Articles Library

Authored by: Brian W. Sak, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC® What if the traditional approach to retirement planning—accumulate assets, shift to bonds, and draw income—misses a meaningful part of the opportunity set? For many high-income families and business owners, retirement is not simply about replacing income. It is about sustaining a lifestyle, preserving optionality, managing taxes, and ultimately transferring…

Authored by: Derek Taylor, Managing Partner, Granite Harbor Capital | Mariner Capital Opportunity Fund I Over the past several years, the multifamily investment landscape has undergone a significant transition. Rising interest rates, elevated construction costs, and a historic wave of new supply have reshaped underwriting assumptions across the United States. Yet amid this turbulence, the multifamily…

Granite Harbor Advisors FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 17, 2026 Granite Harbor Advisors Recognized on USA TODAY’s Best Financial Advisory Firms 2026 List Houston, Texas — April 17, 2026 — Granite Harbor Advisors has been recognized on USA TODAY’s Best Financial Advisory Firms 2026 list, a national ranking presented by USA TODAY and Statista Inc., a global leader in data and industry rankings. The recognition…

Contributed by: Dale Shaw, CFP, RICP For many founders, the moment a Letter of Intent (LOI) arrives is both exciting and unsettling. After years of building a company, someone has formally expressed interest in buying it. The headline number might look compelling. Advisors start getting involved. Momentum builds quickly. But the period between receiving a Letter of Intent to buy your company and signing…

Contributed by: Jared Virgadamo, CRPC®, CFS® At some point in a successful career, many executives begin to ask a simple but important question: Do I need to be doing something about my company stock? It usually does not come up at the beginning. Early on, equity compensation feels like a benefit, not a concern. Over time, however, that balance shifts. Shares accumulate. The company performs well.…

Contributed by: Derek Taylor Why Now Is the Time for Investors to Access Private Equity Operating Company Investments In today’s economic environment, investors are navigating a landscape defined by higher interest rates, persistent inflationary pressure in certain sectors, geopolitical uncertainty, and widening dispersion in public market outcomes. While public equities and traditional fixed income…

Contributed by: Nicholas M. Brown, CFA, CFP® The S&P 500 has delivered strong performance over the past three years. After navigating inflation shocks, aggressive rate hikes, and recession concerns, it has rewarded investors who stayed disciplined. For many, that resilience reinforced a simple narrative: stay invested in the index and let compounding do the work. Yet 2025 introduced a quieter development. While…

Contributed by: Timothy Smith, CFP® Why January–February Is the Most Important Tax Window of the Year The most important tax planning window of the year isn’t March or April. It’s January and February. In a high-rate, high-deficit environment—where federal debt continues to expand and future tax increases remain a realistic policy response—early-year tax strategy has become one of the most powerful…

Contributed by: Brian Sak, CFP®, CLU®, ChFC® Market volatility is often discussed as an investment concern. From an estate planning perspective, it is more accurately a valuation event. When asset prices fluctuate, the cost of transferring wealth changes, sometimes dramatically. For families with taxable estates, these periods can create opportunities to improve long term outcomes if they are deliberately…