Bird’s-Eye View: January 2026

The Power of a Plan: How Professional Financial Advice Brings Clarity and Confidence

Matt Bowden CFP®, ChFC®, CLU® Senior Wealth Strategist

You know how sometimes you think you can navigate the intricate landscape of physical wellbeing by eating right, exercising, and going to the doctor once a year? Well, what if you have no idea how you’re doing, and you think you are doing fine because nothing catastrophic has happened to you…yet. You really don’t want to find out the hard way, or worse yet, have your loved ones find out. Much like medicine, the world of financial advice is drowning in information—conflicting studies about superfoods mirror contradictory advice about index funds versus individual stocks. In both cases, what works brilliantly for one person might be disastrous for another depending on their starting point, risk tolerance, and long-term objectives. A professional in either domain doesn’t just hand you a generic template; they assess your unique situation, identify blind spots you didn’t know existed, and create a personalized strategy that accounts for your real life, not some idealized version of it. That is how a Wealth Strategist can help you navigate the complexities of wealth management and why professional financial advice for your specific situation brings clarity and confidence.

• Comprehensive planning goes beyond investments to include tax strategy, estate planning, insurance, and behavioral coaching
• Your financial plan must evolve with major life changes like marriage, home purchase, career transitions, and inheritance
• Professional guidance provides confidence during market volatility by keeping you focused on long-term goals
• Integrated strategy prevents gaps by coordinating all financial decisions with your attorneys, accountants, and overall objectives
• Life-stage planning ensures your wealth strategy adapts from accumulation through retirement and legacy transfer

What’s Hatching

• Mailbox watch! Keep an eye out in Feb. for tax documents starting to come to you physically or electronically
• Happy New Year!
• FYI If you were born in 1960 or later, your full Social Security retirement age is 67
• Client Operations Manager, Erin Harlow, is expecting! Baby H. is due in June!

Looking Ahead

• Next month, we’ll explore advanced tax planning strategies that can help high net worth families minimize their lifetime tax burden.

Guest Contributor: Jeremy L. Shaffer
Sr. Mortgage Loan Officer, Lake Michigan Credit Union

Identity Theft: How to Detect, Prevent, and Recover

Over the past decade identity theft has become one of the fastest growing crimes in the U.S. This type of crime does not discriminate. It does not matter if you are 8 or 80 or if you reside in a city or rural community.

We are in the habit of securing our cars and homes, we should also be as vigilant about our identity. Here are some of the warning signs of identity theft and fraud, and ways to prevent and protect:

Warning Signs

• Unrecognized charges on bank or credit card statements
• Missing bills (possible address change)
• Unknown accounts on your credit report
• Unable to file taxes (return already filed)
• Income reported from unknown employers
• Notification of a data breach at your employer or business
• Denied insurance claims due to exceeded benefits you never used

Prevention Steps

• Financial Protection: Set up online account access, use paperless billing, enable multifactor authentication, use different passwords for each account, turn on alerts for address/password changes
• Personal Security: Shred sensitive documents, leave Social Security card at home, never leave personal info in vehicles, avoid posting personal details on social media, don’t enter personal data into AI programs
• Digital Safety: Keep security software updated, avoid public Wi-Fi, use PINs/passcodes on devices, never click links in unsolicited emails/texts
• Credit Monitoring: Check credit reports regularly, sign up for credit monitoring or place a fraud alert/freeze, get an IRS PIN and file taxes early

Taking preventive measures is the best way to avoid Identity Theft and Fraud. However, no one is perfect and it is impossible to 100% guarantee that it will never happen. If it does there are actions you can take to stop the crime from going any further and then recover from it. These are:

• Immediate Actions: Contact fraud departments at affected financial institutions, close fraudulent accounts, change all passwords (assume all accounts are at risk)
• Official Reports: Place fraud alert with credit bureaus, report to FTC at IdentityTheft.gov (obtain Identity Theft Report), file police report, notify IRS and Social Security Administration if SSN compromised
• Follow-Up: Review and dispute credit report inaccuracies, contact companies directly about fraudulent activity, maintain detailed records of all communications, enroll in credit monitoring, stay vigilant for ongoing threats
• Resources: IdentityTheft.gov and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)

Contact Jeremy: 734-218-1201 [email protected] 3201 S. State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48108 NMLS# 583134

Jeremy is not affiliated or registered with CWM, LLC or Cetera Wealth Services LLC. Any information provided by Jeremy is in no way related to CWM, LLC or Cetera Wealth Services LLC or its registered representatives.

See additional information in our Personal Information Protection Guide

The opinions contained in this material are those of the author, and not a recommendation or solicitation to buy or sell investment products. This information is from sources believed to be reliable, but Cetera Wealth Services, LLC cannot guarantee or represent that it is accurate or complete.

Registered Representative of and offering securities through Cetera Wealth Services, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through CWM, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Cetera is under separate ownership from any other named entity. Carson Partners, a division of CWM, LLC, is a nationwide partnership of advisors.