Today I'm sharing a story about a couple who lost $2 million to an investment scam.

I'm also sharing (new!) resources to help protect your personal data in 2024.

Financial scams are getting more sophisticated and losses are skyrocketing.

In fact, last year, Americans lost $10 billion to financial scams.

That’s $1 billion more than 2022, and is the highest-ever reported annual loss in FTC history.

Everyone is at risk.

And everyone needs to regularly take proactive steps to stay safe.

Tune in to learn more.

***

FREE RETIREMENT PLANNING RESOURCES:

Subscribe to the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter!

As a thank you, you'll receive three (3) of my MOST popular retirement & tax cheatsheets. 

You'll also receive my weekly retirement newsletter :) 

👉 Click here to subscribe and grab your cheatsheets.

***

EPISODE RESOURCES:

📊  Get Your FREE Retirement & Tax Analysis!

✏️  Grab the Episode Show Notes

📘  Check Out the Retirement Podcast Network

There is no shortage of questions when it comes to navigating and planning for retirement.

➤ How much do I need to save? 

➤ How do I optimize my tax bill and avoid overpaying the IRS? 

➤ When do I take Social Security? 

➤ What should I invest in? (And what should I avoid?!)

The list goes on.

And while you’ve likely read (or heard) helpful answers to most of the big questions, it never hurts to revisit them or get a different perspective.

In fact, some studies suggest that it can take hearing something 7 times before you retain it 🤯

Today on the show, I’m answering listener questions with the Retirement Answer Man himself, Roger Whitney.

Questions like, “What account type is the best retirement account type to fund after you’ve reached your savings goals?” 

And, “What’s the best process for making important changes to your investments after learning you aren't invested properly?” 

If you want to hear our answers to these great questions (and more!), you’ll enjoy this episode.

***

FREE RETIREMENT PLANNING RESOURCES:

Subscribe to the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter!

As a thank you, you'll receive three (3) of my MOST popular retirement & tax cheatsheets. 

You'll also receive my weekly retirement newsletter :) 

👉 Click here to subscribe and grab your cheatsheets.

***

EPISODE RESOURCES:

📊  Get Your FREE Retirement & Tax Analysis!

✏️  Grab the Episode Show Notes

📘  Check Out the Retirement Podcast Network

Inflation hit a 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022.

Today, inflation is hovering around 3%.

If inflation is back in line with long-term historical averages, why does everything still feel so expensive?

When voters were asked what they would most like to see improved in our economy...

...why did 64% of them say "lower prices?" 

In this episode, I'm digging into the current state of inflation, why prices still feel high, and where inflation might be headed.

I'm also sharing tactics for how to successfully navigate challenging time periods.

If, like most retirement savers, things still feel outrageously expensive to you, you're going to enjoy this episode. 

***

RETIREMENT & TAX PLANNING TOOLS:

Join 5,000+ listeners and subscribe to the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter.

As a thank you, you'll receive three (3) of my MOST popular retirement & tax cheatsheets. 

You'll also receive my weekly retirement newsletter :) 

👉 Click here to subscribe and grab your cheatsheets.

***

EPISODE RESOURCES:

📊  Get Your FREE Retirement & Tax Analysis!

✏️  Grab the Episode Show Notes

📘  Check Out the Retirement Podcast Network

Want an easy way to learn how the "Roth 5-Year Rule" affects your unique situation? 

Subscribe to the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter.

As a thank you, you'll receive my one-page flowchart (PDF) for navigating this confusing rule.

👉 Click here to join the newsletter!

***

TODAY'S EPISODE:

The "Trump-era tax cuts" are set to expire in 2026.

In other words, retirement savers only have two more years to take advantage of today's lower tax rates.

One of the popular strategies to do this is through (aggressive) Roth conversions.

As a result, I’ve had more questions than ever about the wildly confusing “Roth IRA 5-year rule"...

...specifically as it relates to Roth conversions.

To help simplify this rule, I'm sharing TWO simple questions you can answer to understand how the rule works.

I'm also sharing several real-life examples + my thoughts on what an election year might mean for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA).

***

EPISODE RESOURCES:

📊  Get Your FREE Retirement & Tax Analysis!

✏️  Grab the Episode Show Notes

📘  Check Out the Retirement Podcast Network

Today I'm talking through four (rarely-discussed) retirement planning misconceptions.

In fact, some of these misconceptions might not be misconceptions at all...

...they might be concepts that you've never even considered!

For example, is retirement planning a complex problem OR a complicated problem? (And why does it matter?) 

And, should you develop a retirement plan from the outside in OR the inside out?

To help answer these important questions, I'm joined by Roger Whitney, host of the Retirement Answer Man podcast. 

Along with being a great person and expert retirement planner, Roger is also a deep, critical thinker who will definitely get your wheels turning in this episode.

WANT MORE RETIREMENT PLANNING TIPS?

Join 5,000+ listeners and subscribe to the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter.

As a thank you, you'll receive a copy of my 2024 Tax Planning Cheatsheet.

👉 Click here to subscribe and grab your cheatsheet.

