Retirement Starts Today Radio

Have you been listening to what has been going on in the commodities markets lately? People around the world were shocked when oil prices went negative in the month of May. I didn’t even know that this could happen and I’m a financial professional! This interesting turn of events led me to seek the expertise of someone more knowledgable in the oil commodities sector. This is why I’ve asked oil expert, Dan Eberhart, to come on the show today and explain how the price of oil could drop into negative numbers. We’ll also talk about the importance of diversification and not only in your portfolio.  Outline of This Episode [2:02] What the heck happened to oil prices in May? [4:18] Should we start thinking of the city we may end up in? [6:35] Should we avoid the Middle East in our international investments? [9:32] What are the long term implications on oil? [11:58] If we have the capital is it a good idea to invest in oil right now? [13:15] Is the oil industry a viable industry for the future? How did oil prices d

 One of the effects of the Coronavirus has been a number of cancelled plans. Have you had to cancel plans due to the pandemic? Today we’ll explore how to get a refund. I’ll also share a CNBC article that I use as a cautionary tale. Then we’ll look at some cosmic opportunities that may arise post-pandemic. And lastly, we’ll listen to a listener question about home mortgages in retirement. We’ve got an action-packed episode, so press play now. Outline of This Episode [1:02] Resist the urge to swing at a fat pitch [5:24] How to get a refund from your canceled plans [7:13] The cosmic opportunity post-Corona [10:00] A home mortgage question Resist the urge to swing at a fat pitch  A recent CNBC article came across my feed right before I started recording and I wanted to share it with you all as a precaution. The headline states that investors are betting that 2 of the hardest-hit sectors, airlines and energy, have hit their bottoms. ETF’s including these 2 sectors have increased in the past few weeks. I want to

With the recent market volatility, people are looking for financial advisors now more than ever. But how can you choose a financial advisor that’s right for you? I created a PDF with 8 questions to ask a financial advisor when you are looking. I’ll discuss these 8 questions as well as answer 2 listener questions and discuss the retirement headlines on this episode of Retirement Starts Today. Outline of This Episode [1:42] What is the best way to take Social Security benefits? [5:15] A 60/40 question [11:55] 8 Questions to ask a potential financial advisor [19:21] Nationwide has decided to have 50% of their staff work from home permanently How to decide the best way to take Social Security benefits Often in a marriage, the Social Security benefits vary greatly between the 2 partners. One may be much larger than the other. So how should you determine which one to take when? Many people don’t realize that if one spouse has a very small or even no Social Security benefit they are actually entitled to half of th

On this episode of Retirement Starts Today I want to share with you the retirement questions I received through my Friday Office Hours. Office Hours is an online space where I am available to answer any financial questions that come to mind. Over the past 2 weeks, we’ve had a great turn out with about 50 people joining each session. If you want to come to Office Hours make sure you are signed up for my Every Day is Saturday newsletter to get the invite. The next Office Hours session is on Friday, May 1 at 10:30 am CDT. Listen in to hear these retirement questions from my Office Hours session on April 24, 2020. Outline of This Episode [1:22] The solvency of the PBGC [7:00] Do I still recommend delaying Social Security until age 70? [15:34] How will the new money being pumped into the economy affect inflation? [18:15] Tax diversification [22:14] Should deflation be a worry? What do I think about the solvency of the PBGC? The PBGC or the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation is a private insurance company that

You may have gotten your stimulus check last week, but whether or not you have received the funds you may still have stimulus check questions. On this episode, I’ll answer several common questions surrounding the stimulus checks. I’ll also highlight some positive news for most of us. Positive news is hard to find today so let’s relish it a bit! Listen in to get your stimulus check questions answered and bask in the glow of some happy news.  Outline of This Episode [0:22] will you be benefitting from auto insurance discounts? [4:45] Did you receive your stimulus check this past week? [6:15] Questions surrounding the stimulus check Is your car insurance going to give you money? When I see good news I want to spread it far and wide, especially during these trying times. Since there has been less traffic on the roads there have been fewer car accidents which, in turn, has led to fewer car insurance claims. Many insurance companies have decided to pass their savings back to their policyholders. Listen in to hear

We all know that scammers are out there looking for the next opportunity to prey on their targets. The Coronavirus isn’t just a worldwide pandemic, for scammers its an opportunity to try new scams. On this episode of Retirement Starts Today you’ll learn how to spot a Coronavirus scam, stimulus check scam, and a grandparent scam. I also have lots of links to resources for you to learn more about this topic so be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this page when you’re done listening.  Outline of This Episode [1:02] Thanks for coming to the webinar [6:02] How to Coronavirus scams [13:22] Stimulus check scams [15:07] Grandparent scams I’m holding office hours Since we are all experiencing heightened stress and worry during this pandemic I thought I would try something new. On Friday 4/17 at 10:30 am CDT I’m holding office hours so that we can chat and discuss all things retirement. I’ve had many attendees during my recent webinars, but they aren’t very interactive. During this Zoom meeting, you’ll be able to

