RetirePluggedIn Podcast

In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist looks under the hood of a Fixed Index Annuity doing one job only: safe accumulation, as an alternative to a bond fund or bank account. You'll learn why you're not actually invested in the index, how the cap, participation rate and spread decide what reaches you, and discover why safety and liquidity are not the same thing. All fi...

In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist puts two of the simplest annuities on the workbench, the SPIA and the MYGA, without defending or attacking either. You'll learn why "annuity" is a category of tools rather than a single tool, why a payout rate is not an investment return, and discover the seven questions to ask before accepting any recommendation, for or aga...

RPI #026: Retiring on a 401(k)? Your Paycheck Has to Cover Taxes Too Steve and Joyce needed a little over $8,500 a month to spend. It took $10,000 a month to NET it. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist shows how to turn your retirement plan into a paycheck once the deposits stop. You'll learn the maximum Social Security checks you can claim in 2026, why...

RPI #025: Private Pensions Are Government-Backed. There's a Cap. Cliff retired on $125,000 a year. The guarantee kicked in exactly as designed, and it paid him $28,000. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down what you actually own when you own a pension. You'll learn what the PBGC guarantee really pays when a plan terminates, why a pension c...

RPI #024: How Much of Your Retirement Paycheck Is Dependable? Before you can know if you've saved enough, find out how much of your retirement paycheck is actually dependable. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down how to find the income you can really count on before you ever calculate your Funding Number. You'll learn why readiness is a g...

RPI #023: There Isn't One Retirement Number. There Are Three Suppose you need $8,000 a month to spend. That is not your retirement income number, and taxes sit in the gap. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down why you don't have one retirement number, you have three. You'll learn what each of the three numbers actually measures, why t...

RPI #022: Retirement Isn't a Math Problem. It's a Life Design Problem Two couples. Opposite incomes. Opposite outcomes. The difference has nothing to do with how much money they have. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down why retirement is a life design problem long before it is ever a math problem. You'll learn why you have to design...

RPI #021: Stop Asking Which Retirement Product Is Best Asking "what's the best investment for retirement?" is a trick question. Here's the one to ask instead. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down why "what's the best retirement product?" is the wrong question, after two large firms trained her to believe their own...

RPI #020: Your Grandchild's Future: It's Math, Not Magic A kindergartner with a multimillion-dollar retirement account? It's not magic. It's math and time. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down how a Trump Account can turn a child's early years into a multimillion-dollar retirement account - through math and time, not the $1...

RPI #019: Grandparents, You Probably Can't Open a Trump Account Millions formed an opinion on Trump Accounts in hours. If you have grandkids, the details matter more. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down what grandparents actually need to know about Trump Accounts before opening one for a grandchild. You'll learn the IRS priority order fo...

RPI #018: Why Bear Markets Ruin Some Retirements but Not Others "Just wait it out" is great advice, unless you're retired and need that money for groceries next month. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down the damage a bear market does to retirees that the averages hide. You'll learn why "the market always recovers" mis...

RPI #017: Why the First 5 Years of Retirement Are So Dangerous Same returns, opposite outcomes: why the first 5 years of retirement can make or break everything. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down Sequence of Returns Risk - the retirement danger that has nothing to do with how much you saved. You'll learn why "Return on Investment"...

RPI #016: When You Retire Matters More Than How Much You Save Pick the wrong retirement date and one Social Security decision can cost your family $300,000. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down why when you retire can matter more than how much you have saved. You'll learn what the three-year wait from 67 to 70 is actually worth, discover why e...

RPI #015: Social Security at 62 Sounds Smart Until You Learn This Collecting at 62 feels smart. Three rules Steve had never heard of blew up his plan before it started. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down why WHEN you collect Social Security matters more than your rate of return. You'll learn how the Earnings Test can claw back up to 50% of y...

RPI #014: Your Advisor Asks the Wrong Questions First The two questions your advisor asks first are the wrong ones. Here's what to answer before them. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down why the two questions every advisor asks first - your 401(k) balance and rate of return - are the wrong starting point. You'll learn the two questions t...

RPI #013: Financially Ready but Not Ready to Retire Your portfolio's ready. Is your life? The gap is where retirements quietly fall apart. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down why being financially ready and being ready to retire are not the same thing. You'll learn how to audit your current week for what energizes and drains you, discove...

RPI #012: Nobody Tells You What Comes After Retirement Rest Rest is just the lobby. Here's how to find the door to your legendary second act. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist tackles the question nobody prepares you for: what comes after the rest phase of retirement? You'll discover why your brain can build new connections at any age through neur...

RPI #011: Retirees Can Earn $47,500 Tax Free This Year Inflation and market chaos look scary - but they're quietly handing retirees a $47,500 tax-free bonus this year. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down why today's "scary" economic cycle - inflation, high rates, market swings - is actually loaded with hidden advantages for ret...

RPI #010: Loneliness Is Killing More Retirees Than Bad Investments The Surgeon General says loneliness kills like 15 cigarettes a day - and retirement is ground zero. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist tackles the retirement crisis nobody talks about - loneliness. She reveals the 5 Pillars of Your "Second Act" framework, shares the devastating stor...

RPI #009: It Wasn't Alzheimer's - It Was Her Medications Your brain fog might not be dementia. It could be your medicine cabinet - and the fix could be overnight. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down the treatable conditions that mimic Alzheimer's - and shares the personal story of her own mother that proved how devastating and rever...

RPI #008: He Had Enough to Last Past 100 - He Died at His Desk at 79 He saved enough to last past 100. He died at his desk at 79. The money wasn't the problem. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist tackles the gap between financial planning and life planning - and why one without the other can lead to a retirement that never happens. You'll learn why...

RPI #007: The Real Reason Retirement Makes People Depressed You hit your savings number. So why are new retirees 40% more likely to be depressed? The freedom is the danger. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down why money never guarantees a happy retirement - and why year one is the most dangerous. You'll learn what work quietly gave you (struct...

RPI #006: 6 Scams That Weaponize Your Emotions in Retirement Scammers don't hack your password - they hack your feelings. Here's how to fight back. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down six categories of scams designed to exploit the emotions retirees trust most - from shopping traps and phantom hackers to AI-powered grandparent scams. You...

RPI #005: A Fraud Expert Lost $740,000 to This Retirement Scam Even the people paid to catch fraud are falling for it. Here's what you're up against. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist dives into government impersonation scams, the ACAT theft draining IRAs, and "digital arrest" holding retirees hostage on camera . You'll learn how cr...

RPI #004: Being Careful Won't Protect Your Retirement From This The scams draining six figures from educated professionals - and the defenses that actually work. Episode Summary In this episode of Retire Plugged In , host Nora Hartquist breaks down Force #3 in the retirement window: cyber risk and scams targeting older Americans . You'll learn why scammers specifically target retirees, h...