The Guided Retirement Show

We've seen incredible growth in the alternatives market over the last several years, and plenty of secondary markets have emerged for corporate investments. But what do you do if you want to invest in assets like real estate investment trusts (REITs)? These investment vehicles come in all shapes and sizes. Some have been wildly successful, and others have been complete and total flops.  To help us...

Many people think that claiming Social Security is a simple process–that is, until they do it. Ken Sokol is living proof of this. He retired from his engineering career at Hallmark in the early 2000s at the age of 54. Soon, he found himself digging deep into how Social Security claims actually worked, became a traveling lecturer on the topic, and joined the National Academy of Social Insurance–a t...

Health insurance costs in retirement are a big deal to just about everyone. So many people transitioning into retirement find themselves frustrated by their Medicare coverage, enrolled in the wrong coverage, and stuck with unnecessary expenses that fail to cover their medical needs. After Taylor Garner's father went through this experience, he focused his career on making sure it wouldn't happen t...

Everybody knows that life can be unpredictable, and anything can happen at any time. Out of nowhere, we may lose a loved one, fall ill ourselves, or end up living through a natural disaster–and the last thing you want in these trying moments is to be in financial distress. This is why disaster planning is a critical part of retirement planning. Many people fail to make several necessary arrangemen...

Whether you're just getting started or well into your retirement, having an adequate amount of insurance is critical. It's an essential tool for risk management and a major piece of a well-crafted financial plan. It's also extremely complex. People of all ages find themselves underinsured or have purchased the wrong products, and these can lead to significant financial setbacks at any stage of lif...

Most people think about debt as a bad thing. No matter what your financial background is, you've probably been told to avoid racking up debt, not to spend outside your means, and to pay off your debt whenever you can. However, what this simplistic guidance fails to take into account is that there's two kinds of debt: the debt you want to avoid and the debt you actually want to take on. So, what's...

For the first time ever, private equity is an asset class available to the main street investor. If you've worked hard, saved well, and are looking for an asset class outside the norm that's a little more predictable and can provide some additional opportunities, private equity investing could be a great fit for you. My guest, Michael Bell, is the Founder and Managing Director of Primark Capital,...

As of this writing, we're experiencing market valuations that none of us have ever seen in our careers. If you're getting close to retiring (or just retired), this can have a major impact on how you pay for the rest of your life. To make sense of how this plays out over the course of retirement, I'm talking to Bud Kasper. Bud is the President of our Lees Summit location, and he was one of the firs...

Bitcoin has become incredibly mainstream. It's been a hot topic for a while now and it's mentioned frequently in many investment discussions in the financial planning world.  Everyone sees ads for Bitcoin in their social media feeds with the cute little graphics of coins with Bs on them. There are probably some people out there who also think that there are real, physical Bitcoins they can get, to...

American entrepreneurs are facing a triple threat: rampant inflation, higher interest rates, and higher costs of capital for businesses. There's less safety in bonds, stocks are likely to fall, and expenses are all but guaranteed to increase. As the saying goes, the only constant in life is change, and there are a lot of economic factors that appear to be changing right now. To help me dissect the...

Our markets are at or near all-time highs. There are threats of inflation. People seem convinced that risk isn't really present, even though it certainly is. What's going on here, exactly? To help make sense of market risks and how they apply to you, I'm thrilled to be talking with Brad Kasper, President of LSA Portfolio Analytics. He has extensive experience working with independent financial adv...

No one's excited to file an insurance claim. To make matters worse, many people have terrible experiences with insurers, whether they involve fighting over reimbursements, what's covered, or even simply trying to get ahold of their agents. On top of this, the Affordable Care Act has completely upended the insurance industry, both for better and for worse. Here to talk about what's going on in the...

