Broadcast Retirement Network

Struggling to get a good night's rest? In this interview, Rebecca Kaplan, a primary care provider with Hartford HealthCare Medical Group, explains why quality sleep is essential — it's when your body heals, resets, and supports your brain and immune system — and shares six affordable, easy-to-find products that can genuinely improve your rest.

In this episode, we sit down with Toby Smithson, M.S., RDN, LD, CDCES, FAND — a Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who has personally lived with type 1 diabetes for over five decades.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Cristian Pavel, DDS of Smile First Dental Wellness in Chicago to explore the human side of dentistry—and why it matters more than ever. A UIC-trained dentist, Chicago Dental Society member, and certified yoga instructor, Dr. Pavel shares his holistic take on care that connects oral health to overall wellness. As the industry grows more corporate, he makes the...

Debbie Carlson, Contributor to the Wall Street Journal, joins us to unpack a subtle but costly source of confusion for investors: the difference between "international," "world," and "global" funds and ETFs. These terms may sound interchangeable, but they can signal very different holdings, and because broad labels like these aren't tightly regulated by the SEC's naming rules, what's inside can va...

What if tweaking your hearing aid settings could actually improve your mood? In this video, Erin Picou, Au. D., Ph. D., Associate Professor and director of the Hearing and Affect Perception Interest Laboratory at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, shares groundbreaking research on how personalized hearing aid programming goes far beyond better sound—it transforms emotional wellbeing, confidence...

Tranchau (Kris) T. Nguyen of the U.S. Government Accountability Office explains how retirement plan providers may be collecting, using, and sharing participants’ personal data in ways many workers do not expect.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Natalya Borakowski, Naturopathic Doctor and founder of Unveil, to demystify one of the most misunderstood phases of a woman's life — perimenopause.

Grocery prices aren't coming down anytime soon — but your bill can. In this episode, we sit down with Kristin McGrath, Senior Editor at The Krazy Coupon Lady, to break down exactly how everyday shoppers are slashing their grocery bills using a simple stacking strategy — combining store sales, manufacturer coupons, and cashback apps like Ibotta and Fetch all at once.

Beef prices are hitting record highs—ground beef at $6.88 a pound, steaks north of $13—and in this eye-opening conversation, agricultural economist Dr. Anderson breaks down exactly what's driving the surge and what it means for your grocery bill. From the recent tariff pause and its flood of imported beef, to the crushing squeeze ranchers face from relentless drought, soaring corn costs, and colla...

In this episode, social work ethics and data privacy expert Dr. Allan Barsky, MSW, Ph. D. of Florida Atlantic University breaks down what everyone should know about how artificial intelligence is reshaping healthcare and putting sensitive medical and mental health records at risk. We explore why HIPAA—written more than a decade ago—struggles to keep pace with modern AI tools, how patients can prot...

Should you move your aging parents across state lines for care? In this episode, certified elder law attorney Janet Colliton, Esquire of Colliton Law Associates, P.C. in West Chester, PA, breaks down the critical legal and financial factors families face when planning elder care. With over 38 years of experience, Janet explains how Medicaid rules, income limits, and trust requirements vary from st...

Is your screen slowly damaging your eyes — and can your diet actually protect them? In this episode, we sit down with Yaw Buabeng, a doctoral candidate in the Cognitive Neuroscience Program at the University of Georgia and optometrist-turned-researcher originally trained in Ghana, to break down the real science behind blue light and your vision. Yaw shares what makes blue light uniquely harmful, h...

Set in San Francisco's iconic Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, this video follows three small business voices — Dave McLean, the self-described "godfather of craft beer in San Francisco," and Kristen Evans and Camden of The Booksmith, a beloved independent bookstore founded in 1976. Each shares their personal journey of building a life and livelihood in a neighborhood steeped in counterculture history...

In Roads to Retirement: Act I – The Journey Begins, Jeff Snyder sets the stage for a thoughtful exploration of what retirement really means by introducing two people whose lives could not look more different. One is an artist in Marin who has chosen a simple, creative life living on a sailboat and staying grounded in what matters most. The other is a Northern California firefighter working hard to...

Can owning a pet actually lead to a happier, more fulfilling retirement? In this episode, we sit down with David Blanchett, Ph. D., CFA®, CFP®, Head of Retirement Research at Prudential Financial and Portfolio Manager at PGIM, to unpack fascinating new research on how dogs, cats, and other family pets impact life in retirement.

The U.S. spends 2–3 times more on healthcare than any other developed nation — but a groundbreaking new study shows some states are finally starting to slow the bleeding. In this episode, we sit down with John N. Mafi, MD, MPH, of UCLA Health, whose research reveals how five pioneering states implemented cost growth benchmark programs to bend the healthcare spending curve.

Most people think they understand Medicare — but a recent eHealth survey reveals a shocking knowledge gap that could cost you thousands of dollars. In this eye-opening conversation, Derrick Duke, CEO of eHealth, breaks down everything you need to know before turning 65, including the permanent 10% late enrollment penalty most people don't discover until it's too late, why skipping Part D prescript...

AI is transforming the labor market — but what happens to the federal government's revenue when jobs disappear? In this interview, RAND's Carter Price, breaks down a new report he co-authored with colleague Akshaya Suresh examining how AI-driven labor disruptions could threaten the roughly two-thirds of federal revenue that comes from taxes on wages and payroll.

In this thought-provoking conversation, Lawrence Quill, co-director of the Loneliness Project at San Jose State University dives deep into the modern loneliness epidemic and the surprising role technology plays as both the cause and potential cure. Drawing on ancient philosophy and cutting-edge insights, we explore why so many people—from the "feral generation" to Gen Z—feel more isolated than eve...

What is your child's school app really doing with their data? BYU Information Systems Professor Justin Giboney breaks down a groundbreaking study—conducted with Mark Keith and the Utah State Board of Education—that compared what EdTech apps promised against their actual network traffic, uncovering student data flowing to advertisers, data brokers, and identity-resolution firms, often without app m...

A clear, practical look at the largest farmland transfer in generations and what it means for you. President of Farmers National Company Paul Schadegg explains how America's farmers are doing today, breaks down the scale of the coming generational wealth transfer, and reveals whether landowners are truly prepared to pass down their land. You'll learn how to assemble the right team of professionals...

What happens when the tools you built start to outpace you? Astronomer J. Xavier Prochaska, Professor of Astronomy & Astrophysics at UC Santa Cruz, reveals how artificial intelligence is transforming science at breathtaking speed — writing code, drafting research proposals, and uncovering exoplanets in decades-old data — pushing him to work "100 times" faster than ever before.

In this interview, Andrew G. Biggs, PhD., Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, explains why the number of workers without a 401(k) or other formal retirement plan doesn’t tell the whole story. He discusses how age, income, student loans, homeownership, inflation, and other financial priorities influence when people save.

Can AI accurately measure America's retirement readiness? In this episode, we put Claude Opus 4.8 to the test on key questions about the U.S. workforce and retirement coverage, then had one of the nation's leading retirement economists fact-check every number. Our guest, Andrew G. Biggs, PhD, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, breaks down where the AI got it right, where it fell s...

Are you prepared for what happens if you stop paying your student loans? In this eye-opening interview, college finance expert Mark Kantrowitz breaks down the serious consequences of default—including wage garnishment, seized tax refunds, and how the government can take up to 15% of your Social Security benefits at any age.