Strategic Planning Podcast

We spend a lot of time talking about the danger of taking too much risk. Today we’re flipping it around. For a lot of retirees, the bigger threat isn’t losing money in a market drop. It’s slowly coming up short without ever noticing it happened.    Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spcinvesting.com/   Schedule A Visit: https://talkstomike.com/

Some financial decisions look complicated and turn out to be pretty simple. Others look simple and are anything but. Today we're taking a list of common money moves and sorting them into two piles: harder than it looks, or easier than it looks. Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spcinvesting.com/   Schedule A Visit: https://talkstomike.com/

It's spooky season. And while most people are thinking about haunted houses and horror movies, a lot of pre-retirees have scarier things on their minds: running out of money, or a market crash at exactly the wrong time. Today we're shining a flashlight on five of the biggest financial frights and how to prepare for them.   Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spcinvesting.com/   Schedule A...

Talking about money can be hard for some people, and sometimes it just takes the right question to get things rolling. Here are a few we think are worth asking.   Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spcinvesting.com/   Schedule A Visit: https://talkstomike.com/

Being named the executor of someone's will can feel like an honor. It can also feel like a lot of pressure. It's more than handing out inheritances. It's paperwork, accounts, taxes, property, creditors, and sometimes family dynamics, stretched out over months or even years. A lot of clients end up in this role without ever planning to, and we're often the first call they make. Let's talk through h...

Somewhere in a drawer, a filing cabinet, or a shoebox in the closet, most of us are holding onto financial paperwork we don't actually need. And we’re probably missing a few things we do need. Let's sort out what stays, what goes, and where it all belongs.   Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spcinvesting.com/   Schedule A Visit: https://talkstomike.com/

More people in their 60s and 70s are staying on the job than ever before, and it's not always about the money. Let's dig into the real reasons retirees keep showing up to work.   Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spcinvesting.com/   Schedule A Visit: https://talkstomike.com/

Whether you're visiting one of the 63 national parks this summer or just hitting a local trail, a lot of the best practices for a great hike apply just as well to your retirement plan. Let's “walk” through a few.   Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spcinvesting.com/   Schedule A Visit: https://talkstomike.com/

Dave Ramsey has built one of the most recognized brands in personal finance. Millions of people have followed his advice out of debt and into savings. But when it comes to how much you should pull from your retirement accounts each year, Ramsey takes a position that some financial professionals find hard to get behind. Today we're breaking it down: what he says, what the research says, and what yo...

This year's Fourth of July carries a little extra weight as we celebrate 250 years of American independence, and that's worth a moment. But between the hot dogs, the parades, and the fireworks, we started thinking about how many of our favorite holiday traditions have a pretty natural financial parallel. So that's what we're doing today… and the comparisons might surprise you.   Show Links & I...

It's summer — and nothing says summer quite like Tom Cruise as Maverick soaring across the sky in Top Gun. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the original film, and with Tom Cruise's birthday on July 3rd, we figured it was the perfect excuse to revisit some of the most iconic quotes from the franchise and see what they have to say about your financial life.   Show Links & Info: SPC Invest...

When retirement is around the corner, some of the biggest decisions aren’t about when to retire; they’re about how income continues if one spouse is gone. Pension options can look straightforward on paper, but the tradeoffs behind them are anything but. Today, we’re walking through a listener question that highlights a common decision couples face. Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spci...

We're doing something a little different today. Three listeners wrote in with variations of the same question- am I ready to retire in 2026? Same question, three very different situations, three very different answers.     Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spcinvesting.com/   Schedule A Visit: https://talkstomike.com/

We heard from a listener who has managed their own money for years and done well. So why would they need an advisor now that retirement is around the corner?   Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spcinvesting.com/   Schedule A Visit: https://talkstomike.com/

A new proposal out of Washington is adding a fresh angle to the Social Security solvency debate. Today, we're breaking down what's proposed, if it might cost you money in the future, and what questions it raises for anyone planning around Social Security right now.   Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spcinvesting.com/   Schedule A Visit: https://talkstomike.com/

This week on Strategic Planning, the team answers listener questions about smart financial decisions as retirement approaches. They discuss what to do with extra cash flow after paying off your mortgage, options for covering health insurance if you retire before Medicare eligibility, and how taxes work when withdrawing money from retirement accounts. Tune in for practical insights to help you thin...

Nobody likes tax season. But for new retirees, it can come with a few unwelcome surprises. The rules have changed, the income sources have shifted, and strategies that made sense during your working years may no longer apply. Today we're looking at some of the biggest tax mistakes retirees make as discussed in a recent Kiplinger article and whether these match what we see in the real world.    Sho...

When a parent passes away, emotions and finances tend to collide, especially when real estate is involved. One of the most common things that stalls families is fear of taxes, even when that fear isn’t fully understood. Today’s listener question is about an inherited home and hesitant siblings.   Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spcinvesting.com/   Schedule A Visit: https://talkstomike...

Everyone’s got an opinion about money (especially the people with a book deal or a TV show). Some of that advice is useful. Some of it sounds better on a stage than it works in real life. Let’s break it down. Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spcinvesting.com/   Schedule A Visit: https://talkstomike.com/

There’s no shortage of financial advice out there, and unfortunately, not all of it is good. Some of the most damaging retirement mistakes don’t come from reckless behavior, but from ideas that sound reasonable and get repeated often enough to feel true. Today, we’re busting some of the most common retirement planning myths and explaining why believing them can quietly derail an otherwise solid pl...

What’s new in 2026 for retirees & pre-retirees? From Social Security and Medicare to tax breaks and retirement contributions, this year brings several updates that could quietly impact your cash flow, taxes, and savings strategy.   Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spcinvesting.com/   Schedule A Visit: https://talkstomike.com/

As the year winds down, we’re taking a moment to answer some of the listener questions we’ve received over the past few months. One listener asks about taking on a mortgage heading into retirement, another wonders whether rolling multiple 401(k)s into one IRA hurts diversification, and a third is concerned about minimizing taxes when leaving money to their kids. Mike and Philip break down these ti...

As the year winds down, we’re taking a moment to answer some of the listener questions we’ve received over the past few months. One listener asks how they can give meaningful monetary gifts to their kids or grandkids while staying within gift tax rules. Another listener wonders whether keeping a large sum of cash in the bank- like $150,000- is really necessary, or if that money could be working ha...

You’ve heard the saying, “There’s no such thing as a bad question.” But in retirement planning… some questions are definitely better than others. The way you frame your question often determines the quality of your answer and, in some cases, the quality of your retirement. In this second installment, we pick up the conversation and dig even deeper into how asking smarter questions can shape your f...

You’ve heard the saying, “There’s no such thing as a bad question.” But in retirement planning… some questions are definitely better than others. The way you frame your question often determines the quality of your answer and, in some cases, the quality of your retirement.   Show Links & Info: SPC Investing: http://spcinvesting.com/   Schedule A Visit: https://talkstomike.com/