Stone Oak Wealth Management, LLC.

09/17/2026

Retiring abroad sounds appealing.
The estate planning complications that come with it... not so much.🌳

FACT: There are 8.7 million Americans living outside the United States. If you're considering joining them in retirement, the financial and legal picture gets significantly more complex the moment you cross the border permanently.

👓 Read our blog now: https://stoneoakwealth.com/the-effects-of-economic-policies-on-estate-planning-for-retiring-abroad/

Here's what every American expat needs to know:
- You still owe U.S. estate taxes on everything you own worldwide... not just assets held in the United States. Your host country may also tax your estate. Some countries have estate tax treaties with the U.S. that help reduce the burden, and a foreign death tax credit may apply.
- Update your will before you go. New property acquired abroad, changed circumstances, and foreign laws all affect how your estate passes. Leave an updated copy with your U.S. attorney or executor.
- Choose your executor carefully. Managing a cross-border estate can overwhelm someone who handles domestic estates well. Consider naming an attorney with international law experience.
- Set up a U.S. power of attorney. Having a trusted person authorized to handle your stateside accounts, sign documents, and conduct transactions makes managing affairs from abroad significantly easier.
- Non-citizen spouse? The unlimited marital deduction doesn't apply. You'll likely need a Qualified Domestic Trust (QDOT) to provide for a noncitizen spouse at death. Annual tax-free gifts to a noncitizen spouse were capped at $175,000 in 2023.

The rules for Americans living abroad are genuinely complex. Get experienced legal counsel before you go... not after.

☎️🗓️ CALL (726) 220-5022 to schedule a consult.


Stone Oak Wealth is regulated by the SEC as a registered investment advisor. Please see our website stoneoakwealth.com/disclosure for additional disclosures.

Protect your global legacy. Learn how international economic policies, estate tax treaties, and QDOTs affect American expats retiring abroad.

09/14/2026

Every financial house is built on something.
The question is what yours is resting on.🌳

Jesus told the story of two builders. Same storm. Different foundations. Only one house stood.
Here's what a financial house built on God's Word actually looks like:

The foundation is Christ... not wealth, not security, not a number in an account. When Mammon becomes the foundation, Scripture says it leads to "senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction." 1 Timothy 6:9

The four walls:
- GRATITUDE. Protects against pride. Reminds us that God is our source, not our own effort.
- CONTENTMENT. Guards against coveting. The restless hunger for more is so dangerous it made the Ten Commandments.
- TRUSH. Keeps anxiety out. When everything rests on our own shoulders, fear moves in. When we rest on God's promises, peace does instead.
- LOVE. Prevents indifference. Self-absorption in our financial situation leaves no room for generosity. Resting in Christ's promises makes us overflow.

👓 Read the article now: https://www.faithfi.com/articles/building-your-financial-house-on-gods-word-9333

The roof is identity. A poorly built financial house has a roof of ownership... the belief that what we have is ours alone. A biblical house has a roof of stewardship... the recognition that we are managers of what belongs to God.

The furnishings come last. Hard work, purposeful spending, minimizing debt, patient investing, generous giving. But those daily decisions only fall into place once the structure underneath them is solid.

What is your financial house built on?

☎️🗓️ CALL (726) 220-5022 to schedule a consult.


Stone Oak Wealth is regulated by the SEC as a registered investment advisor. Please see our website stoneoakwealth.com/disclosure for additional disclosures.

09/13/2026

A slack hand causes poverty.
A diligent hand brings wealth. Proverbs 10:4 🌳

That's not a promise of riches.
It's a description of how God designed the world to work.

For someone who has spent decades building something on this land... this verse isn't theory. You've lived it. You know what it costs to show up when it's hard, to keep working when no one's watching, to push through seasons that test everything you've built.

Diligence isn't just a work ethic. In Scripture, it's a form of faithfulness.

It's the recognition that the hands God gave you are meant to be used... not held loosely while life drifts by. That the work in front of you today is connected to the provision of tomorrow. That stewardship is active, not passive.

The slack hand isn't just lazy. It's ungrateful for what it's been given.

What's in your hand right now? And are you using it with the diligence that honors the One who gave it?

☎️🗓️ CALL (726) 220-5022 to schedule a consult.


Stone Oak Wealth is regulated by the SEC as a registered investment advisor. Please see our website stoneoakwealth.com/disclosure for additional disclosures.

09/10/2026

Trying to time the market is a losing game.
Dollar-cost averaging is an alternative that actually works over time. 🌳

The concept is simple. Instead of waiting for the "right moment" to invest a lump sum, you invest a fixed amount at regular intervals... regardless of what the market is doing.

