The Retirement Trainer

If you’re watching the financial news every day, you’re probably feeling a little unsettled. We’re in the midst of 40-year high inflation over 7% year-over-year. The Fed has announced three rate hikes when major firms are saying we need at least five to seven. Cryptocurrency has gone through a series of even more extreme ups and downs, with investors experiencing swings from anywhere between 500 a...

Cryptocurrency is in the news every day. We hear stories all the time of people making big money with crypto. Billionaires like Elon Musk can affect its value with a single tweet, and potential regulation could change the field very soon. Having said that, the questions that we hear from our clients are still the same. “Should I invest in crypto? And what are the downsides?” Today, we’re answering...

If there is one thing that is very obvious about the near future, it’s that we’re living in very unpredictable times. Who would’ve thought we would still be in the middle of a pandemic? And who could’ve imagined interest rates to still be as low as they are now? Simply put, you can’t always know what’s going to happen–and you need to be able to be prepared, no matter what comes your way. In today’...

If you think back to where you were a year ago, you were probably excited for life to get back to some kind of normal. As we have come to find out, this year proved to be full of surprises with ongoing labor shortages, disrupted supply chains, and high inflation. With that in mind, we know we can’t predict the future–but we can help you create a plan to weather the coming storm and achieve your go...

We’re all busy this time of year–not just with holiday parties and shopping for gifts, but with a number of major financial deadlines. On top of that, it’s also time to look back at how you did financially in 2021 and create a plan to take you into 2022 and beyond. Whether you’re giving to charity, making contributions to retirement accounts, or preparing for inflation to best protect your wealth,...

It’s the holidays–and that means we’re gearing up for Black Friday deals, Christmas gifts, and more. Giving (and receiving) gifts can be a whole lot of fun–but it’s also one of the easiest times of the year to overspend, rack up credit card debt, and make financial decisions that feel better in the moment than they do in the long run. With that in mind, today’s episode is all about how to set an e...

Nanette Pfister is the VP of Sales for Epcon Communities, a community planning company operating in 29 states across the country. They’re a hugely successful franchise business with over 150 corporate employees, and as a housing provider, they were an essential business over the course of the COVID-19 crisis. Today, Nanette joins the podcast to talk about how they weathered the shutdowns, tips for...

Today, we’re talking to Fred DeBiasi. He’s the CEO of Valley Central Bank, a community bank here in Ohio. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, he’s shifted his business model and worked to deliver a different kind of consumer experience in the face of a wide array of challenges.  In his words, Valley Central experienced a triple whammy: an intense merger in August 2019, the COVID pandemic, an...

We’re all living with inflation. We’re watching prices climb out of control, whether we’re at the grocery store or doing our holiday shopping. It’s everywhere. It’s hard not to notice that gas is up over $1.25 a gallon when you’re filling up the gas tank. So, as you watch your costs balloon, what can you do to protect your finances and best take care of yourself and your family? Today, we’re talki...

In the last few years, we’ve all heard about preppers–people who have outfitted their basements with emergency supplies, like food and water. The fact that it’s suddenly become hard to find products like paper towels, toilet paper, and even bottled water has prompted this topic to rear its head all over again. But what if we told you that financial prepping was also hugely important, especially as...

Once again, the tax bill is coming–and the biggest asset for so many Americans, with the exception of their real estate, is a pre-tax retirement plan. This could be a 401(k), a 403(b), a thrift savings plan, an IRA, or something else.  And no matter what people say, their biggest expense is not healthcare–it’s taxes. Taxes go up as retirees withdraw retirement income, they affect Medicare B, C, an...

Here at The Retirement Trainer, we’ve spent the last few months focused on giving back to small businesses. Along the way, you’ve been asking us two questions more than any other: “What’s most important as a business owner,” and “how can I start a new business of my own?” If you’re a small business owner (or want to launch one), today’s episode is especially for you. We start from the very beginni...

