Invest In Your Life

There are so many emotional and financial aspects to retirement. Navigating the transition to retirement can be extremely challenging. These challenges are compounded when planning for two within a marriage. This episode is about preparing for the transition to retirement when the retiree is married. Sam is joined by his brother, Nate Martinez who is a licensed family and marriage counselor. Nate...

According to Benjamin Franklin, death and taxes are guaranteed. Just because they're inevitable doesn't mean we can't plan for them. This week, Sam and Wealthquest Director of Tax Planning, Brandon Butcher, tackle the planning stage of estate taxes. They talk about how to maximize the benefits of tax planning, along with specific action steps. They also dive into some of the most common misconcept...

Wealthquest's Director of Financial Planning, Megan Hammann, and Director of Tax Planning, Brandon Butcher, gave a webinar on death, taxes, and preparing for these inevitable events. In this episode, Sam and Megan give a recap of the event and focus on how to get through the transition of assets after a loss. We talk about assets, investments, property, and estate planning. Planning objectively fo...

Once you reach a certain age the government forces you to take withdrawals from your retirement account. These withdrawals affect your taxable income, medicare premiums, and even your ability to leave money to your heirs. I'm referring to required minimum distributions or RMDs. Most people are familiar with RMDs, but not as many people are aware of planning opportunities that they can use to help...

What options are available regarding Social Security, and how do we determine the best time to access these benefits? As we enter our 60s, we encounter irrevocable decisions about our future, including those related to Social Security. The goal for most of us is to maximize these benefits, considering both tax and estate planning.  Sam, along with Wealthquest's Director of Financial Planning, Mega...

Sam and Wealthquest President David Kern continue their insightful dialogue on giving and generosity in this episode. They delve into tax-deductible methods of giving, highlighting the benefits of donating appreciated shares to avoid capital gains taxes. The conversation also explores the types of shares that may not be ideal for donation.  Furthermore, they discuss the advantages of donor-advised...

This is the time of year when we think about giving and generosity. This episode is the second in a three-part series on the topic. Sam and David Kern, president of Wealthquest, discuss strategic giving to individuals in this episode. They will then explore ways to give offering tax benefits in the third part of the series, airing next week. We discuss the emotional and psychological benefits of b...

Sam dives into a Wall Street Journal article that discusses the findings of a study conducted by the Mercer CFA Institute on global retirement systems. The study assigns the US a grade of C+, indicating that Social Security and 401(k) plans leave Americans less secure than retirees in other parts of the world. The study ranked 47 countries, with the US finishing in the middle at 22nd place. It con...

This time of year, many people begin to reflect on the concepts of giving and generosity. In a conversation between Sam and Wealthquest President David Kern, they delve into the significance of generosity. They also explore the distinction between 'generosity' and 'giving back', emphasizing that generosity is characterized by intention and thoughtfulness. Additionally, they touch upon the idea of...

Buying a home is a big decision. There's a lot of stress finding the right home, the right neighborhood, and having the right finances. You have to look at what you can afford and the future of the housing market. Will housing prices continue to climb? Will interest rates go down in the future?  This episode will shine light on some of these issues. Sam is joined by Senior Wealth Advisor, Adam Day...

Your employer funded insurance open enrollment period usually rolls around once a year. A lot of people don't put enough thought into their options and benefit choices. With a well rounded financial plan the type of coverage your family needs and benefits for your specific situation should be taken into account.  Sam is going to go over five things that you should consider when revising or selecti...

Senior Wealth Advisor Shawn Scott joins Sam to discuss the best ways to choose an investment option for your needs. Some of the topics we discuss include fear-based investing, discipline, and understanding what you know and don't know. Additionally, we cover two problematic long-term investment strategies that are very common. Shawn speaks about the importance of diversification, maintaining a gen...