👓 Read our blog now: https://stoneoakwealth.com/maximizing-investment-returns-the-power-of-dollar-cost-averaging/

When prices are high, your fixed amount buys fewer shares. When prices are low, it buys more. Over time, your average cost per share tends to come in below the average market price.

Here's a real illustration of how it works:

Investing $2,500 per month over 12 months resulted in an average cost of $115.80 per share... compared to an average market price of $117.50. That difference compounds meaningfully over years and decades.

If you're already contributing to a 401(k) through payroll deduction... you're already doing this. The same principle can be applied to any long-term investment goal.

Three keys to making it work:
- Start as soon as possible. Time in the market matters more than timing the market.
- Stick with it through all conditions. The discipline to stay invested when markets drop is where most people fail.
- Automate it. Set it up and let it run. Remove emotion from the equation entirely.

Dollar-cost averaging doesn't guarantee a profit or protect against loss. But it does remove guesswork... and over time, that matters.

☎️🗓️ CALL (726) 220-5022 to schedule a consult.


Stone Oak Wealth is regulated by the SEC as a registered investment advisor. Please see our website stoneoakwealth.com/disclosure for additional disclosures.

Mitigate stock market volatility. Discover how to use dollar-cost averaging to lower average share costs and build a disciplined wealth framework.

08/31/2026

The advisor you choose carries assumptions about money, success, risk, and generosity. Those assumptions shape every recommendation they make. 🌳
Scripture has always been clear: wisdom is not something we're meant to pursue alone. "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety." Proverbs 11:14

But not all counsel is equal. Who you listen to matters more than what they know.

Recent research by Pinkston compared clients working with a Certified Kingdom Advisor® (CKA®) to those working with general financial advisors. The results are worth knowing:
- 70% of CKA® clients prioritized shared beliefs and values when choosing an advisor... compared to 64% of general clients who prioritized investment returns.
- CKA® clients reported a 98% retention rate.
- Their Net Promoter Score was 83... compared to 58 among general clients.
- CKA® clients are twice as likely to have significantly increased their financial giving.
- 81% of CKA®s helped clients incorporate faith-based or values-based investing... compared to 57% of general advisors.

When an advisor and client share convictions, the relationship moves beyond transactions into partnership. Financial decisions get shaped not just by technical insight... but by mutual understanding and shared purpose.

Jesus said it plainly: "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21

Values-aligned counsel helps you remember that truth when every headline is tempting you to forget it.

Seeking wise counsel isn't a lack of faith. It's an expression of it.

👓 Read the blog now: https://www.faithfi.com/articles/the-proven-advantage-of-values-aligned-counsel-9361

☎️🗓️ CALL (726) 220-5022 to schedule a consult.


Stone Oak Wealth is regulated by the SEC as a registered investment advisor. Please see our website stoneoakwealth.com/disclosure for additional disclosures.

One of the most consistent themes in Scripture is that wisdom is not something we’re meant to pursue alone.

08/30/2026

God's faithfulness has a track record. David looked back over a lifetime and couldn't find a single exception.🌳

Psalm 37:25 is one of the most personal statements in all of Scripture.
This isn't a prosperity promise. It's a testimony.

For someone who has come into money unexpectedly... without a lifetime of watching it grow, without the context of having built it slowly... this verse offers something that a financial plan alone cannot. It offers a foundation.

Because the anxiety that comes with sudden wealth isn't really about the money. It's about trust. Can I make the right decisions? What if I lose it? What does this mean for my kids?

David's answer isn't a strategy. It's a witness.
He had seen enough of life to say with confidence... God does not abandon the people who walk with Him. Not them. Not their children.

That doesn't mean life is easy or that hard seasons don't come. It means you are not building on sand.
Whatever you've been given... you're not managing it alone. And the One who entrusted it to you has never once forsaken the people who trust Him.

☎️🗓️ CALL (726) 220-5022 to schedule a consult.



Stone Oak Wealth is regulated by the SEC as a registered investment advisor. Please see our website stoneoakwealth.com/disclosure for additional disclosures.

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08/27/2026

Only 1 in 3 family businesses has a documented succession plan. The other 2 are leaving their legacy to chance. 🌳

Most business owners avoid succession planning for the same reason ... they love what they do and don't want to think about stopping. That's understandable. But the future doesn't wait for a convenient time.

Three things worth doing now, even if retirement feels far away:
- Set a target. Grooming a successor or finding a qualified buyer takes longer than most people expect ... often years. A realistic timeline gives you room to do it right.
- Stage your exit. Keep it in the family, sell to co-owners or employees, or find an outside buyer. Each path has different tax and planning implications worth working through in advance.
- Build wealth outside the business. Annual retirement contributions and a separate investment portfolio insulate your personal finances from the risks tied to your specific market ... and give you more flexibility when the time comes.
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What you've built deserves more than a scramble at the end.

