Retiring Today

According to a Morningstar report , 70% of people turning age 65 will need some type of long-term care services in their life and 24% of people turning 65 will require paid long-term care for more than two years. There are many costs in retirement you can plan for with a high degree of certainty. The fun stuff like visiting grandkids, traveling or living each day like it is Saturday. The necessary...

Do you find yourself spending more time daydreaming about hanging out with grandkids, relaxing by the beach or doing your favorite hobbies and less time on getting up each day to go to work? If you've got the itch to trade your career in for fishing, volunteering or other fun then it may be time to retire. In this episode of Retiring Today, we talk you step-by-step through the move after you decid...

We're often taught to use benchmarks to measure the success of our investment performance but as an industry we don't provide a lot of education around index construction. In this episode of Retiring Today, we talk about benchmark performance vs retirement performance. 

Contrary to what we're often told, our product is not the plan. A retirement plan does include investments but the comprehensive customized plan incorporates a lot of other moving parts. In this never heard before podcast, Loren and Molly will be discussing the junk drawer of investments and the best way to organize them. 

Retirement can be scary for some. With so many unknowns and unpredictable aspects, it's understandable you can feel scared at times. In this episode of Retiring Today, we breakdown some of the most common scares that may haunt people and how you can fight back with a retirement plan to help you achieve the retirement of your dreams.

They say hindsight is 2020. But who could have told us 2020 would play out like this? How could the outcome of the 2020 presidential election affect you and your retirement vision? Find out in this special episode of Retiring Today!

Whether you are a Trump supporter, Biden supporter, undecided or not interested in casting a vote, both candidates have plans for taxes, health care and Social Security that could impact your retirement. In this special edition of Retiring Today, we breakdown each candidate's plan and how your retirement could be affected by this election. 

Market hate uncertainty. Election years always bring some uncertainty to the table as candidates from different viewpoints campaign and discuss potential policy changes. There's even MORE uncertainty with 2020 - elections, COVID and the consequent economic fallout, employment and education unknowns and whatever else 2020 wants to throw at us. In this episode of Retiring Today, Retirement Income Ce...

Health care is a HUGE part of the overall retirement planning equation. From electing the Medicare options that are right for you to when is the best time to elect Medicare, there are a lot of questions that can come up. In this episode of Retiring Today, we uncover some of the mysteries, misconceptions and common questions about Medicare and supplemental plans with the Director of Medicare at Mer...

Most people think of tax season as January through April but as the end of the year draws near the window of opportunity for tax planning in 2020 is closing. When it comes to retirement, taxes are one of the biggest wealth eroding factors but if you implement a proactive tax plan you can control some of that future tax risk. During your working years there's much less you can do to control/limit y...

What would you do if you won the lottery tomorrow? How would your life change? It may seem glamorous to win the lottery or dream of a giant lump sum of money but the reality is, people who win the lottery are typically not accustomed to handling large sums of money given to them immediately and a whole host of problems can arise. The same logic can apply to those people who inherit large sums of m...

The old rule of thumb used to be that you needed $1 million to retire. Now, there are many in the industry who think you need $3 million to retire. If you didn't start planning for your retirement in your 20's or 30's, you are looking at $3,720 to $8,493 a month that you need to aside for retirement. In this episode of Retiring Today, Abby Huntrods and Chawn Honkomp explore the idea of how much yo...

We often say retirement has changed over the years - today's retirees don't experience retirement the same way that Americans in retirement did in 1950. WWII had ended, the economy was booming and the baby boomer generation was born. Now, many of those people born during the 1950s are getting ready to retire or have already retired. In this episode of Retiring Today, we discuss how much retirement...

Next up in our Superhero series is the topic of Life Insurance. It is a topic that top of mind for a lot of people due to the Coronavirus pandemic landscape we are currently in. In this episode of Retiring Today, we will cover how life insurance can be sued in your retirement plan to create tax-free wealth for your loved ones, cover long-term care and also could be an income source.  Show Not...

Social Security is the backbone of your retirement. It can lay a great foundation for your income but should not be used as your only source of retirement income. In today's episode of Retiring Today, we are breaking down some of the top Social Security myths we hear from families and individuals as they prepare for retirement. 

The Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) age has changed! In December of 2019, a major piece of legislation was passed and lots of changes came with it. How does the RMD age change from 70.5 to 72 in the SECURE Act going to affect your retirement? Tune into this week's episode of Retiring Today. 

Next up in our Retirement Superhero Series is the Non-Qualified Account - an option that can supercharge your retirement and diversify your portfolio. In this episode of Retiring Today, Chawn Honkomp and Abby Huntrods take over the podcast booth discussing the ways this superhero can help you meet your retirement vision. 

Retirement has changed over time and the changes come in all forms. From corporate trends focusing pensions to go away to legislative changes, it can be hard to navigate what you should focus on in your retirement. In today's episode of Retiring Today with Loren Merkle, we will be discuss retirement law changes, new investing options, and strategies to protect your legacy. Articles Referenced in t...

Worried about having enough money for your retirement? Income is the foundation of any retirement. It impacts almost all the decisions you make before retirement and in retirement. It also is the number one concern for pre-retirees. In today's episode of Retiring Today, we will explore the creation of retirement income and how to make it creatively customized for you and your retirement needs.&nbs...

We've talked a lot about the Roth IRA and how powerful it can be in your retirement plan. Over the past few months, we've been working with our families to initiate Roth Conversions as we've experience unprecedented marketing volatility. In this episode of Retiring Today, Director of Medicare, AnnaMarie Morrow, join the team to talk about how Roth Conversions can affect your overall retirement pla...

A powerful savings vehicle is the superhero of this episode of Retiring Today. The HSA is a superhero due to its health care benefits and tax savings. Director of Health Care, AnnaMarie Morrow, joins Loren Merkle, Molly Nelson, and Richelle Smith in the Retiring Today Podcast booth to discuss this powerful superhero.

Many come into retirement with an employer plan such as a 401(k), 403(b), 401(a), 457, ESOP Plan, Pensions, and even SEP IRA or Simple IRAs. These plans are some of the easiest to set up and contribute to during your work years. But what about in retirement? In today's episode of Retiring Today, we will discuss different employer plans and how to utilize them in retirement.  Show Notes: Here'...

There is a big difference between an accumulation adviser and a retirement planner. Many often use one or the other but you can really make the most of things by using both in your lifetime. In today's episode of Retiring Today, Merkle Retirement Planning's Investment Adviser Representative, Chawn Honkomp, joins the team to discuss the difference between an accumulation adviser and a retirement pl...

We have defiantly seen a volatile market over the last few months and have officially ended a Bear market. Now Bear markets are normal, especially given the overall history of the stock market. But buy entering this new phase fo the market, it might have you wondering when is the right time to buy and when is the right time to sell. In this week's episode of Retiring Today, we evaluate your next m...

Introducing our Superhero Series! First superhero we are going to cover is the POWER of the Roth. Roth IRAs provide more of a benefit than ever before in today's "taxes are on sale" environment. Tax-Free money is always a good thing. Join us for a fun filled episode of Retiring Today!