Your Money, Your Wealth

The single biggest retirement planning mistake to avoid, the problem with tax professionals, and answers to some of the most frequently asked retirement questions we get on YMYW: should you name a trust as beneficiary on your retirement accounts? What's the break-even point on a Roth conversion? What if you don't have the money to pay the tax when you convert to Roth? Plus, find out the eye-openin...

Is timing the market when you withdraw money from your retirement accounts or do Roth conversions an effective strategy to minimize tax and maximize returns for YMYW listener Robert? That's today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 488 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, should Doug change his 60/40 asset allocation, and should he start a solo 401(k)? Jefe plans to withdraw from...

Should Terry and his siblings take out a whole life insurance policy on their parents before they inherit their folks' $10 million worth of farm land? Is Terry on track for retirement? That's today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 487 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, should Fred and Wilma use their 401(k) money for living expenses to bridge the gap until they collect Socia...

How is Kimberly's strategy for reducing her retirement taxes by doing Roth conversions and qualified charitable distributions? Is Patrick's tax loss harvesting transaction a wash sale? At what marginal tax rate should Brian stop making Roth 401(k) contributions? Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA are back this week on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 486 to answer these questions and to sp...

He's 56, she's 32. How does this 24-year age difference impact retirement plans for "Bonnie and Clyde", and what strategies should they implement now for the most tax-efficient retirement possible in the future? While Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA are on vacation, Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast producer Andi Last enlists the help of Pure Financial Advisors' Managing Director Jake Gr...

Will their $5 million nest egg get them to ages 85 and 100? Pa and GiDi are 65 and 60 and retiring now. As they consider moving to the no-income-tax state of Nevada in retirement, they have some decisions to make: should Pa take Social Security before age 70? How should they bridge the gap until Social Security? And most importantly, how can they minimize their taxes in retirement? Should they wai...

How much do retirees really spend in retirement? Does the Social Security Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) continue to rise with inflation? Is all the talk about higher future tax brackets just fear-mongering? Can "Johnny Mercer" afford to leave money for his heirs, and what should his strategy be for converting his retirement savings to Roth IRA for tax-free growth on his money? While Joe Anderson,...

Cinderella and her Prince Charming have a nest egg of $2.3 million and are hoping for retirement income of up to $150K/year. When can they afford to retire? How should they coordinate paying for some big purchases, paying off debt, and collecting Social Security benefits as they plan for retirement? While Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA each take some much-needed vacation time, YMYW pro...

Market declines just before you retire, or early in your retirement, can really screw up your retirement income strategy. If you're in the middle of the expensive kid years, how do you avoid this sequence of returns risk when making your retirement plans? That's "Jaclyn Smith's" question, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 485 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, can Vern'...

Should Mike in Virginia keep using his IRA money to pay the tax on his Roth conversions? How do you do a Roth conversion when you don't have the money to pay the tax? That's PeterLemonJello's question, but is it the question he should be asking? Spitballing Roth IRA conversion strategies to reduce your taxable required minimum distributions (RMD) in retirement - that's today on Your Money, Your We...

Sunshine in Orange County has been waiting patiently since January for a full Retirement Spitball Analysis: how are her assumptions for rates of return and inflation, her plans for Roth conversions, her asset allocation and asset location, her tax planning, her retirement income and retirement spending plans, and so much more? What missed opportunities is she overlooking? So many excellent Retirem...

Are women better investors and financial planners? Today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 483 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA, three different husbands want to retire, while their wives feel they need to work longer. Can Jack and Diane, Mark and Belle, and Mike and his wife hit the slopes now, or do they need to keep wearing their suits? Joe and Big Al spitball on who's right. P...

Will building a new home delay Janelle's early retirement? Can Mike and his wife retire early at ages 50 and 55, and how much should they convert to Roth? Maria and her partner keep their finances separate - can Maria cover her own expenses in early retirement? That's today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 482 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, the fellas explain the differe...

Should 70-year-old Bob live off of capital gains and dividends from his mutual funds plus Social Security, or should he sell poor-performing mutual funds for living expenses and reinvest the cap gains and dividends? Which account should Neal's 76-year-old Mother use for living expenses? Should Neal and his wife fund their Roth 403(b) until retirement, or contribute to the regular 403(b) and then d...

Kyle and his fiancée are in their 30s, have done a great job saving, and are in a high tax bracket. Would it make more sense for them to contribute to their 401(k)s or Roth 401(k)s for retirement? Mick's wife Pam has both W-2 and sole proprietor income - where should she save for retirement? That's today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 480 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus,...

Linda is retired and financially independent. Her advisor suggests she have a separately managed account specifically for tax loss harvesting. Today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 479, Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball on how to save as much tax as possible on retirement withdrawals. Plus, Brian wants to know if it ever makes sense to put IRA money into a brokerage account,...

So you won the lottery - congratulations! After you celebrate, should you rip off the band-aid and convert the entire lump sum payment to a Roth IRA? That's today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 478 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Also, Bucky in WA is required to have the same asset allocation in his traditional and Roth 401(k). Joe and Big Al spitball on his options, along wi...

Are there ever times when going all Roth isn't the best strategy? How do you determine the break-even point on doing Roth conversions? That's today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 477, as Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball on marginal vs. effective tax rates for Joseph Allen, saving to after-tax brokerage or pre-tax 403(b) for Gigi in Illinois, the arithmetic of Roth co...

What is private credit and where does it fit in your investment portfolio? At age 60, Hope is tired of working and she's hoping to retire in 2-3 years. Should she factor home equity into her retirement spending plan with a reverse mortgage? Which mortgage option for a Houston dream home is best for Nisa in San Jose's early retirement goals? That's today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 4...

Will Duke and Daisy's retirement spending plan work? If you're a fan of hearing Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA debate, you're in luck today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 475, as they disagree on assumptions when it comes to retirement planning. The EASIretirement.com calculator says Chuck in South Carolina could convert even more to Roth, and the fellas spitball on the pros and c...

Jimmy in Wisconsin will have a pension, Social Security, and a seven year retirement shortfall. How should he cover it? Skipper in Texas has some unusual pension options, which makes the most sense for his retirement needs? That's today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 474 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Should Mike and Carol in Virginia wait to do Roth conversions if they'll b...

Why would a financial advisor suggest that Frank in Lake Wobegon sell a piece of inherited property, pay 25% tax, and invest the lump sum? Mark in Florida is 72 and invested in CDs. Should he go back to his financial advisor, or just buy more CDs? That's today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 473 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, Adam in Tennessee will have deferred income...

Rob and his wife in North Carolina are 51 and 44 and would like to retire in the next 3-5 years. Are they on track, and what should they consider as far as Roth conversions are concerned once the tax brackets go back up, which they're slated to do when that provision in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act sunsets at the end of 2025? Is Mark in West Virginia on track to retire at 59 and a half, and do Joe an...

Big Tex, Paul in Maryland, and Nick in Alabama all need to know how much money they should convert to Roth to pay as little tax as possible, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 471 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Johnny and June forgot to convert their backdoor Roth money - are they in trouble? Darren in Nevada has no plans at all to do Roth conversions, but surprisingly sti...

Barney and Betty in Maryland hit the jackpot. How's Barney's strategy for net unrealized appreciation, retirement withdrawals, and asset location for his $5 million employee stock ownership plan? Nick in the PNW will have $8 million when he retires early at 53. Should he contribute to his 401(k) or do the good ol' mega backdoor Roth until then? Those are just a couple of the fat wallets Joe Anders...