Retirement Starts Today Radio

Last year 14 million Americans paid for tax prep that they could have had for free. Are you one of those people? Today, we’ll take a look at why people are spending money they don’t need to and how to rectify that. I’ll also answer some insightful listener questions concerning legal documents for retirees, the […] The post Are You Paying for Tax Prep That Should Be Free? Ep # 128 appeared fi...

I’m sure you’ve seen Tesla all over the news lately, today we’ll think about what we can learn from its parabolic trajectory. We’ll also cover additional questions about the SECURE Act and I make a correction about something I said about the SECURE Act as it pertains to minor beneficiaries. Then we’ll cap off the […] The post What to do When a Stock Goes Parabolic, Ep #127 appeared first on...

Do you know how to avoid penalties on early retirement withdrawals? Is the 4% rule confusing to you? On this episode of Retirement Starts Today 2 astute listeners have some fantastic questions for me to answer today. You’ll want to listen in to hear 3 tips on how to take early retirement without the early […] The post 3 Tips to Avoid Penalties on Early Retirement Withdrawals, Ep #126 appeare...

Welcome back to another episode of Retirement Starts Today. On this episode, I review the questions that were asked in both sessions of the SECURE Act webinar. You’ll want to listen even if you attended a webinar session since you didn’t hear the questions that were asked in the other session. I really enjoyed teaching […] The post Questions and Answers from the SECURE Act Webinar, Ep # 125...

Now that the SECURE Act is the law, we need to rethink our estate planning strategies since it has effectively killed the stretch IRA. With the death of the stretch IRA, many people are scrambling to figure out what the best way is to leave their heirs their IRA’s. Fortunately, estate attorney and host of […] The post Estate Planning Strategies to Preserve IRA’s with John Ross, Ep #124 appea...

You know that you need to have a diversified portfolio with both stocks and bonds, but do you know how bonds work? On this episode of Retirement Starts Today we have 2 fantastic listener questions that deserve detailed responses. John wants to know how bonds work before he begins investing in them and George has […] The post How Bonds Work, Ep # 123 appeared first on Retirement Starts Today...

Webinar #1 sign up – 11AM CST, January 23rd Webinar #2 signup – 3:30PM CST January 23rd The recently passed Secure Act brought about the most significant changes to retirement planning in a decade. In this free live training, you’ll learn the key points that could affect your retirement plans, your parent’s retirement accounts, and […] The post Free Training January 23rd – The SE...

Webinar #1 sign up – 11AM CST, January 23rd Webinar #2 signup – 3:30PM CST January 23rd The recently passed Secure Act brought about the most significant changes to retirement planning in a decade. On this episode, you’ll learn the key points that could affect your retirement plans. Make sure to listen to the end […] The post How the Secure Act May Affect Your Retirement Plans, E...

Welcome back to Retirement Starts Today and welcome to 2020! The New Year is a time when many of us consider setting goals or resolutions and focus on self-improvement. I don’t have any new goals for 2020. Instead, I am looking to improve where I failed in 2019. Rather than feeling defeated by my resolution […] The post My 2019 Resolution Fails and What You Can Learn From Them, Ep # 121 appe...

Originally broadcast June 2019. I recently had 2 fantastic questions about retirement strategies come to my inbox. Both questions require thoughtful, detailed answers. So on today’s episode of Retirement Starts Today, I focus on carefully answering both of these questions. On this episode, you’ll learn how to tweak an already fantastic retirement plan and turn […] The post Tweak Your Retirem...

Originally broadcast June 2018 We all work hard to plan for retirement. In any such endeavor, it’s good to learn from other people’s triumphs and mistakes, so I’d like to share six retirement mistakes I see all too frequently. The best part is, they’re easily avoidable! The post Top 6 Easily Avoidable Retirement Mistakes [Rebroadcast] appeared first on Retirement Starts Today Radio .

Originally broadcast in May of 2019 Do you have a retirement planning process? Do you know how much you need to retire? Have you thought about what the purpose of your money is? Jason Parker from Sound Retirement Radio is my guest today and is here to discuss the steps you need to take to […] The post What’s Your Retirement Planning Process? with Jason Parker [Rebroadcast] appeared first on...

