Wealth with Intention
Money Wisdom for Your Next Chapter
Are You Getting Your Full 401(k) Match? How to Check in 15 Minutes
The short version: your employer match is the highest-return money in your financial life, and three fairly ordinary mistakes cause people to miss part of it. You can check all three yourself in about fifteen minutes using your Summary Plan Description and your most recent pay stub.
Most people assume that if they are contributing to their 401(k), the match takes care of itself. Usually it does. But "usually" is doing a lot of work in that sentence, and the exceptions are expensive.
What is a 401(k) employer match?
An employer match is money your company adds to your 401(k) based on what you contribute. It is compensation you have already earned. You just have to meet the plan's conditions to receive it.
Two formulas cover most plans:
- 100% of the first 3%, then 50% of the next 2%. You contribute 5% of pay, your employer adds 4%.
- 50% of the first 6%. You contribute 6% of pay, your employer adds 3%.
Your exact formula lives in your Summary Plan Description, the document your p...
Inherited IRA Rules: What You Need to Know About the 10-Year Rule
What is the 10-year rule for inherited IRAs?
The 10-year rule requires most non-spouse beneficiaries who inherit an IRA to withdraw the entire account balance by December 31 of the 10th year following the original owner's death. Whether annual withdrawals are also required during that window depends on whether the original account owner had already started taking Required Minimum Distributions before they passed. Getting this wrong can mean a penalty of up to 25% of the amount you were supposed to withdraw.
Why This Changed and Why It Matters Now
There used to be a strategy called the stretch IRA. It allowed beneficiaries to take withdrawals from an inherited IRA over their own lifetime, spreading out the tax impact over decades and letting the account continue growing tax-deferred.
Congress eliminated that option for most non-spouse beneficiaries in the SECURE Act of 2019. The 10-year rule replaced it, requiring most non-spouse beneficiaries to fully distribute inherited IRA asset...
Understanding Your 401(k) Rollover Options: A Confident Woman's Guide to Rolling Over Your Retirement Savings
If you've just left a job, or you're about to, there's a good chance an email from HR is sitting in your inbox with a subject line like "Important information about your retirement account." It probably came with a stack of forms and very little explanation.
I get it. This is one of those money decisions that feels small and administrative until you realize a wrong move can trigger taxes, penalties, or years of quietly higher fees. The good news is that a rollover is very doable once you know how the pieces work. I've spent more than a decade as a financial advisor helping women through exactly this, and I want to walk you through it the way I would if you were sitting across the table from me.
The Short Version
When you leave an employer, you can generally roll your old 401(k) into an IRA, move it into your new employer's plan, leave it where it is, or cash it out. Cashing out is almost always the most expensive choice. For the other three, ask for a direct rollover, which means th...
Should I Max Out My 401(k)?
Every year, the same question lands in my inbox from smart, accomplished women who are trying to do right by their financial futures: "Leah, should I just max out my 401(k)?"
It sounds like such a simple yes-or-no question. And the internet will happily give you a confident, one-size-fits-all answer. But here is the truth: it depends, and the details of that dependency matter enormously.
In 2026, the IRS lets you contribute up to $24,500 to a 401(k) if you are under 50. If you are 50 or older, you can add an $8,000 catch-up contribution, for a total of $32,500. Some plans also allow a higher catch-up of $11,250 for ages 60 through 63. Maxing that out sounds virtuous. Responsible. Like the financial equivalent of eating your vegetables. But blindly maxing your 401(k) without considering your full financial picture can actually work against you.
First: What Is the Case FOR Maxing It Out?
Let us give credit where it is due. There are genuinely compelling reasons to contribute as much as p...
Back to the Investment Basics Part 2: First Save, Then Invest
By Leah Hadley, AFC®, CDFA®. Last updated September 2026.
In Part 1, we looked at how recency bias pulls investors off course, and why the antidote is a handful of basics that have held up through every market scare. Today we start with the first one, and it is the least glamorous. Before you can invest, you have to save.
Knowing that does not make it easy. Saving means choosing less now for more later. It is also the part of investing you control completely. You cannot control what the market does this year, but you can control how much you set aside and how automatically you do it.
