Retirement Talk Podcast with Laura Stover

The extended downturn in the market has given investors a chance to re-evaluate their portfolio and rethink the strategy that best fits their needs in retirement. Dividend-paying stocks are often a popular choice, especially in times like these, because they can help offset poor returns in a down year. One criteria to use when searching for a strong company is the dividend yield, which is how much...

As we prepare to turn the page to 2023, it's impossible to ignore the state of the market as we close out a second consecutive year with negative returns. Investor concern seems more elevated than normal, which isn't a surprise because this situation doesn't occur often. The market rarely sees a down year followed by another down year, but that's where we find ourselves right now.   We can't make...

This past year in the market has been difficult for just about everyone. Even conservative investors, who felt comfortable in bonds or fixed income have seen those returns near 40-year lows. As we look ahead to the new year and work with clients to build out diversified portfolios, we want to spend a little time unpacking bonds and helping you understand the pros and cons for investing in individu...

Annuities have experienced drastic growth in 2022 as investors look for guaranteed income during a market correction, but should you be allocating money into fixed index annuities or other options? One of the goals of this show is to provide perspective on financial news and trends because what people think they know and what they perceive about things isn't always accurate, and that's what we'll...

No matter how well you've planned, there's going to be some level of uneasiness for retirees when the economy struggles like it has over the past year. These volatile times motivate people to take the necessary steps to protect their retirement and proper planning can help you do just that. Because the market has been so healthy over the past decade or more, many people have gotten complacent and...

We've experienced a lot of market volatility this year and a tremendous rise in interest rates, and people are looking for ways for their dollar to grow to combat inflation. As people explore options for diversifying their portfolio, annuities are becoming a part of that conversation more and more.   In this episode, Laura Stover, RFC® and Darlene Tucker, CFP® will discuss the pros and cons for Fi...

The COVID pandemic has changed so much of our perspective on life but will it help drive people to pay more attention to the need for long-term care? At the onset of the pandemic in 2020, the last place you'd want to be is trapped in a nursing home, which is why we want to highlight this pillar of the planning process on this episode.   Laura Stover, RFC® and Michael Wallin, CFP® will try to answe...

As we prepare for the end of the year, there are numerous financial conversations that will happen as part of the Redefining Wealth® planning process and we want to get you thinking about one of those on this episode.    Many people have sold out of investments this year to move into cash because of volatility and uncertainty, and those choices will have an impact on your taxes for the next year....

Not many people expected 2022 to turn out the way it has from an economic standpoint as inflation, rising interest rates, and market declines have been in the headlines all year. The uneasiness has people asking us to explain how it got to this point and when we'll start to see a turnaround. We'll try to do that on this episode as Laura Stover, RFC® and Michael Wallin, CFP® will spend some time to...

The steep decline in the stock market and rising inflation is impacting all Americans but no one is feeling it quite like people that are nearing retirement or those that recently made the transition to retirement. The drop in account value paired with the decline in purchasing power can create a lot of uneasiness about retirement.   On this episode, Laura Stover, RFC® and Michael Wallin, CFP® wil...

With all the volatility this year, there are a lot of individuals re-examining the value their advisor brings in. Without knowing every option and without understanding how different financial services are structured, it can be difficult to truly evaluate your performance. That's why we want to provide a clear breakdown of what fees and costs advisors typically charge.   We'll start today's discus...

There's nothing quiet about the impact inflation is having on Americans right now, but inflation has long been considered the silent killer for retirement because of its ability to slowly erode your nest egg over time. If you aren't properly prepared to offset the year-to-year decrease in purchasing power, it might mean trouble for your retirement down the road.   On this episode, Laura Stover, RF...

Coming off an incredible decade of growth and returns in the stock market, the feeling among investors isn't nearly as optimistic in 2022. Darlene Tucker, CFP® joins Laura Stover, CFP® on the show today to help us look forward and determine what lies ahead for the market as the economy comes to a halt. While many things feel similar to the lost decade of the 1970s, there are some notable differenc...

It's difficult to feel settled when markets are falling and uncertainty clouds the future, but we know that corrections are a normal and essential part of the cyclical nature of the market. They release pressure on markets when equities rise too fast, but that doesn't ease our mind when we're in the midst of the turbulence. What can help, however, is maintaining the right perspective.   Having a c...

In a year that's been highlighted by uncertainty and volatility, iBonds have risen in popularity thanks to a guaranteed interest rate that's been on the rise alongside inflation. Being able to generate a return of over 9% on your cash is pretty appealing, but should iBonds be a part of your portfolio right now?   Laura Stover, RFC® and Michael Wallin, CFP® will break it all down on this episode an...

When it comes to the world of investing, critiquing prior financial choices is a very common practice and it leads to us falling into the trap of hindsight bias. Studies have shown that people will go back and change opinions after the fact and then form new ones that more closely match how reality unfolded. It's how we justify our past decisions and why it can be so difficult for investors to mak...

Most people enjoy being in control of their life and it's hard to let go when it comes to money. That's why it's not a surprise that the do-it-yourself approach has cropped up everywhere over the past decade, but is DIY investing a successful strategy? We're going to explore the idea of building your own retirement plan with a special co-host today, Darlene Tucker, CFP®, who is a colleague and a c...

The common theme in the market this year has been volatility, and that hasn't slowed down at all throughout the summer. The month of August saw the S&P 500 drop 4.2 percent after four straight days of declines, which was driven by the expectations stemming from the Fed's plan for tight policy. We learned more about that during Fed Chair Jerome Powell speech at a conference in Jackson Hole where he...

Most people don't understand the connective tissue that exists between government spending and how that impacts us all because it's our responsibility to pay that money back. David Walker, the seventh Comptroller of the United States, is one of the handful of well-respected experts that are telling us that America is facing large economic problems due to recent fiscal policy and growing national d...

After years and years of saving money, there will come a point where we need to make withdrawals for retirement income and have to begin taking money out of those IRA accounts and those qualified accounts. The question many pre-retirees and retirees have is how do you know how much you can pull out and spend safely? This is a topic that's very relevant to anyone approaching retirement, but even if...

We began the discussion on sequence of return risk on our last podcast and we want to continue addressing some key components to this risk. Not understanding how this impacts your portfolio can present a real threat to your retirement.  In this part of our discussion, we'll explore the four general spending and investing techniques for managing sequence of returns risk that Dr. Wade Pfau talks abo...

Understanding the sequence of return risk in your portfolio is one of the most important things we can learn about while planning for retirement and yet there is not enough conversation out there on this topic. We need to understanding this risk even more now with a disappointing job report and the current market volatility.   So, what is sequence risk then? It's the risk that comes with the order...

Believe it or not, the Fed was wrong. It turns out the inflation we've been experiencing is not transitory. They thought these high prices would stick around for six months or less. However, that's certainly not the case and consumer sentiment is very low. With this low confidence it's expected we'll continue to see market volatility. So, what can investors do now to protect their portfolios?  If...

We are continuing our discussion this week on annuities and the value they have with a balanced portfolio. We'll focus specifically on the differences between annuities and bonds with our special guest host, Joe Casey.  An annuity is a contract with an insurance company that ensures income in the future. It's simple and can be valuable to the right investor. On the other hand, bonds are a bit more...

We've been discussing the market and the volatility investors have been experiencing all year long. With this bear market many investors are wondering if they should move to cash because it's safe. But, with 9.1% inflation rate we need to consider how to balance our portfolio. So, what are some alternatives when it comes to building our income plan? On the other hand, annuities can be a benefit to...