Accessible Finance For Retirement

Crowdsourced from a knowledgeable group, the prompt was posted "Give your younger self financial advice that would have benefitted you today". We break down the commentary and recommendations and discuss the merits of each of them while discussing our own. 2025 is a great opportunity to make changes for your financial health and freedom! 🎙️ Have a financial scenario you’d like us to discuss (witho...

This week, we're tackling listener questions about pro rata and aggregation rules, IRMAA, Roth conversions, RMDs, and how to plan for retirement when you’d rather not hire a financial planner. We’ll share insights on why paying upfront for expert guidance can often save you from costly, irreversible decisions—and how optimized strategies can make a big difference. The key? Partnering with someone...

This week we answer listener questions about whether to deplete an annuity and how to allocate the funds amongst current debt and retirement goals, whether to invest in an annuity using money from a 401k, general discussions of tax efficiency, and more. If you would like us to discuss your specific scenario without providing financial advice, feel free to write to us at podcast@equilibriumfp.com....

This week we answer listener questions about fee based versus fee only, tax advice, how to justify a 1% fee, what to do when you find all of your retirement savings are in a 401k or other tax deferred account, and more. How should you decide whether to go with a fee only or fee based advisor? Fee-based means they will not only charge you but they can take commissions--it is frequently referred to...

This week we answer listener questions about investment selection and estate planning for grandkids as well as annuity vs. lump sum pension plans. How should you decide whether to annuitize a pension or take the lump sum? Unfortunately, "it depends" is the correct answer here. You are more likely to want to annuitize if you are risk averse and want to increase your fixed income to satisfy your spe...

Most of us dream about "the golden years", but without a plan, they can easily turn into the "broke years"! So how do you avoid spending your retirement on instant noodles? In this episode, we discuss how the reality is that with longer life expectancies and increasing costs, often times retirees may underestimate how long their savings need to last, underestimate potential healthcare costs, over-...

We all have a bucket list dream for retirement: maybe it's a world cruise, joining the Disney Vacation Club, or hosting the grandkids every summer. But there’s an essential question to ask—can your retirement fund make it happen? In this episode, we’re digging into a topic that often feels tricky: talking about finances with family members, whether it’s planning for your parents' future or helping...

Retirement can be like a trip to the casino--except instead of hoping for a big jackpot, you're trying to avoid going broke! This week we focus on how retirement planning can feel like gambling, but shouldn't if you are prepared. Having a retirement strategy is crucial for diversifying risk, tax-efficient investments and withdrawal strategies, and protection against life's wild cards. Don't leave...

Should you be concerned about your parents’ retirement? Yes, considering they will be bombarded with dinner seminar offers from financial product salesmen, especially annuities, and most of us will step in to help if the situation becomes dire. This week we focus on adult children juggling both aging parents and their own kids, including the unique challenges faced, illustrate the chaos surroundin...

Why are Roth conversions useful, and how can they help you? Roth conversions allow us to pull income forward into years where our marginal (and effective) tax rates are expected to be lower than in the future.  This enables us to fill up the “lower” tax buckets with dollars that would otherwise be taxed at higher rates down the line.  Make no mistake, the money in tax-deferred retirement accounts...

How should we adjust our investment portfolio as we approach early retirement? What strategies can help us pay off credit card debt before retirement? How can we ensure our savings and investments will support a comfortable retirement lifestyle? We begin by addressing the credit card debt, have a candid conversation about early retirement, and continue to elaborate on globally diversified investme...

How can we optimize our asset allocation to ensure long-term financial stability? Are there better investment options than cash value life insurance for our current needs? How can we manage our funds to ensure the ylast throughout retirement while covering all expenses? As always, we verify and analyze the cash flow, look at the possibility of rolling over the cash value life insurance into a sing...

