Financial Mailbag: Gifting Money, Overthinking Decisions & Retirement Spending
We’re answering some listener questions today as we open the mailbag and cover a few scenarios that require some financial decision making.
Does Retirement in America Need an Overhaul?
In today’s show, we’re going to be talking about the Gray New Deal and the need for retirement reform. The idea to create job and pension improvements might be a little surprising to some, but the author of Work, Retire, Repeat: The Uncertainty of Retirement in the New Economy makes some really interesting points.
Retirement Mailbag – Living on a Budget, Company Stock, and Spending in Retirement
The topics we’ll cover are anxiety about living on a fixed income, investing in company stock, and shifting your mindset to spending in retirement. These
Will These Apocalyptic Predictions Ever Come True?
On this episode, we’ll try to separate sensationalism from reality by covering the top financial concerns that people have. Should you worry that these apocalyptic predictions will eventually come true? Let’s talk about why or why not these fears are warranted
Do You Need Long-Term Care Insurance If You’re Single and Childless?
Navigating the world of long-term care insurance can be daunting, especially if you're single and without children. In today’s video, we’ll explore why long-term care insurance might be a crucial part of your retirement planning.
Should You Convert Your Traditional IRA Into a Roth?
When the Studebaker car company ceased production in 1966, it wasn't just their business that failed. Auditors found that the company's pension fund also had serious problems, leaving thousands of workers with reduced benefits or none at all. The Studebaker employees' retirement was completely reliant on the success of a single company. Sadly, all their eggs were in the wrong basket. In response to this and other pension disasters, congress passed the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). One of its key components was the individual [...]
Inflation: the good, the bad and the truth
Recently, a number of folks have asked me: So… we know you’re a pretty optimistic person. But what’s the most bearish or worst-case scenario for the stock market right now? There is a lot of bad news despite the media attempting to paint things in a good light. In truth, you have to balance being optimistic with being realistic. I’m a long-term optimist with an understanding that things can and will get really bad on occasion. See history. It’s just how things work when humans [...]
If you have a Federal Employee TSP – Watch This Video
Do You Know How Your TSP Dollars Are Being Invested? What is Blackrock you ask? In January 2022, West Virginia Republican State Treasurer Riley Moore announced that the state would no longer be using BlackRock Inc. for banking transactions due to the company’s involvement in China and its policies related to coal and natural gas. Well, in June 2021, Tucker Carlson exposed how BlackRock and other investment firms like it, are "killing the dream of home ownership." Journalist Pedro Gonzalez reiterated [...]
The best non-financial reason to delay retirement
You’ve probably heard a number of good reasons to continue working longer than you may have to. The most prominent are financial. For example, qualifying for higher Social Security benefits. Every year you delay claiming your benefits from age 62 to 70, your monthly check can increase by about 8%. By continuing to work past what’s commonly regarded as retirement age, you can also maintain the continuity of your peak earning years’ income. And of course, by delaying retirement you delay withdrawing from your retirement savings, [...]
Securing A Future
If you don't keep up with financial news, you may have missed this story about a new bill The House has recently passed. It's called Secure 2.0, and, as the name implies, the goal is to help secure a better retirement for US citizens. As luck would have it, the Senate is also on the case and has its version of the bill in the works (Retirement Security and Savings Act). There's a similar end game, with some differences. For example, both plans: Allow some part-time [...]
