Your Life Your Wealth

August 2, 2019

Your gradual retirement can benefit you and your employer. If you retire abruptly from full-time work, the transition can be a shock to your system, and to those around you, particularly your spouse. At a time when a massive number of baby boomers are reaching retirement age, many employers are concerned about finding enough skilled workers to fill their shoes. Cordasco Financial Network’s John Walker sits for me and is joined by CFN's Brian Hillsberg to discuss the concept of easing into retirement by making a gradual transition. They discuss some of the perceived obstacles and detail the many benefits realized by employees and employers when a long-time employee enters retirement in phases. They also share a recent case study where together they helped facilitate a slow transition to retirement with excellent results.

July 26, 2019

Some people spend lots of time fixating on market performance. Fact is, we have no control over the direction of the markets, but there are many financial matters where control is fully within our grasp. You can control your cashflow, spending, saving, tax planning, and insurance. John Walker of the Cordasco Financial Network team sits in for Steve today and is joined by CPA and team member Tim Joseph. They discuss the importance of staying focused on what you can control, which will have a significant impact on your financial well-being.

July 11, 2019

The IRS tax code, as it stands today, won’t survive. Some recent changes will either expire in 2026 or, if the political winds in Washington shift, perhaps sooner. Taxes are one of the biggest expenses you’ll face in retirement. Proper tax planning is imperative. In this episode, I detail four important strategies for Roth conversions you can use today that will help you save on taxes in the years ahead.

July 4, 2019

How are you judging your investment success? Are you an outcome driven or performance driven investor? There are many priorities you should consider before simply judging the success of your investment strategy purely on performance numbers. As an investor, your priorities are unique. Measuring your investment returns against arbitrary benchmarks isn’t necessarily the best way to evaluate your specific situation. I discuss ways outcome driven investors more likely to attain success, as compared to those who focus entirely on the numbers.

June 27, 2019

State and local tax deductibility was capped in the 2018 federal tax law changes causing high tax states to look for ways to get around parts of the new law. The IRS has now ruled against the state’s efforts to circumvent the cap causing some in congress to start pushing for a repeal of the SALT (state and local tax) cap. Cordasco Financial Network CPA Jim Tate joins me to discuss the dollars and cents of this and the unlikely position some politicians find themselves in by supporting the elimination of the SALT cap.

June 21, 2019

In the last ten years, exchange traded funds have become very popular, in part because investors can buy and sell any time the markets are open. In today’s discussion, I fill you in on something new called interval funds, which restrict total withdrawals to a range of 5% to 25% of fund assets in a specified period, such as once a quarter. Some fund companies believe interval funds can deliver higher returns because of illiquidity. These funds also use higher risk investments that are usually only available to wealthy or institutional investors.

June 13, 2019

We’re nearing the end of the first half of 2019, a time to look back, and look ahead, as I’m joined by Chad Tischer, member of the CFN investment team at DiMeo, Schneider & Associates. We cover the equity and bond markets, tariffs, Federal Reserve policy, the employment outlook, and more.

June 6, 2019

Married couples with a sizable age difference face unique challenges relating to retirement. I discuss the issues including how age gap retirement impacts social security decisions, asset distributions, and other financial matters. I also talk about the psychological and social effects of one spouse retiring as the other maintains full-time employment.

May 30, 2019

Whether it’s from a financial professional or your brother-in-law, there’s no shortage of financial advice being dispensed. I discuss some common advice that perhaps you shouldn’t heed.

May 24, 2019

Far too many Americans recently surveyed didn’t know that on Memorial Day we honor those who have served our country and paid the ultimate price. I’m joined by Col. Kenneth DeTreux, U.S.M.C. Ret., currently Commandant of Cadets at Valley Forge Military Academy & College to discuss the true meaning of Memorial Day.