Seven‑point HNI checklist

Jared Crawford, a financial adviser who uses the initials HNI for high net worth individuals, posted a seven-point checklist on April 14 aimed at high earners managing uneven income. (x.com) Crawford’s list grouped planning into seven buckets: marginal tax rate, cash flow, retirement optimization, tax diversification, insurance, estate planning, and charitable giving. Public records identify him as Jared Scott Crawford, an investment adviser now registered with Rigden Capital Strategies after prior affiliations with LPL Enterprise and Prudential. (x.com) (sec.gov) The checklist reads like a map of where high-income households usually lose money: paying attention to the top tax bracket but not the effective rate, saving into brokerage accounts before tax-advantaged plans, or delaying estate documents until after a liquidity event. The post did not include product recommendations or performance claims. (x.com) Several of the items line up with 2026 tax thresholds that moved again this year. The Internal Revenue Service said the top federal income tax rate remains 37 percent in 2026, applying above $640,600 for single filers and $768,700 for married couples filing jointly. (irs.gov) (kpmg.com) Retirement optimization, another item on Crawford’s list, also changed with inflation. The Internal Revenue Service raised the 2026 employee contribution limit for 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457, and Thrift Savings Plan accounts to $24,500, and raised the 2026 individual retirement account limit to $7,500. (irs.gov 1) (irs.gov 2) For high earners, “tax diversification” usually means spreading future withdrawals across taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts instead of relying on one bucket. That matters most for workers with bonuses, equity compensation, or business income that can push one year far above the next. (irs.gov 1) (irs.gov 2) Insurance and estate planning, two other items in the post, sit outside the annual tax-filing cycle but affect the same households. Congress’s research arm said the federal estate and gift tax exemption is $15 million per person for 2026, indexed for inflation, while the annual gift tax exclusion remains $19,000. (congress.gov) (elderlawanswers.com) Health savings accounts also fit the checklist’s cash-flow and tax-planning logic for workers in eligible high-deductible plans. The 2026 contribution limit is $4,400 for self-only coverage and $8,750 for family coverage, with a $1,000 catch-up contribution for people 55 and older. (shrm.org) (wtwco.com) Crawford’s post was short enough to fit on one screen, but it reflects a larger style of adviser marketing on X: simple checklists tied to tax dates, contribution limits, and planning deadlines. In a year when bracket thresholds, retirement caps, and estate exemptions all shifted again, the seven-point frame gives high earners a compact way to decide what to review first. (x.com) (irs.gov)