Cover Your Assets with Logan and Don

Retirement should bring confidence—not constant worry. So why are so many retirees anxious every time the market moves? This week, Logan and Don explain why retirement stress is often not a market problem at all—it is a planning problem. They discuss how the right income strategy can help reduce anxiety during market volatility, why every dollar in your portfolio should have a specific purpose, an...

Think your retirement plan is solid because someone told you to follow the 4% rule? Think again. This week on Cover Your Assets , Logan Marcus and Don Spini expose why retirement is far too complex for rules of thumb. They explain how sequence of returns risk, Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), and poor withdrawal strategies can quietly derail even a seven-figure retirement. They also uncover...

The biggest retirement mistakes rarely happen in the stock market. They happen when families inherit an IRA without understanding the tax rules, stay loyal to advisors who stopped doing the work years ago, put off estate planning until a crisis forces their hand, or retire without ever seeing a written income plan. This week, Logan and Don break down the costly mistakes they see every day, explain...

Wall Street taught investors to focus on account balances. Retirement requires a different conversation. This week, Logan and Don discuss why income matters more than accumulation, why delaying estate planning can create unnecessary taxes, costs, and stress for your family, and what your advisor should actually be doing to earn their fee, and. After all, your advisor got paid last year—but did you...

Will your family inherit wealth—or a tax problem? On this week's episode of Cover Your Assets with Logan & Don, we discuss the Great Wealth Transfer and why inherited IRAs, beneficiary designations, and poor tax planning can leave families with unexpected tax burdens. We also explore Roth conversion strategies, widowhood tax traps, and how to keep more of your hard-earned assets in the han...

Think your advisor is doing a great job? If you only meet once a year (or less), that's your first red flag! This week, Logan and Don expose the biggest retirement planning gaps they see every day; from advisors managing investments without a real income plan to missed tax-saving opportunities, outdated estate plans, and costly beneficiary mistakes. Learn the five retirement mistakes that can...

Your IRA isn't all yours. The IRS is your silent partner — and they didn't ask permission. This week Logan and Don pull no punches. They're breaking down how to evict the IRS with a Roth conversion before the tax sale ends, how to build an income blueprint so you know exactly what you can spend without running out, and why skipping your estate plan doesn't protect your family — it...

Most retirees assume taxes get easier in retirement — they don't. In this episode of Cover Your Assets, Logan Marcus and Don Spini break down the domino effect of RMDs, IRMAA surcharges, and Social Security taxation, and why one incomedecision can trigger three financial penalties at once. They also take on the growing trend of Americans replacing their financial advisor with AI — and why that...

Most people spend decades trying to grow their retirement accounts while paying as little tax as possible along the way. But many sophisticated investors think about taxes very differently. In this episode of Cover Your Assets , Logan Marcus and Don Spini break down why some wealthy investorsvoluntarily pay massive tax bills on purpose—and what retirees can learn from that mindset when it comes to...

Most people heading into retirement have accounts, statements, and a portfolio—but very few have a real plan for how everything is supposed to work together. In this episode of Cover Your Assets , Logan Marcus and Don Spini break down the hidden tax traps inside retirement, why “tax deferred” does not mean tax free, and how poor coordination can quietly erode wealth over time. They discuss Roth co...

Most people enter retirement with a collection of accounts—but no real structure behind them. In this episode of Cover Your Assets , Logan Marcus and Don Spini break down what it takes to move from scattered assets to a coordinated plan that actually works. They cover the key components of a real strategy—income planning, tax efficiency, portfolio management, and estate alignment—and why each must...

Most people think they have a retirement plan. In reality, they have a collection of accounts—investments, tax-deferred savings, and disconnected decisions that were never designed to work together. In this episode of Cover Your Assets , Logan Marcus and Don Spini break down the difference between having a portfolio and having a plan—and why that gap becomes expensive over time. They explain how m...

Most retirement plans are not designed—they are assembled over time. In this episode of Cover Your Assets , Logan Marcus and Don Spini break down what happens when portfolios are built around performance chasing, tax deferral, and assumptions instead of structure. They explain why reacting to market movements creates costly long-term outcomes, and how many investors unknowingly operate with a trad...

