Retirement Starts Today

Are you ready to learn about portfolio distribution? I've got the perfect visual for you! Listen in to hear how to rebalance your portfolio in retirement. Thank you all for sending in your rebalancing spreadsheets! Several listeners sent in their own rebalancing spreadsheets and they all were fantastic. I'm working with an Excel wizard and […]

On this week's episode of Retirement Starts Today we'll discuss whether donor-advised funds are a good fit, tax planning in retirement, and answer a listener question about Roth IRA's. Have you taken our listener survey? If you are signed up for the Every Day is Saturday email list then you've probably seen the listener survey. […]

Do you have multiple retirement accounts lying around and don't know what to do with them? On this episode of Retirement Starts Today we answer 2 listener questions. One is about having multiple retirement accounts with multiple custodians, the other is about how to withdraw from a portfolio in retirement without adding additional risk. Then […]

Charitable giving in a tax beneficial way has gotten a bit more complicated with the new tax law. Of course, we donate to charities to help those less fortunate, but it helps when we receive tax benefits as well. CPA, John Madison, joins me to discuss how to reap the most tax benefits from your […]

Is your Social Security timing losing you money? Millions of Americans don't ideally time their Social Security and end up losing thousands of dollars. On today's episode of Retirement Starts Today I focus on 3 articles. The first one focuses on Morning Star's star ratings. You'll learn how and why they are getting an overhaul. […]

On this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we'll discuss the pros and cons of target date funds as well as Vanguard's managed payout fund. You'll learn exactly what a target date fund is and why they are the preferred vehicle of the majority of 401K savers. We'll discuss an Investment News article that warns of […]

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 it into an epic […]

When planning your retirement lifestyle it's a good idea to think about how to add exercise into your routine. Many people who haven't made exercise a regular part of their lives may think that it will be difficult but retirement is a great time to start a new lifestyle. Fitness expert, Pete McCall, joins me […]

Are you planning to keep up your life insurance in retirement? One listener asks if I think it's necessary. I also answer another question from a listener about diversification. As you approach retirement, you may want to rethink your risk tolerance. Do you feel secure in your asset allocation? Many people prefer to stay safe […]

Do you have moldy money hanging out in your accounts? I'm not talking about the cash that got wet and stuck in the back of a drawer. Moldy money is the topic of today's Retire Ready segment, you'll want to listen to find out why you don't want to keep moldy money around. You'll also […]

The father of life planning, George Kinder, joins me on this episode of Retirement Starts Today Radio. George trains financial advisors to look at the softer side of retirement planning, at what he calls life planning. He helps financial advisors teach their clients how to live life to the fullest in retirement. Life planning is […]

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 begin considering your retirement. Jason has […]

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. Also in today's episode of Retirement Starts Today, I will help you understand reverse mortgages. You'll discover what they are and whether they are […]

On this episode of Retirement Starts Today I tackle the age-old question: should you sell in May and go away? This is a question you may hear each April and May so we'll talk about where it came from and why people say it. We'll also discuss a big idea from Nobel laureate, Richard Thaler, […]

It was a Thursday afternoon in July of 2017. I had just finished at the gym and checked my phone on the way to my car – over a dozen missed calls – my immediate reaction was, "Who died?"… Rewind to the fall of 2016, my wife & I had decided to start the process […]

You know that the key to investing is having a diversified investment strategy and on this episode of Retirement Starts Today you will hear how people that decided to switch gears during the crisis ended up losing out. We will also discuss the Lyft IPO and why betting on individual stocks is no safer than […]

Will retiring baby boomers crash the stock market? Are you part of the looming baby boomer retirement crisis? According to some experts, baby boomers will crash the market when they retire. Find out my take on this by listening in. You guys probably don't want to hear another thing about taxes after paying Uncle Sam […]

Welcome to Retirement Starts Today Radio, a retirement podcast. On today's episode, we take a look at your children. Will they be the downfall of your retirement plans? We all love our kids, but they could ruin our financial planning for retirement if we don't create some boundaries. We will also discuss a new retirement […]

What could we learn about ourselves if we took a one-week "dry run" at retirement? Your host Benjamin Brand CFP®, RICP® is under the weather, so we are revisiting this idea of sitting home for a full week and doing absolutely nothing. What can be learned about your future, and how would your plans for […]

Are you ready for your kids to start learning about finances? Well, don't send them to me! This may surprise you, it certainly surprised a client of mine that asked me to work worth their children. I specialize in working with baby boomers who are getting ready to retire and I don't work with young […]

Have you ever considered buying fraud insurance for your portfolio? How about moving abroad to save on health care costs? On this episode of Retirement Starts Today we go over articles that tackle these questions as well as why many financial firms are giving back money to their clients. Listen to this episode of Retirement […]

Have you ever heard of the term forcing mechanism? You may not have since it is a scientific term. But today you will learn how a forcing mechanism can improve your retirement. But first, we will discuss 2 headlines for you to think about. The first one will make you wonder what you should be […]

In this episode of Retirement Starts Today, you will learn about scams targeting seniors, what not to do to replace long-term care, and how the sharing economy may help you stay independent longer. You will also learn whether you should invest in the latest marijuana investment craze. Listen to this episode of Retirement Starts Today […]

Have you heard of the grey divorce phenomenon? Many of us have the vision of walking into retirement hand in hand with our spouse. You know that vision, where you walk off into the sunset and live happily ever after. What happens instead if you face a divorce in retirement, can there be a happily […]

When is the last time you checked up on your employer-sponsored retirement plan? Dealing with 401K's is a daunting task, people have so much on their plates already. Learning about all the fees and costs can be a bother. But it is important to know whether your employer-sponsored retirement plan is up to snuff. On […]