Winning at Life with Gregory Ricks

Lisa in Ocean Springs is leaving her job. What should she do with her old 401k? Steve in Houma asks if the Backdoor Roth IRA is still a thing. David in Pontchatoula asks about investing in gold and silver with his IRA. Trey in New Orleans asks about using a trust to shield assets from Medicaid. Wes and Gregory are not fans of his idea. Estate Planning Attorney Wes Blanchard joins the show. Do you...

What do you want your retirement to look like? If you're goal is to live on the beach, or in the mountains, or by the grandkids, how are you going to get to your destination? Jason in Loranger is inheriting stock. How does he handle the taxes for that? Kenneth in Ocean Springs: Do the Income Tests go away for Social Security once you reach Full Retirement Age? Chuck in Mandeville asks if there's a...

If you're thinking about turning on Social Security early, Gregory warns you of the bad excuses for not waiting for your Full Retirement Age.

The Facebook controversy over their content regulation, algorithm, and social impact feels a little overhyped. There's definitely some ugly aspects of the platform, but it is a positive force for many more. Gregory explains why Happy Birthday greetings on Facebook are a daily priority for him. Small business owners are contantly grappling with the options of trying to grow the business, wind down...

Would you be able to handle being an executor of a will? Gregory reviews a couple of article on the news blog at GregoryRicks.com that could help you prepare. Hear some of the greatest financial quotes of all time, and hear Gregory's thoughts on these nuggets of financial wisdom. If you're needing some financial help, you should probably start by going to an upcoming Wine, Wisdom, and Food event h...

Ted in Covington is selling one of his three houses, and wants to know if he should invest the proceeds or pay off his mortgage. Shocks in the oil markets put the industry in a new era where oil prices have doubled from their recent lows. The stock market is riding high on the easy money policy from the Federal Reserve, but can they keep this up forever? If not, what happens when tapering hits? Wh...

Gregory announces he's hosting two Pop Up Events this week, informing both clients and non-clients about some changes in their financial tool kit that could help you. Gerri in Mandeville asks Gregory if her husband can cover her Required Minimum Distribution from his IRA accounts. Gregory gives her a quick no. Inflation Is Coming to an Account Near You: Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell admit...

Gregory announces he's hosting two Pop Up Events this week, informing both clients and non-clients about some changes in their financial tool kit that could help you. Monica in Cutoff asks why her Social Security benefits are so low! She's receiving a monthly check for Social Security Survivor's benefit, and heard it will be cut further when she turns on her state pension. Social Security offers t...

Chuck in Mandeville asks Gregory Ricks and Dwayne Stein if this is a good time to buy an investment property. Gregory talks about some upcoming pop up events to have a drink and talk about possible changes to your investments. You can't begin to plan for retirement without this one crucial number.

The Federal Reserve maintains zero rates and asset purchases, and most of the questions from the press were about tapering. Gregory compares the economies of China and the United States with a few sharp statistics. What is a pop up event? Gregory talks about some upcoming pop up events to have a drink and talk about possible changes to your investments. If you're getting a late start saving for re...

What's the impact of this week's meeting of the Federal Reserve? Markets are spooked by the troubles of a giant Chinese conglomerate Evergrande. Is this related to the ghost cities? Could this be the beginning of a Chinese financial crisis? A 101 year old woman continues to work full time on a lobster boat, which brings up several threads: what does you IRA distributions look like at that age? Doe...

Craig in Dulac asks Gregory's opinion on using some money from his deferred compensation plan to cover his losses from the hurricane. Should you have your house paid off before you retire? Gregory says it's all about your cash flow.

Gregory explains how the last month had an unusual amount of interruptions for the show with a combo of James getting sick, technical issues, Gregory's vacation, and getting hit with a hurricane. Gregory goes through some financial code changes being debated in Congress. Most are aimed at the wealthy, but some policies affect us all. We may be losing the Backdoor Roth Conversion and other powerful...

