Plan For Life Now

The Pod starts with a recap of our office move from one part of the Kentlands to another location down the street. Moving is no fun, but this one was really easy!* From there, Steve and Dave discuss this incredible stock market run, and how things have changed, both technically and psychologically, since we opened the old office in 2010. If you like financial history mixed with Capitol Retirement...

It’s an action packed pod starting with some big logistical news about Capitol Retirement Strategies! From there we recap the winner of the Dave/AI versus Steve/Human Brain NCAA Pool competition, and end with a review of the book “1929”. But we promise you won’t be in a Great Depression after you listen to episode 128 of Plan For Life Now!

Obviously, AI did not come up with the Pod headline, but it did assist with Dave’s NCAA pool selections. Steve decided to go “Au naturel”, using only brain power for his picks. Who will win? In other tech news, will AI crater the stock market, the job market, and humanity in general? “As long as I win my bracket!” is not the answer we’re looking for on episode #127 of Plan For Life Now.

Even for seasoned Crypto investors who are used to the rollercoaster, the last six months of Bitcoin has been like Kings Dominion on steroids! That combined with the volatility of Gold and Silver made today’s episode a “State Of The Union” address on these Alternative investments. Also, in memoriam to what was The Washington Post, you’ll learn how Steve and Dave were almost the “Woodward and Berns...

2025 was one of the better years to be an investor, but what’s next for 2026? As part of their annual “Prediction Podcast”, Steve and Dave look back at who was right and wrong last year, and what the “experts” are forecasting for 2026. You’ll also learn who Ned Davis* is and why Dave inexplicably called him out. All this and more on episode 125 of Plan For Life Now. *No, not a character on “The Si...

Nothing screams “Past Performance Does Not Guarantee Future Results” like Artificial Intelligence stocks. What has fueled incredible market success over the past two years has analysts debating what might happen going forward. Steve and Dave tackle the tangible and psychological factors of the A.I. trade in episode 124 of Plan For Life Now*. *ChatGPT played no role in the writing or publishing of...

Similar to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (With the exception of the topic, gravitas, historical context, speaking ability, and every other intellectual attribute you can possibly think of), Dave shares his own “ I Had A Dream” speech. Steve adds his financial tidbits and, somehow, Episode 123 of Plan For Life Now is a pretty good potpourri* podcast! *French word for “winging it”

Ever wonder what happens when a whole bunch of financial advisors get together for a 3 day conference? If you said, “Yes”, then you need to critically analyze your “Things To Wonder About” list. Having said that, Steve, Dave, and Amy* learned a lot at their Broker Dealer’s annual meeting at the Gaylord in National Harbor. We share all the information, stories, and helpful takeaways on Episode 122...

On episode 121 of Plan For Life Now, Steve and Dave break down the recently passed “Big, Beautiful Bill”. How does this bill affect you? If you’re very rich, you’ll be very happy. If you’re retired and a typical client of ours, we think you’ll like some of the things you hear. If you’re on Medicaid…there are so many other podcasts out there for your listening pleasure.

A very bullish episode 120 of Plan For Life Now starts with Dave’s review of his trip to Japan. He’s bullish on Japan, especially the toilets ( That, my friends, is what we call “a tease!). Steve then makes a strong case that we are not going into a recession, followed by a more existential discussion of the psychological reaction people now have towards the stock market. The Wall Street Journal s...

In this day after “Liberation Day” podcast, Steve and Dave try to unwind and analyze what all this tariff stuff means. Is their analysis accurate? Only time will tell. More importantly, how does this affect your retirement plan, and what should you do going forward? A lot of questions and (we think) some good answers on episode #119 of Plan For Life Now.

Be it tarrifs or DOGE or whatever, the March markets start off (way!) down. A good time for Steve and Dave to reiterate their tangible and emotional investing fundamentals! Plus, you’ll learn a new phrase, “The Yen Carry Trade “.* All this and more on episode 118 of PFLN. *If you already know what “The Yen Carry Trade” is, we recommend less screen time, and more person to person interaction.

