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.

The Financial Lies We Tell Ourselves

You know it’s not a good thing to lie to yourself in any aspect of life. So, let’s “keep it real” and go over some of the common financial lies we tell ourselves and explore why it’s dangerous to approach retirement planning with these mindsets.

Carrie's Question: What's Going To Happen To Tax Rates?

Carrie in Florida asks, "What’s going to happen with tax rates in the future? I’ve always assumed they’ll be going up for the rest of my life, but now I’m thinking maybe they’ll go down given recent decisions at the White House. What do you think?" We'll attempt to answer her question and give you some other things to think about when it comes to tax planning and retirement.

Mailbag: How To Invest Through Retirement And How To Handle Lump Sums

Many of the smart money questions that we feature on the show are from our very own listeners. On this episode, Matt will answer some listener questions about longevity planning, handling lump sums, and more.

In the News: Big Box Retail, Bonuses, And Robots

Let’s look at some recent headlines to see how the news might impact you in the short and long term. We’ll cover news about big box retail struggles, bonuses getting handed out left and right, plus robots! Who doesn’t like talking about robots, right?

Stress And Retirement

Psychologists have determined that retirement is the 10th most stressful event that you can experience in life. The events on the list that are considered more stressful include things like the death of a spouse, divorce, and going to jail. Let’s look at the ways to proactively deal with stress in retirement…

Why Your Excuses For Questionable Decisions Don't Hold Water

Very often, we hear people try to make excuses or explain away some of their questionable financial decisions. Let’s talk about why these excuses usually don’t hold water.

Storytime: Wow, You're Old Now

Let’s hear about a client who has lived to an advanced age, but they’re still in good shape financially, due in part to the great financial plan they have in place.