Planning Made Simple

In this episode, Paul, Kyle, and Niki dive into the importance of free cash flow when evaluating a company's ability to sustain dividend payments. They explain that free cash flow—what's left after all expenses—acts as the company's “what’s in your wallet” metric, crucial for both investors and personal household budgeting. Using relatable analogies, they compare dividends to discretio...

In this episode, the hosts dive into the concept of finding peace of mind in a volatile stock market, particularly through dividend investing. They highlight the psychological and emotional toll market swings can have on investors and why dividends offer a sense of "tethering"—a consistent, tangible return even when the market is erratic. The discussion contrasts speculative investing wi...

In this episode—a joint production with the Legacy Life Podcast —the hosts dive into the complexities and emotional nuances of legacy planning. They explore common misconceptions about wealth transfer and how individuals approach end-of-life planning in vastly different ways. Through personal anecdotes and professional experiences, the advisors illustrate the importance of having clear, intentiona...

This episode is a unique crossover between two podcasts— Legacy Life and Planning Made Simple —featuring an in-depth conversation with Paul Durso, a financial advisor who shares his unconventional journey into the profession. Originally pursuing ministry, Paul reveals how he transitioned from youth ministry aspirations to the financial world, eventually finding that his calling wasn’t confined to...

In this episode, Paul, Kyle, and Niki explore the emotionally charged topic of dividend cuts, using real-world examples like GE and Kohl's to highlight the warning signs and lessons learned. They emphasize that most dividend cuts are not sudden but are often preceded by red flags such as declining financials or industry shifts. The discussion covers how to prepare for and react to cuts, including...

In this episode, Pau Durso, Kyle Morgan, Kevin Wray, and Rob Rothrock dive deep into a long-standing investment philosophy: grow your assets early, then convert to income in retirement. They question whether this conventional wisdom still holds up, comparing it to an alternative approach—building dividend income from the start. Using data and real-world examples, including Warren Buffett’s investi...

This podcast discusses the performance of different market sectors, focusing on dividend-paying stocks and their historical resilience. It explores Warren Buffett’s perspective on dividends, emphasizing his preference for companies that reinvest earnings rather than distributing them. Paul Durso and Kyle Morgan analyze sector trends, highlighting how dividends contribute to total returns and stabi...

In this episode, Paul Durso and Kyle Morgan discuss whether investors should reinvest dividends or take them as cash, especially as they approach retirement. They strongly favor reinvesting dividends due to the power of compounding, which consistently results in higher returns and share accumulation over time. They caution that taking dividends as cash and attempting to time the market can be risk...

In this eposide, the Paul Durso, Kyle Morgan, and Corbin Lappin dive into a conversation about building both corporate and personal brands, using real-life examples and personal experiences. Corbin, the guest, shares the origin and evolution of his lifestyle brand “See You Out There,” inspired by his love of fly fishing and outdoor adventures. They discuss the importance of authenticity in brandin...

This podcast discusses the risks of relying on The Magnificent Seven (Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, Nvidia, Tesla, and Meta) for dividend investing. While these companies dominate market capitalization and excel in growth, most offer little to no dividends, making them unreliable for a dividend-focused portfolio. The conversation highlights their volatility, showing that all seven companies...

This podcast features a heartfelt conversation between financial advisors who share a passion for simplifying the complexities of finance to better serve and educate clients. They discuss how the financial industry often thrives on complexity, which can intimidate people and make them feel dependent on professionals. Instead, their mission is to demystify financial planning using relatable languag...

In this podcast episode, Paul, Leigh, and Kyle explore how childhood dreams and values—especially fantasies of being superheroes—can shape adult careers and personal missions. Through stories of pretending to be Batman or inventing elaborate contraptions, the guests reflect on how those early passions evolved into careers in financial advising. Rather than just focusing on numbers, they emphasize...

The podcast features an interview with financial advisor Kevin Dingman III in Montana who previously had a 17-year career as a dentist before a freak accident changed his life. On Halloween night, a bottle of apple cider exploded in his hand, severing tendons, arteries, and nerves, ultimately ending his ability to practice dentistry. After multiple surgeries and unsuccessful attempts at recovery,...

