Big Picture Retirement®

How do you figure out how much money you're spending on your investments? In this encore presentation, Devin and John talk about the types of fees you might be paying, and how you can figure out what they are. For more information, visit the show notes at http://www.bigpictureretirement.net/104  

David Stein, host of the Money For The Rest of Us podcast, will explain the importance of trade, and how the trade, and trade wars, might impact you and your retirement. For more information, visit the show notes at http://www.bigpictureretirement.net/103

Devin and John continue working their way through some of the listener questions that have been coming in. John has a question about making a trust the beneficiary of an IRA, and then Devin has a question about Social Security benefits for public employees who have not contributed to Social Security. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.bigpictureretirement.net/102  

John received a question from a listener with a blended family. The wife needs long-term care, and the assets to support such an expense! He talks about " Medicaid estate recovery" and other recommendations for power of attorney, etc. Then Devin answers a question about the Social Security earnings limit and then tackles some myths about Social Security. For more information, visit the show notes...

What kind of rights do grandparents have? John Ross from the Big Picture Retirement Show deals with a lot of people in retirement, and many of those folks have grandchildren. He shares some harrowing stories and tips you can use to makes sure your rights are honored. For more information, visit the show notes at http://www.bigpictureretirement.net/100  

CRUTS are Charitable Remainder Trusts. Any time you are dealing with charitable planning, you must first have the charitable intent. You can find some tax benefits that go along with that charitable intent, but you have to start with the charitable intention. Ultimately, the charity is almost always going to benefit more than the donor. For more information, visit the show notes at http://www.bigp...

Part 2 of the conversation about active versus passive investing with guest Rick Ferri, author of Smart Money. For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.bigpictureretirement.net/098  

This week, Devin welcomes Rick Ferri to the show to talk about active versus passive investing. But before the interview gets started, John and Devin have an entertaining conversation about the recently released 2019 Social Security and Medicare adjusted numbers, including: The increase in Social Security benefits Medicare premiums Adjusted Social Security earnings limit Higher limit on how much m...

In light of the recent market activity, Devin and John thought it would be useful to re-broadcast their original episode on the lessons they've learned from past market declines. Lesson 1: Market declines are normal Lesson 2: No one can consistently predict market movements Lesson 3: The best days hang out with the bad days ...and more two more you can read about at https://www.bigpictureretiremen...

On the surface, Social Security survivor benefits seem pretty simple: at the death of the first spouse, the surviving spouse is eligible to receive his or her own benefit, or the benefit of the deceased, whichever is greatest. In today's show, Devin and John go over: Who Is Eligible for Survivor's Benefits How Much Is The Spousal Survivor Benefit The RIB LIM, or "Widow's Limit" and Restricted Fili...

Important benefits offered by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) are changing. Devin and John talk about: Improved Pension with Aid and Attendance Clearly Defined Assets Test Adding A Look-back Period For more information, visit the show notes at http://www.bigpictureretirement.net/094

Part 3 in the Big Picture Retirement series on Drawdown Strategies: Brandon Renfro talks about "setting a floor." For more information, visit the show notes at http://www.bigpictureretirement.net/093

Part 2 in our series. In this episode we answer the question "How are you going to take your money out so that it lasts?" Then, once you have a plan for which accounts you should access in which order, how are you going to figure out the amount of income to take out from your portfolio? For more information, visit the show notes at https://www.bigpictureretirement.net/092

When you stop working, you've put aside some money into different types of accounts, and maybe you have a pension, or some rental property, or other investments. How do you start converting those assets into an income stream that will last for the rest of your life? Brandon Renfro, Ph. D., joins Devin on a discussion about: The tax torpedo The Net Unrealized Appreciation Rule Provisional income an...

There are a few areas within Social Security that you could mess up without even meaning to do things wrong. One of my most trusted mentors has often told me, "Big doors swing on little hinges." I've found that to be applicable to many things in life and it's certainly true in retirement planning. The small decisions you make, when stretched over long periods, can have big consequences. Here are t...

Did you know you could buy a horse as an investment in your IRA? What about real estate and other assets? Kirk Chisholm, of Innovative Advisory Group, joins us to explain how self-directed IRAs work. They a tricky thing, so you need to understand the rules before taking any action. You will learn what a Disqualified Person is, the rules behind handling real estate in an IRA, and what other things...

What's the big deal about cryptocurrencies? And is it too late to get in now? Joe Saul-Sehy from Stacking Benjamins joins us to talk about what cryptocurrencies are and what we should be looking out for in the future of Bitcoin. One of the benefits Joe shares is, "It is a way to get governments out of transactions, and also a way to make transactions happen faster." It's sort of like moving money...

Continuing on from last episode's discussion about buying rental property for retirement income, Devin and John talk about the mechanisms for evaluating a rental property. ...and John will entertain you with taxes. For more information, visit the show notes at http://www.bigpictureretirement.net/087

Have you thought about using rental properties for retirement income? Is rental real estate a good choice for retirement income for you? John and Devin go through some of the benefits of rental property. For more information, visit the show notes at http://www.bigpictureretirement.net/086

People are always talking about probate, and the many ways to avoid probate. Probate is the legal process of figuring out who gets your stuff. One of the biggest misconceptions about probate is that your estate does not go through probate if you have a will. Be sure that if you have a will, your estate will go through the probate process. But here's the thing: this process doesn't apply to non-pro...

The big benefit of the Roth IRA is that you fund it with after-tax money and it grows tax free, and then when you take it out, it is also tax free, if you meet the qualifications. The big problem with a Roth IRA is that there are income limits to be able to make contributions to a Roth IRA. There are a lot of people out there who can't contribute to a Roth IRA. So, how do you contribute to a Roth...

By the end of 2016, there was $660 BILLION dollars in Roth IRAs. So, lots of people are getting this right. Where you can get some of it wrong 1.It lets you put the money in after tax, so you don't get to deduct the money from your income in the tax year. But, you get to take the money out tax free. 2.If you put money into a Roth, you can pull out your contributions at any time without taxes or pe...

Is there any value in doing your codicil in blood? A codicil is an amendment to a will. They can be used when there is a smaller change and it seems easier than doing a whole new will. Is there a time and place for a codicil? Yes, if no one is going to be mad and challenge the change that you've made. If you're changing beneficiaries, or executors, and they're going to be upset, you need to do a w...

Many industries utilize a lot of different types of designations, and that's also true for financial advisors. What do they all mean, and should you care? Devin asked John, "How many designations do you think there are for financial advisors?" John thinks there is really no way to know that for sure. At FINRA, one of the regulatory bodies for financial advisors, there is a page of 180 designations...

Listener Becky asks if it is legal to place a surveillance camera in the room of your loved one, specifically in grandma's nursing home. Devin also answers the question "Does keeping a balance on my credit card help my credit score?" For more information, visit the show notes at http://bigpictureretirement.net/080