Wealth Building with Fexingo: Long-Term Strategy, Compound Growth, and Financial Independence

In this episode of Wealth Building with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna tackle a topic that sneaks up on many retirees: Required Minimum Distributions, or RMDs. They break down the IRS rules, the penalties for missing withdrawals, and the strategies to minimize the tax hit. Using a specific example of a retiree with a $1.2 million IRA, they illustrate how RMDs can push you into a higher tax bracket at age...

Episode 103 of Wealth Building with Fexingo takes a deep dive into the iconic 4 percent rule for retirement withdrawals — where it came from, why it may no longer fit today's low-yield environment, and how a dynamic spending strategy can improve your odds. Lucas and Luna unpack the original 1994 Bengen study that set the rule, explain how bond yields and equity valuations have shifted the math, an...

In this episode of Wealth Building with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna break down the compelling case for delaying Social Security benefits to age 70. They walk through the math behind an 8 percent annual increase in benefits for each year you delay past full retirement age, and compare it to the returns you might get by claiming early and investing the money. Using a hypothetical couple—Jane and Mark—th...

Most retirees assume spending declines steadily after retirement. But recent research shows a U-shaped pattern: spending drops in early retirement, then rises again as health costs and lifestyle changes kick in. In this episode, Lucas and Luna walk through the 'retirement spending smile' concept from the academic literature, explain why static withdrawal rules like the 4% rule fail to account for...

In this 100th episode of Wealth Building with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore the concept of stress-testing your retirement plan — a process most savers skip. Using the 2008 financial crisis and the 2020 pandemic as case studies, they walk through a simple method: run your withdrawal plan through a Monte Carlo simulation with at least 1,000 scenarios, then stress it with a 50% market drop in year...

In this episode of Wealth Building with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore donor-advised funds (DAFs) as a powerful tool for tax-efficient charitable giving. They walk through a concrete example: a retiree with a concentrated stock position who wants to donate $50,000 to charity. Instead of selling the stock, paying capital gains tax, and donating the cash, they contribute the stock directly to a DAF...

Why TIPS are a retiree's secret weapon against inflation, explained through the post-2021 inflation spike and the mechanics of Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities. Lucas and Luna unpack how TIPS work, their role in a retirement portfolio, and why they beat nominal bonds when inflation surprises. Plus: a look at the five-year breakeven inflation rate as a decision tool. #TIPS #TreasuryInflation...

In this episode of Wealth Building with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore the concept of a cash reserve buffer in retirement. They discuss why holding one to two years of living expenses in cash or cash equivalents can protect your portfolio from sequence of returns risk, eliminate the need to sell assets during a market downturn, and provide psychological peace of mind. Using the example of a retir...

Most retirees wait until the day they stop working to move from growth stocks to a conservative mix. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explain why that is a mistake. Using the example of a 55-year-old engineer named Priya who began shifting her portfolio three years before retirement, they show how gradual rebalancing reduces sequence-of-returns risk and can add nearly $120,000 in ending portfolio v...

Episode 95 of Wealth Building with Fexingo explores the megabackdoor Roth strategy, which allows self-employed individuals and small business owners to contribute up to $69,000 per year into a Roth 401(k) for 2026. Lucas and Luna break down the mechanics, income limits, and a real-world example of how a freelance consultant redirected $46,500 of after-tax contributions into Roth savings, effective...

Episode 94 of Wealth Building with Fexingo tackles sequence-of-returns risk in early retirement. Lucas and Luna break down why the years right after you stop working are the most dangerous for your portfolio, using a concrete example: a 60-40 stock-bond portfolio facing a hypothetical 20 percent market drop in year one vs. year ten. They explain the math behind the 'retirement red zone,' showing h...

Most investors obsess over asset allocation - what to own. But Lucas and Luna argue that where you hold those assets matters nearly as much. They break down the strategy of asset location: putting bonds in tax-deferred accounts and stocks in taxable accounts to minimize the tax drag on your portfolio. Using specific examples, they show how a simple shift can add tens of thousands of dollars to you...

