Hi! I’m Colin. Nice to meet you. 👋

My work as a wealth advisor has helped thousands of individuals make better decisions as they prepare for life's most difficult situations:

🏖 Preparing for retirement
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Transitioning to empty-nesters
💼 Preparing for a career change
🏬 Launching a business

Regardless of how you got here, I’m flattered that you’re here, and I’d love to help you on your financial journey. 

While many can DIY their way to make financial decisions, many prefer to work with someone who has helped coach hundreds of individuals and couples.

If you’re the latter, we should chat!

Take some time to get to know me. There’s no better way than by looking at what I’m up to:

📷 Instagram: @colindaytoday
🌎 www.linktr.ee/colindaytoday

“I post online so my COWORKERS know who I am.” 

I probably said this a half dozen times at my first Mercer Advisors Symposium. 

As someone who is chronically shy, conferences are where I’m most out of my element. 

But posting online helps people know a little more about me before we even meet, even my fellow Advisors and colleagues. 

To my Mercer Advisors colleagues and everyone who came up to me, thank you. You introduced yourselves, shook my hand, and allowed me to spend a few minutes with you discussing our work and, of course, my video shenanigans. You helped a guy who struggles at large events and you humbled me with your kindness. 

You made the whole experience much more rewarding. 🫶

Colin Day, CFP®, EA, MBA

Helping you use your wealth now, not just in retirement.

Photo of Colin Day's badge at the Mercer Advisors Symposium. 

Front-loading your 401k beats spreading it out 68% of the time.

Research from Vanguard found lump-sum investing outperformed dollar-cost averaging 68% of the time over nearly 50 years (1976-2022).

Markets go up more often than they go down, and getting your money in the account early in the year can provide more time for compounding growth.
 
Just make sure your employer will true-up any matching dollars at the end of the year. 
Do you max out early in the year?

#colindaytoday

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👋 Hi there! Follow @colindaytoday if you're looking to build your wealth using tax planning. I break down complex topics to give you practical and action methods to help you improve your personal finances.

@colindaytoday

This video is for educational purposes only. Contribution limits referenced are for 2026. Research cited is from Vanguard study by Finlay and Zorn analyzing MSCI World Index returns 1976-2022. Historical market performance does not guarantee future results. Please consult your tax, legal, and investment professional before making financial decisions.

The long-term care donut hole

Watching your parents liquidate assets to pay for care is scary. 

It makes you think: "Should I get long-term care insurance?"

The answer depends on where you'll be at retirement, and for many you’re stuck in the donut hole. 

That’s the people with $500k - $3MM in their portfolios upon retirement. 

If this is you, talk to your advisor if a long-term care policy is a good idea for you. 

#colindaytoday

👋 Hi there! Follow @colindaytoday if you're looking to build your wealth using tax planning. I break down complex topics to give you practical and action methods to help you improve your personal finances.

@colindaytoday

This video is for educational purposes only. Long-term care costs vary by location and care type. Asset thresholds are general guidelines, not specific recommendations. Please consult your financial, tax, and legal advisors before making insurance decisions.

"When should I convert to Roth?"

My approach: Do it twice.

One early in the first half of the year, and another at the end where we can really dial in what makes sense for you.

#colindaytoday

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👋 Hi there! Follow @colindaytoday if you're looking to build your wealth using tax planning. I break down complex topics to give you practical and action methods to help you improve your personal finances.

@colindaytoday

This video is for educational purposes only. Please consult your tax, legal, and investment professional before making financial decisions.

$80,000/year tax-free. Here's the STACK.

If you're doing the Mega Backdoor Roth ($72k/year), you're already ahead of 99% of people.

But there's another $8,750 you're probably leaving behind: your HSA.

Remember to STACK: Mega Backdoor Roth + HSA

$72,000 + $8,750 = $80,750 in tax-free wealth.

This is how high earners build tax-free millions.

Are you stacking both?

#colindaytoday

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👋 Hi there! Follow @colindaytoday if you're looking to build your wealth using tax planning. I break down complex topics to give you practical and action methods to help you improve your personal finances.

@colindaytoday

This video is for educational purposes only. Contribution limits are for 2026 and subject to change. Growth projections assume 8% annual returns, monthly compounding, and are illustrative. HSA withdrawals for qualified medical expenses are tax-free; Roth withdrawals require 5-year aging for conversions and age 59½ for earnings. Please consult your tax, legal, and investment professional before making financial decisions.

$8,000 vs $72,000 into Roth. How high-earners do it. 

The regular backdoor Roth is great: $8,000/year into tax-free growth.

But the MEGA backdoor Roth? $72,000/year.

Who can do this? 

✅ High income ($300k+ to afford the cash flow) 
✅ 401k allows after-tax contributions (check your plan) 
✅ 401k allows in-plan Roth conversions (ask the 401k provider)

Not every plan offers this. But if yours does? This is how you build tax-free millions while working.

Does your 401k have this option?

#colindaytoday

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👋 Hi there! Follow @colindaytoday if you're looking to build your wealth using tax planning. I break down complex topics to give you practical and action methods to help you improve your personal finances.

@colindaytoday

This video is for educational purposes only. Contribution limits referenced are for 2026 and can change annually. Growth projections assume 7% annual returns and are for illustrative purposes only. Please consult your tax, legal, and investment professional before making financial decisions.

"Should I pay off my mortgage or max my 401k?"

At 5.5% interest, paying off the mortgage feels smart, but when you’re making over $300k, I think there’s a better flowchart to follow: 

Emergency Fund
↓
Max 401k
↓
Backdoor Roth IRA
↓
Max HSA
↓
THEN: Mortgage

You can also throw contributions into a brokerage somewhere between 4 and 5 depending on what your aim is. 