-----

EPISODE RESOURCES:

📊  Get Your Free Retirement Assessment!

✏️  Grab the Episode Show Notes

📘  Check Out the Retirement Podcast Network

It's an election year.

As a result, many retirement investors believe that the market MUST be in for a wild ride.

But is that true? 

Over the last 100 years, how have markets behaved during election years?

What have been the best and worst returns? 

How has the market performed during every 4-year presidential term since 1929?

And is it "different this time?" 

To help retirement savers invest wisely during this period of heightened uncertainty, I'm answering these questions (and more).

---

WANT THE CHARTS & DATA REFERENCED IN TODAY'S EPISODE?

Join the Stay Wealthy Newsletter by clicking here.

I'll be sending the 12-page PDF to all newsletter readers this week and next 😊

Click here to subscribe.

---

EPISODE RESOURCES:

✏️  Grab the Episode Show Notes

📊  Get Your Free Retirement Assessment!

📘  Check Out the Retirement Podcast Network

The U.S. national debt recently crossed $34 trillion.

Without causing some serious pain, paying off this debt is nearly impossible to do.

We would have to dramatically cut spending in some VERY important areas, increase taxes, or both.

This debacle has led many to label this situation as catastrophic...

...as a "building that we’re stuck in that will need to collapse on us before we can leave."

But is it really as bad as some make it out to be?

Is $34 trillion of debt truly an issue? 

Should we really be focused on paying down (or paying off) this debt? 

To help answer these questions and shed light on this complex topic, I'm joined today by Cullen Roche, monetary economic expert and CIO of Discipline Funds.

-----

WANT MORE RETIREMENT PLANNING TIPS?

Join 5,000+ listeners and subscribe to the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter.

As a thank you, you'll receive a copy of my 2024 Tax Planning Cheatsheet.

👉 Click here to subscribe and grab your cheatsheet.

-----

EPISODE RESOURCES:

✏️  Grab the Episode Show Notes

📊  Get Your Free Retirement Assessment!

📘  Check Out the Retirement Podcast Network

With over 300,000 in the U.S., finding a financial advisor is easy.

On the other hand, properly evaluating an advisor AND choosing the right expert to help with your unique needs is a challenging task.

To help, I'm providing an actionable framework for evaluating financial advisors in this episode.

I'm also sharing 3 critical things everyone should consider before entering into a new advisory relationship.

It doesn’t matter if you are looking for short-term help or a long-term relationship...if you're considering a financial advisor this year, you'll enjoy this episode.

WANT MORE RETIREMENT PLANNING TIPS?

Join 5,000+ listeners and subscribe to the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter.

As a thank you, you'll receive a copy of my 2024 Tax Planning Cheatsheet.

👉 Click here to subscribe and grab your cheatsheet.

-----

EPISODE RESOURCES:

📊  Get Your Free Retirement Assessment!

✏️  Grab the Episode Show Notes

📘  Check Out the Retirement Podcast Network

Today I'm talking about stock market predictions.

Specifically, I'm sharing:

‣ What happened in the markets in 2023

‣ What may lie ahead for us in 2024

‣ Why we should prepare for the biggest crash of our lifetime

I'm also sharing an exciting announcement that will directly benefit you! 😊

WANT MORE RETIREMENT PLANNING TIPS?

Join 5,000+ listeners and subscribe to the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter.

As a thank you, you'll receive a copy of my 2024 Tax Planning Cheatsheet.

👉 Click here to subscribe and grab your cheatsheet.

-----

EPISODE RESOURCES:

📊  Get Your Free Retirement + Tax Analysis

✏️  Grab the Episode Show Notes

📘  Check Out the Retirement Podcast Network

Today I’m sharing 4 (important!) retirement and tax planning updates for 2024.

I'm also sharing my freshly updated two-page tax cheatsheet 😊

One listener recently said:

"This is the best two-page cheat sheet that I've seen! I do a lot of planning around taxes, IRMAA's, etc., and it is very helpful." 

If you’re wrapping up your year-end planning + starting to think about 2024 and beyond, you’ll enjoy today’s episode.

RETIREMENT & TAX PLANNING RESOURCES:

‣ Grab Your 2024 Tax Cheatsheet

‣ Join the Stay Wealthy Newsletter (My Top 5 Year-End Checklists Going to Subscribers ONLY Next Week!)

EPISODE RESOURCES:

✏️  Grab the Episode Show Notes

📊  Get Your FREE Retirement & Tax Analysis

Year-end is a popular time for tax planning strategies.

Roth conversions. Charitable gifts. Squeezing in those final tax-deductible contributions.

And, of course, the crowd favorite...good ol’ tax-loss harvesting!

‣ Who should consider tax-loss harvesting (and who should stay away from it)?

‣ How can you increase the benefit of tax-loss harvesting?

‣ When can harvesting losses backfire?

If you're a retirement saver wanting to learn more about this popular tax strategy, you'll love today's episode. 

***

✏️  Grab the Episode Show Notes

📬  Subscribe to the Stay Wealthy Newsletter!

📊  Get Your FREE Retirement & Tax Analysis