first, clarifies complex decisions, and can shave years off your retirement timeline. Learn what to expect, the crucial questions to ask, and why Westlight Wealth’s client-first process makes the difference.

Carbon isn’t the only climate metric that matters. Southern California investors must now price in shrinking water supplies and rising wildfire losses. Westlight Wealth explains the latest data tools, Los Angeles hot spots, and practical steps to protect real-estate, muni-bond, and operating-company holdings.

A complete estate plan still protects your loved ones, saves time and money, and keeps your voice in the room when you can no longer speak for yourself.

Behavioral coaching—the steady guidance that keeps you invested through fear and greed—can add as much value as clever stock picking, and sometimes more.

Earning a solid return on your investments feels great, but protecting those returns—and your overall financial well-being—requires understanding and managing risk in every corner of your life.

Estate planning is simply the exercise of making sure what you worked so hard to build ends up in the right hands, at the right time, with as little cost, tax, and family conflict as possible.

Your retirement plan starts with an open conversation about your life, moves through detailed goal setting and data driven projections, and ends with an actionable strategy that adapts as life unfolds. This article walks you through the Certified Financial Planner seven step process and shows what to expect at every stage.

When environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors first burst onto the investing scene, skeptics warned that screening out “bad-actor” companies or tilting toward sustainability themes would inevitably sacrifice returns.

Westlight Wealth doesn’t wait for glossy headlines to settle—we dig straight into what new law means for your balance sheet. When...

Venice’s free breeze can’t hide the fact that housing now consumes 40–60% of take-home pay, inflation’s shelter component is up 4.1% YoY, and combined state and sales taxes shave heavily at your wallet. This guide lays out a data-driven 50/30/20 budget on a $200k salary, three high-impact plays—from maxing tax-advantaged buckets and ADU house-hacking to EV rebates—and practical seasonal, policy, and tax-timing strategies to keep your lifestyle balanced and your future goals o

Retiring in a high-cost beachside community like Venice is a dream for many, with sunny boardwalk strolls and ocean breezes. But if you’re a retiree (or soon-to-be retiree) here, it’s important to know that stock market ups and downs aren’t the only thing that can threaten your nest egg.

Venice’s luxury‐coastal market is cooling: median listings dipped to $2.4 M in April 2025, gross rental yields have fallen below 1.5 %, and inventory is up. Between rising property taxes, new transfer‐tax brackets, and Proposition 13 quirks, now’s the time to rebalance home equity, secure flexible financing, and optimize your tax strategy. This post breaks down the key stats, policy impacts, and three actionable plays to stay ahead.

Boost your Venice brand at the Abbot Kinney Festival: combine tax-deductible sponsorships with live marketing activations and vendor insights for growth.