Tax Mistakes That Can Cost High Earners Thousands Every Year

Tax Mistakes That Can Cost High Earners Thousands Every Year

In this episode of EWA's FIN-LYT Podcast, Matt Blocki sits down with tax strategists Tyler Bidwell and Nick Rosen fresh off tax season to break down the most common tax surprises high earners run into, and how to avoid them before they become expensive. The conversation starts with one of the biggest blind spots for bonus-heavy earners: supplemental income withholding. Bonuses are typically withheld at a flat 22%, but high earners often land in the 32 to 37% tax bracket. That gap can leave a six-figure earner tens of thousands of dollars behind come tax time, plus interest penalties if it's not caught early. Matt, Tyler, and Nick walk through a real example using a surgeon's RVU bonus to show exactly how that math plays out. From there, the group shifts to equity compensation. RSUs and ISOs come with their own tax quirks, from the timing of an 83(b) election to the alternative minimum tax adjustments that can catch tech employees and executives off guard. Tyler and Nick explain why these forms of compensation, while great for building wealth, can create serious cash flow strain if they aren't planned for in advance. The episode wraps with practical guidance for dual-income households and Pennsylvania residents specifically, covering why two employers' W-4 forms often don't talk to each other and how that mismatch can quietly cost a couple thousands of dollars a year. Whether you're a physician, executive, or dual-income household, this episode offers a clear framework for staying ahead of tax season instead of being surprised by it. If you found this episode helpful, give it a like, subscribe for more, and share it with someone who could use it. Connect with EWA: https://ewa-llc.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ewa.llc/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/equilibrium-wealth-advisors/ https://www.facebook.com/EquilibriumWealthAdvisors/ View EWA Disclosures and Firm ADV: https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/308977

Meet the Team Behind EWA: The People, Culture, and Roles That Drive Your Financial Plan

In this episode of EWA's FIN-LYT Podcast, Matt Blocki sits down with the team members of Equilibrium Wealth Advisors for a behind-the-scenes look at who's actually working on your financial plan. Rather than diving into a specific planning topic, this episode pulls back the curtain on the people, roles, and culture that make up EWA, from wealth strategists and tax specialists to operations and investment teams. You'll hear directly from advisors, tax strategists, and operations leaders about how they think about client relationships, what their day-to-day actually looks like, and which person to reach out to depending on your question or need. The conversation covers how the firm coordinates across tax, investments, and estate planning so nothing falls through the cracks. Beyond the technical side, this episode is really about culture. Team members share what drives them personally, how they built their careers, and why collaboration across departments, rather than everyone working in a silo, is core to how EWA operates. It's an inside look at the systems and people behind a firm built to grow with its clients. Whether you're a current client curious about who's behind the scenes on your account or you're exploring what a coordinated planning experience looks like, this episode offers a genuine look at the team making it happen. If you found this helpful, give it a like, subscribe for future episodes, and share it with someone who'd enjoy getting to know the people behind EWA. Connect with EWA: https://ewa-llc.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ewa.llc/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/equilibrium-wealth-advisors/ https://www.facebook.com/EquilibriumWealthAdvisors/View EWA Disclosures and Firm ADV: https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/308977

The Long Short Strategy: How High Earners Offset Capital Gains Taxes

In this episode of EWA's FIN-LYT Podcast, Matt Blocki and Jamison Smith break down a sophisticated tax strategy that EWA is implementing for a select group of high net worth clients: the long short direct indexing strategy. If you have a major liquidity event on the horizon, this episode could change how you think about taxes. Most investors are familiar with traditional direct indexing, which allows you to own individual stocks, harvest losses along the way, and offset gains over time. The long short strategy takes that concept further by using leverage to go long on additional positions while simultaneously adding short positions. The result is the ability to capture tax losses on both sides of the market, whether stocks go up or down. Matt and Jamison walk through a real-world case study involving a $10 million investment, showing how after just a few years, a client could generate more in tax losses than the original amount invested. This strategy is not for everyone. Matt and Jamison are direct about who it is designed for: clients with a significant capital gain event ahead of them, whether from selling a business, unwinding a concentrated stock position, or closing a large real estate transaction. They cover the mechanics of a 130/30 versus a 200/100 structure, what fees and leverage costs actually look like, where the strategy can go wrong, and why liquidity planning and exit strategy are just as important as entry. If you are a high earner or business owner sitting on a concentrated position and looking for a smarter way to manage your tax exposure, this episode gives you the framework to understand whether the long short strategy deserves a place in your financial plan. Like and subscribe to stay current on the strategies EWA is using to help clients build and protect wealth. Connect with EWA: https://ewa-llc.com/ [https://ewa-llc.com/] https://www.instagram.com/ewa.llc/ [https://www.instagram.com/ewa.llc/] https://www.linkedin.com/company/equilibrium-wealth-advisors/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/equilibrium-wealth-advisors/] https://www.facebook.com/EquilibriumWealthAdvisors/ [https://www.facebook.com/EquilibriumWealthAdvisors/] View EWA Disclosures and Firm ADV: https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/308977 [https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/308977]

