Protect Your Assets

Are you thinking of retiring this year? Now is the time to start planning—from what to do with cash sitting in your bank account to how to withdraw your Social Security benefits most effectively. Hear three retirement pitfalls to avoid.    Plus, the market had a great week last week, and jobless claims near multi-decade lows. It’s unclear how much economic growth we will see and how the strong lab...

Plus, recent earning results have been mixed, and the markets have been following earnings this last week for any signals about growth. Growth and inflation go hand in hand because that sets up stagflation—something we’re trying to avoid. Are we going to get a soft landing from the Fed? Will they continue to raise rates? There’s lots of opinions floating around about this. Hear The Sandman’s take...

If you own a business or are a member of company leadership, whether it be a string of gas stations or a Fortune 500 Company, 2023 may be a tough year for your bottom line. Hopefully, all sorts of negative business influences—like recession fears, stagflation, and labor challenges—are on your planning agenda. Here are some tips to help you address some of these issues and make smart business decis...

The Secure Act 2.0 is now law. While there are dozens of provisions in the act, a few highlights include RMD age limit increases, timeframes for taking distributions from inherited IRAs, catch-up contributions for retirement accounts, and so much more. Also, The Sandman breaks down the eight types of people who might not want to do a Roth IRA conversion.    Plus, the stock and bond markets were bo...

The stock and bond markets were both up last week, a result of inflation dropping for the third straight month. The core Consumer Price Index, which includes food and energy, eased lower to 5.7%, but the Fed stated it wanted it around 2% to start cutting rates to stimulate the economy. How have markets historically performed when the Fed is about to pivot or to change direction?  See omnystudio.co...

It’s a new year. Have you been thinking of your goals for this year? Is one of those goals to retire in 2023? How about saving for something you always wanted? We’re going to share some easy things you can do to save more money and get ready for retirement if that's what you're thinking about.   All the major stock markets have been up a little bit. Will that continue? Are you prepared for what co...

The market had a positive week due to wage growth as well as the December jobs report suggesting that inflation may be cooling off. How will growth perform against value going forward in 2023? Find out the answers you need in this Protect Your Assets Market Recap.   You can send your questions to  questions@pyaradio.com  for a chance to be answered on the air.  Catch up on past episodes: http://py...

Last week closed the most difficult year for stocks investors have seen since 2008 and the worst year for bonds in a very long time. However is there upside to capture or is there a recession coming? Find out what you need to know in this Protect Your Assets Market Recap.   You can send your questions to  questions@pyaradio.com  for a chance to be answered on the air.   Hands-free listening:  http...

There are some key things to take care of before the end of the year regarding your finances. Many people are trying to minimize taxes and figure how much money you’ve lost in the markets this year. Some of you may be concerned about your financial future in general. Find out how to mitigate risk in the markets and prepare for the recession coming next year in this episode of Protect Your Assets....

There was no rally this past week as stocks finished lower yet another week. All major indexes were down as we head towards a recession in the first part of 2023. However the Ten Year Treasury was up and actually finished up for the year. This has been an incredibly tough year for the markets, how has that impacted you? Find out what you should be looking out for in this Protect Your Assets Market...

Former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellan said in an interview that we are not headed towards a recession in 2023. However many CEO’s disagree and in fact they are laying off more people then they did in the 2008 recession. Will you be able to retire if we are headed towards a recession or will you have to go back to work? Find out how to prepare and protect yourself for a recession in this episode o...

We finally saw some evidence that inflation is starting to go down. This is good news that we are finally starting to recover. How does this impact our economy, and will it stop a recession from happening? Find out what you need to know in this Protect Your Assets Market Recap. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Consumer Price Index, a direct measure of inflation, is on the way next week. The Fed looks at this data to determine future rate hikes. Does The Sandman see another rate hike in our future? Plus, hear his answer to the question: Why is the volatility index VIX so low, and is it losing its credibility overall as we analyze markets? All that on more on this week’s market segment. See omnystudio...

Stocks had a pretty positive week, as Chairman Powell has some decent news. Were his comments really that positive? Plus, the latest jobs report has supported a general theme of cooling from a position of strength. The Fed's going to have some ammunition to potentially raise 75 basis points soon. Hear The Sandman’s take on the economy in this week’s market segment. See omnystudio.com/listener for...

Reports are showing that inflation and rising costs to borrow money have caused a solid contraction in business activity across the U.S. private sector, which helped the market in November. Then, some negative news from the University of Michigan’s five-year inflation expectations survey that showed long-term inflation remaining at 3%. What do we need to see occur before we can say that the bottom...

Crypto came up in a big way this week. What’s next for the industry? Plus, inflation and industrial production are intertwined. Find out how in this week’s market segment.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Americans collectively lose $50 billion per year to fraud. Fraudsters and thieves are innovative professionals, constantly reinventing ways to rip you off. When fraud happens or a robbery happens, you're left not only with financial loss but a compromised identity and emotional distress. However, there are ways to protect yourself. And today, Piedmont California Police Chief Jeremy Bowers is in th...

Federal government employees, including members of the armed forces, have access to a tax-deferred retirement and investment vehicle called the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). If you're not using it in the right ways, it can be costly for you. Like a good education, it only helps if you use it. This episode shares five common mistakes people make with their TSP—costly mistakes that you could be making...

All the major indexes gapped higher at market open in the wake of a much cooler-than-feared October Consumer Price Index report, which measures inflation. Does this mean inflation is cooling? And are we still seeing signs of a bear market? Hear The Sandman’s commentary on this week’s market segment.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you have older parents, you may be wondering if they are going to be okay, not only financially, but also if something happens to them health-wise. Talking to your parents about their money and estate plan can be tough for a variety of reasons. Since Thanksgiving is a couple of weeks away, it’s a good idea to start preparing for a talk with your parents about their finances, especially if it's...

The markets had a negative week this past week, but why? What rocked the rally? There are three reasons: 1) The Fed’s decision to raise the Fed funds rate by 0.75%, bringing the rate from near zero to 4.0% this year, and 2) the recent JOLTS report, and 3) PMI – manufacturing index results. Hear The Sandman’s more detailed analysis of the stock market and economy in this week’s market segment.  See...

If you've wondered about bad investments, excessive fees, or getting duped by fraudsters, this Halloween show is for you as we uncover five some of the top tricks that cybercriminals, financial advisors, and financial institutions use to dupe unknowing investors into making bad decisions with their finances. Some may even be unknowingly participating in these. See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...

After an interesting rally the last few weeks, the markets, bonds, and oil all ended up for the week, but the S&P 500 and Nasdaq are still in bear market territory. Why? This market segment covers year-to-date numbers, the impact of heavy weighting in tech, and some signs that the Fed’s actions against inflation are starting to work. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Last week there was finally some positive movement in the markets as all major indexes finished the week up over four percent. Does this mean that the current bear market is almost over? Find out the answers to your questions in this week’s Market Recap. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you married, thinking about getting married, or happily living with your life partner? One of the most common disagreements and conflicts between couples has to do with money. If protecting your assets during these volatile times is important to you, it's important that you get some advice when it comes to your marriage and money. The financial and investing world is intimidating. It's confusi...