The Guided Retirement Show

What exactly is index investing? Why do specific companies make up the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500, and the NASDAQ? Should we be investing in index funds, or is there a better way?  Here to help me answer all of these questions is the co-host of America's Wealth Management Show, Bud Kasper. He has 38 years of experience in financial services, and we've done hundreds of radio shows an...

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act changed many aspects of our lives. For those who give to charity, it also had a massive impact on how we give. Many of the tax benefits associated with charitable giving have disappeared because of the increased standard deduction, and many organizations have been impacted by this change.  Joining me to talk about what happened and what to do about it is Chris Rigsby. Chr...

There's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all retirement plan, and retirement often isn't moving to Florida and never working again in your life. Professional athletes, and especially football players, for example, are often done playing by their thirties or forties. With so much life left to live and so many opportunities out there, there are countless paths to take - and today's guest, Mark Colli...

On the Guided Retirement Show, we usually talk about retirement and the future of your money. Today, we're doing something a little bit different. In fact, we're talking about life, the future of work, and the power of technology to transform lives. My guest is Jeff Alholm, CEO of Digital Aerolus. He's invented a wide array of new technologies used daily by millions of people and companies all ove...

No matter what time of the year it is or what the tax code says, you're probably paying taxes on a paycheck, Social Security, dividends, and capital gains - or some combination of the above. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed and just give up trying to hang on to your hard-earned money. JoAnn Huber does not want you to do this. She's a CPA and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and she understands how...

Social security is the backbone of so many people's retirement plans, yet many of us get it wrong. In fact, the average family leaves over $100,000 in benefits on the table. Your retirement strategy must include a solid game plan for claiming social security benefits, but it isn't always easy to figure out what exactly is available to you - or how to get it. Mark Kiner has been a CPA since 1980 an...

Almost every entrepreneur experiences both failure and success - and every serial entrepreneur has stories of both to share when looking back at their careers. Jan and Adam Fichman are a father and son duo of self-made serial entrepreneurs. Jan founded the 7th Heaven record store in Kansas City, while Adam founded the first company that made it possible to send a video from the internet to a cell...

Many consumers get caught off guard by massive tax bills they not only don't understand, but thought someone else had planned for. How does it happen? It's simple: our tax code is a maze. If you have money and want to emerge on the other side of it relatively unscathed, you need an excellent guide. Today, America's IRA expert, Ed Slott, is here to help you make sense of what you really owe - and h...

Have you ever heard about new developments or an innovation in artificial intelligence, healthcare technology, robotics, or automation, and thought to yourself, "How can I invest in that?" If so, today's podcast is for you. For this conversation, I'm joined by Chris Buck. Chris is the Head of Capital Markets and Sales at ROBO Global. He's a wealth of knowledge in these fields, all of which are ver...

At 47 years old, I wasn't taking care of myself. When a coworker had to take me to the hospital because I thought I was having a heart attack, I said to myself, "I've got to change my life. I've got to change stuff." Eight years later, my life is totally different - and I owe a lot of that to today's guest, Dr. Laura Lile. Laura is a preventative care physician, a compound pharmacist, and a big be...

Giving is one of the best things that we can do at every stage of life, but in retirement, it takes on a whole new meaning. We can give back to our communities, to our families, and to organizations we care about. However, we have to be strategic about our giving, make sure that our money is going where people say it's going, and reap the potential benefits along the way. Here to help navigate the...

When he was 20 years old, Joe Duran came to the United States with $200 to his name. He graduated from college, took a minimum wage job at a financial services firm, grew its value from $30 million to several billion, and sold his first business at the age of 34. He then found himself feeling profoundly lost. In the years that followed, he interviewed entrepreneurs who had sold their businesses an...

Stock options aren't for everybody. A lot of amateur investors get burned trying to play the options game, and there's a very good reason for this: they require a deep knowledge of strategy, of the win-loss ratio, and a strong understanding of what's out there. My guest, Lance Gaitan, works for a financial publisher in Baltimore, where he authors two successful options strategies. His work helps i...

The good habits that help people achieve successful retirements don't only pertain to finance. Decades of research, interviews, and studies show that these same strengths help people become extraordinary businessmen, leaders, and athletes, among many other things. As this year has taught us all, life almost never goes the way we plan for it. However, discipline, consistency, and the ability to sho...

When the markets react hard to a global crisis, it's not always easy to know what to do. You've probably heard not to sell, but to watch your portfolio take a beating day after day can be exhausting. Returning to the podcast today for this special episode is Bud Kasper, President of Barber Financial Group Lee's Summit office. Bud has over 37 years in this industry, has seen all kinds of bear marke...

Did you ever think about purchasing real estate as an investment, but decided that the hassle of being a landlord or dealing with a property management company wasn't for you, especially after you retire? If so, you may be surprised to learn that it's much easier to invest in great real estate without owning an apartment building, a house, a condo, or an office building than ever before. Recently,...

If you're approaching or just reached retirement age, you probably have questions about supplemental Medicare coverage and Advantage plans. What you do at this critical point can be the difference between saving tens - or hundreds - of thousands of dollars on medical coverage, so it's worth getting expert help as you make these decisions. Returning to the podcast to discuss this complex issue is T...

When you retire, you don't stop having to make decisions, set intentions for your life, making plans, or working with people to achieve your goals. No matter what your career looked like, you're now the CEO of your household - and your life - and the rules of success in business aren't that different from the ones that help you succeed in retirement. Tony Lewis' Extensive experience is proof of th...

When things go wrong, there's nothing more humbling than taking a long, hard look in the mirror. We all know how hard it is to do this, and how much easier it is to blame everyone around us and the external forces impacting our lives for our misfortunes, whether they're personal or professional. This is just as true in retirement, where I've seen so many people blame the markets, interest rates, a...

Have you ever wanted to buy a company that's doing well or get involved with turning a struggling company around? It's what private equity investors do every single day. They partner with businesses, build teams, and create plans with an aim to transform the company and generate serious returns. However, few individuals outside the world of finance know that it's possible to invest side by side wi...

No one wants to work hard and spend frugally for decades only to find themselves paying more than their entire annual budget in taxes after retirement, but it happens far more often than you might think. I've seen it happen, and so has JoAnn Huber. JoAnn is a CPA, Certified Financial Planner, and Partner at Barber Financial Group. Last season, she joined the podcast to discuss the difference betwe...

There's nothing easy about building a portfolio designed to get you through retirement, and this is especially true in the event of an economic downturn. Emotional investing and aggressive reactions to bad news can make matters even worse, and these factors all have the power to turn your retirement from the greatest vacation of your life into something less fulfilling. To build a truly effective...

Retirees are now living their lives and doing business online, relying on all sorts of products and tools to manage their finances, keep in touch with loved ones, and keep their homes warm and secure. However, this also means that there are now more opportunities than ever before for cybercriminals to take advantage of you, steal your identity, and take your money. Many businesses have teams to he...

In my 32 years in the financial industry, I've learned one thing: unless you're working with a great financial planner, you likely don't know exactly how much risk you're taking on. There are countless investment products out there with different risk and return profiles, a number of ways to meaningfully assess risk, and more opportunities than ever before for retirees to be either overconservativ...

Retirement is all about checking things off the bucket list. It's a time to turn hard work into incredible experiences, truly connect with loved ones, and create memories that will last a lifetime - and for many retirees, that means travel. Mark Comfort is a master in the art of travel. He's the owner of Cruise Holidays and Comfort Tours, and he has spent over 31 years coordinating the complicated...