Retiring Today

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!

In the last three months of 2020, we have seen some of the most volatile market days insect 1929. Monday, March 9th and Monday, March 16th were some of the worst trading days in history with some of the largest drops ever. While some investors are used to volatility, this type of extreme volatility is unprecedented and something many have never seen in their lifetime. Pre-Retirees and Retirees are...

2020 has proved to be a game changer. Plans are not going the way many people had hoped or ever predicted. In this episode of Retiring Today, we discuss the risks associated with retirement and how you can manage those risks within your retirement plan.

As millions of Americans wait on their stimulus payments, scammers are looking to take advantage. In this episode of Retiring Today, Julie Wagner - Compliance Officer at Merkle Retirement Planning, joins us to talk about these scams and how you can protect yourself. 

Last Monday, stocks fell sharply with the Dow suffering its worst day since the "Black Monday" market crash in 1987 and its third-worst day ever. This was even after the Federal Reserve embarked on a massive monetary stimulus campaign to curb slower economic growth amid the coronavirus outbreak. On this episode of Retiring Today, Chawn Honkomp joins Loren, Molly, and Richelle to discuss why this t...

What a week it has been for market volatility. Just Monday, the S&P 500 plummeted 7% at the open, tripping circuit breakers that briefly halted trading at the New York Stock Exchange. Plus global oil markets plunged after the implosion of an alliance between OPEC and Russia caused the worst one-day crash in crude prices in nearly 30 years. Then Thursday, a level-one circuit breaker was trigger...

The coronavirus is now rattling our global markets. The Dow John Industrial Average plummeted over 1000 points or more than 4% in one day this past week as fiscal impact of the coronavirus is spreading. The losses mark the worst week for the Dow since the financial crash of 2008. According to ABC News reporter Catherine Thorbecke, “The sharp fall comes as public head officials warn that Americans...

When planning for retirement, there's definitely a specific type of financial planning that needs to be done. When it comes to investing, accumulation investing and retirement investing are two completely different philosophies. In this episode of Retiring Today, we talk about the difference between your investing strategies during these different phases of life. 

Social Security is an important source of income for retirees in America. Nonetheless, the process of applying for and calculating benefits can be tricky and complex, based on such factors as past income and your age when you choose to elect benefits. In this episode of Retiring Today, we walk through the history of Social Security and the top point to think about when electing your benefits.&nbsp...

Pre-retirees often come to us with the same questions "What do I need to know before retirement?" or "What should I be doing before I retire?" Preparing to leave full time work and make the transition from saving to spending can be complex and have lot of moving pieces. In this episode of Retiring Today, we answer the top frequently asked questions by pre-retirees including "Do I have enough money...

In a perfect world, retirement is easy. You make your plan, you give your two weeks notice, you celebrate your last day of work and then, before you know it, you are officially retired! The reality is that retirement is a third of your life, not a fleeting moment in time and as a major life phase, there is a lot of planning involved and it doesn't all happen at one time. In this episode of Retirin...

With a longer lifespan and often less time building a nest egg, the stakes for women are higher in retirement, but these challenges don't have to sideline your planning. The ladies of Merkle Retirement Planning are taking over the mics in this episode of Retiring Today. We discuss the SECURE Act, what women need to consider when it comes to investments, health care, and how to plan to carry out le...

The beginning of a New Year is often the time the people make resolutions. Whether you are 10 years out from retirement or ready to take your 30 year vacation this year, you are not going to want to miss this episode. We will cover how to plan for inflation, what is means to diversify your accounts from a tax perspective, making sure your accounts have the right beneficiaries on them and so much m...

Since 2006, the largest piece of legislative change in retirement rules took place last week and will go into effect January 1, 2020. The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement or SECURE Act includes significant provisions aimed at increasing access to tax-advantaged accounts and preventing older Americans from outliving their assets. Lawmakers hope the new rules will do two things:...

What do you want to do when you retire? Do you want to travel the world? Do you want to live close to the grandkids? Do you finally want to get around those projects that have been pushed aside? For many, retirement can be an exciting time to discover or expand a personal passion. As the daily grind of work and other responsibilities subside, retirees may have time to explore the activities, hobbi...

There's one thing you can count on when you're dealing with Medicare - by the time you figure out the system, it will change. Those changes are coming January 1, 2020. The major of these changes will primarily impact those who are new to the government health insurance program. But this does leave pre-retirees and retirees with the question - how will this impact my retirement?  In this episo...