Do You Know "Income Cliffs?" Don't Miss This 🗻


Good morning!

Thank you for reading The Best Interest

And listening to my podcast, Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors


From the blog...

Two fun articles on the blog this week...

Inspired by the five feet of snow that fell this week near my childhood home, I wanted to share with you how:

  • Some short-term forecasting is vital (see: blizzard warnings)
  • But other short-term forecasting is pure, unhelpful noise (ex, for all us investors)

Click here to read the full post:

As Simple As That


Next, I want to explain why I hate cliff.

Not Cliff. But cliff.

As in: “income cliffs.”

If you're not familiar with "cliffs" vs. "ramps" in the world of income, taxes, and government benefits, I recommend reading this short post to get up to speed.

Click here to read the full post:

I Hate You, cliff


On the podcast...

Episode 126 is an "Ask Me Anything" episode to start 2026 anew. I answer questions about:

  • The decision to retire in 2026
  • Documenting the rationale for major investment decisions
  • Helping your kids get started investing
  • How "excess capital" changes the nature of investment decisions
  • And knowing the key financial ages from your teens to your 70s!

Is 2026 Your Year to Retire? AMA #12 | E126


PS - over 122,000 people downloaded this podcast in 2025, which is the 3rd straight year of ~3x growth. From 4,785 in 2022 to 122,067 in 2025.

For 2026...my goal is 350,000 downloads.

And, more importantly, I care how ~350K downloads correlates to 10,000+ individual listeners enjoying, learning, and making better financial decisions.

Thank you for listening!


Weekly Top 3 - Other Content You Can't Miss


What Are *Your* Questions?

I've been creating "ask me anything" episodes on the podcast, where I answer your questions about investing, financial planning, and retirement. They are quickly becoming my most popular episodes.

Want to check them out? They're all here:

🔗 All of My AMA Episodes

I'm collecting questions for AMAs 13 and 14.

Reply to this email or send questions to Jesse [at] BestInterest [dot] blog


Work with Jesse!

I work for a fiduciary wealth management firm in Rochester, NY, helping busy professionals and retirees avoid costly mistakes and grow lasting wealth to and through retirement.

Learn more here --> Work with Jesse


Until Next Week

Thank you, as always, for reading, listening, and getting in touch. The project continues because you are a fantastic audience. People like you send me questions every single day.

Send an email or ask me question: ​​jesse [at] bestinterest [dot] blog​

Until next week,

Jesse

Jesse Cramer

Long-term investors face more complexity over time. I provide guidance and clarity. I'm Jesse Cramer, former aerospace engineer, now fiduciary financial planner, writer of The Best Interest and voice behind Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors. I'll help you create a structured plan for your financial life; one coherent system that you understand, that you can implement, and that works. Without a good system, your wealth quietly erodes. The conversations we avoid become the problems nobody planned for. You've done the hard part. Let's figure out the rest.

Read more from Jesse Cramer
Rusty truck with american flag painted on side

Good morning! Thank you for reading The Best Interest And listening to my podcast, Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors From the blog... What exactly are the new Trump accounts? How can people use them? Invest in them? Pay taxes on them? How do they compare to similar accounts? How will I use them and encourage others to use them? - Ehh. Trump Accounts: Not as Good as Advertised On the podcast... Episode 132 is all about controversial money and retirement topics. It's an "ask me anything"...

Modern staircase with glass railing and marble wall

Good afternoon! Thank you for reading The Best Interest And listening to my podcast, Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors From the blog... I’ve struggled with this concept. I’ve seen many others struggle with it, too. Step 1: We discover a new shiny idea (…Roth conversions! …Small-cap value investing! …Qualified charitable distributions!) Step 2: This idea’s shiny appeal pushes it to the top of our priority list. Step 3: Blinded by the light, we mistakenly overemphasize this new idea to...

Person in orange jacket walks through snowy forest

Good afternoon! Thank you for reading The Best Interest And listening to my podcast, Personal Finance for Long-Term Investors From the blog... The Adirondacks are a special place. Maeve and Kelly in the shallows of Heart Lake. Hiking, in particular, is my favorite part of visiting America’s largest park. The journey up one of the Adirondack “High Peaks” is grueling but rewarding. Sitting on the summit is a beautiful thing. You’ve never had a better peanut butter & jelly sandwich than when...