Faithful stewardship includes planning for what comes next... not just for yourself, but for the people and the legacy you're leaving behind.

👓 Read the blog now: https://stoneoakwealth.com/passing-the-torch-embracing-divine-guidance-in-business-succession/

☎️🗓️ CALL (726) 220-5022 to schedule a consult.


Stone Oak Wealth is regulated by the SEC as a registered investment advisor. Please see our website stoneoakwealth.com/disclosure for additional disclosures.

Only 34% of family businesses have a plan. Discover how to stage your ownership transition, value shares, and protect assets outside your business.

08/25/2026

We had an amazing time at the Global Leadership Summit recently. Always worth the time!🌳

Arthur Brooks said something that landed hard: "Leadership is not about showing your impact. It's about helping others feel they have impact."

That's the kind of reminder that recalibrates everything... how we lead our team, how we serve our clients, how we show up for the people who trust us with what matters most.

Grateful for the time to step back, learn, and come back sharper.

Pictured: Greg, Erika, Carly, Nate and Jette

☎️🗓️ CALL (726) 220-5022 to schedule a consult.


Stone Oak Wealth is regulated by the SEC as a registered investment advisor. Please see our website stoneoakwealth.com/disclosure for additional disclosures.

08/24/2026

Debt is not just a financial issue. It's a freedom issue. 🌳
It affects your options, your stress level, and even your sensitivity to God's leading. After decades of financial counsel, one pattern is clear: borrowing decisions often determine whether people experience freedom or bo***ge.

Five rules worth following before you borrow anything:
1. The economic return must be greater than the economic cost. If you borrow at a certain rate, what you buy should reasonably return more than what you're paying. A mortgage might qualify. A credit card for a depreciating purchase rarely does.
2. Never presume upon the future. There must be a guaranteed way to repay. A job today doesn't guarantee a job tomorrow. Markets change. Health changes. Borrowing without a sure way out creates risk Scripture repeatedly cautions against.
3. Spouses must be in total agreement. Financial wounds often begin when one spouse moves forward while the other hesitates. Unity protects both the marriage and the finances.
4. Never deny God an opportunity to provide. Before borrowing, exhaust alternatives. Could you wait? Could you save? Sometimes debt short-circuits the chance to see God meet the need in a different way.
5. Debt reduces freedom. When you owe someone, your choices narrow. Your margin shrinks. Obligations quietly shape future decisions in ways you don't always see coming.

Borrowing isn't sinful. But it demands wisdom, humility, and prayer.

👓 Read the article now: https://www.faithfi.com/articles/five-rules-for-borrowing-9334

☎️🗓️ CALL (726) 220-5022 to schedule a consult.


Stone Oak Wealth is regulated by the SEC as a registered investment advisor. Please see our website stoneoakwealth.com/disclosure for additional disclosures.

After decades of giving financial counsel, I’ve found that borrowing decisions often determine whether people experience freedom or bo***ge.

08/20/2026

Long-term care insurance can be a smart part of a financial plan. 🌳

But whether your premiums are deductible... and whether your benefits are tax-free... comes down to one word: QUALIFIED.
Here's what you need to know:
- Policies issued before January 1, 1997 are automatically qualified if they met state requirements at the time ... unless they've been materially changed since.
- Policies issued after 1997 must meet specific federal standards to qualify for favorable tax treatment.
- Qualified premiums may be deductible as a medical expense ... but only if you itemize, and only if your total medical expenses exceed 7.5% of your AGI. The deductible amount is also capped by age. For those 61-70 in 2026, the cap is $4,960.
- Benefits from a qualified policy are generally tax-free ... up to $430 per day in 2026. Amounts above that limit may be taxable unless matched by actual care costs.
- Benefits from a non-qualified policy may be taxable as ordinary income.

If you have an older policy and are considering making changes... be careful. A material change to a pre-1997 contract can be treated as a new contract, which subjects it to the post-1997 rules.

Talk to a tax professional before making any changes to an existing policy.

👓 Read the blog now: https://stoneoakwealth.com/income-taxes-and-long-term-care-insurance-ltci/

☎️🗓️ CALL (726) 220-5022 to schedule a consult.


Stone Oak Wealth is regulated by the SEC as a registered investment advisor. Please see our website stoneoakwealth.com/disclosure for additional disclosures.

Learn the tax rules for long-term care insurance. Discover how age-based caps, the 7.5% AGI floor, and 2026 per diem limits impact your LTCI policy.