Are you a Fed? Is going into the office 5 days a week not for you? Are you retired or recently retired, and know you need a game plan, but have told yourself you’ll “get to it at some point?” If so, starting at the 7:30 mark of Episode 117 of PFLN, Steve and Dave discuss the financial challenges,solutions, and action steps for federal retirees in 2025!

It’s the season of giving, so Steve and Dave start with how the markets certainly held up their share of the bargain in 2024. And speaking of 2024, they move on to “Seven Lessons of 2024” by Charlie Billelo, arguably the second greatest “Lessons” piece ever written ( Sorry, nothing beats my personal golf bible, “Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons”). If you’re interested in financial and philosophical guidel...

The Trump (Gravy?) Train It’s a special election recap episode! What will a second Trump presidency mean for your money? Dave and Steve go over the Pros, the Cons, the Neo Cons… You name it, they will cover it on episode #115 of Plan For Life Now.

Just in case you didn’t believe we were a Washington DC area firm, we decided to take the month of August off from podcasting. So we start with our summer recap, including Steve’s trip to Colorado and Dave’s rare use of the word “frothy” to describe the market’s big returns in July. We also give a stern warning on falling prey to presidential politics and investment emotions. All this and more on...

It could be Trump. It could be Biden. As of this recording, it could even be someone not born during the Roosevelt administration (Franklin, not Teddy, although it seems like Teddy). In any case , Steve and Dave debate whether this election will lead to a market correction. Plus, you’ll meet Harry Dent-The Bear of all Bears. Forget “Nervous Nellie”, this guy is “ Hair On Fire Nellie”! All this and...

After a brief epilogue on Tony Robbins’ out of touch financial advice (great tips if you’re “The Billionaire Next Door”, not so hot for the bottom 99.9999%), we delve into what may be the next great investment bubble, AI. Dave’s a big fan of Professor Scott Galloway, and he is predicting that the AI bubble will burst. So if you’re not quite ready for the “Mr Roboto* Revolution”, Episode 112 of Pla...

The podcast starts with Steve’s look back at the life and times of Daniel Kahneman. Who’s Daniel Kahneman (Said everyone with a life and/or hobby)? He’s a psychologist whose theories on human behavior have had a profound effect on the world of finance…Oh, that Daniel Kahneman!! We also discuss some questionable investment advice from another guy who knows a thing or two about human behavior, motiv...

Nobody wants to be the victim of a financial scam, yet they are becoming more prevalent and exotic every day. The story of one such incident, that Steve relays in this podcast, is fascinating, terrifying and informative all at the same time! Episode 110 of Plan For Life is a must listen, and a must lesson, for all of us.

In episode 109 of Plan For Life Now, Steve and Dave give a detailed overview of what happened in the markets in 2023 (Good Stuff) versus what happened in 2022 (Bad Stuff). All of this as a data point for what may occur in 2024. But regardless of market results, their hypothesis is to buckle up for an election year like no other!

It’s a festive episode for this holiday season, with a lot cool gifts-Like the stock market, the bond market, and the 60/40 portfolio! Also, a special tribute to the late, great Charlie Munger. If you’ve never heard of him, listen and find out about one of money’s wisest men. And finally, don’t always take the advice of those famous financial pundits. So there’s presents, a wise man, and a grinch…...

Steve and Dave spend the majority of episode 107 reviewing where we are right now as the markets head toward 2024. Steve adds some prescient* insight on bonds: Dave finishes the pod off with some startling reality about Long Term Care, proving once again that life, money, and segments of Plan For Life Now are truly unpredictable! *Recently voted into the “Fancy Word That Makes You Sound Smart” Hal...

No way to sugarcoat this one- If you own the Federal LTCi plan, you’re looking at another price hike that could be up to 86%. But there will be options to amend your policy to mitigate the cost. Please use this short podcast as a guide on how to deal with this. We strongly recommend passing this Pod on to others you know who will also have some important decisions to make!

The show begins with Steve and Dave “waxing poetic”* about the end of summer, and quickly moves into a detailed review of a great column by Michelle Singletary about the emotional fraught of retirement. Then Steve debunks Michael Burry’s latest doom and gloom market prediction. If you’re worried about your money running out, and a fan of shorting the “Big Short” guy, you’ll love episode 105 of Pla...