David Kern, President of Wealthquest talks with Wealthquest CEO Wade Daniel about the origins and growth of Wealthquest. Wade graduated with a chemical engineering degree from University of Cincinnati. He became interested in finance and wanted to help other people with their finances. As he began working in the field, he discovered there was a disconnect when businesses had to outsource parts of...

There are two types of people in this world. There are people who understand compound interest and take advantage of it, and there are people who get taken advantage of by it. Sam talks about how there aren't a lot of people who really understand what compound interest is or how to really use its power.  Einstein referred to compound interest as the 8th wonder of the world. The person who understa...

Do you know your retirement number? Is there a magic number that exists? How useful are retirement calculator tools? We dive into all of this today. By the end of this episode, you should be able to tell when you have enough. Stay tuned to combat that scarcity mindset that may be telling you that you'll ever have enough.  I'm thrilled to be diving into this topic with Megan Hammann, the Director o...

Sam and Adam Day, Senior Wealth Advisor for Wealthquest take a dive into AI by asking ChatGPT or Bard financial questions. We examine the answers and Adam shares whether he agrees or not. We talk about whether money makes people happier, the first steps of DIY financial planning, and more.  AI can be helpful, but can't really replace a human professional. There are quite a few things that aren't t...

Dan Larson is the Vice President here at Wealthquest. He is an accountant. Prior to Wealthquest, he was a tax manager. He is the perfect person to talk about taxes, as we dive into five major tax opportunities that are often missed. We talk about data gathering and ways to get a jump start on the following year's taxes. He also shares a technique to avoid tax surprises and the dread associated wit...

Sam chats with James Oliger about investment management and how to maximize the impact of your investments. They also talk about how to effectively coordinate your Investments with all the other areas of your financial life.  They go over financial planning, taxes, estate planning and more. James also shares the worst financial advice he has ever heard along with some of the best financial advice...

Megan Hammann is the Director of Financial Planning here at Wealthquest. Megan has tremendous experience around financial planning. While completing her MBA she worked at a brokerage and fell in love with the industry. She also has experience in banking and at a CPA and advisory firm. She joined Wealthquest in 2022.  She has multiple certifications including Certified Financial Planner, Certified...

I am joined today by Sean Rengering, a Legacy Planning Advisor at Wealthquest. Sean has been in the industry for over two decades. He's very knowledgeable about multiple areas from income planning to investments to insurance to estate planning. Today, we dive into estate planning.  Sean breaks down what it is, why you would need it, and some of the benefits of having an estate plan. We also talk a...

I'm excited about this episode with Adam Day. We are going to break down how to do a midyear review. We'll talk about what this entails and why it's important to do it. We also go through the super important things that you'll want to include in your financial review. Midyear is a good time to get out of the heat and review your financial plan.  Adam is a senior wealth advisor at Wealthquest. In 2...

Are you thinking about hiring a financial advisor? How do you know when it's time? What questions should you ask that advisor? Sam dives into these questions and more. He kicks the show off with an exercise to help determine if you have the time and desire to work on your financial planning and if your situation is complex enough to need help.  Then Sam shares questions to ask when interviewing po...

Sam interviews Michael Riney about insurance. Michael is a financial planner with Wealthquest. Prior to Wealthquest, he worked for a large insurance company. They begin with the basics of insurance from what it is to the different types available.  They also talk about the different insurance needs for people in different seasons of life. They talk about life insurance, long-term disability insura...

It's transition time. James is moving on to take a pastoral role in his church and The Rich Life Podcast is becoming the Invest In Your Life podcast. Certified Financial Planner Sam Martinez is taking over as the new host of the Invest In Your Life podcast. James is also here to introduce Sam and share what's happening with the show. Sam and James have a conversation about where this podcast came...

James is going to talk about the three things you need in order to live a financially successful life. There is so much complication when it comes to money, but we can really simplify it down to boundaries, balance, and accountability. Boundaries can feel like a limitation, but they can actually be deeply freeing if done correctly. We need a financial balance. Over emphasizing one thing and neglec...