Secure Your Retirement

Welcome to our very first episode of the year! Regardless of what the stock market will look like in 2023, you should consider some things in your retirement plan to still be in a good place. It would be good to begin the year at the right place financially and in your retirement planning strategy. You also want to understand where you stand, whether you’re already in retirement or getting closer...

We’ve come to the end of the year! It was a fun-filled year with quite an unpredictable market, but we made it. In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podcast, we will cover three main topics we’ve covered throughout the year. We discuss the episodes focusing on tax planning, retirement planning, and annuities. Listen in to learn why you should ensure your financial advisor and CPA are conn...

Do you know the difference between Adjusted Gross Income and Modified Adjusted Gross Income? Are you aware of how they affect your tax bracket and Medicare charges? Understanding the difference between AGI and MAGI and having conversations about them with your financial advisor will help you manage your taxes and IRMAA efficiently. The “looking forward tax planning” strategy is about helping you s...

Looking for an Update for what's been happening during 2022 and what's going to happen in 2023? How about inflation and recession? Will we see a recession in 2023? What has the Federal government been doing? When interest rates rise, does the economy absorb it? The Federal government has raised interest rates very quickly this year. What about the coming year? How are the elections affecting our e...

Looking for a positive during this current negative high-interest rate market? How about looking into fixed index annuities? We’re experiencing the best interest rates environment that we have witnessed in the fixed annuities arena in over ten years. A fixed index annuity is an insurance product that acts as a bond alternative with a protected principle by the insurance company. Annuities are even...

Have you heard about structured notes, and what questions do you have about them? Structured notes are issued by a bank to perform in either the risk management growth or income categories. A bank looks at elements such as interest rates, volatility in the market, and some indices before issuing structured notes.   In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podcast, we talk about stru...

What should you be thinking about or doing with your tax planning as we approach the end of the year? Planning your taxes ahead of April is a great way to make the process more efficient. When it comes to tax planning, the earlier you can do it outside of April, the more things you can get done. Some of the things you should be looking into include RMDs and QCDs, which depend on the situation or a...

Who wants to pay taxes? It’s impossible to avoid paying taxes altogether; what we can do is be more efficient with them. Tax planning is an essential part of your retirement plan. To plan tax efficiently in your retirement, you have to understand all the different investments you’ve accumulated and the different types of tax structures to them. In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podcast...

Have you ever thought about incorporating a fun fund into your retirement spending plan? How realistic is it to do the fun things you want to do and for the time you want to do them after retirement? A fun fund is an extra fund that’s added to your retirement spending fund categories as part of your basic wants after retirement. In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podcast, we talk about...

What questions should you be asking yourself when planning and thinking about retirement? When it comes to planning for your retirement, your major concerns should be around your goals, your need for professional help, and the actual retirement plan. To build a retirement-focused financial plan, you must have goals or at least have an idea of what you want your retirement to look like. In this epi...

What do you do in an extended market downside as opposed to a short one? How do you invest in a downturn market? The closer we are to retirement, the more nervous a downside market affects us. All year 2022, the market has been volatile, and the recovery is not as quick as we experienced during the 2020 pandemic. What we’re looking for now are investments that are low risks, not correlated to the...

What exactly is causing the current inflation, and how does it affect your retirement? The supply chain issues we experienced during the pandemic majorly contributed to the current global inflation we’re now experiencing. The Fed has increased rates on a few major product categories raising the cost of inflation. In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podcast, we talk about the cause of inf...

Should you work with a fiduciary, and what does it mean to be a fiduciary? A financial advisor working under the fiduciary premise is bound by certifications and licenses to make transactions in the client’s best interest. In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podcast, we explain the importance of working with a fiduciary to manage your retirement investment. Listen in to learn the differe...

Are you going to be able to avoid IRMAA surcharges on Medicare parts B and D? IRMAA stands for Income-Related Monthly Adjusted Amount, and there are charges on both parts B and D based on where your income lands. If you’re thinking about retiring any time soon, there are ways to manage your income to stay at a lower amount to avoid surcharges on your Medicare premiums. In this episode of the Secur...

When you think about the GPS in your car, you think about how it will direct you to the right destination. The most important part of your GPS is knowing where you are so it can help you get to your destination. Our retirement program is similar to a GPS designed to help you get to your retirement destination without any worries. In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podcast, we take you t...

Have you been wondering whether to do a beneficiary and how to do it? There are different accounts that require you to have beneficiaries, including your retirement accounts. A beneficiary is a person you assign while you’re living to receive the benefits of your accounts after you pass. In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podcast, we talk about beneficiary destinations and how to do the...

Have you given thought to the possibility of having the hormonal replacement therapy conversation? As we age, hormones will inevitably decline and it’s something that everyone will have to deal with. The hormonal optimization therapy is something we should discuss now that the benefits outweigh the risks with the current literature. In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podcast, we have Dr...

Are you considering taking that complimentary call and possibly working with us? Here at Peace of Mind, we have a well-curated system from the first meeting we have with a potential client to the actual job of managing their financial retirement plan. In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podcast, we take you through our process and the four steps to secure your retirement. Listen in to le...

Have you heard of I bonds and are wondering how they can work for you? An Inflationary bond is an interest-earning bond issued by the government. Even though the money market isn’t looking very attractive right now, I bonds seem attractive and are as of today paying up to a 9.62% rate of return. In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podcast, we talk about I bonds, what they are, and how th...

How in control are you of your spending? Have you ever considered living a frugal lifestyle? Frugality is about being conscious about your spending and being a good steward of your resources. When you know what you want out of your life, conscious spending and setting boundaries become easier. In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podcast, Jen Smith explains how to get control of your spen...

If you don’t have Medicare all figured out, you’re not alone. Medicare is very complicated to understand and even get into. It is important that you start planning to enroll in Medicare in a timely manner, that is, before turning 65. But it’s not necessary for everyone, some people can completely defer Medicare depending on individual situations. In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podca...

Are you noticing that you’re dealing with more stress now that you’re retired or close to retirement? Stress is in itself not inherently bad, but chronic stress is and can lead to chronic illnesses. Becoming aware of how stress is showing up for you and being specific about what’s stressing you are great ways to take away the ambiguity of stress and start taking action. In this episode of the Secu...

Over the last couple of years, we’ve covered many topics on investing and retirement planning. We have a whole library of information on any topic that you can think of. In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podcast, we share information on where you can find the episodes, you’re looking for over a glass of Erath Pinot Noir wine. We explain the different episodes under different categories...

How do you keep your home and online space secure? Are you proactive in the steps you take to avoid fixing any damage?  It’s important to understand the real threats that your family can face and how to be proactive about your security. The first step you should take towards your home security is making your home an unattractive target to the bad guys. In this episode of the Secure Your Retir...

If you have Osteoporosis or are exposed to its dangers, maybe it’s time you consider a comprehensive treatment approach. Osteoporosis is the diagnosis of having poor bone quality and quantity. Its treatment includes lifestyle changes that can help you prevent, slow down, or reverse the disease and enjoy your retirement. In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement podcast, we have Dr. Doug Lucas,...