Episodes

5 keys to preparing your retirement plan to withstand a stock market crash. As you step into retirement, one of the biggest concerns you might face is the potential for a market crash right at the start. It’s a valid worry—after all, you’ve spent decades saving and investing to secure your future. The last thing you want is for a sudden downturn to wipe out a significant portion of your nest egg. Today, I want to dive into how you can prepare for this possibility and safeguard your retirement sa...

Discovering how the “Retirement Spending Hatchet” provides a problem for the 4 percent rule and why Derek Tharp suggests risk-based guardrails offer a more dynamic way to respond to risks in retirement. The 4 percent rule gained steam through the mid 1990s as a way to ensure your retirement lasts throughout your retirement years. I sat down with Derek Tharp, Ph.D., CFP®, CLU® assistant professor at the University of Southern Maine also known as the “Retirement Professor”, to discuss why he belie...

Breaking down the 4 steps of the “live to 100” strategy as life expectancy increases and conventional retirement wisdom struggles to keep up. Average life expectancy in the United States rises with each generation, and with that trend comes a lengthening of years lived after average retirement. As age 100 becomes more realistic for many people, how can you make sure your finances are set up in a way that takes care of you through your entire lifetime? This discussion was sparked by our recent p...

Jeremy Keil and Steve Sanduski explore retirement trends by generation and examine what happens to financial planning when people start to live healthy routinely to age 100. People are living healthier and longer, and it’s showing in the rising longevity averages in the United States. My guest in this week’s episode of “Retirement Revealed”, Steve Sanduski (Steve Sanduski Advisor Network) and I discuss how these trends and generational approaches are affecting the future of retirement and retire...

Exploring the rules & options for how to handle the Social Security survivor benefit in the event of remarriage. Today, we’re diving into a critical question: Will you lose your survivor Social Security benefits if you get remarried? There are more layers to this question than many people realize. Let’s peel these layers back and explore the options available for Social Security in remarriage. The Importance of Survivor Benefits When discussing Social Security, survivor benefits often stand out...

Identifying and understanding 5 simple marriage money talk steps you can take to improve your understanding of finances within a marriage and work towards a common goal. Money is one of the most contentious parts of any marriage. Today, I’m diving into a crucial topic: How can money talk transform your marriage and your retirement? In this episode I lay out five steps you can take to have better money talks with your spouse and re-visit a few moments from past episodes of “Retirement Revealed” w...

Learn how to calculate the impact on your pension from changing your start date and evaluate the value of your pension based on your financial situation. I recently received a question from a listener that sparked an interesting discussion about how to plan for your pension. In this episode of “Retirement Revealed” I dive into an example of how to calculate the total and annual value of your pension depending on when you start taking it. The Listener’s Scenario Is waiting until age 73 and a hal...

Understanding the different ways financial advisors get paid and the circumstances that fit best for each fee structure. A recent article in the AARP magazine sparked this discussion, and I’ll include a link to that in the show notes. The article delves into the different types of financial advisors and the various fee models they use. It’s essential to understand that not all advisors get paid the same way, and knowing these differences can help you make better decisions about your financial fu...

Discovering the link between Social Security spousal benefits within a couple and breaking down the consequences of deciding when each person starts taking it. Managing your Social Security as a couple provides opportunities to maximize your available retirement income in a way that an individual cannot. In this episode of “Retirement Revealed” I’m going through an example based on a listener question to show how the spousal and survivor benefits work for Social Security, including how the small...

David Lau of DPL Financial Partners discusses the in’s and out’s of annuities, what to look for in a good annuity and how to utilize them properly in your retirement plan. Annuities are a hot button topic among investors, but my guest in this week’s “Retirement Revealed” podcast, David Lau of DPL Financial Partners, sees the inherent problems with how annuities have been treated in the past. He shared his thoughts on how we can change the way annuities are purchased and perceived. The Controver...

Identifying retirement sentiment from the Employee Benefit Research Institute and examining the strategies you can use to avoid unnecessary financial strain in retirement. Today, I’m diving into the latest Retirement Confidence Survey from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI), which uncovers some surprising trends and offers valuable lessons for your retirement planning. The Early Retirement Surprise One of the headline findings from the EBRI survey is that, on average, people expect ...

Identifying the common health savings account mistakes, identifying key strategies to maximize your HSA and exploring some of the practical ways to utilize your HSA over your lifetime. If you’re like many people, you might not be getting the most out of your HSA. Let’s explore why that might be and how you can change it. Understanding HSA Contributions and Limits Firstly, let’s clarify how much you can contribute to your HSA. The contribution limits for 2024 are $4,150 for individual coverage a...

