The Cannon Journal

Clarity, before the pitch.

Plain-English answers to the questions that actually decide your financial life — written by a fiduciary firm that is paid to plan, not to sell. Nothing here is trying to sell you a product.

All articles

Read before you're sold.

02
Investment Philosophy

Should I Manage My Own Investments?

The question every capable person eventually asks, answered straight — including the part where the honest answer is yes, and the four questions that settle it either way.

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03
Products & Planning

What an Annuity Actually Is

An annuity is an insurance contract, not an investment — and that one distinction explains most of what confuses people about how they get sold.

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04
Tax Strategy

Tax Planning Is a Season, Not a Scramble

By the time you file in April, your tax bill is history — it was decided by December 31. Filing records the outcome. Planning is what changes it.

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05
Retirement Income

The Roth Conversion Window Most People Miss

Between your last paycheck and your first required distribution sits a stretch of unusually low-tax years. Most people let that window close without ever using it.

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06
For Employers

What a 3(38) Investment Fiduciary Actually Does for Your 401(k)

If your company sponsors a 401(k), you are a fiduciary — personally. The real question is how much of that duty you keep, and how much you formally hand to a professional.

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07
Liquidity Events

The First Year After You Sell Your Business

The wire clears, and suddenly everyone has an idea for your money. The best first moves are usually the least dramatic ones — and they go in a specific order.

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08
Equity Compensation

Concentrated Stock: When Your Best Asset Becomes Your Biggest Risk

Nobody decides to bet their family's future on one stock. It happens one vest at a time — and unwinding it well is a schedule, not a guess.

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Educational only — not investment, tax, or legal advice. Every situation is different; the right answer depends on the numbers, and that's what the strategy session is for. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.

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Sit down with a fiduciary — not a salesman — and leave with a complimentary strategy for your exact situation, whether or not you ever hire us.