🔁 Backdoor Roth IRA: Don’t Pay Tax on the Same Money Twice
What That Confusing 1099-R Is Actually Telling You
One of the things I’m learning deeper in my CFP® journey is this:tax forms don’t explain themselves and they often look scarier than they are. A perfect example? The Form 1099-R you receive after doing a backdoor Roth conversion.I recently saw a...
Jan 22, 2026
💸 From My CFP Journey: When “Tax-Free” Still Costs You Real Money
Another moment from my CFP® journey where I had to pause and say:oh… this is not intuitive, and people need to understand this.
One of the topics my CFP mentors have been drilling into lately is how health insurance subsidies interact with investment decisions, especially for early retirees.
Beca...
Jan 21, 2026
🌱 From My CFP Journey: What I’m Learning About Roth IRAs
One thing I’ve loved about being deep in my CFP® studies is how often my thinking gets challenged.
Not in a “you were wrong” way, but in a “you’ve been taught a simplified version of this” way.
Recently, one of my CFP mentors brought up something that stopped me in my tracks:
Roth IRAs were neve...
Jan 20, 2026
⚖️ Why We Use Both Roth and Pre-Tax Accounts
And why Roth often shines in lower-income years
A recent client win sparked a great planning conversation.
Even while working PRN, they chose to contribute a modest percentage to a Roth 403(b). This wasn’t about doing the most. It was about choosing the right tool for this season.
From a CFP® per...
Jan 20, 2026
📋 What You Should Know About Pensions (Especially as a Nurse)
As I move deeper into CFP® coursework, one thing keeps coming up:
Pensions aren’t rare. They’re just misunderstood.And for nurses, that misunderstanding can quietly cost flexibility, options, or clarity.
Here’s how CFP planning frames pensions — and what that means for you in real life.
🧠 First:...
Jan 20, 2026
🏛️ From My CFP® Studies This Week: Let’s Talk About Pensions
And why they’re not all created equal...
One thing I’m deep in right now in my CFP® studies is retirement income planning. And every time pensions come up, I’m reminded how confusing this topic has been made unnecessarily.
So let’s slow it down.
A pension is simply a retirement benefit that promi...
Jan 20, 2026
📉 Capital Loss vs. Ordinary Loss: A Tax Concept I’m Learning in CFP Prep (Through a Nursing Lens)
One thing I’m deep in right now as part of my Certified Financial Planner® prep is taxes specifically how different types of losses are treated very differently by the IRS.
On paper, a loss is a loss.In real life (and on your tax return), that’s not how it works.
Two terms that come up a lot are ...
Jan 11, 2026
🧭 Doing the Boring Things (and Choosing One North Star)
January is loud.
Everyone is setting goals.Everyone is optimizing.Everyone is declaring what this year will be “the year of.”
When I reflect on 2026, I notice something different.
There are many things I could aim for:– business growth– new projects– creative expansion– personal goals– financial ...
Jan 04, 2026
💗 Why I’m Becoming a CFP®
I want to share something more foundational today not about exam dates or study plans, but about why I’m becoming a CFP® in the first place.
From the beginning, NurseMoneyDate® was intentionally built as an educational platform.
I believed and still believe that nurses are capable of learning how...
Jan 04, 2026
🗓️ I’m Taking the CFP Exam in July (Not March) and Why This Was Hard
I want to share a decision I made recently and why it was much harder than it probably looks from the outside. I’ve decided to take my CFP® exam in July instead of March. On paper, this sounds simple. Just a scheduling change. Just four more months.
Emotionally? It felt extreme. It felt like fail...
Jan 04, 2026