THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE

On this week's episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski welcomes Chief Operating Officer and Chief Marketing Officer Stacey McKinnon to discuss how to invest wisely in 2025, especially during uncertain times. Here are some key takeaways: Uncertainty is a constant in investing and is not a reason to stop investing. Stacey and Chris suggest considering the bucket approach. This invo...

On this week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski welcomes Wealth Advisor Patrice Bening to discuss how to strategize distributions when inheriting IRAs, complexities introduced by Secure Act changes in 2020, and what to know for 2025. Here are some key takeaways from their conversation: - In 2020, Secure Act 2.0 made it so non-spouse beneficiaries must fully deplete inherited re...

This week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE features a special session recorded live from Morton Wealth’s 2024 Investor Symposium. Our Chief Investment Officer Meghan Pinchuk welcomes our real estate fund managers, Megan Pautler-Gutnikov of KCB, Todd Williams of Grubb Properties and Shawn Clark of CRG. Each manager focuses on a different niche of real estate investing. They discuss the current re...

On this week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski and Financial Planning Advisor Amber McBride discuss year-end financial planning items to stay on top of.  Here are some key takeaways from their conversations: - Ensure you are maximizing contributions to employer-sponsored retirement plans. The limit is $23,000 for people under 50, and $30,500 for those 50 and over with the catc...

On this week's episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE , host Chris Galeski invites Wealth Advisor Mike Rudow to discuss charitable giving strategies to ensure you are optimizing your donations. Here are some key takeaways from their conversation: QCDs (Qualified Charitable Distributions) allow individuals over 73 to send required minimum distribution amounts directly from their IRA to charities, av...

This week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE features a special session recorded live from Morton Wealth’s 2024 Investor Symposium. CEO Jeff Sarti, Chief Investment Officer Meghan Pinchuk, and Wealth Advisor Chris Galeski discuss the advantages and drawbacks of liquidity.  Here are some key takeaways from their conversation: It is crucial to maintain 3-6 months' worth of living expenses in a...

This week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE features a special session recorded live from Morton Wealth’s 2024 Investor Symposium. Wealth Advisors Kevin Rex, Joe Seetoo and Mike Rudow discuss strategies that could help replace income in retirement. Here are some key takeaways from their conversation: - Traditional income strategies like government bonds are less effective due to changing interest...

This week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE features a special session recorded live from Morton Wealth’s 2024 Investor Symposium. Managing Director of Investments Sasan Faiz welcomes Co-Founder of Cordillera “Gus” Araya to discuss new investing trends.  Here are some key takeaways from their conversation: - Cordillera typically focuses on niche, non-correlated investment opportunities. - Cordill...

This week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE features a special session recorded live from Morton Wealth’s 2024 Investor Symposium. Host Chris Galeski welcomes Mortgage Advisor Brian Farwell and Thousand Oaks City Council Member Mikey Taylor to discuss the California housing market.  Here are some key takeaways from their conversation:  • Brian highlights that while low-interest rates previously b...

On this week’s special episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, CEO Jeff Sarti and Chief Investment Officer Meghan Pinchuk discuss how the election’s results may impact the economy, investors, and consumers.  Here are some key takeaways from their conversation: - The morning after the election, stocks saw a 2.5% increase, partially due to market relief from avoiding election uncertainty. -  Anticipated R...

In this special session recorded live from our 2024 Investor Symposium, COO and CMO Stacey McKinnon leads a discussion with Wealth Advisors Beau Wirick and Priscilla Brehm about how baby boomers and millennials think about money differently. Here are some key takeaways from their conversation: - Millennials generally see money as less tangible, trusting credit cards and cryptocurrency more than Bo...

On this week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski welcomes CEO Jeff Sarti to review our 2024 Investor Symposium, and the topics discussed at the event. Here are some key takeaways from their discussion: - Grant Williams, our keynote speaker and author of Things That Make You Go Hmmm…, highlighted his thoughts on the election, the polarization in the U.S., concerns over rising deb...