Where are you in the sequence?

#colindaytoday

—-----

👋 Hi there! Follow @colindaytoday if you're looking to build your wealth using tax planning. I break down complex topics to give you practical and action methods to help you improve your personal finances.

@colindaytoday

This video is for educational purposes only. Contribution limits referenced are for 2026. Please consult your tax, legal, and investment professional before making financial decisions.

Concentration in one or two stocks happens because of success, and can put your financial future in jeopardy. 

This happens to every stock eventually. Apple, Amazon, Tesla - they’re not immune to this either. 

How much is in your best-performing stock?

#colindaytoday

👋 Hi there! Follow @colindaytoday if you're looking to build your wealth using tax planning. I break down complex topics to give you practical and action methods to help you improve your personal finances.

@colindaytoday

This video is for educational purposes only. This is not a recommendation to buy or sell any specific security. Nvidia performance is illustrative based on approximate historical returns. 401k performance was averaged at 8% a year, compounded monthly.

Individual stock prices are volatile and past performance does not guarantee future results. Please consult your tax, legal, and investment professional before making financial decisions.

Fund your Backdoor Roth with your 401k deduction. 

Even high earners think they can't afford to max BOTH their 401k AND their Backdoor Roth IRA.

Wrong!

Your 401k gives you a tax deduction. Use that money to fund your Roth.

Are you using your 401k refund to fund your Roth?

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#colindaytoday

👋 Hi there! Follow @colindaytoday if you're looking to build your wealth using tax planning. I break down complex topics to give you practical and action methods to help you improve your personal finances.

@colindaytoday

This video is for educational purposes only. Contribution limits are for 2026. Tax rates are for 2026 and subject to change. Actual tax savings depend on your specific situation, deductions, and income level. Backdoor Roth requires no pre-existing traditional IRA balance (see pro-rata rule). Please consult your tax, legal, and investment professional before making financial decisions.

$60,000 in extra retirement taxes. 

Same starting point, but wrong mindset.

When it comes to saving for your future, sometimes it pays to diversify more than your investments. 

Putting money aside strategically can allow you to pay less tax in retirement, when your fixed income is stretched and every dollar matters. 

Both paths can get you to retirement, but only one can give you a more tax-efficient withdrawal plan. 

Which path are you on?

#colindaytoday

--------

👋 Hi there! Follow @colindaytoday if you're looking to build your wealth using tax planning. I break down complex topics to give you practical and action methods to help you improve your personal finances.

@colindaytoday

This video is for educational purposes only. Please consult your tax, legal, and investment professional before making financial decisions.

Here’s the math. For simplicity, I used the 2025 tax brackets for all future year withdrawals across both paths but used the 2026 contribution limits for 401ks. 

Path A: $100,000 gross withdrawals, all from pre-tax 401k. After $15,750 standard deduction, federal tax bill is approximately $13,455. 

Path B: $85,000 gross withdrawal from pre-tax 401k. $10,000 from Roth IRA (post 5 years, tax free). $5,000 from brokerage, assuming 50% comes from long-term capital gains. After standard deduction, federal tax bill is approximately $10,530. 

Assume a 7% annual rate of return, compounding monthly.

Illinois charges you 4.95% to save in a Roth 401k.

But Roth conversions? Tax-free.

And that could cost you an extra $60,000 in retirement. 

Are you in Illinois doing Roth 401k contributions?

#colindaytoday

--------

👋 Hi there! Follow @colindaytoday if you're looking to build your wealth using tax planning. I break down complex topics to give you practical and action methods to help you improve your personal finances.

@colindaytoday

This video is for educational purposes only. Tax rates and contribution limits referenced are for 2026. Illinois tax law is subject to change. Please consult your tax, legal, and investment professional before making financial decisions.

Math on investment growth is $1212 invested per year, compounding at 8% monthly over 20 years.

100% in U.S. stocks? The lost decade should scare you.

Diversification isn't exciting. But losing a decade of returns is worse.

What's your U.S. vs. international split?

#colindaytoday

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👋 Hi there! Follow @colindaytoday if you're looking to build your wealth using tax planning. I break down complex topics to give you practical and action methods to help you improve your personal finances.

@colindaytoday

This video is for educational purposes only. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Portfolio allocations should be based on individual circumstances and risk tolerance. Please consult your tax, legal, and investment professional before making financial decisions.

Historical data: S&P 500 (-0.95%), MSCI EAFE (+0.9%), and MSCI Emerging Markets Index (+10.89%) annualized returns 2000-2009. Forward projections reference Charles Schwab 2026 Capital Market Assumptions.

Diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss. Viewers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. While due care has been used in the preparation of forecast information, actual results may vary in a materially positive or negative manner.

Live on $70k AND perform a $50k Roth conversion… while only paying $6k in federal taxes. 

If you retire between 55-62, your income drops to zero. 

And if you’ve set yourself up right, you could pay extremely low taxes while converting that pre-tax balance in your 401k. 

Are you planning for this window?

#colindaytoday

--------

👋 Hi there! Follow @colindaytoday if you're looking to build your wealth using tax planning. I break down complex topics to give you practical and action methods to help you improve your personal finances.

@colindaytoday

This video is for educational purposes only. Tax thresholds are for 2026 MFJ filers and subject to change. 0% capital gains threshold is $98,900 taxable income for married filing jointly. Actual tax liability depends on deductions and other factors. HSA reimbursements require saved receipts for qualified medical expenses. State taxes may apply. Please consult your tax, legal, and investment professional before making financial decisions.

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