Cybersecurity Tips: Especially If You Have Significant Assets

In this episode of EWA's FIN-LYT Podcast, Matt Blocki and Chris Pavcic break down the cybersecurity threats most likely to impact individuals today and what you can do right now to protect yourself. While these steps apply to everyone, they are especially critical if you have significant assets at a custodian like Fidelity or Charles Schwab. With the average data breach costing over $4 million globally and ransomware attacks happening every 11 seconds, this conversation is more relevant than ever. Matt and Chris walk through the layers of protection every person should have in place, starting with your custodians. They cover what Fidelity and Charles Schwab do behind the scenes to protect client accounts, including 24/7 monitoring, insurance coverage, and the ability to lock down outgoing transactions so money cannot be moved without your direct authorization. From there, they get practical. The conversation covers SIM swap protection, why app-based two-factor authentication is significantly more secure than a text code, how to use a VPN on public Wi-Fi, the importance of a password manager, freezing your credit with all three bureaus, and tools like LifeLock, DeleteMe, and Incogni to monitor and scrub your personal data from the internet. Matt also shares how he uses a dedicated travel phone with no financial accounts when traveling internationally. This episode is designed to be the 80/20 guide to cybersecurity. You could have all of these steps in place within one to two hours, and they will protect you from the vast majority of threats individuals face today. If you have any questions or want help setting these up, reach out to the EWA team. Connect with EWA: https://ewa-llc.com/ [https://ewa-llc.com/] https://www.instagram.com/ewa.llc/ [https://www.instagram.com/ewa.llc/] https://www.linkedin.com/company/equilibrium-wealth-advisors/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/equilibrium-wealth-advisors/] https://www.facebook.com/EquilibriumWealthAdvisors/ [https://www.facebook.com/EquilibriumWealthAdvisors/] View EWA Disclosures and Firm ADV: https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/308977 [https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/308977]

EWA Stock Market and Portfolio Commentary Q3 2026

Welcome to EWA's Q3 2026 Market and Portfolio Commentary. In this update, Matt Blocki, Nick Stonesifer, and Jordan Fediaczko break down what's driving markets mid-year and how EWA portfolios are being positioned as we head into Q3. The core message: stay constructive, but make the risk work harder. After a sharp market recovery, the team is trimming broad equity beta, reducing the equity overweight from 3% to 1%, while keeping the highest-conviction exposures in U.S. large cap growth and AI-linked opportunities. This is not a bearish call. It's disciplined portfolio management: harvesting gains where conviction is lower and concentrating risk where the earnings story remains strongest. This commentary covers: • Why we trimmed equity overweight from 3% to 1% and why this isn't a bearish signal• Geopolitical risk as a behavioral trap and why discipline beats headlines • The energy shock asymmetry: how rising oil prices hit Europe and China harder than the U.S. • Fed policy uncertainty and the debate between Core PCE (3.2%) vs. Trimmed Mean PCE (2.4%) • Why earnings, not multiple expansion, have been doing the heavy lifting for markets • AI infrastructure and energy leading EPS revisions, with active managers still underweight • Active country selection as global dispersion widens dramatically (Korea +73%, Indonesia 26%) • The stock bond diversification dilemma and why we're adding liquid alternatives as a true shock absorber Throughout the video, we reaffirm EWA's core philosophy: stay disciplined, stay diversified, and concentrate risk where conviction is highest. If you're an EWA client and have questions about how these changes impact your portfolio or financial plan, please reach out to your advisor. Connect with EWA: https://ewa-llc.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ewa.llc/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/equilibrium-wealth-advisors/ https://www.facebook.com/EquilibriumWealthAdvisors/View EWA Disclosures and Firm ADV: https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/308977