Friends Talk Money

Learn how to lower your repayments and cut years off your loan payments w attorney and expert Rae Kaplan .   Student Loan Sticker Shock By Terry Savage Federal Student Loan Debt Relief    

Roger AKA, "The Retirement  Answer Man" and author of "Rock Retirement:  A Simple Guide to Help You Take Control and Be More Optimistic About the Future,". Roger has been a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional for more than 25 years. He's sharing how he's now helping people live well today in retirement without sacrificing tomorrow.

In this episode, Friends Talk Money co-hosts Pam Krueger, Richard Eisenberg and Terry Savage discuss what Medicare does and doesn't cover when it comes to treatments for Alzheimer's Disease and drugs for weight loss. A recent FDA decision means Medicare will be covering a new, game-changing Alzheimer's drug for many people 65 and older, but there are some strings attached. By contrast, Medicare cu...

In this Friends Talk Money episode, college financing expert Mark Kantrowitz talks with our hosts Terry Savage, Pam Krueger and Richard Eisenberg on how grandparents can use 529 plans to save for their grandchildren's' college tuition bills. 

A guide to who should consider buying a long-term care insurance policy, what these policies do and don't cover, what age to consider buying it and the newer versions known as hybrid policies and 10-Pay policies. Our guest: Brian Gordon, a long-term care insurance policy expert with Gordon Associates in Bannockburn, Ill.

The Age Wave research and consulting firm and the Edward Jones financial services firm just published a survey of Americans' views and actions regarding cannonballs and curveballs in retirement. In today's episode we talk with Lena Haas of Edward Jones about the findings.

Some retirees run into trouble receiving their promised pensions. Others aren't sure if they're eligible to receive pensions. Here's where to go to get help to ensure you get any pension you're due and to see whether there may bea pension waiting for you.

Netflix released a new docuseries that reveals how Madoff got away with stealing $36 Billion from wealthy investors and charities. It's been 15 years since the biggest criminal on Wall Street, Bernie Madoff pulled off the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Bernie Madoff may be dead, but there are still plenty of con artists and investment scams and new lessons to learn from this story.

The clock is ticking towards Tax Day, April 18. Here are some timely tips for tax form procrastinators.

Mention the word "annuity" and most investors recoil. There seem to be so many hidden secrets and costs.  And high pressure sales tactics along with "free dinners." In today's podcast we unravel those mysteries – with the one man who has consistently worked to educate the public to the ins and outs of annuities – as well as some of the better uses of these insurance company contracts.  Stan Haithc...

Have you given some thought to where and how you'd like to live in your retirement years?  Many insist on staying in the family home – without thinking about logistics of stairs and navigating the bathroom in later years.  Maybe you'll just downsize to a smaller home.  Others decide to move into a senior community, making new friends in these settings with like-minded and active adults.  The lates...

Millions of Americans are feeling financially insecure about retirement, but "Retirement Reboot" author and journalist Mark Miller has some practical suggestions. In this "Friends Talk Money" episode, he shares insights and recommendations on: saving and investing for retirement, Social Security strategies, enrolling in Medicare and more.

Congress just passed a bill with the biggest changes for retirement in 15 years. The legislation, called Secure 2.0, has new ways to save for retirement and take money out of savings for emergencies, as well as new rules on how much you'll be required to take out of your retirement accounts and how the government will provide money to match retirement savings for some people. In this Friends Talk...

Many people worry about running out of money in retirement. But Jim Mahaney, a retirement advisor in New Jersey, says you can lessen that worry by creating what he calls a "resilient retirement income plan." He just wrote a whole book about it — " How to Craft a Resilient Retirement Income Plan " and in this episode, Friends Talk Money podcast co-hosts Richard Eisenberg, Pam Krueger and Terry Sava...

The holiday shopping season is officially underway, and like many grandparents and parents, you're probablysearching for gifts that will make a lasting impression on young people–rather than being quicklyoutgrownor broken. So we have gathered some of our best holiday money gifts for kids of all ages—gifts that will keep on giving for years to come.   

Delaying billing 2022 side-gig income until 2023, maximizing end-of-year pre-tax retirement plan contributions, and selling stocks at a loss to offset capital gains are just a few of many steps you can take right now to reduce your 2022 taxable income. Terry, Pam and Richard discuss these and other strategies and IRS changes that may lower tax bills for many Americans in 2023.   

With the stock and bond markets delivering lousy returns this year, some investors are wondering whether to add so-called alternative investments to their portfolios. In this episode, Pam, Terry and Richard discuss the risks of investing directly in unregulated asset classes like gold, real estate, commodities and even cryptocurrency and suggest ways that investors may be able to use publicly trad...

Two thirds of retirees get more than half of their income from Social Security. That's why it's critical to make the right claiming decision. In this episode, the three friends are joined by Social Security expert and bestselling author Lawrence Kotlikoff, who discusses scenarios where you might want to start taking Social Security earlier or delay starting until your full retirement age or later....

The housing market is a perilous place right now, especially for people over 50. Prices in certain areas are out of reach for many seniors who want to relocate, yet rising mortgage rates are making it difficult for many homeowners to sell at their asking prices. In this episode, Terry, Pam and Richard weigh the pros and cons of selling or staying put, various mortgage options, moving into a retire...

What does the employment outlook look like for older Americans who will be looking for new jobs or want to hold on to the jobs they have? Will there still be remote or hybrid opportunities for those who don't want to be in the office full time? And when today's hot job market begins to cool, will there be a place for older employees in corporate America? To answer these and other questions, the th...

Many financial advisors are not doing much to help their clients prepare for retirement other than managing their investments. In this episode, the three friends discuss the many other ways a truly independent, fiduciary financial planner can holistically come up with a comprehensive plan to help retirees answer their many questions, from deciding when to start Social Security and choosing Medicar...

In this episode, Pam, Terry and Richard discuss the pros and cons of socially responsible investing, whose increasing popularity is being driven mainly by women. In particular, they examine whether women sacrifice returns by investing in stocks or ESG funds that align with their personal values. The answer may surprise you.  

Pam, Terry and Richard puncture the myth that holding bonds in your portfolio offsets the risks of owning stocks. For example, this year, rising interest rates have driven down the prices of existing bonds. While this may not create a problem for investors who plan to hold on to their bonds until they mature, selling them could generate huge losses for those who want to buy newer bonds with better...

Do you truly know how long the money you've saving in your 401(k) will last during your retirement? In this episode, Terry, Richard and Pam discuss the benefits and potential flaws of a new federal rule that will require retirement plans to start providing lifetime income statements that show much monthly income their account could generate if they started taking qualified withdrawals at age 67. F...

Directly rolling over a 401(k) plan to an IRA with a custodian like Fidelity, Schwab or Vanguard is something most people should do as soon as possible after they retire. Why? Because most 401(k) plan investment options are designed for people saving for retirement, rather than for those who need their nest egg to generate income to help pay for everyday expenses. Rollover IRAs offer access to a w...