Randy in Picayune wants to help his grandkid start saving for retirement. Can he hire a minor to do some work, and use those earnings to fund an IRA or Roth IRA? Jack in Baton Rouge asks Gregory's thoughts on the FIRE Movement that seeks to maximize savings and retiring as early as possible. Gregory explains how the age 55 exception for IRAs could help if you've been separated from your job and ne...

Dealing with taxes is a common theme in financial planning, and Gregory encourages you to explore some options that are tax favored. Leo in Amite asks if his sister qualifies for minor survivor benefits and widows benefits from Social Security Space X launches the first all-tourist crew into space. The rocket has no pilot on board, and is guided by AI. Gregory goes through some financial code chan...

Gregory explains how the last month had an unusual amount of interruptions for the show with a combo of James getting sick, technical issues, Gregory's vacation, and getting hit with a hurricane. Gregory warns you of some proposed tax hikes and rule changes that could affect your money. George in Mobile has a daughter who graduated college and got a great job. How can she get started with investin...

In the aftermath of storms, how do you get insurance to help cover the costs of some of your home damage? Gregory helps James deal with some needed home repairs, and his experience getting insurance to pitch in. Amy in New Orleans is in a 4-unit condo, and their destroyed carport isn't covered by their insurance policy. How does being in a 4-person condo association affect the ability to make deci...

Gregory stresses the importance of emergency savings, and don't go do anything crazy with that money. John in Mobile has some questions about using an Indexed Universal Life Insurance policy to get some growth and maybe even some tax-free income. It almost sounds too good. Gregory has 6 dates in September for the Wine, Wisdom, and Food Experience coming up in Metairie, Baton Rouge, and on the Nort...

Gregory has 6 dates in September for the Wine, Wisdom, and Food Experience coming up in Metairie, Baton Rouge, and on the Northshore in Madisonville. Take back control of your retirement! RSVP at 504.832.9200 Gregory reviews some comment cards from those who attended his previous events, and there's a strong theme among taxes, Social Security, and making sure you don't run out of money in retireme...

Gregory's observations from recent travels show airports and hotels are getting busy again, but covid restrictions are still causing issues. Gregory has 6 dates in September for the Wine, Wisdom, and Food Experience coming up in Metairie, Baton Rouge, and on the Northshore in Madisonville. Take back control of your retirement! RSVP at 504.832.9200 The High Stakes of Social Security Decisions: what...

Merle in Pearl is receiving a disability check from Social Security and has gone back to work. Will he get in trouble for double dipping? And can his wife draw a spousal benefit somehow? Joseph in Covington has about 6 months of expenses sitting in a savings account. It's getting eaten up by inflation. Should he invest half of that to get a better return?

The Numbers were mixed, with a pretty even ratio of good news and bad news. Gregory explains how the debt ceiling has technically expired, and the Treasury Department is doing that thing where they are shuffling money to avoid a default. The success of the Delta Variant and Covid Vaccine hang heavy over the markets and the economy at large. The average investor does NOT beat the market, so here's...

The Numbers are up despite a few important pieces of disappointing financial numbers. The Robinhood IPO was a disappointment as well. Lumber may have found a new normal hovering around $600. Gregory tells you about his next public event in Baton Rouge before the commercials start running for it. The Wine Wisdom and Food Experience will be at Sullivan's Steakhouse Sept 21 and 23. If you're looking...

The Numbers moved down quite a bit today, but ended up ragaining most of their ground by the close. Gregory breaks down the press conference by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell, and responds to some of the more important audio clips. Hear Gregory's explanation on why and how his financial advisory firm is working through the process of rebalancing assets. 1 out of every 8 retirees will spend...

The rumors proved to be correct as Texas and Oklahoma formally apply for consideration to join the SEC. This is not about academics, or even athletics, as much as it is about money. This could make the SEC a super-conference, just in time for college free agency and NIL endorsements. Wow. The Numbers show the big 3 indices slip from yesterday's record highs, but nothing catastrophic. We get the fe...