Everyone is talking about buying the dip, but what is the best way to do that? I’m not an investment advisor, but since the stock market has taken a serious downturn, now may be a good time to consider your overall investment strategy. That’s why I’ve invited investing expert, Lawrence Hamtil, co-founder of Fortune Financial Advisors, to chat with me about the ups and downs of investing after the recent stock market collapse. Listen in on this discussion to hear the pros and cons of buying the dip, investment timelines when buying today, and exceptional industries that have stood the tests of time.  Outline of This Episode [1:22] He does custom portfolios for clients [2:35] What should people look for when buying the dip? [4:18] What kind of timeline should you consider when investing today? [5:44] How to pick and choose? [7:50] How much time should you spend studying the stocks before investing? [11:05] What do some of the exceptional industries have in common? What should people look for when buying the d

With the Coronavirus situation bringing so much change into our lives, I decided to bring an abrupt conclusion to the Living Off Your Savings series. Instead, today, we’ll talk about some of the changes that the Coronavirus legislation will bring. Now that President Trump signed the Coronavirus stimulus package into law I wanted to give you an idea of what you can expect from this landmark legislation. Join me on this episode of Retirement Starts Today to discover how the Coronavirus stimulus package affects you.  Outline of This Episode [3:58] Who is eligible for a stimulus check [8:02] Take advantage of tax-loss harvesting [12:10] RMD’s are waived in 2020 [13:43] Waiver of early IRA distribution penalties [15:44] 401K loans have changed [16:40] Charitable deductions have a change [18:10] The COVID19 test and vaccine will be covered by health insurance Join me for the Living Off Your Savings webinar! I wanted to make sure to fulfill my promise of having a webinar to cap off the Living Off Your Savings seri

Before you retire you’ll need to think about how to turn your assets into retirement income. Today I’ll share with you my 2 favorite ways to turn your assets into retirement income. You’ll hear about the pros and cons of the 4% rule. I’ll also teach you about the guardrail strategy. After listening, you’ll be […]

I promise I did not crash the market just to give you guys an example of a bear market for this episode! But I guess this episode is releasing at the right time. As of this recording, we are not in a bear market yet, but it looks like we’re heading there. It doesn’t really […]

Now you know what your spending in retirement will be, but how do you know where and when to withdraw money? Welcome back to the second episode in the Living Off Your Savings series. Last week we established how much you needed to retire and you learned how to create a retirement budget. Today we’ll […]

Have you created a retirement budget? That’s what we’re going to cover this week on Retirement Starts Today. The month of March brings a change in format for us. We are going to try a monthly series format. The theme of this month’s series is Living Off of Your savings. For the entire 5 week […]

Last year 14 million Americans paid for tax prep that they could have had for free. Are you one of those people? Today, we’ll take a look at why people are spending money they don’t need to and how to rectify that. I’ll also answer some insightful listener questions concerning legal documents for retirees, the […]

I’m sure you’ve seen Tesla all over the news lately, today we’ll think about what we can learn from its parabolic trajectory. We’ll also cover additional questions about the SECURE Act and I make a correction about something I said about the SECURE Act as it pertains to minor beneficiaries. Then we’ll cap off the […]

Do you know how to avoid penalties on early retirement withdrawals? Is the 4% rule confusing to you? On this episode of Retirement Starts Today 2 astute listeners have some fantastic questions for me to answer today. You’ll want to listen in to hear 3 tips on how to take early retirement without the early […]

Welcome back to another episode of Retirement Starts Today. On this episode, I review the questions that were asked in both sessions of the SECURE Act webinar. You’ll want to listen even if you attended a webinar session since you didn’t hear the questions that were asked in the other session. I really enjoyed teaching […]

Now that the SECURE Act is the law, we need to rethink our estate planning strategies since it has effectively killed the stretch IRA. With the death of the stretch IRA, many people are scrambling to figure out what the best way is to leave their heirs their IRA’s. Fortunately, estate attorney and host of […]

You know that you need to have a diversified portfolio with both stocks and bonds, but do you know how bonds work? On this episode of Retirement Starts Today we have 2 fantastic listener questions that deserve detailed responses. John wants to know how bonds work before he begins investing in them and George has […]

Webinar #1 sign up – 11AM CST, January 23rd Webinar #2 signup – 3:30PM CST January 23rd The recently passed Secure Act brought about the most significant changes to retirement planning in a decade. In this free live training, you’ll learn the key points that could affect your retirement plans, your parent’s retirement accounts, and […]

Webinar #1 sign up – 11AM CST, January 23rd Webinar #2 signup – 3:30PM CST January 23rd The recently passed Secure Act brought about the most significant changes to retirement planning in a decade. On this episode, you’ll learn the key points that could affect your retirement plans. Make sure to listen to the end […]