Mailbag: International Conflicts, College Loans, Lots of Little 401ks, And When To Finally Meet With An Advisor

We'll answer your questions this week in our mailbag edition of Smart Money Questions. Stella has a question about how international conflicts might impact the markets. Steve needs help figuring out how to pay for his son's college. Should he stop contributing to retirement for a few years to cover the tuition payments? Aaron has a bunch of smaller 401ks sitting around and wants to know what to do with them. And Lauren asks a great question about picking the right time to meet with an advisor. Do you wait until your 6 months away from retirement? Is 5 years away from retiring too soon to meet with an advisor? Matt will walk us through the answers to all those questions.

His And Hers Retirement Planning

If you’re married, then this will come as no surprise. It takes two to complete a successful retirement plan. On this podcast, we’ll look at how husbands and wives have different financial goals and how that creates conflict. We’ll, of course, also explore how to resolve that conflict to establish a solid financial plan.

Storytime: Collaborating With Other Pros

The quarterback on a football team is often considered to the most important person on the field. But they can’t always get the job done by themselves. Sometimes, they need to hand the ball off or throw it to a teammate to make progress down the field and ultimately score a touchdown. Your financial advisor should serve in a similar capacity. They’re the most important person in your overall planning situation, but they should also know when it’s the right time to bring in other professionals to help put together the best possible plan for you.

Mailbag: Home As A Retirement Plan And Spousal Dispute Questions

Let's answer your questions about being a good steward of an inheritance, using your home as a retirement plan and how to handle a spousal dispute when it comes to leaving money behind for the kids.

Chocolate, Thunderstorms, Mortgages, And Target Date Funds

We'll answer listener questions about paying off a mortgage in the next two years and whether retirement planning is as easy as investing in target date funds. Plus, we'll see what Matt learned at his recent chocolate-tasting event and Walter will tell us what financial lessons you can learn from his (former) fear of thunderstorms.