Home ownership is the goal of many retirees, but with the current landscape of interest rates, home prices and longevity predictions, the choice between renting or buying a home in retirement requires a closer look at the data. Today, I’m delving into a topic that many retirees grapple with: whether to rent or buy a house in retirement. Additionally, we’ll discuss how to demonstrate enough income to secure a mortgage or get accepted into a rental apartment. Understanding Income Requirements for...

Navigating the risks to retirement, maintaining security and transforming your spending strategy from a “save-only” mindset in order to enjoy your retirement. Today, we’re tackling a question that might surprise many: Are you spending too little in retirement? Understanding Retirement Spending Recently, I came across an intriguing article in Barron’s titled “These Retirees Have a Good Problem. They Aren’t Spending Enough.” This piece piqued my interest, and I dove deeper into the study it was b...

Financial freedom can be within reach if you utilize accurate forecasting, sound investing principles and the correct lens on your retirement years. Many view retirement as a finish line, marking the end of a journey. My “Retirement Revealed” guest for this week’s episode, Eric Brotman, challenges that perspective and reframes it into another common tradition: graduation. Eric founded BFG Financial Advisors in 2003 with the goal of helping busy, successful professionals and families plan for li...

Addressing many of the biggest retirement risks as defined by the Society of Actuaries and exploring the steps you can take to build a secure future. In one of my most recent episodes, my guest mentioned a report by the Society of Actuaries titled “Managing Post-retirement Risk: Strategies for Secure Retirement.” After I read the 36 page report, I decided to break down the risks they identify and provide some suggestions based on my experience as a financial planner after working with hundreds o...

Examining key takeaways and trends uncovered in the Allspring Global Investments Retirement Survey results with Nate Miles, Allspring head of Global Client Strategy. I’m always looking for more data on retirement and Social Security, so when I came across the Allspring Global Investments Retirement Survey and had a chance to speak with Nate Miles from Allspring, I jumped at the opportunity. Nate Miles is head of Global Client Strategy at Allspring Global Investments. The Allspring Global Invest...

Identifying the right start dates for Social Security depending on your unique situation, when your Social Security benefit will send you your first check based on your birthday, and IRMAA cost strategies. Every month I take an episode of “Retirement Revealed” to answer listener questions about retirement, Social Security and real life financial scenarios that I think other listeners could benefit from exploring. This month, we dive into a topic I recently produced a video on–which I’ll provide ...

Author and journalist Marni Jameson shares her expertise in rightsizing as you enter retirement in order to maximize your life satisfaction and remove the clutter that can get in the way of it. I ran across the book “Downsizing the Family Home” and I thought it was an excellent read, so when I had the chance to connect with its author, Marni Jameson, I jumped at the opportunity. Marni is a syndicated journalist and renowned author of 7 books and a wonderful source of knowledge around how to han...

Navigating the choices and options available when you’re deciding when you should start taking Social Security. In this episode of Retirement Revealed, I’m excited to tackle one of the most crucial questions in retirement planning: when to file for Social Security. As we kick off Social Security month, it’s worth looking back at last year’s Retirement Revealed episodes with guests like Mark Kiner and Devin Carroll. For the first podcast of “Social Security Month 2024”, we’re unpacking a three-s...

A “True Retirement Story” with Carl Landau, host of the “I Used to Be Somebody” podcast and co-author of “Pickleball for Dummies” that highlights the power of retirement planning Every month I take one episode of “Retirement Revealed” to have a conversation with a retiree to hear their real-life experiences with retirement. It wasn’t long into my conversation with Carl Landau that I started to realize that his retirement journey would be both relatable and entertaining for anyone listening regar...

Check out the latest podcast episode on retirement planning and Social Security by listening on “Apple Podcasts” or “Spotify Podcasts” and watch more retirement planning videos at YouTube.com/@MrRetirement. Ready to lower your lifetime taxes? Looking for clarity around rules around gifting money to your kids? Unsure of whether you should keep your money in a traditional IRA or convert it to a Roth IRA? You’re not alone! In this episode, I answer these listener-submitted questions and provide s...

Check out the latest podcast episode on retirement planning and Social Security by listening on “Apple Podcasts” or “Spotify Podcasts” and watch more retirement planning videos at YouTube.com/@MrRetirement. For decades, retirement and social security content was focused on men, as men occupied the majority of jobs when Baby Boomers were the predominant generation in the workforce. But women have traditionally out-lived their spouses, meaning the primary manager of finances often has to switch f...

Check out the latest podcast episode on retirement planning by listening on “Apple Podcasts” or “Spotify Podcasts” and watch more retirement planning videos at YouTube.com/@MrRetirement. When you’re preparing for your retirement, there are a lot of factors to consider. It’s tempting to put your retirement plan on autopilot once you’ve made that plan, but in this episode, I explore 3 simple but important steps you can take to make the most of your retirement investment. Step 1: Explore Your Pen...