Scholl’s Landscaping and Design, located in Columbus, Ohio, was shut down for only a few weeks in March of 2020, but their journey back to any sort of “normal” has been a fascinating one. Despite significant success, they’re now facing issues including labor shortages, supply chain issues, and skyrocketing costs for materials. In today’s episode, we ask business owner Jordan Scholl an important qu...

Over the course of the last year, demand for veterinary care has exploded. No one in the industry can remember being this busy, and this growth has come with plenty of positives, but some very real challenges as well. Knapp Veterinary Hospital, here in Columbus, Ohio, has faced massive demand, but also had to cancel and postpone lots of important visits and procedures. As the world reopens, they c...

The Winchester Institute of Chiropractic Health and Wellness, here in Dublin, Ohio, stayed open as an essential business–even at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a team of chiropractors, massage therapists and exercise physiologists, they’re able to deliver a combination of supplementation, functional medicine, and rehabilitation for a total wellbeing experience.  Dr. Dana Winchester face...

When everything shut down due to Covid-19 in March 2020, the uncertainty was crippling for many businesses. In this episode, you’ll hear how Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa was able to turn lemons into lemonade thanks to their membership-based business. Located in the Lewis Center in Columbus, Ohio, this outpost of a well-known franchise provides customers with high quality massages and fa...

Bill and Sandy Wymard own and operate Aquarium Adventure in Hilliard, Ohio. Guests can see fish from all over the world in their public aquarium, take home fish for their own aquariums, and purchase retail merchandise as well. Aquarium Adventure has carved out a truly unique niche for themselves as a specialty retailer with loyal, long-term customers and employees. When the COVID crisis hit, they...

Iron Pony is one of the largest motorcycle dealerships in the Midwest. They grew from a NAPA auto parts store into a thriving business selling parts, apparel, accessories, vehicles, and more. The company has never stopped evolving, and this proved true again in 2020, when they didn’t just survive, but thrived, over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this episode, Chris joins the podcast to te...

2020 has been one of the toughest years in history for small businesses. Many companies have needed to pivot, change their entire operational model, and adopt and adapt to new technologies in order to keep the lights on.  However, a number of businesses didn’t just survive over the last year - they thrived. One of them is Columbus Car Audio. For over 40 years, they have customized and accessorized...

For years, the conventional wisdom has been to grow your assets tax-deferred while you work, then pay taxes on that money when you’ve entered a lower tax bracket. Unfortunately, that wisdom has gone out the window. Why? It’s simple: America’s massive unfunded liabilities in Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the interest on the national debt. Taxes are all but guaranteed to go up in the year...

Why is it important for women to have a written income plan? Why is it more important for women than men? It’s simple: 80% of all men die married, while 80% of women are single when they pass away. To make matters worse, 50% of all women die broke. Women need more than someone who charges them a fee to manage their investments. They need someone who can provide them with answers to tough questions...

Staying in shape has a huge impact not just on your physical health, but your mental and financial health as well. If you want to make changes, you probably have some big questions: how do I get in shape? And what’s the connection between health and wealth? Joining us to help answer these questions is Alex White, who is back for round 2 on the podcast! Alex is the co-founder of Peak Human Performa...

Every new year, people make resolutions to lose weight or just get in shape.  So, what does that have to do with retirement? It’s simple: working out can be a stress reliever, can help us get healthier, and allows us to be more productive. And being healthier later in life gives us more time, strength, and energy to do all the things we said we were going to do before we retired. Joining me today...

In the first part of this series , Pat Puhl joined the podcast to talk about operating a sustainable nonprofit in 2020, what he did to ensure that their entire calendar’s worth of fundraising didn’t need to be scrapped or canceled, and the many potential tax benefits available to you when you give to charity. If you haven’t yet, click here to listen – we highly recommend you do so before you dig i...

Charitable giving is more important now than ever before. The challenges, setbacks, and losses caused by COVID-19 have affected not just families and businesses, but the organizations they support as well. That said, there are a lot of people out there who are rising to the occasion and doing good. One of them is Pat Puhl, who is a co-founder of Families For a Cure, which helps families in need in...