Managing Your Financial Future

I-Bonds: When 4.3% Is Better Than 9.6% – Episode 138
Managing Your Financial Future

I-Bonds: When 4.3% Is Better Than 9.6% – Episode 138

May 30, 2023

For the past year or so, I-Bonds have come into favor among people who are looking for a higher rate of return on Treasuries. A little over a year ago, they were paying an annualized 9.6 percent rate of return. Today, they’re paying right around 4.3 percent. It would seem, then, that you’d have been better off buying them at that higher rate. But maybe not – because of the way I-Bonds pay their interest, the current “lower” rate may actually be more attractive today. How is that possible?
An Inside Look at How Advisors Manage Your Taxes – Episode 137
Managing Your Financial Future

An Inside Look at How Advisors Manage Your Taxes – Episode 137

May 23, 2023

Tax time may be over for most people, but for financial advisors, tax management is a year-round task.  One of those tasks involves a “postmortem” of their client’s tax situation, where they can determine what may have gone right – or gone wrong – with their most recent tax return. If you’ve ever wondered what a financial advisor looks for when managing taxes, and what you yourself may want to look at more closely, today’s episode is a peek inside that world.
Time to Calm Your Fears About Running Out of Money- Episode 135
Managing Your Financial Future

Time to Calm Your Fears About Running Out of Money- Episode 135

May 9, 2023

Fear can either be a great motivator to get things done, or it can cause a person to retreat, cover up, and hope the issue will go away.  People who are retired have many financial concerns, but their biggest fear (according to the research) is running out of money.  This often causes them to either be frugal beyond all reason, or to ignore their finances completely and just pray it all works out. Neither option is ideal.  What if we told you that you may have a lot less to fear in retirement than you thought? What if you may be able to retire without having to grow your portfolio to the moon?  Is that possible?
Let’s Clear Up All the Roth IRA Confusion- Episode 134
Managing Your Financial Future

Let’s Clear Up All the Roth IRA Confusion- Episode 134

May 2, 2023

Roth IRAs have been in existence for 25 years, and while they’re one of the more popular financial planning tools for many people, they’re also quite often misunderstood.   Most investors may be aware of the tax-free nature of the Roth, but beyond that, there are a lot of unanswered questions: When can I get to my money? Can I access converted money? What is the 5-year clock? What is a Roth two-step? Get the answers to those Roth questions, and more
Why Should You Hire a Financial Advisor- Episode 133
Managing Your Financial Future

Why Should You Hire a Financial Advisor- Episode 133

April 25, 2023

The question is pretty straightforward: Do I need to use the services of a financial advisor, or can I simply manage my investments, my retirement income, and my taxes by myself? The answer, though, is not readily apparent.  A financial advisor can help a person with a little, with some, or with all of their financial needs, depending on what each individual requires.  As we so often say, everyone’s situation is different.
Why Your Asset Location Is So Important- Episode 132
Managing Your Financial Future

Why Your Asset Location Is So Important- Episode 132

April 18, 2023

You may have heard of something the investing world refers to as Asset Allocation, which has to do with deciding between asset categories like stocks, bonds, CDs, alternative investments, etc. It’s an important part of building your portfolio. But there’s another, equally important part that doesn’t get talked about nearly enough: Asset Location. This has to do with how assets located in different types of accounts (Roth, IRA, or personal) are ultimately taxed to you. When done properly, an asset location strategy may dramatically decrease the amount you’ll ultimately pay in taxes on those assets.
Is Your Nest Egg Doomed by Your Withdrawal Method?- Episode 131
Managing Your Financial Future

Is Your Nest Egg Doomed by Your Withdrawal Method?- Episode 131

April 11, 2023

Building a nest egg is relatively easy if you’re both consistent and patient. Regular contributions over time can lead to compounded growth, which may give you the amount of money you need to live on. But while building a savings can be easy, keeping it from running out is a whole other challenge. How you take withdrawals from your savings once you’re retired is crucial to the survival of your portfolio. If you’ve put yourself in a “reverse dollar cost averaging” (RDCA) situation, you could be asking for trouble. What is RDCA, and how do you avoid it? 
Some Good News About 529 Plans!- Episode 130
Managing Your Financial Future

Some Good News About 529 Plans!- Episode 130

March 21, 2023

You may have heard of a 529 Plan, which allows you to put money away for someone’s college education, have it grow tax-deferred over the years, and then be taken out tax-free when the funds are used for qualified higher education expenses.  The problem has always been, though, that if the money wasn’t used for those higher education expenses, it would be both taxed and penalized upon withdrawal.  That rule has now changed – in some circumstances, you can use some or all of that money to fund a Roth IRA. This is good news for many people who were looking at the prospect of extra taxes on a 529 Plan that had leftover money in it.
Will You Be in a Lower Tax Bracket in Retirement?- Episode 129
Managing Your Financial Future

Will You Be in a Lower Tax Bracket in Retirement?- Episode 129

March 14, 2023

Does retirement increase or decrease the amount of taxes you have to pay? You might think that once you begin retirement, your tax bill will tend to go up at first, since people normally have much (if not most) of their retirement funds in a company retirement plan (401k, 403b, etc.) – all of which are taxable upon withdrawal at ordinary income rates. But is this really the case?  Should retirees simply resign themselves to giving up a big chunk of their retirement savings to Uncle Sam?