LEVEL 400 · REDUCE DRAG

You built wealth.
Now stop losing it quietly.

At this stage, doing more is usually not the answer. Find what is leaking money, fix that one thing, and leave the rest alone.

Find my next move ↓

START HERE

Which sentence sounds like you?

Pick one. You do not need to complete every section today.

01

INVESTMENT FEES

Find the annual dollar cost.

If you cannot state the fee in dollars, you cannot judge whether it is worth paying.

Do this

  1. Open the latest statement for each 401(k), IRA, HSA, and brokerage account.
  2. Write down the adviser fee and each fund’s expense ratio.
  3. Convert the total percentage into dollars. A 1% fee on $1 million is $10,000 every year.

The answer: Keep the fee when the service is worth its annual dollar cost. Otherwise, compare a lower-cost portfolio before moving anything taxable.

Calculate my fee cost →
02

TAXES

Use low-income years on purpose.

The best conversion year is often after high earnings stop but before Social Security and required withdrawals begin.

Do this

  1. Estimate taxable income for this year.
  2. Estimate retirement income once pensions, Social Security, and required withdrawals begin.
  3. Only consider a Roth conversion when today’s complete tax cost is lower than the likely future cost.

The answer: A lower tax rate today can create an opportunity. But no conversion should happen from tax brackets alone—Medicare premiums, state tax, credits, and the surviving spouse’s future rate matter too.

Check my conversion window →
03

ACCOUNT CLUTTER

See one household—not a pile of accounts.

Five accounts can still be one simple portfolio. Do not consolidate just to make a dashboard look cleaner.

Do this

  1. List every account, its owner, balance, tax treatment, beneficiaries, and investments.
  2. Add the stock, bond, and cash totals across both spouses.
  3. Give every account one job: near-term spending, long-term growth, retirement income, or legacy.

The answer: Consolidate only when it removes real cost or confusion without creating tax, creditor-protection, withdrawal, or plan-feature problems.

Build my account map →
04

ESTATE ALIGNMENT

Make the paperwork tell one story.

A will does not automatically control retirement accounts, life insurance, or jointly owned property.

Do this

  1. Confirm primary and backup beneficiaries on every retirement account and insurance policy.
  2. Confirm the will or trust reflects your current family, property, and state.
  3. Confirm financial and healthcare decision-makers are named with backups.

The answer: Beneficiary forms, property ownership, and estate documents must agree. If they conflict, fix them with a qualified estate attorney—do not assume the will wins.

Open the estate checklist →

THE LEVEL 400 RULE

Fix one expensive problem.
Do not redesign a plan that already works.

After the fix, write down what changed, why it changed, and the date you will review it again. Then stop touching it.

YOUR NEXT MOVE

Finish Reduce Drag by proving each optimization improves the whole plan.

Measure the dollars first. Do not sell, convert, consolidate, surrender, or retitle anything until taxes, fees, and exit costs are visible.

01

The highest-cost drag was identified, the chosen fix was completed, and a review date is written down.