This podcast episode is a discussion about the benefits of dividend investing, particularly for young investors. Paul and Kyle challenge the common perception that dividend investing is only for older or retired individuals, emphasizing that starting early allows compounding returns to build significant wealth over time. They cite examples like a single $40 investment in Coca-Cola in 1919 growing...

This episode of Planning Made Simple discusses the Dow Jones Dividend 100 Index, which selects the top 100 U.S. dividend-paying stocks based on a defined methodology, including factors like yield, dividend history, free cash flow, and return on equity. Paul and Kyle highlight how this structured, rules-based approach to stock selection contrasts with broader indices like the S&P 500, which are...

This podcast episode discusses the often hidden costs of various investment products, including mutual funds, ETFs, annuities, CDs, and stocks. It highlights how mutual funds can have numerous fees beyond the publicly stated expense ratio, such as marketing fees, transaction costs, and cash drag. ETFs tend to have lower costs but still include hidden expenses like bid-ask spreads. Annuities, parti...

This podcast discusses the cost structures of financial advice and how value perception affects people's willingness to pay. Paul and Kyle compare financial advisor fees to other expenses, like trips to Disney World, highlighting how value often outweighs cost concerns. They break down common advisor fee models, including asset under management (AUM) fees, flat fees, and commission-based structure...

This episode of Planning Made Simple discusses the history and importance of dividends in the S&P 500, highlighting a shift in the market over time. Before the 1980s, dividends made up a significant portion (over 60%) of returns, but the rise of growth companies like Amazon and Tesla led many investors to focus more on stock price growth. However, dividends still account for around 40% of retu...

This episode of Planning Made Simple focuses on dividend growth investing tailored for retirees, emphasizing how it provides a reliable income stream and serves as a hedge against inflation through steadily increasing dividend payouts. The speakers discuss the importance of maintaining an income mindset and caution against panic selling during market downturns, as such actions can lead to signific...

This podcast highlights the advantages of living off dividend income as demonstrated by a study from Ned Davis Research. Over a 40-year span (1972-2012), dividend-paying stocks delivered an average annual return of 8.8%, significantly outperforming non-dividend-paying growth stocks, which averaged just 1.6%. The stability and lower volatility of dividend stocks were emphasized, especially during m...

This podcast explains the concept and benefits of dividend growth investing. It highlights how companies that consistently increase their dividend payouts can provide growing income over time, regardless of stock price fluctuations. Using Johnson & Johnson as an example, the hosts demonstrate how a $10,000 investment in 1995 grew to $117,000 without reinvesting dividends and $165,000 with rein...

This podcast captures a detailed discussion about the importance of carefully evaluating high-yield dividend stocks, emphasizing how sensational headlines can mislead investors. The speakers highlight a specific example involving AGNC Investment Corp, a real estate investment trust (REIT), which advertises a 15% yield but has financial red flags, such as a 400% payout ratio and negative cash flow....

This podcast episode discusses the evolution of dividend-paying stocks, particularly within the tech sector. Historically, dividend stocks were seen as stable but boring investments, often tied to utilities and energy companies. However, times have changed, with major tech companies like Microsoft, Apple, and now Facebook (Meta) embracing dividend payouts to retain shareholders. These firms have r...

This podcast discusses the concept of "yield on original investment," emphasizing its importance over metrics like cost basis or current yield when evaluating the true value of dividend-paying stocks. The hosts highlight how this metric reflects the percentage of dividends generated relative to the initial investment, using Warren Buffett’s 1988 Coca-Cola purchase as an example. Buffett&...

This podcast episode presents an analysis of the differences between dividend stocks and dividend-focused mutual funds or ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds), aiming to clarify misconceptions and highlight the complexities of dividend income investing. The discussion introduces a "boxing match" metaphor, with dividend stocks in one corner and mutual funds/ETFs in the other, to represent the com...