Login | May 22, 2026
How Readers Like You Inspire My Columns
JULIE JASON
Published: May 21, 2026
As an advocate of financial literacy for all, no matter age or financial means, my goal with writing and speaking is to offer information and insights. You have a voice in choosing the topics I cover, and I look forward to hearing your input.
Let me share some of the comments and questions I've received from readers over the years -- and if it triggers a question you'd like answered in this column, email me (readers@juliejason.com).
When my column appeared in a California newspaper, one of the first questions asked by a reader was, "What should someone look for when shopping for a financial planner?" The reader and her husband were in their 60s and were "asset rich but income poor."
That led to a series of columns exploring professional designations, regulation, how to research an adviser's background, how to determine services offered and how to compare them to the marketplace.
As someone who started out on Wall Street as a lawyer, this is a topic of particular interest to me. The simple truth is that consumers do need help distinguishing the players.
Another reader wanted to know what to do when her adviser decided to retire. The column that followed considered how to work with one's accountant or lawyer to identify potential candidates to interview, cautioning to check for referral-fee arrangements, which create a conflict of interest. We discussed how to read an easily understood SEC disclosure document one could find on the firm's website called Form CRS, which would allow the reader to compare and contrast financial firms.
I'm a big proponent of Form CRS, as it puts important information in the hands of investors, including details on regulatory and disciplinary disclosures.
Always popular are questions about wills, trusts and inheritances that lead to my interviewing legal experts and sharing their views on specific and general topics. An example: William Kambas of the global law firm Withers Bergman LLP provided guidance on estate planning when international issues are involved.
What about giving financial help to adult children while you are still alive, a senior reader with assets wondered, writing, "How do we best use our resources ... to help the child who needs help without alienating the other one?"
While there is no simple solution, I shared my personal experience working with high-net-worth families. I noticed that each family has its own "culture." That's a good starting point, the exploration of family dynamics. I also cautioned the retired couple to be aware that they could compromise their own financial safety if they didn't account for their needs before helping their children.
When IRA rules changed with the passage of the two SECURE acts (in December 2019 and December 2022), readers asked how to find and follow new rules, which led to a number of discussions about available resources.
One reader wondered if the withdrawals (required minimum distributions, or RMDs) he was taking yearly from the traditional IRA he inherited from his father in 2018 were affected by the first SECURE Act's 10-year rule for distributions. We discussed whether the SECURE Act's new rules were retroactive (no, they are not).
Sometimes readers give me advice: One reader shared her difficult inheritance experience: "Watch out for vultures," she said, adding that "everyone advising me had something to gain. Instead, I found people who worked on small commissions to teach me how to invest wisely."
And sometimes readers send me a thank-you -- along with something to think about. "Love your columns! Sometimes I learn something new; other times it's a great refresher. I wish more of the upcoming generations would take an early interest in financial planning and well-being."
Yes, it would be good to trigger the interest of younger generations, something that readers have also asked about -- how to help fund financial literacy programs for high school students. That brings me to QCDs (qualified charitable distributions), a way to use IRA money to donate to eligible schools supporting financial literacy efforts.
That is the goal of my financial literacy mission: to inspire upcoming generations and provide valuable information for all. Again, if you have questions you'd like to pose, reach out to me.
Seasoned investment counsel (tinyurl.com/52nus8hz) and award-winning columnist and author, Julie Jason, JD, LLM, promotes financial literacy and investor protection. Read her latest book, "The Discerning Investor: Personal Portfolio Management in Retirement for Lawyers (and Their Clients)" (tinyurl.com/4u7h9pjs), published by the American Bar Association. Write to Julie at readers@juliejason.com. While all questions cannot be answered, each email is read and reviewed and can lead to discussion in a future column.
COPYRIGHT 2026 Julie Jason, DISTRIBUTED BY ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106; 816-581-7500