Originally broadcast April 2018. While becoming a 401k millionaire may seem like a crazy, out-of-reach goal, it’s not that hard to become a 401(k) millionaire if you have the self-discipline to stick with a long-term plan. The post 5 Easy Steps to be a 401k Millionaire [Rebroadcast] appeared first on Retirement Starts Today Radio .

Podcasts! I love them (and I’m guessing you do too). This week I’m sharing my favorite retirement podcasts that will educate and entertain you all the way to your ideal retirement. The post My Favorite Retirement Podcasts [Rebroadcast] appeared first on Retirement Starts Today Radio .

Are bonds worth buying as a way to help keep a balanced portfolio in retirement? You may have read in the news lately about negative yield bonds. One listener has, and he is concerned that if they aren’t paying much interest then maybe they aren’t worth buying. I’ll tell you my thoughts on bonds as […] The post Are Bonds Worth Buying in Retirement? Ep # 115 appeared first on Retirement Start...

We make financial choices harder than they need to be. That’s why Peter Lazaroff wrote the book, Making Money Simple. He joins me today to discuss the theme of his book. We reflect on why we make money decisions so complicated when the beauty of finance lies in simplicity. You’ll be interested to hear why […] The post This CIO Only Owns One Mutual Fund with Peter Lazaroff, Ep # 114 appeared...

Have you heard about the coming changes to Medicare in 2020? On this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we’ll say good-bye to the donut-hole and take a look at other relevant changes to the retiree health insurance program. Then in the retirement headline segment, I cover a Forbes article that highlights a proposal on lowering […] The post Wave Good-Bye to the Donut Hole and Other Changes t...

You may not have considered the importance of having friends in retirement, but they add more than just social value to your life. On the Retirement Headlines portion of the show, I read from a Forbes article that discusses the value of having an active social life in retirement. You’ll learn why an active social […] The post The Importance of Having Friends in Retirement, Ep # 112 appeared...

It’s Roth conversion season! What does that mean for you, and how can you take advantage of the current tax cuts to get the most out of your money? On this episode of Retirement Starts Today Radio we’ll get down and dirty with Roth IRA’s and find out what happens if you earn even $1 […] The post It’s Roth Conversion Season, Ep #111 appeared first on Retirement Starts Today Radio .

Have you considered a medi-share or health sharing plan in retirement? Shary asks why I’ve never mentioned them before. So on this episode, I open up and share what a health sharing ministry is and how I feel about them. Our second listener question comes from Don who asks about owning company stock in retirement. […] The post Are Health Sharing Plans Worth the Risk? Ep #110  appeared first...

If you turn on the cable news there is only one thing you will hear about: the possible impeachment of President Donald Trump. This is not a political show. I don’t discuss politics on this show or in my practice. But we do need to discuss the impeachment possibility because you need to be prepared […] The post Will a Trump Impeachment Crash Your Retirement? Ep # 109 appeared first on Retire...

Are annuities for retirees a good option? Nes wants to learn more about annuities and how they work. But before I answer that question, first Bruce asks how he can calculate his exact social security benefits. If you have a question for me that you would like answered on the show, you can email me […] The post Annuities for Retirees: Are They a Good Option? Ep #108 appeared first on Retireme...

 If you have been thinking of retiring early, you know that one of the biggest factors is health insurance before Medicare. One listener asks whether Obamacare or COBRA would be the best option. Another listener writes in with a question about investing his home equity in the stock market. You’ll hear my responses to these […] The post What is the Best Choice of Health Insurance Before Medic...

Do you understand how to use the bucket strategy for retirement? One listener has a question about how to use the bucket strategy and whether or not it is too conservative. I also answer another listener question about the 5-year rule for Roth conversions. And finally, we discuss a retirement headline about the shift from […] The post How to Use the Bucket Strategy for Retirement, Ep #106 ap...

What retirement lessons can you learn from a 4-hour daily commute? On this episode of Retirement Starts Today I share an article I found on CNBC. The article isn’t directly about retirement but there are lessons we can learn from it that apply to life and retirement. I also answer a listener question about Roth […] The post Retirement Lessons from a 4-Hour Commute, Ep # 105 appeared first on...