Episodes

Liquidity Planning: How to Plan for Short-Term Needs and Where to Invest Liquidity is important for everyone, no matter what phase of investing you are in. If you anticipate needing your money within the next five years, it should be readily accessible. The primary objective is to ensure the protection of your income stream and have assets at your disposal. It’s impossible to grow your income, draw an income stream, and keep it liquid all in one portfolio. In our 3-bucket approach, funds are ...

In this episode, we take a big-picture view of what planning is, and what a retirement plan should include. Products are not a plan. Someone may think they have a plan because they have a 401(k), pension, or insurance policy in place. Or they plan to get a little more conservative over time with their portfolio. Each of those things may be part of a plan, but they are actually products, they are not a plan. Hope is not a plan. When you go to a traditional financial planning firm that is not a ...

A Retirement Plan That Leads to Confidence If you have a plan that’s simple and easy to understand, implement, and follow, you will feel better about your retirement plan. This, after all, is the overarching goal of everything we do: to instill confidence in your financial future. In a landscape where many financial advisors tend to make things needlessly complex, it’s essential for everyone to be able to understand their retirement plan. To be successful in retirement you have to take action, a...

In today’s episode, the last of Season 4, Stephen Stricklin, along with Paul Brock, answer FAQ’s surrounding retirement planning. In addition to their answers in this episode, we encourage you to look back through the seasons to gain more clarity! One listener asks, “Do you see value in splitting accounts over a few different advisors?” Stephen says with multiple advisors working with the same client, you can end up with similar portfolios, and that may not be as diversified as you’d think. In a...

Have you ever considered the views of the companies you’ve invested in? Do they align with yours? Join Stephen Stricklin and Paul Brock, along with guests Ben Malick and David Sandhu, as they discuss Biblically Responsible Investing. Ben and David have years of financial experience with Wise Wealth, and in this episode, offer clarity on how we can make good decisions when it comes to thinking biblically about our investments. As an investor, you must screen for companies that take into account t...

You may have heard the terms “fee” and “cost” used as synonyms, but there is a distinction that could make all the difference in the world of investing. In this episode, Stephen Stricklin and Paul Brock discuss three major misconceptions many people have about fees and costs. A fee is something you can “see,” usually in plain sight, and made known up front, sometimes deterring an individual from taking the plunge. A cost is something you can “feel,” usually not laid out clearly in a statement, b...

Are there better uses for your home equity? In today’s episode special guest Gabrielle Welter, along with host Stephen Stricklin, discuss everything reverse mortgages. Gabrielle is a reverse mortgage specialist in the Chicago area, and with 11 years experience in the financial industry, she has a lot to share. Gabrielle debunks the negative connotation that a reverse mortgage is the “loan of last resort.” She gives an in depth look into how a reverse mortgage can enhance your retirement portfoli...

Host Stephen Stricklin and Co-Host Paul Brock take on the topic of taxes in retirement in today’s episode, appropriately released on the tax filing deadline date of 2021. An exciting day for some, and dreaded for others, it’s a reality of our financial life we cannot avoid, and certainly a factor to consider when planning for retirement. Stephen and Paul take a deep dive into some tax lingo. They bring listeners through five topics pertaining to taxes and retirement: Tax Planning, Effective vs. ...

Retirement is not a cliff to jump off of, but an opportunity to build bridges grounded with your values and strengths. In this episode, Stephen Stricklin is joined by guest Samantha Lane, an Associate Certified Coach who most often works with men and women making the huge transition to retirement. Samantha is passionate about helping individuals through major life changes, and being a guiding light for clients to find balance and satisfaction in their life as retirees. Samantha walks us through ...

Joining host Stephen Stricklin is guest Mark Willis, financial advisor and owner of Late Growth Financial Services in Chicago IL, and Co-Host of his podcast Not Your Average Financial Podcast, on the topic of banking on yourself. Graduating college with an immense amount of debt, and starting a new job at a CPA firm during the 2008 stock market collapse, Mark wondered “Is there something better than just climbing out of this hole?” Knowing debt is important to move past, but not wanting to throw...

Joining Stephen Stricklin for another podcast episode is our guest, David Rosell, financial planner, president and founder of Rosell Wealth Management, author of Failure Is Not an Option, and avid traveler. They discuss common risks that you should consider when planning for retirement. Risks that occur in the distribution phase of retirement are inevitable. It’s up to us to be prepared with a plan when we meet these risks. The most common risks that people run into are inflation risk, interest ...

Stephen Stricklin is joined by guest David Rosell, financial planner, president and founder of Rosell Wealth Management, author of Failure Is Not an Option, and world-wide traveler, as they discuss the reality of planning for retirement. In his book, David combines his two passions, travel stories, and financial survival tips. He ties in his mountain climbing and travel adventures, with impactful advice about retirement. David says FEAR, False Evidence Appearing Real, is our worst enemy. Fear di...

