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Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball withdrawal strategies, Roth conversion timing, and saving priorities for every stage of life, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 555. Christine just retired at 59 and wants the smartest way to draw income before Social Security, without letting taxes take a third of it. Prickly Richard and Margarita Maggie have a plan to “pull ahead” some Roth conversions now to dodge an RMD avalanche later. Will it work? And the Michigan Queen and Mississippi Boy are wondering whether to save harder for retirement or college for three kids currently under the age of 5.
Should the new temporary senior tax deduction change your Roth conversion strategy? Joe and Big Al spitball for Chris in Maple Grove, Minnesota, who wonders whether to keep converting to Roth now that the $6,000 Senior Bonus deduction phases out with higher income. Teri from Salt Lake City’s broker has amassed $60,000 of losses in Teri’s $1.1 million account due to tax-loss harvesting. When is enough… enough? Windy Chicago in Chino Hills, California, wonders what to do about their cost basis vanishing after transferring mutual funds to Vanguard, and Larry and Sally from Michigan are planning for retirement while facing significant health challenges. Can they afford to bridge the healthcare gap and still retire safely?
When should you convert to Roth, while you’re still earning, or after retirement? First, James from Texas wonders if it’s worth maxing out his high-fee 457 plan, or if he’s better off investing in a low-cost brokerage account. Full-time travelers “Lois and Clark” want to know how much they should keep converting to Roth now that they’re on Medicare. Ray Charles in Chicago is burned out on corporate life and plans to quit at 55. Is that the perfect time for him to start Roth conversions? And finally, Gun and Rose from Louisiana ask if borrowing again from their 401(k) is a smart move.
Joe and Big Al tackle the fears that mess with even the best-laid financial plans, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 552. Big Wallet Barbie and Ken from the Midwest have saved millions, but Barbie’s still worried about retiring early, buying a new house, and converting to Roth. Is she second-guessing her plans? The fellas spitball for Dan from Florida, who’s flying high in the 35% tax bracket and trying to decide between Roth 401(k) contributions and future Roth conversions. They also float a surprising idea – one that’s rare on YMYW – for a listener from Chicago who is FIRE’d Up about Roth vs. pre-tax and making a tax-smart wealth transfer. We’ll wrap up with a couple of your comments.
Joe and Big Al spitball on how to avoid screwing up the timing of your Roth conversions: Barrie from New York is 62 and single, and she’s been diligently converting pre-tax money each year for lifetime tax-free Roth growth. Should she continue after she retires next year? “Jerry and Elaine” want to retire in the next six years and still leave the kids an inheritance. When should they start Roth conversions? Alex in Pennsylvania is a 31-year-old software engineer. Should he convert his IRA to Roth all at once? Plus, how can he transition into a career as a financial planner? A clarification from one of our YouTube viewers on the age plus 20 rule of thumb for retirement contributions is very un-clarified for Joe, and the fellas let Lisa in San Diego know whether she can use her rental real estate income to fund a Roth 401(k).
Wendy and Joe in Colorado ran the numbers, and their financial planning software says they’ll have over $10 million when they pass. Wendy’s wondering if they should continue converting to Roth while working, despite their high tax bracket. But has the software lulled them into a false sense of security? That’s today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 548. Plus, which is smarter for “Kurt and Courtney” in New York: aggressively paying down their mortgage, or putting their extra money to work in the market before Kurt retires early in 20 years? Finally, when does it stop making sense for high-earners “Tim and Faith” in Boston to contribute to their Roth? The fellas duke it out on this one (and we figure out, based on our earliest musical interests, which era we’re each children of.)
We heard your feedback, and today, Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA are spitballing retirement for the not-so-fat wallets: Joe and Masako in Washington state and Reid in Indiana have less than a million saved. Can they still accomplish their retirement goals in their 60s? Mr. Buckeye in Ohio and Old Macdonald in Maine have less than a million saved, and Curt in Pennsylvania has less than $1.5 million saved. Can they retire early – in their 40s and 50s?
