The 2026 Financial Planning Draft
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With the third overall pick...
** Pick 3: Philanthropic Strategy — Tight End
Mild applause. A few people in the building genuinely did not see this coming and a few are pretending they did.
Most teams never use the tight end right. Most people never use philanthropic strategy right either, which is a shame because it is one of the best tax tools in existence. The choice is not between giving and keeping. It is between giving to causes you chose or giving to the IRS. Nobody has ever cried happy tears handing a check to the IRS.
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With the fourth overall pick...
Pick 4: Liquidity and Exit Planning — Left Tackle
Good pick. Necessary pick. The kind of pick that wins championships and never gets mentioned at the parade.
The left tackle protects the blind side. The hit that ends a season almost always comes from the direction nobody was watching. For business owners, the exit is the biggest financial event of their lives and somehow always the least prepared for. The pick makes complete sense. The only question is why it takes so long to make it.
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With the fifth overall pick...
Pick 5: Risk Management — Free Safety
The camera operator visibly considered panning away.
Nobody celebrates this pick. Nobody puts on a risk management jersey and rushes the field. But the families who needed this position and did not have it do not forget it. Neither does anyone who had to sit across from them afterward. Invisible when it works. Impossible to ignore when it does not. Next pick.
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With the sixth overall pick...
Pick 6: Estate Planning — Fullback
The most procrastinated pick in draft history. Every single year this player sits there and every single year teams convince themselves they will get to him in the next round. There is no next round. Estate planning is one of the only things in this entire plan that cannot be fixed after the fact. Either it is there or it is not, and the moment that question becomes urgent is a terrible moment to find out the answer.
The fullback is available. He has been available. He is tired of waiting.
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With the seventh overall pick...
Pick 7: Debt Architecture — Running Back
The takes are already coming in. Debt bad. Dave Ramsey is somewhere doing a victory lap right now just from the mention of it.
For the right person at the right time, debt is a tool. That is the whole point. The conversation is more nuanced than the bumper sticker. The bumper sticker does not pay for itself either but nobody wants to hear that.
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With the eighth overall pick...
Pick 8: Investment Management — Wide Receiver
And the crowd absolutely loses it.
Investment management at eight. The phones are ringing. The analysts look personally offended. One of them just took his earpiece out. Wide receivers get the commercials, the endorsements, the magazine covers, and every highlight reel ever produced. A great wide receiver with no quarterback, no line, and no scheme is just a very fast, very expensive person standing in a field.
The financial services industry built an entire empire on the belief that this is pick one. That empire would prefer this list not exist.
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With the ninth overall pick...
Pick 9: Alternative Investments — Special Teams
The energy in the room has stabilized. Everyone is just trying to process picks one through eight.
Special teams can flip field position in ways conventional offense and defense cannot. So can alternatives. Private equity, real estate, private credit. Genuinely powerful when the rest of the roster is already in place. Genuinely good at making expensive sophisticated-sounding mistakes when it is not. This is a pick for teams that are already built. Not a shortcut for teams that are not.
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And with the tenth overall pick...
Pick 10: Retirement Planning — Punter **
Let us go to the green room.
Retirement Planning has been sitting there for four hours. The suit is still perfect but the energy has shifted. He has watched nine picks go by. His agent has made so many phone calls the phone is at eleven percent. The production assistant offered him water twice and he said no both times because he thought accepting water meant he was no longer the number one overall pick.
He is not taking this well.
Here is the thing. When retirement becomes the entire point of the plan, people spend decades optimizing for a single day and arrive there having never figured out what the life after that day was supposed to look like. That is not a retirement plan. That is a very expensive countdown clock.
The wedding is not the marriage. Retirement is not the life.
Retirement Planning will have a long career. Good special teams guys always do. Just not at number one. Never at number one.
He can keep the suit.
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* Want the full breakdown on every pick? Read the complete draft board here.
Every great draft starts with the combine. Here is what ours actually looks like. → *
This content is for informational and educational purposes only. Nothing contained in this post constitutes personalized financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. The information presented reflects the general views and opinions of the author and should not be relied upon as the basis for any financial decision. Every individual's financial situation is unique. Please consult a qualified financial advisor, CPA, or attorney before making any financial decisions.
Intentional, LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Additional information about Intentional, LLC is available in our Form ADV Part 2, which is available upon request or at https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/316699.
Tax planning strategies discussed in this content are general in nature and may not be appropriate for every individual. Tax laws are subject to change. Intentional, LLC does not provide tax advice. Any tax-related strategies referenced should be reviewed and implemented in coordination with a qualified CPA or tax professional.
Charitable giving strategies, including but not limited to donor-advised funds, charitable remainder trusts, and qualified charitable distributions, involve complex tax and legal considerations. The effectiveness of any philanthropic strategy depends on individual circumstances, applicable tax law, and proper implementation. Intentional, LLC does not provide legal or tax advice. Please consult a qualified attorney and CPA before implementing any charitable giving strategy.
Estate planning involves legal documents and strategies that should be prepared and reviewed by a qualified estate planning attorney. Intentional, LLC does not provide legal advice and does not prepare estate planning documents. References to estate planning in this content are for general informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice or a recommendation to take any specific action.
Alternative investments, including but not limited to private equity, private credit, real estate, and structured products, involve a high degree of risk, including the potential loss of principal. These investments are generally illiquid, may not be suitable for all investors, and are typically available only to investors who meet certain eligibility requirements. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Nothing in this content constitutes a solicitation or offer to buy or sell any security.
The use of debt as a financial planning tool involves significant risk and may not be appropriate for all individuals. Strategies involving leverage can amplify both gains and losses. The general concepts discussed in this content do not account for individual financial circumstances, risk tolerance, or goals. Please consult a qualified financial advisor before implementing any debt strategy.
The Wealth Identity Assessment utilizes the iEQ9 Enneagram questionnaire, a proprietary instrument developed by Integrative Enneagram Solutions. The assessment is used as an educational and planning tool to inform financial planning conversations. It is not a clinical psychological evaluation, a diagnostic instrument, or a substitute for professional mental health services. Results are used solely to personalize financial planning recommendations and enhance the client experience.