It's All About The $money, Honey!

Our recent episode on 5 crucial retirement decisions you will have to make was so popular that we decided to follow it up with 5 more crucial retirement decisions. In this episode, we discuss retirement decisions ranging from tax minimization and Medicare to recovering from the loss of a loved one and how you'll spend your time. 

In order to plan for retirement, you have to make some assumptions about the future. These include assumptions like how long you’ll live, the rate of inflation, and the expected rate of return you'll get. Some assumptions you make from educated estimates. Others you make because everyone else you know is also making them. In this episode, we share 4 assumptions a lot of people make about their retirement years that aren’t as correct as you might think. We'll also share a new scam you need to know about so you can protect yourself.

Before and during retirement, there are massive decisions you will have to make and many of these can only be made one time. Unfortunately, the consequences of getting them wrong range from minor to catastrophic. In this episode, we discuss five crucial decisions you will have to make that will dictate the direction for your lifestyle and healthcare in retirement.

“The stock market is a device to transfer money from the impatient to the patient.” – Warren BuffettDealing with volatility is the price of admission for future returns. If you want to reap the wealth the market can provide, you've got to be willing to ride the downs as well as the ups. However, the consistent fear and negative headlines in the media make it difficult to stay focused on what’s important – the long term. In this episode, we share why the average investor far underperforms the market and what you can do to stay calm when the market goes crazy.

At the beginning of each show, you hear us say “It’s not what you earn, but what you keep.” Becoming wealthy takes work, discipline, and planning – but believe it or not, that’s actually the easy part. Staying wealthy is harder, because typically, you’re using your wealth in retirement, with no regular paycheck to replenish it. In this episode, we share 3 keys to staying wealthy and increasing the odds you don’t run out of money.

We spend lots of time sharing what Millionaires are doing right so you can do what they do. However, perhaps even more instructive than what Millionaires do right is what they do wrong. Nobody's perfect and Millionaires make mistakes just like everyone else. In this episode, we share some of the biggest mistakes Millionaires make and how you can avoid them.

Beginning January 2026, the amount of wealth you can pass to heirs before triggering the dreaded estate tax is falling from more than $13 million per person to around $5 million. This means far more wealthy American families will be subject to estate taxes, which can erode 40% or more of your wealth. We know the change is coming. In this episode, we share how you can take steps now to minimize or eliminate the chances of negatively impacting you and your family.

Retiring is usually a one-day affair. You simply stop working. They throw you a party and that’s it. However, RETIREMENT is a marathon that spans 30+ years. This means that your retirement plan needs to be designed to navigate every bump, pothole, landmine, mountain, ditch, and smooth stretch you’ll experience. In this episode, we share how to create the ultimate All Terrain Retirement Plan.

The idea of a perfect retirement is different for everyone. However, there is one aspect of retirement planning that impacts, quite literally, everyone. It is the silent killer in your retirement plan, and each year, it slowly but inexorably eats away at your purchasing power. This silent killer is inflation. In this episode, we explore what causes inflation, the damage it can inflict, and how you can protect yourself from it. Later, we explain what Warren Buffet's favorite market indicator is saying about the near-term future of the market.

Private, family-owned businesses are the source of a large percentage of the $50 trillion expected to pass from Baby Boomers to their heirs over the next 10 to 15 years. They can also be the source of some of the greatest frustration and anxiety for families who are unprepared to make the transition properly. In this episode, we share our key considerations before selling a privately held family business to heirs and/or business partners.

Considering the number of decisions you'll have to make as you prepare for retirement, it's not a surprise that there are often a lot of mistakes made. Many times, a choice you thought was a great one at the time can end up having negative unintended consequences later. In this episode, we share what you need to know so you can anticipate those consequences and make better decisions to avoid them.

In the final few years leading up to retirement, there are dozens of decisions to be made and actions to be taken so you can you stroll into retirement with confidence. So what are they? How will you know if you're on track? Who can help you make the best decisions? In this episode, we share the Countdown to Retirement, the key things you should do beginning no later than 3 years prior to retirement. 

No one enjoys paying taxes. However, when you do pay them, don't complain about having a large tax bill too much, because it means you earned a lot of income. The thing to do is find ways to reduce, or even eliminate, the taxes you owe. In this episode, we reveal to you some of our favorite tax reduction strategies we use to help our clients. Later, we share why chasing the highest interest rates for your cash may not always be the best idea.

It might seem like life with your money is one continuous journey. In reality, it's a series of transitions from one phase of life to another. Managing your money while in the prime of your career is different from the last few years of it. Retiring is one of the biggest transitions of all. What about the transition of caring for your aging parents? Finally, we all transition to the end of life when making sure our family is cared for is mot important. In this episode, we discuss some of the key transitions your life and your money make and how to manage them with confidence.

Everyone understands that, to survive retirement, you have to replace the paycheck you gave up when you quit working. What's not as understood is exactly how to do that. In this episode, we'll discuss what you need to know to create your retirement paycheck. Later, we'll share insights into what the market might look in 12 months when interest rates stop going up.

One question most people ask when considering hiring a financial advisor is, "How much does it cost?"  However, the real question you want answered is, "What value will a financial advisor add to my life for the fee I pay?" In this episode, we share the key services your advisor should provide to make your life easier. In addition, we'll discuss a Fidelity survey that found how much growth an advisor can add to your investments over time.

For most of our lives, we're focused on investing to grow wealth. Eventually, however, once we've amassed wealth, our focus changes and we are forced to make more decisions. The truth is that many retirement decisions have little to do with your investment portfolio. If that's all your financial advisor does, you risk making bad decisions on everything else, some of which can't be undone. In this episode, we share the full scope of services a true financial advisor should be able and willing to provide you, especially in retirement.

Happy New Year! You've probably spent at least a few minutes thinking about your New Year's Resolutions. Did you know that there is a difference between Resolutions and Goals? In this episode, we share how knowing that difference can help bring your financial future into better focus.

The start of a new year is another opportunity to improve your life. Few things are as important as getting your financial house in order. In this episode, we share some of the key tasks and goals that should be on your financial to-do list in 2024.

Unfortunately, financial literacy and education is not widely taught in school. Yet, when we graduate high school and become adults, we are expected to know how the world works. Often, we learn by making lots of mistakes. It doesn't have to be that painful. In this episode, we share how taking advantage of financial education can better equip you to answer the biggest financial question of all - will I run out of money in retirement?