Countdown to Retirement with Gregg MacInnis

How Can You ‘Weatherproof’ Your Retirement Plan? Hurricane season reminds us that if you don’t take precautions until there are warnings, it could be too late.  This same can be true in retirement planning.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis talks about ways to ‘weatherproof’ your savings, including safeguarding income sources, revie...

The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ – Part 2 We continue our conversation on President Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill.’  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains what has changed with charitable donations, auto loan interest deductions and covers the introduction of the new ‘Trump Accounts.’  Gregg also explains his vie...

How Does the ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Affect Your Retirement? Congress recently signed off on President Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill.’  So what does that mean for your retirement?  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis tells us what hasn’t changed – including lower tax brackets and a higher standard deduction – and what is d...

Timing is Everything When It Comes to Claiming Social Security There has been a surge of people claiming Social Security at the earliest age of 62.  Why?  They’re afraid the “government is going to run out of money.”  But in this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis debunks that perception and explains what careful timing your benefits means for your...

Signs You Might Want to Switch Your Financial Advisor Is your financial advisor not returning your calls or doing maintenance on your portfolio?  Are they not providing your other needs like tax and estate planning?  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis offers the reasons you might want to change advisors and why it’s okay to seek a second opinion about your r...

Are You Prepared for Longevity Risk in Retirement? It’s a fact – people are living longer.  And many can underestimate how much money they’ll need to make their retirement last their entire lifespan.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg Macinnis talks about what’s in his longevity ‘toolbox,’ including guaranteed income, ‘safe’...

Can I Retire This Year? It’s one of the biggest questions that people ask when they hit their 60s – can I retire this year?  But answering takes a thorough examination of your assets.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains what boxes he checks off to determine whether it’s possible and touches on how he helps the transition from a saving mi...

When It Comes to Social Security, Don't Panic - Plan It Within ten years, Social Security's Trust Fund is expected to run dry.  If Congress does nothing, benefits could be cut as much as 20 percent.  No wonder so many are claiming Social Security early at age 62 even though that leads to lower monthly checks.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains strat...

When Should You Make the Move to a Roth Conversion? The most thrilling part of a horse race is the homestretch when you need to make your move before the finish line.  It’s like taxes in retirement.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis talks about the advantages of a Roth conversion in which you pay taxes now and withdraw the money tax-free later.  And e...

Legacy Planning Take Aways from the Deaths of Gene Hackman and His Caregiver Wife We all were saddened by the shocking deaths of actor Gene Hackman and his caregiver wife Betsy.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis talks about the legacy planning strategies we can learn from the tragedy.  Caregivers who look after loved ones can also suffer when it comes to their o...

Listen to This Before You Attend a Steakhouse Retirement Seminar Those who reach retirement age are often flooded with invites to retirement seminars at a restaurant.  But not all seminars are created equal.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis tells us what warning signs to watch out for and how his seminars are intended to educate, not sell any investment product...

Retirement is Complicated – Why Not Hire a Financial Advisor? There are so many complexities about retirement – how to stack your 401(k), when to claim Social Security and what investments to make in the market.  It can be overwhelming!  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains how choosing the right financial advisor can not only help make things s...

How the Three Stages of Your Financial Life Can Drive Your Retirement Did you know there are three stages to your financial life?  They are called accumulation, preservation and distribution.  The first two – saving and safeguarding money – feed into the third, which funds your retirement.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains how he can he...

Don’t Hire the Wrong Financial Advisor Hiring a financial advisor is one of the most important decisions you will make in the years leading up to retirement.  And sometimes the person you find doesn’t work out in the long run.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis runs down possible red flags that you may have hired the wrong person and what to consider...

Creating a Clear Retirement Roadmap Do you get irritated when another driver doesn’t use their turn signal?  The same can be true in your retirement planning.  In this case, your turn signal begins with a retirement vision with many details to follow.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis brings up four important points to reach that goal. For more inform...

Are You Prepared for Longevity Risk in Retirement? The number one fear in retirement is running out of money.  It’s called longevity risk.  You could roll the dice and see what happens with your savings.  Or you could prepare.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains strategies including when you claim Social Security benefits, taking advantage...

Annuities Mean Retirement Income Once upon a time, companies took the responsibility of planning their employees’ retirements with pensions.  But when those became too troublesome to manage, they pivoted to 401(k) savings plans, leaving retirement strategies to workers.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains how annuities can fill the guaranteed income...

Consider a Roth Conversion Whether the Trump Tax Cuts Are Renewed or Not With Donald Trump winning the election, he’s pledged to extend the tax cuts he helped usher in back in 2017.  They are scheduled to sunset at the end of 2025.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains how a Roth Conversion is still the smartest move in your long-term financial plan t...

Plan for the Risks in Retirement So You Can Enjoy the Rewards You may think you have a retirement plan, but does it take into account all the risks that could derail it?  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis offers strategies that can mitigate the most common risks in retirement, including inflation, healthcare costs, market and longevity risk, so you are not burdened with th...

Make an Appointment Now to Review Your End-of-Year Checklist Fall football and the upcoming holidays serve as reminders that the end of the year is quickly approaching.  So, when are you going to have time to review your year-end financial checklist?  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains how he makes it easy.  But you need to make the first move and make an appointme...

Retirement Planning Should Include Estate Planning Studies indicate that about 60% of older Americans don’t have a will or estate plan.  That can often lead to family infighting and a prolonged and expensive probate court battle once someone passes.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains how this can be prevented so that assets go to beneficiaries as intended. For mor...

Fantasy Football & Retirement It’s estimated that 30 million Americans enjoy playing fantasy football each year.  But some may not realize that managing a fantasy team draws parallels to retirement saving.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains the similarities, including the importance of a good retirement offense and defense so you won’t run out of money. For mo...

Why Retirement Savers Miss Pensions The 401(k) was never meant to be a retirement plan.  It was intended to be a savings plan for retirement.  But when companies reverted to 401(k)s from traditional pensions, they left the concept of guaranteed income behind.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains how he can help restore the guaranteed income component in your retirem...

Why Timing of Income is Important When It Comes to Taxes in Retirement NFL rookies are getting sizeable signing bonuses that are taxed heavily without spacing out the payments.  That’s just one example of how the timing of various income streams in retirement can make a big difference in the amount of taxes you pay.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains how he can he...

Is Your Retirement Prepared for Long-Term Care? It’s estimated about 70% of Americans ages 65 and older will need some type of long-term care during their lifetime.  The financial cost can be significant for families, yet most people don’t plan for it, thinking it won’t happen to them.  In this episode of Countdown to Retirement, Gregg MacInnis explains how ‘hybrid’ life insurance can help prevent...