Jake Song McCune Whiteley Wealth Management
Insights & Notes

Plain writing on the money decisions
that actually matter.

Some from me. Some from the firm behind me — Cory and Bret have been doing this from Fort Worth since 2009. No fluff. No products. Just clear thinking, written down.

8
Articles
6
Topic areas
3
Voices
Equity & Severance

Severance Just Landed: What to Do in the First 30 Days

A severance package is a tax event, a healthcare decision, and a career pivot all hitting at once. The order you take them in matters more than people think — and a few mistakes get expensive fast. Here's the sequence I walk Austin tech workers through.

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Equity & Severance

Concentrated Stock Isn't a Plan — Here's How to Turn RSUs Into One

Vesting in Austin tech is a great problem to have, until 60% of your net worth is one ticker. The hardest part isn't selling — it's deciding what "diversified" actually looks like for someone in your tax bracket.

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Tax Strategy

What the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Means for Your Taxes in 2026

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act rates were scheduled to sunset at the end of 2025. They didn't. Here's what changed, what carried over, and what to plan around — written by Bret at the firm.

Read at MWWM
Pre-Retirement

How to Stress-Test Your Retirement Plan Five Years Out

If you're 55–62 and starting to ask "do I have enough," the answer isn't a target number. It's a stress test against the three things that actually break retirements: sequence risk, healthcare timing, and Social Security claiming.

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Business Owners

Cash Balance Plans: The Retirement Tool Most Business Owners Haven't Heard Of

Most owners know about SEP-IRAs and Solo 401(k)s. Far fewer have heard of Cash Balance Plans — an IRS-qualified vehicle that, for the right owner, can allow significantly higher annual contributions and meaningfully reduce current-year taxable income.

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Family Planning

First-Gen Money: What I Wish Someone Had Told My Parents About Investing

Growing up in an immigrant household, the financial advice was simple and not all of it aged well. This isn't a personal essay — it's a list of the practical moves I see first-gen families miss, and what they cost over a lifetime.

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Life Transitions

Inherited an IRA? Read This Before You Touch a Dollar

The SECURE Act rewrote the rules for inherited IRAs — and most people who inherited one are still operating under the old framework. Cory walks through the 10-year rule, the eligible-designated-beneficiary exception, and the tax math underneath both.

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Pre-Retirement

When "Just a Few More Years" Becomes "Now or Never"

The pre-retiree trap I see most often in Austin: pushing the date out one more year, then one more, then one more. Sometimes that's right. Sometimes it's avoidance dressed up as prudence. Here's how to tell the difference.

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From the firm

Market notes from Cory & Bret

I'm new enough that I lean on the firm for market-positioning commentary. These are Cory and Bret's current views on conditions, rates, and how MWWM is positioning client portfolios.

All firm commentary
Q1 2026 Outlook

How We're Positioning Client Portfolios Right Now

Valuations are stretched, the Fed is on hold, and the dollar is weakening. Cory walks through exactly how the firm is thinking about asset allocation heading into Q2.

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Fixed Income

The Fed Is on Hold: What That Means for Your Bond Portfolio

The Federal Reserve held rates again in March 2026. For retirees and near-retirees who depend on fixed income, Bret breaks down what to actually do with the duration question.

Read at MWWM

Market commentary reflects the firm's views as of the publication date and is subject to change. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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