On this week's episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski welcomes Wealth Advisor Kevin Rex to discuss the recent 50 basis point rate cut by the Fed and its implications.  Here are some key takeaways from their conversation: Kevin says he was surprised by the Fed's decision, noting that prior economic data like jobs and GDP did not indicate a need for such an aggressive rate cu...

On this week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski welcomes Brian McArthur, President of Design My Medicare to discuss upcoming changes to Medicare. Here are some key takeaways from their discussion: - Starting in 2025, Medicare Part D will see significant changes, including a $2,000 annual out-of-pocket cap on drug costs, aiming to provide relief for beneficiaries with high presc...

On this week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski welcomes Wealth Advisor Joe Seetoo to discuss building generational wealth as a family business. Here are some key takeaways from their discussion: - Small businesses are the cornerstone of the American economy, and 90% of American small businesses are family owned. - About 70% of family businesses do not get passed down to the se...

On this week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski welcomes Client Coordinator Morgan Jul to discuss financial literacy and a new California bill requiring high school students to take a financial literacy course starting in 2031.  Here are some key takeaways from their conversation: - The bill requires financial literacy courses to be offered to all California high school student...

On this week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski welcomes Wealth Advisor Mike Rudow to discuss different tax-preference savings vehicles and how high earners can use these accounts to optimize their wealth. Here are some key takeaways from their conversation: -  Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) are highlighted for their “triple tax savings.” They offer tax deduction on contributio...

On this week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski welcomes Wealth Advisor Jenn Caruso to discuss how to financially prepare for a divorce and how a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA) can help.  Here are some key takeaways from their conversation:  - As a CDFA herself, Jenn explains that CDFAs can help clients understand the complex nuances of financial impact before, duri...

On this week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski welcomes CEO Jeff Sarti to discuss our upcoming Investor Symposium. Here are some key takeaways from their conversation:  - Grant Williams, author of Things That Make You Go Hmmm… and co-founder of Real Vision, will be the keynote speaker at our upcoming Investor Symposium. If you haven’t watched our special 100th episode with Gra...

We are celebrating our 100th episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE this week!  Thank you for listening and supporting Chris and our guests these past two years. We are excited to continue empowering our listeners with financial confidence and knowledge through this podcast.  To make this episode extra special, host Chris Galeski had a conversation with Grant Williams, author of Things That Make You Go...

On this week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski welcomes Chief Investment Officer Meghan Pinchuk to discuss the current real estate environment and investment opportunities. Here are some key takeaways from their conversation: - There is a noticeable drop in real estate transaction volume due to high interest rates and sellers holding out for better prices. - Many real estate l...

On this week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, Wealth Advisor Priscilla Brehm joins host Chris Galeski to discuss ways to build financial confidence. Here are some key takeaways from their conversation: - Access to too much information does not necessarily lead to true knowledge or confidence, highlighting the importance of one’s mindset towards money. -  People often swing between scarcity and...

On this week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski welcomes Managing Director of Investments Sasan Faiz to discuss the global stock market selloff.  Here are some key takeaways from their conversation:  - Tech stocks’ valuations were high due to AI excitement and hype, but recent corrections highlight the importance of true diversification. -  The ISM Manufacturing Index indicates...

On this episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski welcomes COO & CMO Stacey McKinnon to discuss retirement planning. How much do people really need to retire comfortably? Here are some key takeaways from their conversation: - Over 55% of Americans feel behind in retirement planning. - It is crucial to create a retirement plan custom to your lifestyle instead of taking generic advice...

On this week’s episode of THE FINANCIAL COMMUTE, host Chris Galeski welcomes Wealth Advisor Patrice Bening to discuss dollar cost averaging, an investment strategy where investments are bought over time. Purchases occur regularly regardless of the asset’s price.  Here are some key takeaways from their conversation: - Patrice shares her first experience with dollar cost averaging through her 401(k)...