Dollars&Sense Nelson Financial Planning

Retirement planning is about more than reaching a number—it is about knowing what you are retiring to and avoiding financial moves that can be difficult or impossible to reverse.  In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Joel Garris and Zach Keister explore how to build purpose, structure and meaningful relationships into retirement. They share the “retirement Tuesday” exercise, explain why living...

What happens when retirement arrives earlier than planned—and how should you respond without making rushed, irreversible decisions?  In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Joel Garris  discusses the financial checklist for an unexpected retirement, including cash flow, emergency reserves, health coverage, taxes, Social Security, retirement-account rollovers, and investment allocation.  You’ll als...

Trump Accounts are changing, AI stocks are surging, and markets are reaching all-time highs. What do these developments mean for families, investors, and retirees? In this episode of Dollars and Sense, Chet Cowart and Kristin Kalley discuss: New Trump Account auto-enrollment and individual-stock donations Potential benefits, concentration risks, and concerns for parents Whether AI earnings support...

What does your health portfolio have to do with your financial future? More than you may think. In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Joel Garris of Nelson Financial Planning walks through three timely conversations that can affect your retirement, your family, and your investment decisions. First, Joel discusses why retirement planning is about more than account balances. A strong financial por...

What should you do if your bank account gets hacked—and why are rising interest rates causing so much confusion in the bond market?  In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Joel Garris and Chet Cowart walk through practical steps to take if you discover suspicious activity in your bank account, including how to contact your bank safely, document fraudulent transactions, secure connected accounts,...

AI is everywhere in the headlines right now—and some of the smartest people in technology are warning that artificial intelligence could pose serious risks to humanity. But is this truly the beginning of the end, or are we seeing another round of fear that often comes with major technological change?  In this episode of Dollars and Sense, Joel Garris of Nelson Financial Planning takes a thoughtful...

In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Kristin Kalley and Christina Lamb discuss three important financial topics that can impact families, couples, and investors. First, they unpack why the phrase “he handles it” can create financial vulnerability in a marriage—and what both spouses should know about accounts, beneficiaries, credit, estate documents, and household finances before a crisis happen...

Interest rates, inflation, investing, and charitable giving may seem like separate financial topics—but they all come back to one important idea: having a plan. In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Joel  breaks down how changing interest rates can affect borrowers, savers, bond investors, retirees, and anyone trying to make smart decisions with their money.  Joel also explains why waiting for t...

The U.S. national debt has crossed $40 trillion — but what does that actually mean for everyday Americans? In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Joel Garris and Zach Keister of Nelson Financial Planning break down the headlines in plain English and explain why the debt conversation is important, but not necessarily a reason to panic. They also discuss one of the most common retirement planning q...

In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Joel Garris of Nelson Financial Planning discusses three important topics that can affect your financial life: knowing your income numbers, understanding the risks of financial advice on TikTok, and preparing for the responsibilities of caregiving. Joel begins by explaining why retirees and those over age 65 need to pay close attention to income thresholds t...

In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Rob Field and Joel Garris discuss how everyday financial decisions are shaped by both market conditions and personal money habits. They break down the latest market themes, including record highs, corporate earnings, interest rates, inflation, and why investors should review their portfolios even when things seem optimistic. Rob and Joel also explore how min...

Retirement planning is about more than simply saving enough money. In this episode of Dollars and Cents, Joel Garris breaks down several important issues retirees and pre-retirees should understand before making major financial decisions. First, Joel discusses the continued surge in annuity sales and why investors should be cautious before signing a long-term insurance contract. With record amount...

Major student loan repayment changes are here, and borrowers on the SAVE Plan may have only 90 days after receiving their notice to choose a new repayment option. In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Chet Cowart and Kristin Kalley break down what happened to the SAVE Plan, why doing nothing could automatically move borrowers into a Tiered Standard Repayment Plan, and how that choice could affec...

In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Joel Garris of Nelson Financial Planning breaks down three timely money topics that can impact everyday financial decisions. First, he looks at the Bilt card and whether earning rewards on rent is really worth it—or whether the credit card risks outweigh the marketing hook. Then, Joel explains key Florida Retirement System choices, including the Pension Plan...

The One Big Beautiful Bill has been in effect for a year — but are taxpayers actually seeing the benefits? In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Joel Garris and Christina Lamb break down the latest tax changes, including larger standard deductions, new rules for tips and overtime, the senior deduction, charitable giving updates, and the expanded SALT deduction.  They also explain the newly launc...

Summer is the perfect time to pause, reset, and make sure your money is still working for you. In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Zach Keister and Kristin Kalley walk through practical midyear money moves that can help you review your financial goals, get organized, and protect your household from costly mistakes.  First, they cover how to run a simple midyear money reset by reviewing what ca...

Is Social Security really running out? And if changes are coming, what should you be doing now to prepare for retirement?  In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Rob Field and Chet Cowart of Nelson Financial Planning break down the latest Social Security Trustees Report and explain what it may mean for future retirees. They discuss why Social Security is not expected to disappear entirely, what c...

In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Joel Garris of Nelson Financial Planning covers a packed lineup of financial topics—from market volatility and index changes to summer travel planning and a potentially significant tax refund opportunity. First, Joel discusses the recent uptick in market volatility, including how AI-related spending, semiconductor stocks, and market concentration are affecti...

As parents, it’s natural to want to help your children—especially when they’re facing financial challenges. But when that support becomes open-ended, it can create serious risks for your retirement, your emergency fund, your credit, and even your family relationships. In this episode of Dollars and Sense, Joel and Zach discuss five ways helping adult children can unintentionally hurt your retireme...

In this episode, we look at three forces that can shape—or sabotage—an investor’s long-term success: exciting investment stories, nonstop financial headlines, and everyday money habits.  From the hype around companies like SpaceX to the emotional pull of market news, we discuss why compelling stories and breaking headlines don’t always translate into smart portfolio decisions. We also explore the...

Are today’s market highs a sign of strength—or a reason for caution? In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Joel Garris breaks down what investors should pay attention to as stocks sit near record levels, inflation remains sticky, and interest rate uncertainty continues to shape the financial landscape. Joel also tackles one of the biggest quiet risks in personal finance right now: holding too mu...

In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Kristin Kalley and Christina Lamb tackle two important financial topics that can have a big impact on your family’s future. First, they break down which accounts parents should prioritize when they have a baby, including 529 plans, custodial accounts, and newer savings opportunities that could help build long-term, tax-advantaged wealth for children. Then, t...

What investment habits can quietly hurt your retirement plan? In this episode of Dollars & Sense, Chet and Rob break down 7 common investor behaviors that can create unnecessary risk for retirees—from holding too much cash and trying to time the market to ignoring taxes, chasing yield, skipping rebalancing, overreacting to headlines, and failing to adjust your strategy over time.    If you are...

Tax season may be over, but tax scams are not. In this episode, Joel Garris and Christina Lamb break down the IRS’s annual “Dirty Dozen” list of the most common tax scams targeting taxpayers right now—from phishing texts and AI-powered phone scams to fake charities, ghost preparers, identity theft, and misleading social media tax advice. They also unpack the IRS’s ongoing digital shift and explain...

Join Joel Garris on this insightful episode of Dollars & Sense, where he explores the top questions you should ask your financial advisor, planner, or wealth manager.   Discover why it’s crucial to understand how your advisor is compensated, the importance of the fiduciary standard, and how to evaluate investment philosophy, communication practices, continuity planning, portfolio details, risk...