If your portfolio is driving your emotions, something is off—and it is not the market. In this episode of Cover Your Assets , Logan Marcus and Don Spini break down why reacting to volatility quietly derails retirement plans—and what a properly structured strategy is supposed to do instead. They uncover the hidden tax problem inside IRAs and 401(k)s, explain how the IRS can become your largest sile...

If watching the market makes you feel like your future is on the line, that is not normal. It is a warning sign. In this episode, Logan Marcus and Don Spini break down why stress around your money is not emotional—it is structural. Too much risk, no income strategy, and portfolios built without purpose leave people exposed. They cover why advisors often stop advising when markets are calm, how ret...

Your advisor may not be as independent as you think. Your 401(k) may not be doing anything at all. And your plan may not actually be a plan. In this episode of Cover Your Assets , Logan and Don break down the hidden structure behind advisory firms, the limitations most clients never see, and why control matters more than credentials. They dig into the reality of old 401(k)s left unmanaged, portfol...

What looks “fine” on paper is often where retirement plans break down. In this episode of Cover Your Assets, Logan Marcus and Don Spini expose hidden fees, the illusion of diversification, and advisors who default to convenience over strategy. They challenge the myth of choosing between safety and growth and explain what a real portfolio should do. But the real issue is lack of coordination—no tru...

Your COLA raise got taken, the markets dropped, and your advisor has not called you about any of it. A lot moved this week and none of it was small. The Social Security Administration quietly overhauled how it operates — starting today — and that 2.8% cost of living raise you got in January? Medicare already took most of it back. Then the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran, oil surged, and a...

Retirement income isn't a number — it's a system. This week, Logan and Don dig into the real cost of passive money management: forced IRA distributions you didn't ask for, estate documents that are signed but not funded, and tax strategies that most advisors leave on the table. If your retirement plan hasn't been touched since you filled out a risk questionnaire decades ago, this o...

Are you loyal to your advisor—or just stuck? In this episode of Cover Your Assets , Logan Marcus and Don Spini call out lazy advising, mutual fund complacency, and the false security of “set-it-and-forget-it” portfolios that quietly finance your advisor’s retirement instead of your own. They break down the difference between owning real companies and being pushed around inside pooled funds, explai...

In this episode of Cover Your Assets , Logan and Don take on the most expensive retirement mistake of all: doing nothing. From unfunded estate plans and lazy advising to the ticking tax time bomb inside traditional IRAs, they break down how procrastination quietly benefits the IRS and underperforming advisors — not you. Retirement should not feel like an oasis you never reach. With real income pla...

Half of America is struggling to pay housing costs right now — and it has nothing to do with real estate and everything to do with income not keeping pace with inflation. Logan and Don break down exactly what that means for your retirement, why the probably fine feeling is the most dangerous place to be financially, and what a real fiduciary advisor should be doing for the fees you are paying. The...

Most “estate plans” are just paperwork until they are funded, beneficiary designations are cleaned up, and powers of attorney actually work when life happens. Logan Marcus and Don Spini break down the trust-funding gap that blindsides families, then pivot to the other quiet threat: big IRAs that are really a joint account with the IRS, and how strategic Roth conversions can keep taxes and Medicare...

Too many retirement plans are running on autopilot—and that is exactly how they fail. In this episode of Cover Your Assets , Logan Marcus and Don Spini expose the hidden risks most retirees never see: IRAs that are really joint accounts with the IRS, Roth conversion opportunities missed through inaction, advisors who stop advising once the portfolio is built, and income strategies that rely on sel...

Too many retirement plans run on assumptions that are never challenged. In this episode of Cover Your Assets, Logan Marcus and Don Spini expose how unchecked advisory fees, poorly timed Roth conversions, income strategies built on selling assets, and disconnected estate plans quietly create risk. They explain why taxes, income, and estate planning cannot live in silos—and why plans that look fine...