Is it possible, common even, to spend a lot early in retirement to celebrate your financial freedom? How do Roth conversions and withdrawals work if you do plan to call it quits around age 57, and spend big early on? Should you convert retirement funds to tax-free Roth after you stop working? Joe Anderson CFP® and our special guest co-host, Marc Horner, CFP® spitball on these topics for “Beavis and Daria” in Texas and “Clark Kent” in Pennsylvania, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 543. Plus, the sooner 56-year-old “Tony Soprano” in New Jersey can retire, the better. What tips do Joe and Marc have for him? By the way, Marc is one of the newest principals here at Pure Financial Advisors. He’s the founder of Fairhaven Wealth Management, which has just become the newest Pure Financial Advisors Chicagoland office in Wheaton, Illinois – so help us welcome him for his YMYW debut.
“Rubble and Skye” in Minnesota want to spend $65,000 a year in retirement, and they’ll have $67K in annual fixed income. Are they cutting it too close? “Atouk and Tala” in New Jersey will have retirement money, Social Security, and “Lumpy,” their lump sum pension – will they be okay? Plus, should David in Redondo Beach California use his Roth money to buy a home? And what do the fellas think about “Charlie Pepper” in Colorado using a home equity line of credit (HELOC) for retirement spending, instead of living off of pre-tax money?
Pam and Jim in Phoenix are 38 and 41 and want to retire at 59 and 62. Matt and his wife in Pennsylvania are both 39 and want to retire at 57. Are these millennials on the right financial path, or have they brunched and YOLO’d away their retirement dreams? That’s today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 541. Plus, do Roth conversions make sense for Will and Jane in New York, given their high income and high tax bracket? Which pension option is best for their circumstances? Finally, the fellas spitball for Juan’s mother in Florida on how long-term capital gains on the installment sale of her company will be taxed.
Roger in Canton, Ohio, is burnt out. Can he and his wife Jane pre-retire next year in their mid-50s with $2.8 million? Joe and Big Al spitball on whether they’ll still have enough money for their Go-Go years (Joe’s favorite). Roger also has an employee stock purchase plan. For the best asset location strategy, should he max out the ESPP at a 15% discount, convert to Roth IRA, build his brokerage account, or a little of all the above? Speaking of asset location, some of our YouTube viewers object to the idea of putting higher-performing assets in your Roth account. They say you can’t write off the losses, and you’ll be exposed to sequence of returns risk. Stick around for Joe and Al’s response.
What should you do when the asset allocation of your retirement portfolio drifts? Joe and Big Al spitball on rebalancing for DJ in St. Louis. Plus, Coach Dobber in Minnesota is curious about municipal bonds in a brokerage account, and Daniel in Stevensville, Michigan needs details on emergency funds. Also, can Tim the Enchanter do a Roth conversion and avoid the “nasty, big pointy teeth” of capital gains tax? Duke in upstate New York told his wife they need 6 million dollars in retirement, and she said he was silly. What say Joe and Al? We’ll find out.
John in Boston is in the 32% tax bracket. Should he do Roth conversions? Flight Deck Dad and Irish Girl in Pensacola have a lot of tax-free pension income. Should they do Roth conversions? Bert and Ernie in New Jersey wonder if they should convert to Roth or take advantage of zero percent capital gains tax rates. Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball for all of them today. Plus, Michael and his wife in Bellevue are 34, in the 24% tax bracket and wonder if they should contribute to tax-free or tax-deferred accounts, and if they should slow down on retirement savings and start a bridging account for the years between when they want to punch the clock in their early to mid-50s, and when they can access their retirement savings. Then, for something completely different, Frenchie from Maine writes back in: What are the disadvantages to paying off her mortgage ASAP, and what’s the tax efficiency of a money market compared to bond funds?
You’ve been jamming money into your retirement accounts for years now. When is it okay to slow down? Joe and Big Al spitball for Ron and Veronica in Indiana. Plus, how can Scott in Illinois bridge the gap from age 55 to retirement income at 57? How should Big Juan in Texas pay for college? Should he convert his TSP to Roth? Can he retire at 55 And finally, Frank and Jane Drebin in Wisconsin are 46 and 47 and wondering if their plan for retirement in 5 years is just a pipe dream.
What are the pros and cons if Chip uses the money in his taxable brokerage account for early retirement income? Jack and Sally ask Joe and Big Al to spitball on whether they can retire around age 55 or 60, and whether they should max out their Roth or convert to Roth. Plus, April and Andy ask the fellas to spitball on their dividend investing strategy, and Don wonders if a separately managed account or SMA makes sense for his taxable account. (We’ll also find out what an SMA is.)