Episode 92 of Wealth Building with Fexingo dives into the mechanics of bond laddering a retirement strategy that provides predictable income while managing interest-rate risk. Lucas and Luna walk through a concrete example a retiree with 500000 dollars building a five-year Treasury ladder generating roughly 18000 dollars per year in interest. They explain how maturing rungs create a natural cash f...

Lucas and Luna explore why a three-fund portfolio of US stocks, international stocks, and bonds consistently outperforms the majority of active fund managers over long time horizons. They break down the data from the 2025 SPIVA report, showing that over 85% of large-cap fund managers underperform the S&P 500 over a 15-year period. The hosts explain how the three-fund approach captures global marke...

Episode 90 of Wealth Building with Fexingo challenges the conventional wisdom that your Roth IRA should only be a retirement account. Lucas and Luna explore the flexibility of Roth IRA contributions being withdrawable tax-free and penalty-free at any time, making it a powerful emergency fund vehicle for those who have already saved for retirement separately. They walk through the rules, the math,...

Episode 89 of Wealth Building with Fexingo explores a powerful angle on 529 college savings plans: using them not just for a child's education, but as a multi-generational wealth transfer tool. Lucas and Luna discuss the 2026 rule changes, including the ability to roll over unused 529 funds into a Roth IRA for the beneficiary, and how grandparents can use 529s to reduce estate taxes while funding...

Episode 88 of Wealth Building with Fexingo tackles a counterintuitive retirement challenge: breaking the lifelong saving habit. Lucas and Luna explore the concept of a 'spending floor' — a minimum annual withdrawal from your nest egg even when markets are down — using the example of a retiree with a $1.2 million portfolio who underspent by 40% in her first three years. The hosts discuss the psycho...

In this episode of Wealth Building with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dissect the Health Savings Account (HSA)—the most tax-advantaged account most people overlook. They explain how the HSA's triple tax benefit (tax-deductible contributions, tax-free growth, and tax-free withdrawals for qualified medical expenses) can outperform even a 401(k) for long-term wealth building, especially when used as an inv...

In episode 86 of Wealth Building with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna tackle a question many retirees overlook: how to protect fixed-income holdings from unexpected inflation. They drill into Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities — TIPS — explaining how the principal adjusts with the CPI, why a ladder of TIPS can act as a reliable income floor, and the trade-offs compared to nominal bonds or I Bonds. Th...

Lucas and Luna explore why real estate investment trusts (REITs) belong in a long-term retirement portfolio. They examine the historical performance of REITs versus stocks and bonds, the impact of rising interest rates on valuations as of mid-2026, and how REIT dividends provide inflation-adjusted income. Luna questions whether private real estate or public REITs are better for individual investor...

When the market tanks, most investors freeze. But for those with traditional IRAs or 401(k)s, a downturn is actually a prime opportunity to convert those pre-tax dollars into a Roth IRA at a steep discount. In this episode, Lucas and Luna walk through the mechanics of a Roth conversion during a drawdown—using a concrete example of a $100,000 traditional IRA that drops to $80,000. They explain how...

In Episode 83 of Wealth Building with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore the mechanics of tax-loss harvesting — a strategy that turns market downturns into tax advantages. They walk through a concrete example: an investor who sells a losing S&P 500 ETF position to offset gains from a winning stock sale, then reinvests in a similar but not identical fund to maintain market exposure. The hosts discuss...

In this episode, Lucas and Luna unpack the concept of sequence-of-returns risk—why the order of market returns in early retirement can make or break a portfolio. Using a concrete example of two retirees with identical average returns but vastly different outcomes, they explain how a market downturn in year one forces selling shares at depressed prices, locking in losses and depleting the nest egg...

In this episode of Wealth Building with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore the role of fixed indexed annuities in a retirement income plan. They discuss how these contracts can provide a guaranteed income stream, protect against sequence of returns risk, and offer growth potential tied to market indexes. Lucas explains the mechanics of a fixed indexed annuity using a specific example: a 65-year-old r...

In this episode of Wealth Building with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore why the classic 4 percent rule may be too rigid for today's markets. They discuss the concept of variable withdrawal strategies—where retirees adjust their spending based on portfolio performance and inflation. Using historical data from 1926 to 2026, Lucas explains how a simple guardrail approach (cutting spending by 10% when...