A confluence of factors must come together to create a resilient portfolio: 1. Market risk mitigation 2. Income predictability and maximization 3. Tax-efficiency When all three come together in harmony, the result is a resilient portfolio that can withstand many of the toughest challenges retirees face. In this episode, we dive in elements to make your portfolio more resilient as well as discuss the importance of the critical "Retirement Red Zone". 

What creates wealth, and what prohibits or even destroys wealth? It is surprising to many that the answers have less to do with rate of return and how much money you make. Rather, focus, perspective, and habit are often the differences between having and maintaining wealth and not. In this episode, we explore the 7 keys to wise financial stewardship.

In today's episode, we dive into common questions: When should I claim my social security? What does the recent Fed rate cut mean for me? How can I lock in higher rates on my savings for for many years to come? How much and when should I convert to a Roth or IUL? How can I minimize the collateral tax damage in my retirement? What does the new senior bonus deduction mean for me?

Most people have more potential in their financial picture than they might realize. Poorly positioned assets, traditional approaches, and incorrect information keep that potential bottled up. In this episode, we’ll explore new planning opportunities due to the OBBBA, common misperceptions about retirement, and how to identify and unleash your financial picture’s hidden potential. 

Tax-efficient retirement strategies can be an important part of your retirement, but what about ensuring you cannot outlive your money? What if life throws you curve balls and Murphy's law takes over? This week's episode demonstrates how to create 5 streams of tax-free income and "portfolio insurance" to protect against the unforeseen. 

This week on the Tax-free Retirement Show, we dive into 7 critical Social Security updates, 7 unique claiming strategies, and a case study demonstrating how to potentially get your social security tax-free, reduce stress on your other retirement assets, get more enjoyment from retirement, and leave an impactful legacy.

Ernst and Young (EY) recently did a landmark study showing how the judicious addition of Index Universal Life (IUL) and Fixed Index Annuities (FIA) to a traditional portfolio can produce enhanced benefits not replaceable elsewhere--more income, more wealth to heirs, and more predictable outcomes to name a few. But who does a properly structured IUL used as a Life Insurance Retirement Plan work? How does it make money internally? When should it be used and when not? In this episode we dive into those areas as well as a guaranteed lifetime income "private pension" that outperforms traditional portfolios and enhances the Income Production Ability (IPA) of the entire strategy. 

All financial vehicles fall into 1 of 3 categories/columns: Taxable, Tax-deferred (Tax-procrastination), or Tax-free. Savers must decide where they want the majority of their assets to live. Asset location is far more important that asset allocation. What is the right balance for you between these 3 tax columns? What collateral damage could your traditional retirement accounts be causing on your total retirement landscape? How can you tactically shift tax-hostile assets to tax-free assets?

The "do-it-yourself" retirement plan is often woefully shallow and incomplete, amounting to little more than "napkin math" when put under the microscope. When it comes to determining a strategy's Income Production Ability (IPA), the strategy must be stress-tested to assess its resiliency in extreme market volatility, tax-hostile environments, inflationary periods, catastrophic financial events, and more. A Retirement Buffer Analysis (part of a RIMS Report™) is a large step toward determining a retirement strategy's resilience. 

Is Big Beautiful Bill really beautiful for you and your retirement? It depends... From a new senior bonus deduction to the extension of the TCJA (Trump tax cuts) to new conversion opportunities, we break down how the OBBBA might affect your retirement in the short and long-term view. 

Will the TCJA (Trump tax cuts) be extended? How would that change your total retirement tax burden in retirement? If they are extended, how "permanent" would that extension be? Some people try to manage taxes in retirement; others simply exit the tax-trap altogether. Join us as we create multiple streams of tax-free income through efficient retirement planning. 

How well will your retirement plan hold up when taxes increase, when the market tanks, and when you have long-term care needs and costs? We dive in to how a RIMS Report™ helps protect retirees against these and other threats along with real-world examples, showcasing before and after scenarios of common situations we see almost everyday. 

"When people can't see the path, they stop dreaming of the destination." - Adam Grant, Hidden Potential Many times, people believe they are headed toward a certain retirement outcome. Rarely are pre-retirees or retirees on the path they thought they were once we dig in a stress test their outlook.How can a Retirement Buffer Analysis decrease risk (standard deviation) while increase return (Sharpe ratio)? How can we increase potential Income Production Ability (IPA) while also potentially increasing predictability and your overall retirement portfolio?

Deferring (procrastinating) taxes until the future can backfire on the once-sacred-financial-doctrine that you will have lower taxes in retirement. In this episode, we explore what tax-deferral account such as 401Ks and IRAs could look like, the total retirement tax burden they cause including potential collateral taxation on social security and Medicare, a Tax Scorecard example, and how to create multiple streams of tax-free retirement income with a Retirement Income Maximization Strategy (RIMS Report™). 

Taxes are nothing more than wealth transfers from your retirement balance sheet to the US Treasury's. Qualified plans (401Ks/IRAs) can create serious collateral damage to other elements of your retirement (social security, Medicare, and capital gains, to name a few) if not planned for properly. How newly proposed legislation could harm retirees and savers and what you can do to insulate yourself from it. 

The cost of long-term care is the great white shark of retirement. Nothing has the power to derail decades of planning so quickly. The likelihood someone aged 65 will need some form of LTC is 71%, yet so many people ignore it, have misperceptions, or don't know where to begin. In this episode, we explore "hybrid" or "asset-based long-term care solutions", how to ditch the old, expensive "use-it-or-lose-it" insurance, how to turn taxable money (like IRAs) into tax-free money for LTC uses. 

Your estate and legacy planning cannot be ignored. For many, estate planning is a practice in procrastination…and common blunders. When should you consider a trust over a will? How can you avoid probate? How can you keep your estate and legacy private? How can you disinherit the IRS from your estate and ensure your heirs receive what you intend them to receive? Special needs interest, guardianship issues, income inheritance taxes and more are all tackled in this episode of the Tax-free Retirement Show.

The financial benefits to a guaranteed lifetime income are well-documented. The non-financial benefits (less stress, better health, longer life, more rewarding relationships) are lesser-known but just as impactful to a meaningful and vibrant retirement. Join on this episode the The Tax-free Retirement Show us as we explore guaranteed income annuities--proper and improper uses, fees, myths, and how not only create lifetime income, but tax-free guaranteed lifetime income for you and your family.