How should I allocate my large cash reserve? Should I invest more aggressively or keep it as a safey net? What is the best way to balance between cash & investments as retirement approaches (Safety vs growth)? Should I consider using the cash to purchase a lifetime annuity for guaranteed income in retirement? As always, we start a cash flow analysis, and then look to clarify goals, assess risk...

How can I balance my withdrawal strategy to ensure I don't outlive my savings while still leaving a legacy? Should I consider setting up a trust or other estate planning tools to minimize taxes and ensure my wishes are fulfilled? What are the pros and cons of gifting assets now vs. leaving them as an inheritance? As always, we start with verifying cash flow, then look to optimize asset locatio...

Underfunded retirement accounts, what do we do? If you would like us to discuss your specific scenario without providing financial advice, have seen any article or advice you'd like some feedback on, or have any general questions, feel free to write to us at podcast@equilibriumfp.com.  We will anonymize your personal information.  Thanks!

Should I convert 401k to Roth IRA to minimize RMD and future tax liabilities?  What strategies can I use to tax impact to heirs? Yes, if impending RMDs will catapult you into a higher bracket, you likely want to employ a Roth conversion strategy to minimize your lifetime effective tax rate.  This strategy has the added benefit of allowing heirs to avoid paying ordinary income tax on the conversion...

This week, Rachael has cultivated various quotes from multiple sources touting financial advice and Eric weighs in on how accurate he perceives the statements to be. If you would like us to discuss your specific scenario without providing financial advice, have seen any article or advice you'd like some feedback on, or have any general questions, feel free to write to us at podcast@equilibrium...

This week, Rachael has cultivated various quotes from multiple sources touting financial advice and Eric weighs in on how accurate he perceives the statements to be. If you would like us to discuss your specific scenario without providing financial advice, have seen any article or advice you'd like some feedback on, or have any general questions, feel free to write to us at podcast@equilibrium...

This week, Rachael has cultivated various quotes from multiple sources touting financial advice and Eric weighs in on how accurate he perceives the statements to be. If you would like us to discuss your specific scenario without providing financial advice, have seen any article or advice you'd like some feedback on, or have any general questions, feel free to write to us at podcast@equilibrium...

This week we share our thoughts on how estate planning is incorporated with your retirement picture. If you would like us to discuss your specific scenario without providing financial advice, feel free to write to us at podcast@equilibriumfp.com.  We will anonymize your personal information.  Thanks! How do my estate goals impact my retirement plan? Without writing a dissertation, gifting to futur...

This week we share our thoughts on how estate planning is incorporated with your retirement picture. If you would like us to discuss your specific scenario without providing financial advice, feel free to write to us at podcast@equilibriumfp.com.  We will anonymize your personal information.  Thanks! How do my estate goals impact my retirement plan? Without writing a dissertation, gifting to futur...

This week we explore Long Term Care costs and how they may impact your financial plan. If you would like us to discuss your specific scenario without providing financial advice, feel free to write to us at podcast@equilibriumfp.com.  We will anonymize your personal information.  Thanks! What LTC (Long Term Care) costs can you expect in retirement? The national average stay in a nursing home is 2.3...

This week we discuss how much your asset allocation should change in retirement. If you would like us to discuss your specific scenario without providing financial advice, feel free to write to us at podcast@equilibriumfp.com.  We will anonymize your personal information.  Thanks! Should you hold mostly fixed income in retirement? Not necessarily.  The unsatisfying, “It depends” applies here, but...

In this episode we give a general overview of Medicare and how to plan for health care in retirement. If you would like us to discuss your specific scenario without providing financial advice, feel free to write to us at podcast@equilibriumfp.com.  We will anonymize your personal information.  Thanks! Is Medicare completely free, and how does it work? You will have to pay for Medicare Part B based...

In this episode we discuss withdrawal strategies during retirement and the factors that should be considered. How is my income going to be provided during retirement, and is there anything I can do to optimize my tax situation?  Also, is it possible for Eric to work Roth conversions into every episode? We explore the various withdrawal strategies and the impact that tax planning has in pre-retirem...