Retirement Success Blueprint With Michael Stewart

It seems that people have different definitions of “safe money” as it relates to their savings. Let’s discuss some of those varying explanations of the term and why it’s an important conversation for any retiree or pre-retiree to have.

We get a lot of questions from listeners wanting to know how they can determine when it will be “safe” for them to retire. Let’s look at some of the key factors that help a person define what “safe” means and when they can indeed pull that retirement lever.

When it comes to financial planning, everybody has some kind of pain point. Those pain points are different for each person, but everyone has something that bothers them. Michael tells us about some times where he's helped clients through these frustrating areas.

Most people have a junk drawer at home. It usually contains things like rubber bands, clothespins, highlighters, glue sticks, a tape measure, a label maker, and a pair of scissors. But most people have a financial junk drawer too. Let’s talk about some of the things that end up there and how they might be put to better use…

In many areas of our culture, the do-it-yourself mentality is really popular. There’s even a DIY Network where you can watch shows about home renovation, landscaping, or interior design, and how to do those things without professional help. Let’s talk about what the DIY mentality looks like in retirement planning.

You want to feel informed about your options when it comes to making financial decisions. So, you probably turn to a lot of different sources to gather that information. Let’s look at some of the most popular areas from which you’re getting your financial education and evaluate whether these are wise areas from which to grow your financial knowledge.

Let’s talk about some of the details that people often fail to consider when they’re planning their retirement.

Not everything in financial planning is black and white. In fact, most things aren’t black and white—there’s usually a lot of gray area. Let’s identify some of the issues that usually require a nuanced discussion…

How do you know if your financial advisor is a bad fit for you? What about an advisor that you’re thinking about working with? How can you tell the good ones from the bad ones?

Any advisor worth his or her salt is going to have a conversation with you about risk. But what in the world is “risk tolerance”? It’s a buzzword that gets used a lot in meetings with financial advisors, but we’ve found that a lot of people don’t have a great understanding of how their risk tolerance truly impacts their financial and retirement plans. Let’s fix that and give you the 411 on risk to...

Most people think that a financial advisor’s primary job is picking investments. That’s only a small part of it. The reality is that the primary job is solving problems. Let’s look at some situations that have happened over the years where the financial planning became less about picking investments and more about solving problems.

A lot of people have questions about their retirement plan, but we find that they’re often asking the wrong questions. We’ll cover some of these common questions and learn about the different questions you should be asking instead.

Depending on who you ask, you could get very different answers to some of retirement planning’s most important questions. Let’s see where our opinions all stand on issues like insurance, mutual funds & annuities. And we’ll try to answer why there are so many different opinions on these concepts.

Just because you can’t plainly see all the expenses you’ll incur during the retirement planning process doesn’t mean they aren’t there. Let’s cover 5 important areas where you’ll want to watch for hidden expenses.

An early retirement sounds fantastic to most people. Who wouldn’t want to kick off the extra travel, less stress and more freedom that retirement can often bring a little earlier than planned? However, a lot of people don’t realize the additional complications presented when you retire early. Let’s tackle what early retirement means for most people and how you can best set yourself up to achieve t...

There’s a lot more to retirement planning than just picking investments. Is your advisor helping you navigate all the other essential areas?

A lot of investors (and quite frankly a lot of advisors) fall victim to fuzzy math when it comes to their retirement planning. Let’s explore some of the areas where someone might be employing fuzzy math.

It’s important to be able to recognize the difference between an advisor who actually has a planning process and one who just gives sales pitches all day. Let’s go over how you can identify the difference.

Statistics can sometimes make your head spin. But sometimes they give us some helpful insight into how others approach financial and retirement planning. Let’s look at some intriguing demographics and see what they tell us about retirement these days.

Creating a customized retirement plan for any individual can mean addressing some unique challenges. With each of these scenarios, let’s discuss the challenges presented, as well as the solutions you might come up with…

Mission statements give our dollars a purpose. They help us to develop a sound strategy in our portfolio. Let’s find out whether you’re effectively putting your money to work for you.

For some folks, the idea of putting together a financial plan can be overwhelming. But it’s less threatening if you just focus on a first step to get you started. But depending on your situation, your most logical first step could be one of several things… We'll also answer Samantha in Lake Zurick's question about how she can empower her mother to live a little in retirement. Plus, is carrying deb...

It’s probably common sense when you think about human nature, but some of the riskiest investments are also the most popular. At least the risky ones generate a lot of interest, even if most folks don’t end up actually making an investment. Let’s look at some of these popular and risky investments. We'll also answer Marie's question about having too many life insurance policies. And does Michael a...

Some advice just makes good sense. But sometimes the guidance we get doesn’t align with our expectations. That’s not necessarily a bad thing - that type of advice can be just as helpful. Let’s talk about some of the counterintuitive financial advice you may, or may not, receive.

Any time the market is moving in a downward direction, or even just wavering, we see people react in various ways. Take a listen to see if you identify with one of these common reactions to market corrections. Do you over-trade as a response? Do you stick your head in the sand or run around like a chicken with your head cut off? We’ll give you ways you can avoid becoming your worst enemy and show...