Should inflation cause panic? Are spikes in inflation a new phenomenon? How will it impact my retirement? Join our hosts Stephen Stricklin and Paul Brock for Season 4, Episode 3 as they answer these questions and more! They talk about the importance of considering inflation when relating to retirement, in this timeless episode designed to share with friends and family. Inflation, as defined by Investopedia, is the decline of purchasing power of a given currency over time. Retiree’s feel the impa...

“The biggest risk we face in old age, or maybe the second biggest apart from healthcare costs, is longevity risk – out running our money.” – Laurence Kotlikoff In this episode, Stephen Stricklin continues his conversation with Laurence Kotlikoff, a Professor of Economics at Boston University and best-selling author. They cover several more details about Laurence’s new book, “Money Magic: An Economist’s Secrets to More Money, Less Risk, and a Better Life”. A large part of the discussion was arou...

Welcome to season 4 of the Simplify Your Retirement Podcast! Season 4 will be packed with exciting guests, and popular FAQ’s Stephen gets from clients. In part one of this two-part interview, Stephen Stricklin is joined by Laurence Kotlikoff, a Professor of Economics at Boston University and a best-selling author. They discuss Kotlikoff’s brand-new book, “Money Magic: An Economist’s Secrets to More Money, Less Risk, and a Better Life”. A magician isn’t smarter than anyone else, he just happens t...

In this season of Simplify Your Retirement, we focused on the Wise Wealth mission of guiding investors on the path to financial significance, where they are free to give and serve and to enjoy a life like never before. In this episode, Stephen Stricklin is joined by Bekah Stever, AAMS®, chief growth officer & director of compliance at Wise Wealth. Bekah helps us tie up the season as we look back at how Wise Wealth has given and served this past year. Bekah also shares why giving and serving is s...

Being free to enjoy life in retirement is one of the missions of Wise Wealth. But you should be enjoying life all the time. In this episode, Stephen Stricklin is joined by Jonathan Dold, a financial advisor at Wise Wealth. Jon is not retired, but he has been living the Wise Wealth mission of enjoying life for quite some time. He shares his background in finance, how he’s been enjoying life, and his experience with First Tee, a youth development golf organization that he is involved with. Jon dis...

What does retirement look like to you? How do you plan to enjoy your retirement? In this episode, Stephen Stricklin is joined by clients Barry and Linda, who share how they are enjoying retirement, and how planning has made their retirement successful. He is also joined by a client, Jeff, who discusses the plans he and his wife Janie have for their own retirement. They discuss: Barry and Linda’s experience living in an RV and travelling around the United States in retirement Jeff’s experience l...

Everyone wants to go on vacation. But work often limits the amount of time you can spend away. In this episode, Stephen Stricklin is joined by Mark Comfort, owner of Cruise Holiday and Comfort Tours & Travel. Mark dives into the third part of the Wise Wealth mission statement, the ability to be free to enjoy life, and the role of vacations within your retirement goals. Mark discusses: The importance of saving disposable income for retirement Mental and physical benefits of vacation Why retirees...

Creating a legacy of serving others can inspire your children and those around you to serve and give back to their community. In this episode, Stephen Stricklin is joined by his client Bruce. Bruce is a retiree, and formerly worked at Hallmark. In his retirement he has taken up the Wise Wealth mission of serving. Bruce shares the details of his involvement with a community organization and how his father inspired him to give back to others. Bruce discusses: His background working for Hallmark a...

Women are a notoriously underserved demographic in the financial industry, even though they are often the ones in the family who make the financial decisions. With the Wise Wealth mission to serve in mind, Samantha Compton created Wise Women, LLC. In this episode, Stephen Stricklin is joined by Samantha Compton of Wise Wealth and founder of Wise Women, LLC. Samantha shares the history of Wise Women and the mission for the organization. She also speaks about what serving means to her, and how she...

This season Stephen talked about being free to give and spoke to several clients about what it means to give in their eyes. This episode Stephen transitions to talking about being free to serve. In this episode, Stephen Stricklin is joined by his client Brad. Brad shares a little about himself and how he gives back to others, and is free to serve. He is chairman of the board at Children International in Kansas City, a humanitarian organization. Brad discusses: When he knew it was the right time...

If you’re going to give, there’s a tax-efficient way to go about it, and you may as well take advantage of the smartest way to do so. Enter: donor advised funds. In this episode, Stephen Stricklin is joined by clients Larry and John, who each run a donor advised fund. They discuss how these funds work, and the primary advantages to giving through a donor advised fund. Larry and John share a few details about their own donor advised funds, why they were started and why they like to give. Stephen,...

This season we want to bring on our clients and share some of their stories of giving. In this episode, Stephen Stricklin is joined by his client Bob. Bob and his wife Charlene are one of Wise Wealth’s clients involved in charitable giving. Stephen provides an overview of how qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) and required minimum distributions (RMDs) work in relation to charitable giving. Bob shares some of his personal stories about giving and how QCDs & RMDs tie into the overall conver...