Your Money, Your Wealth

Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA tackle the fears that mess with even the best-laid financial plans, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 552. Big Wallet Barbie and Ken from the Midwest have saved millions, but Barbie's still worried about retiring early, buying a new house, and converting to Roth. Is she second-guessing her plans? The fellas spitball for Dan from Florida, who's flying high in the 35% t...

We're playing "which comes first" today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 551 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. "Retired G-Man and Nurse Ratched" from Pennsylvania have saved $2 million. Should they withdraw money first from their IRA or their taxable accounts in retirement? "Mike and Carol in Florida" want to know when and how much to convert to Roth, but they're also sitting on a mountain of ...

Joe and Big Al spitball on how to avoid screwing up the timing of your Roth conversions, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 550. Barrie from New York is 62 and single, and she's been diligently converting pre-tax money each year for lifetime tax-free Roth growth. Should she continue after she retires next year?  "Jerry and Elaine" want to retire in the next...

Today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 549 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA, a comment on one of our YouTube videos sparks a dialogue between Joe and Big Al on the 4% rule vs. the "guardrails" withdrawal strategy. Joe at the Beach is managing his ~$6M portfolio on his own, but wants the fellas' take on his upper limit for yearly spending, so he can keep drinking his old-fashioneds. Can Joe Ko ...

Wendy and Joe in Colorado ran the numbers, and their financial planning software says they'll have over $10 million when they pass. Wendy's wondering if they should continue converting to Roth while working, despite their high tax bracket. But has the software lulled them into a false sense of security? That's today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 548 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, w...

A YMYW listener from Missouri and his wife are retired at 69 and 67, with less than $2 million dollars. Should they continue converting retirement savings to Roth for the tax-free growth? What should they do about long term care insurance? More importantly, is our li...

We heard your feedback, and today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 546, Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA are spitballing retirement for the not-so-fat wallets: Joe and Masako in Washington state and Reid in Indiana have less than a million saved. Can they still accomplish their retirement goals in their 60s? Mr Buckeye in Ohio and Old Macdonald in Maine have less than a million saved, and Curt in P...

One Big Beautiful Bill is now law. How does it impact your Roth conversion strategies and other financial decisions? Plus, you may have seen or heard other advisors talking about their strategies for getting your retirement savings into tax-free Roth accounts. How are these different from a good ol' Roth conversion, and what do Joe and Big Al think of them? Find out today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 545...

You've heard Joe and Big Al talk about the benefits of tax diversification in retirement. That is, having money in tax-deferred, tax-free, and taxable accounts. But what should you do if this tax triangle of yours is lopsided? Joe and our special guest co-host, Marc Horner, CFP®, spitball on this quandary for Rae and Roy in Central California, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 544. Plus, do Rae or Roy n...

Is it possible, common even, to spend a lot early in retirement to celebrate your financial freedom? How do Roth conversions and withdrawals work if you do plan to call it quits around age 57, and spend big early on? Should you convert retirement funds to tax-free Roth after you stop working? Joe Anderson CFP® and our special guest co-host, Marc Horner, CFP® spitball on these topics for "Beavis and Daria" in Texas and...

"Rubble and Skye" in Minnesota want to spend $65,000 a year in retirement, and they'll have $67K in annual fixed income. Are they cutting it too close? "Atouk and Tala" in New Jersey will have retirement money, Social Security, and "Lumpy," their lump sum pension - will they be okay? We'll find out today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 542 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, should David ...

Pam and Jim in Phoenix are 38 and 41 and want to retire at 59 and 62. Matt and his wife in Pennsylvania are both 39 and want to retire at 57. Are these millennials on the right financial path, or have they brunched and YOLO'd away their retirement dreams? That's today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 541 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, do Roth conversions make sense for Will and Jane i...

Can Beth and Rip retire early, spend more, and Die with Zero? When should they claim Social Security? Forrest and Jenny have 10 rental properties at age 31. Can they retire at age 50? (And what makes you a real estate professional from a tax perspective?) Plus, what are the rules for spousal IRA contributions and required minimum distributions? Memphis wants to know. Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball...

Roger in Canton, Ohio, is burnt out. Can he and his wife Jane pre-retire next year in their mid-50s with $2.8 million? Joe and Big Al spitball on whether they'll still have enough money for their Go-Go years, Joe's favorite, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 539. Roger also has an employee stock purchase plan. For the best asset location strategy, should he max out the ESPP at a 15% discount, convert to...

George and Weezy in the land of Lincoln will have deferred compensation and wonder if they can retire in mid-2026, or even earlier. Will they have enough? Should Jenn in Ohio move with work, take a break, or just retire? She asks Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA for a brutally honest spitball, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 538. Plus, Seth isn't sure if he can afford to stay retired at age 52, and...

You've got your tax-free Roth accounts and your tax-deferred retirement accounts. Should you invest the same way in each? Kevin in Denver wants to know. Jim and Pam in Orange County are eligible for combat zone tax exclusions (CZTE). How else can they maximize their tax-free retirement strategy?  Susan Brandeis, CFP® spit...

If your pension impacted your ability to collect Social Security benefits, 2025 is a very good year for you and your spouse. The Windfall Elimination Provision and the Government Pension Offset are no more, and you're now eligible for your full Social Security benefits AND your pension! Today on a quick Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 536, while Joe hangs in the North Star State, Big Al Clopine explains what the Social Secu...

Ryan in Texas is in the 32% tax bracket. Where should he save for retirement so he'll be in a lower bracket? Should Weronika in Texas pay the taxes now to convert to Roth for lifetime tax-free growth in the future, even though she's in the 37% tax bracket? And Jerry in Phoenix wonders if there is a point where Joe would come to the conclusion that Roth conversions no longer make sense? Stay tuned for the 7 reasons to ...

Ralph and Alice in Monument, Colorado have $4.6 million dollars saved at ages 63 and 58. Should they do Roth conversions? How do they avoid IRMAA? Mary Jo in Escondido, California wonders if she should use her 403(b) money to pay off her mortgage. And Lucas plans to spend from his brokerage, then his 401(k), then his Social Security and pension when he retires in 20 years. What do Joe and Big Al think of his strategy?...