The Retirement Success in Maine Podcast

Ep 076: One of our favorite charitable events we support each year is the Energy4Life Golf Scramble. Maritime Energy started the Energy4Life program to help local families dealing with cancer. Each year, hundreds of golfers come together to support the Energy4Life charity, and this year, our guest was speaking to the group on behalf of the Maine Cancer Foundation. He painted a picture of how cance...

Ep 075: The Huffington Post republished an article from Collective Evolution entitled, “The Top 5 Regrets of the Dying”, delving further into how these regrets exist in our lives today but are suppressed until the promise of living no longer exists. The #5 regret on the list is, “I wish I had let myself be happier.” It’s the one with the most opportunity for introspection and growth that can lead...

Ep 074: Over the past few years, we've had several clients that have kids with special needs. They’ve been taking care of them over their lifetimes, and they wonder how they can continue to provide support for their adult children (or other family members) with special needs when they’re physically unable to as they age, or after they pass away. Many of us may have heard about Special Needs Trusts...

Ep 073: From our client base as Fiduciary Financial Advisors, we have some really awesome clients and many that get us roaring with laughter from their stories and jokes. That got us to wonder: what if they were able to take their natural talents of humor and make some money from it? What would it take to be a comedian? For those of you out there that want to learn some tidbits about unleashing yo...

Ep 072: We've had clients in the past say to us, "I love being busy and I have a lot to offer – why not get paid while I do it?". The discussions of consulting, part-time jobs, and side hustles then come up as ways to make some money while retiring from our full-time careers. According to an article at Zapier, 40% of Americans have a side hustle in 2022, up from 34% in December 2020. So it’s getti...

Ep 071: Over the past few years, we've been hearing from our clients that they've heard about private equity and they wonder whether they should consider investing their own money into these sorts of strategies. So what is Private Equity? How does it work? WHO can invest in it? Private Equity is also impacting the state of Maine. During the past few years, we've talked to many business owners in t...

Ep 070: We've been having a lot of client meetings lately to discuss how 2022's investment volatility is impacting financial plans. One of the things we're hearing routinely is that our set of retirees can't wait to get back out in the world exploring after being cooped up for a couple of years. Especially for the newly retired! But the world of travel is different with a variety of new wrinkles,...

Ep 069: Disability is something many Americans, especially younger people, think can only affect the lives of other people. Tragically, thousands of young people are seriously injured or killed, often as the result of traumatic events. Many serious medical conditions, such as cancer or mental illness, can affect the young as well as the elderly. What is life really like when something happens to u...

Ep 068: In its most basic sense, a blended family is one where the parents have children from previous relationships, but all the members come together as one unit.  Consider the statistics: Roughly 17% of people remarry after a divorce or the death of their first spouse, according to the Census Bureau. Adults who remarry later in life are more likely to bring significant assets to the new union,...

Ep 067: The abuse of prescription opioids is a serious national crisis. While the opioid epidemic has been declared a national public health emergency, in Maine the situation is particularly alarming: Our state’s rate of opioid-related overdose deaths is among the highest in the country. As you may know from listening to our show, we attempt to find experts that look to provide solutions to real p...

Ep 066: It’s time to part with our things, or with a relative's things! How do we get the most value from them?  What about the collections that we've obsessed over during our lives, what should we do with those? Isn't that why people have estate sales, to just get rid of things all at once? We decided to seek out an expert in the vintage and antique marketplace to share the tips and tricks we can...

Ep 065: Today we turn 65! What's one thing that every retiree is eligible for when they reach age 65? Medicare, right? Of course, we had to wait for our podcast to be Medicare eligible BEFORE we'd do a Medicare episode. So how do we access Medicare? What are the steps to applying? What are the influences of paying more or less for the benefit?  How do we access Medicare as we age? How do I find th...

One thing that we have been discussing a lot with our clients recently is, inflation. As we retire and we think we have so much money to live on and all of a sudden, our cost of living becomes higher and higher. What should we be doing to shore up our financial plan and our portfolio? What are some things that we should be thinking about? In today’s show, we want to take time to better understand...

Ep 063: The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness (depending on the context). Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. Gratitude is a way for people to appreciate what they have instead of always reaching for s...

Ep 062: Currently, more than 29,000 people in Maine are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and over 46,000 caregivers provide 68,000,000 hours in unpaid care. Dementia caregivers are providing 20% more care than in 2009. Alzheimer's and dementia deaths have increased by 16% during the COVID-19 pandemic. (alz.org/facts) Some of our long-time listeners of the podcast might remember we had an AWESOME c...

Ep 061: A few months back, one of our clients that we work with in our practice lost her husband after sudden cognitive decline. It was terrible, but also now, she, the spouse has been completely lost. She is trying to figure out her place in the world and has expressed to us that taking on everything her husband did is leaving her continually overwhelmed. She's questioned, how is it possible to f...

Ep 060: One thing that we hear all the time from our clients – “You know what? I could write a book!” And we will add, our clients are great storytellers! They've lived many interesting lives and can weave their experiences into story ideas that are very compelling. BUT many of us have never written before! Where would we start? What are some things that novice writers do that get us stuck? What t...

Ep 059: When working with retirees like as do, we know that one thing our clients generally like to do as a special treat is to go out to eat at restaurants, right? Sometimes we might have a local haunt that we visit routinely, say on a Friday or Saturday night to break up the week. Food is a big deal in our lives, not just from the enjoyment of the food itself, but also a gathering place for fami...

Ep 058: So far in our show, we've uncovered the theme that there are many things that brings our lives fulfillment. One thing we consider as we discuss our own mortality is our legacy, right? What have we changed or made better? Sometimes our work is our legacy. Sometimes our volunteer work. Sometimes it's the family bonds and memories. But another way to build a legacy is to use our savings durin...

Ep 057: What should we know about HOW mental health issues present themselves, how should we identify them in ourselves or others, how do we field a successful team around someone we love that needs help, and what does the future look like for those aging with a brain health issue? Our next guest is an author and elite-level NCAA Basketball coach. She received a BA from Northwestern University and...

Ep 056: Today's topic is something we have touched on here and there within our podcast - Cognitive Decline as we age. We think it’s something almost everyone worries about as we age - for our spouse and ourselves! So recently, our connections at Vanguard shared with us a new Vanguard whitepaper – "The Risk of Cognitive Decline: Investors' perception and preparation". It really addresses a lot of...

Ep 055: As Financial Advisors, we are very frequently asked to give our thoughts on the investable markets and what it means for our retirement. While our show mainly discusses life challenges pre and post-retirement, we wanted to share a bit of our team's expertise on how investments and financial movements may be impacting your retirement directly or indirectly from the events of 2021. Join us f...

Ep 054: Has there ever been a time in your life that you've struggled with eating foods that you know weren't good for you or eating too much, and you couldn't just seem to make positive choices with foods? Us, too! We've heard from clients that this is one of their biggest life struggles ~ that they're in a war with food and they just can't seem to find the right balance that leads to a healthier...

Ep 053: For a while, our team has been looking for a guest that can speak to the relationship between the State of Maine and our aging population. What systems currently in place are identifying and addressing the needs of today's seniors and retirees? Where are there gaps and needs to be addressed? How are the federal government, state legislature, and Maine's local communities working together t...

Ep 052: In today's day and age, we're having more and more conversations with our financial planning and advisory clients that they haven't saved enough for retirement. It's tough enough to try and figure out what lifestyle you WANT and how much you can AFFORD, but we also hear continuously about how expensive healthcare is in retirement and that we should budget for that as well. Many of us have...