Recent Podcasts
Ralph and Alice in Monument, Colorado have $4.6 million dollars saved at ages 63 and 58. Should they do Roth conversions? How do they avoid IRMAA? Mary Jo in Escondido, California wonders if she should use her 403(b) money to pay off her mortgage. And Lucas plans to spend from...
Before she retires next month at age 52, Rowan in Georgia wonders how to maximize growth in her IRA, which will be funded with 72(t) early retirement withdrawals. What do Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA think of her substantially equal periodic payment plan? And how should she...
Imagine being told you only have 12 months to live. What would you do with your time? Jonathan Clements returns to Your Money, Your Wealth® for his fourth appearance. For thirty years, Jonathan has been known for his personal finance writing: in his column “Getting Going,” which appeared in the...
More Podcasts
Tariffs killed Carl’s investment portfolio and left him wondering if he should claim Social Security early. Kelly and Steve in Pennsylvania ask for a three-fer spitball: when to claim their Social Security, whether they should contribute to Roth or convert to Roth for that lifetime tax-free growth on their investments, and if they’re on track for Kelly to retire in three years.
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.)
Just about every week here on YMYW, Joe and Big Al talk about converting your retirement savings to Roth accounts. But why? What’s the big deal? Today the “IRA guru” Ed Slott, CPA returns to tell us why he calls the Roth IRA “the greatest account ever created.” (Here’s a hint: it’s all about having tax-free income in retirement – and beyond.) Plus, where to prioritize saving for retirement? Jerry Tom in St. Louis wants to know. Are Christian and Tiffany in Montana on track for retirement, and should they rebalance their ETFs? Should Frank in Lake Wobegon’s wife take her teachers’ salary over 9 months or 12 months? And finally, Jon thinks the target retirement withdrawal rates Joe and Big Al use to spitball are too low – we’ll see what they think.
How do you shift from saving through your entire working life to spending and really living in retirement, while at the same time dealing the risks of inflation, rising healthcare costs, and things like tariffs? Jamie Hopkins is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional, an attorney, and best-selling author of Find Your Freedom and Rewirement: Rewiring the Way You Think About Retirement. He returns to the show with insights on how to rewire your retirement plans. Plus, how should Fred and Ginger in Huntington Beach, California, pay for repairs on their rental properties? How can Peter Lemonjello manage taxes in his early retirement with 72(t) elections, rental income, and an installment sale? Can Calvin and Susie in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, buy an $800,000 beach house – and should they?
Will your taxes go up? Stay the same? Go down, even? Jeffrey Levine is Chief Planning Officer at Focus Partners, Professor of Practice in Taxation at the American College of Financial Services, and the Lead Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com. In other words, he’s one of the savviest tax minds in the country. Jeff returns to the show today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 524 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA, with his thoughts on what will happen to taxes under the new administration, saving for retirement in a Roth IRA vs. a traditional IRA, managing inherited retirement accounts, and the future viability of Social Security. Plus, what should you do with required minimum distributions (RMDs) when you don’t need the money to live on? How do you calculate the maximum amount you should convert from your retirement account to a tax-free Roth account, and how much should you convert – or not – to keep RMDs under control? Finally, how can minor beneficiaries avoid probate?
What are the three predictors of retirement happiness? Dr. Michael Finke, CFP® from the American College of Financial Services tells us what his research shows. He also shares his insights on the four percent rule for retirement withdrawals and whether there is anything we can do to stave off the effects of aging on our cognitive abilities. Plus, Joe and Big Al do some retirement spitballing: can Jon in Pennsylvania retire early at age 56, and would it be better for him to take his pension monthly or as a lump sum? Steve and his wife in Colorado are 48 and 54 and have 3 million saved. When can they retire? Eager Eagle and his wife in Washington state have 2 million saved at ages 61 and 63. Can they retire next year?
What is your retirement income style? Dr. Wade Pfau, CFA, RICP®, is the co-founder of RISAprofile.com, providing investors with retirement income style awareness. He returns to Your Money, Your Wealth® today on podcast number 522 to talk about four different styles of retirement income, distribution planning, and the four percent rule. Plus, what does Dr. Pfau think will happen with President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, scheduled to sunset at the end of this year? What are Dr. Pfau’s thoughts on annuities as part of your retirement plan? Next, “Joe Anderson’s Top 5 Things” to help you manage the impact of all this market volatility on your portfolio. Also, Joe and Big Al spitball for “Al Bundy” in St. Louis: what withdrawal strategy makes sense for him, and what he should do with his IRA and 401(k) money?
What does the future hold for your Social Security under the new administration? Nationally-renowned financial thought leaders Jamie Hopkins, Jeff Levine, Eric Ludwig, and Steve Parrish share their insights with Big Al Clopine, CPA at the American College of Financial Services’ Horizons Conference in San Diego. First, the College’s President, George Nichols, gives an overview of the institution and their inaugural conference. Plus, Joe and Big Al spitball on whether Ricky and Lucy in Wisconsin even bother saving for retirement – they’re expecting to inherit about 20 million dollars. When should Tybob in Arizona collect Social Security? Are Roth conversions right for him? Should he go for Medicare or Medicare Advantage? Speedy Racer in Georgia needs a retirement spitball, and Gilligan in New York shares insight for other Gilligans trying to avoid a retirement shipwreck.
Martin and Caterina in Green Bay are in their 40s and haven’t yet saved a million bucks. Are they on track to retire at age 58? Can Piggie and Kermit in California retire today at ages 50 and 57 and still build wealth for their children? Can Galahad and Zoot in Chicago retire early in their 50s, or do they need to keep working? Do Bo and Daisy have enough saved to retire now at 61 and 56? Plus, Chuck in South Carolina asks, if you can retire early, why wouldn’t you?