The short answer. Saving comes before investing because you cannot invest money you never set aside, and the amount you save often matters more than your investment returns in the early and middle years. The most reliable way to save more is to automate it, so the decision is made once instead of every month. A sensible order for most people is to build a starter cash cushion, capture any employer matc
...Interest Rates, Inflation, and Your Investments: What to Know in 2026
By Leah Hadley, AFC®, CDFA®. Last updated September 2026. Rate and inflation figures are as of mid-September 2026.
Interest rates and inflation are back in the headlines, and if you have been wondering what they mean for your savings, your debt, and your investments, you are in good company. The financial press tends to treat every Federal Reserve announcement like a breaking-news event, which can make it hard to tell what actually matters to you.
This guide pulls together what used to be a three-part series into one place. It explains what the Fed's rate really is, how it connects to the rates you pay and earn, why inflation behaves the way it does, and what a sensible investor does with all of it.
The short version. The Fed's target rate is the rate banks charge each other for overnight loans. It influences, but does not set, the rates on your credit cards, mortgage, savings account, and bonds. In September 2026, the Fed raised its target range by a quarter point to 3.75% to 4.00
...Retirement Plan Options for Business Owners (2026 Guide)
Updated September 2026 with current contribution limits and SECURE 2.0 changes.
You may be familiar with the retirement plans available to employees, but there is a lot of confusion about retirement plans for the self-employed and for business owners. The great news is that if you are self-employed or own a business, you can create retirement plans for yourself and any employees you have. Offering a plan can even benefit your business by attracting quality people who are in it with you for the long haul.
Either way, a huge advantage of having a retirement plan is that you can begin saving for the future. The earlier you start saving, the better, but there is by no means a "wrong" time to start investing or contributing to a plan.
Choosing a plan is one piece of a bigger picture. If you are also wondering how your retirement savings fit alongside your business, your taxes, and your exit plans, take a look at our post on whether business owners need both an accountant and a financial ...
Self-Directed 401(k) or 403(b): 3 Benefits and What to Watch For
By Leah Hadley, AFC®, CDFA®. Last updated September 2026.
Many people are surprised to learn that their 401(k) or 403(b) may include a second way to invest. Alongside the standard menu of funds your employer picked, some plans offer what is called a self-directed brokerage window. It is easy to miss, and most participants never open it.
Whether it is worth using depends on what you want it to do for you. This post explains what it is, three ways it can help, and the costs and risks to weigh before you decide.
The short answer. A self-directed 401(k) or 403(b) is a workplace plan that includes a brokerage window, which lets you choose investments beyond your plan’s standard fund menu. Not every employer offers one, and plans can limit what you buy. The main benefits are broader choice, room for professional guidance, and more precise control over risk. The main drawbacks are extra fees, more ways to make costly mistakes, and less oversight from your employer on what you pick. For ma
...Roth IRA vs. 401(k) in 2026: Differences, Limits, and How to Choose
By Leah Hadley, AFC®, CDFA®. Last updated September 2026 with the current IRS limits.
Whether you're starting a new job that offers retirement savings options, or you're looking into managing your investments yourself, it's easy to get overwhelmed. If investment lingo feels too far beyond your wheelhouse, learning the difference between a Roth IRA and a 401(k) is a good place to start. Let's work through what each account is, how to use it, and the pros and cons of each. Spoiler alert. Some people are eligible to use both.
The short version. A 401(k) is an employer plan with a much higher 2026 limit ($24,500) and often an employer match. A Roth IRA is an account you open yourself, with a lower limit ($7,500) but more investment choices and tax-free withdrawals in retirement. If you can, use both. Start by capturing your full employer match, then compare what else fits your goals.
Roth IRA vs. 401(k) at a Glance
| 401(k) | Roth IRA | |
|---|---|---|
| How you get one | Through an employer that off | ...
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Leah Hadley, AFC®, CDFA®, MAFF®
Founder/Senior Wealth Manager
Leah Hadley is the founder of Intentional Wealth Partners and Intentional Divorce Solutions, sister companies based in Cleveland and serving clients nationwide. Intentional Wealth Partners provides financial planning and wealth management. She specializes in helping women and couples navigate major life transitions with confidence and clarity. She is also the author of Intentional Money: The Modern Woman's Guide to Building Wealth, Purpose, and Peace, host of the "Intentional Divorce Insights" podcast, and a sought-after speaker.
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