Over the last few years, you've probably heard all about how tax planning can benefit the ultra-wealthy. What you might not know is that even if you're not a multimillionaire, if you've been accumulating any kind of wealth and are gearing up to retire in the next several years, there are many ways that the right financial and tax plans can also help you. To discuss this, I'm thrilled to bring back...

Picture this: you've retired from your main career. You get serious about a hobby you've enjoyed, and it blossoms into a successful side business. Suddenly, you've got a lot to think about–and you need a registered agent, even if you're not quite sure what they do yet. All you know is that you need one. With that in mind, today's conversation is for business owners at every stage of life. I'm spea...

Here at the Guided Retirement Show, we receive questions from YouTube viewers and podcast listeners from all over the world. We have a variety of specific questions, and we're excited to answer as many of them as we can. Here to help me do this is Chris Rett, Certified Financial Planner here at Barber Financial Group. In this episode, we discuss required minimum distributions (and if there's a cha...

Lots of people think that they should start claiming their Social Security on the same day that they retire. However, there's ample evidence proving otherwise–and when (and how) you choose to take your Social Security can have a big impact on your retirement. To discuss this, we've brought Marc Kiner and Jim Blair back to the podcast. Jim worked for the Social Security Administration for 35 years...

As he was caring for his mother, who was suffering from Alzheimer's, Dr. Alan Molk had an epiphany. He realized that there were so many people in the world with incurable diseases, no chance at recovery, and no opportunity to talk about their condition. He has been spreading awareness by sharing what he's learned ever since. Dr. Molk has been an emergency room physician for 40 years. He's the auth...

What are the basic fundamentals of financial planning? What is the foundation of a good, solid financial plan? The answer is simple: it's risk management. However, risk management isn't just about money management and your exposure to the market–it goes far deeper than that. Joining me to talk about this are Jason Newcomer and Darren Newell. Jason is a Certified Financial Planner and the Director...

Building great companies isn't simple. There are so many moving parts, unforeseen challenges, and unique issues (and opportunities) you will only face as an entrepreneur. Today's guest is Don Wenner. When he was 21 years old, he founded DLP Real Estate Capital. Now, at the age of 36, he has experienced growth of over 60% annually every year he's been in business. He oversees 12 companies, over 430...

The tax laws surrounding retirement accounts are extraordinarily complex and astoundingly confusing. The average taxpayer doesn't just know what they're up against; many financial advisors barely understand them either. For so many Americans, this leads to tax penalties, complications, and a whole lot of frustration, both now and decades down the line. Joining us to talk about why this happens–and...

We can have all the money in the world, but if we don't have our physical and mental health, that money means nothing. Few people understand this better than Dr. David Lereah, PhD. He's the founder of United We Age, an organization working to inspire a movement where all generations of people are more aware and supportive of people aging. He's also the author of The Power of Positive Aging, where...

Back in August 2019, I had an amazing conversation with David Mitchell of AllianceBernstein in which we talked about economic cycles and where we were. A year and a half later, his company has had some incredible returns - and many of the things that David shared with us really came to fruition. Despite the uncertainty that the investment markets faced in 2020, AllianceBernstein's assets grew by 7...

Retirement planning isn't just for people who are near retirement or in retirement already. If you're in your 20s or 30s, you're in a prime position to build a great foundation to experience financial independence and retire younger. Joining me today is Jason Newcomer, certified financial planner and advisor here at Barber Financial Group. In this episode, we'll share a list of great books geared...

In these first few months of 2021, we're seeing extreme market valuations at levels we've never seen before. This means that it's more important than ever that you know how to assess risk in your portfolio. Today's guest is Brad Kasper. He's the president of LSA Portfolio Analytics, where he provides investment advisors with the tools and infrastructure they need to deliver incredible client servi...

Some people just seem to be far more successful than others - especially when it comes to business relationships. You probably know at least one person who seems to always be surrounded by the right people in the right moment, and who can get the help they need to clarify their visions and reach their objectives.  If you've ever wondered what makes these people so special, today's episode is for y...