A Worthwhile "Retirement"

Market drops are normal. Keep "market money" in the market. (Not investment, legal, or tax advice.)

Long time, no see! But let's go over some major changes before the 2025 tax year is over. Up to $6k senior deduction (through 2028) SALT cap increased from $10k to $40k (through 2029) TCJA numbers made permanent (increased standard deduction, tax brackets, estate/gift exemption)

Dividends often discourage people from selling stocks. In my opinion, this more rigid philosophy leads to retirees who are more prone to discomfort in uncertainty. Dividends tend to be viewed as "magic money" that just appears in addition to stock appreciation. This even permeates financial outlets that the public perceives to be experts. Dividends are taxably inefficient. They limit our...

What's the purpose of a Donor Advised Fund (DAF)? another method of gifting appreciated stock a potentially simpler method, if many recipients are involved and it comes with a potential tax benefit Now, tax benefits come with temptations to consumers... Making money comes with temptations to the DAFs... At the very least, we should be mindful in our participation with this tool. This episode is no...

"We become the average of the 5 people we spend the most time with..." Are we one of somebody's 5? What kind of person are they becoming by spending time with us? Are we a distraction? Or are we grounding them in truth?

Link to my 2 favorite reasons to file EARLY: https://youtu.be/RViqvYxeJD0?si=ehpy2sBDRwuKTLNk WHEN DO WE FILE? Why you might choose 70? benefit maximization over the long term caring for the lower-earning spouse good hedge against inflation can be a better position for Roth Conversions don't want to worry about the earnings limit Why 67? when it doesn't benefit to delay (spousal benefits a...

I want to know what you know! Shoot me an email with things that you love to spend money on, at jacob.george@coopereagle.com . Here are links to some of what I referenced: https://seats.aero/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F87YRYF (pants) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.stayfocused&hl=en_US&pli=1 (productivity app)

" A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children..." - Proverbs 13:22 What is God's intention for what we leave behind and how?

We recently sold our house. This means we had some decisions to make around what to do with the proceeds. Here's what we did...

When you were deciding how you would determine your investment allocation, what mental inputs did you use to make that call? Where did you start? And was it the wrong starting point?

"If you save $X/month, then you'll have $X in this many years..." Statements like this are important, but we have to be careful to consider the affect of inflation on that dollar amount. *This is not investment, legal, or tax advice.*

We're back! Excited to be here with you all, and more often. It's okay to do silly things with money, as long as we learn from them. Money is not, is not, IS NOT to make us comfortable as we possibly can be. The primary purpose of money is to bear fruit .

And with that, the retirement planning process has come to a close! Or has it? This process is lifelong and our plan is ever-changing. And that's okay.

While the implementation of our retirement plans will certainly differ, today we discuss one thing that remains... the principles we should all follow as we invest.

How long do you need to keep working in order to hit your retirement goal? How much do you need to save? It's at this point in the process that we answer questions like these. ** This podcast is not intended to be taken as specific investment, legal, or tax advice. Please consult with a financial professional before making changes to your plan. **

How much in total do you need in order to retire? Today, we finally start assigning some example numbers to that conversation. You can view some sample calculations here: https://aworthwhileretirement.substack.com/p/how-much-money-do-i-need-to-retire Remember that these are very basic calculations. There's a lot that isn't factored in, and even what is included will inevitably change. Stay agile.

Set up your Social Security account: The United States Social Security Administration | SSA (https://ssa.gov)

Two factors to guide us in our expense estimation: Current expenditures (and how they will change) Cost of retirement goals

Thinking about retirement? Here is step 1 in the retirement planning process! One of favorite videos on the subject of retirement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMHMOQ_054U

What's the difference between a "Fee-Only" and "Fee-Based" advisor? And what does "Advice-Only" have to do with it?

SPIVA is one of the most significant research studies the investment world has ever seen. Feel free to view the data here: SPIVA | S&P Dow Jones Indices (spglobal.com) And here's a video to illustrate the impact that fees can have on your retirement: https://youtu.be/kRISYHQLn6M

What's going on with Social Security? Isn't it running out of money? And will it still be there for me when I retire? Link to the Trustees Report: _tr.book (ssa.gov)

Health Savings Accounts! What are the tax advantages? What counts as a "qualified medical expense"? And how can an HSA be used as a method of accessing retirement funds before turning 59.5?

If you're thinking of retiring before 59.5, you need to be familiar with what your Roth IRA can do for you -- as well as what it can't! Here we cover just one of the 5-year rules that deal with your Roth IRA -- the "5-Year Conversion" rule.

Rule 72t describes another method for accessing retirement funds "early". Here's a sample SEPP calculator: https://www.calcxml.com/calculators/72t