Your Money, Your Wealth

Hawkeye and Elle are age 61 and in the 32% tax bracket. How should they get money into their Roth accounts for tax-free retirement income? Clark and Ellen are 69 and 68, expenses will pretty much be covered by their fixed income, but they’d like to leave Roth money to their kids. Should they keep converting to Roth, or use required minimum distributions for their living expenses? Tom and his wife are 73, and fixed inc...

Should David in Ohio use 457 funds to do an in-plan Roth conversion in his 403(b) plan, and should he hire a financial advisor? Chris in DC needs a retirement and Roth conversion spitball analysis, and he needs help getting out of a variable annuity. Kim is anxious that she made a mess of her finances and she wonders how much she should convert to Roth, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 497 with Joe And...

How much should you save in pre-tax accounts vs. post-tax accounts? Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball on the "age plus 20" rule for retirement savings, Roth 401(k) contributions and distributions, and a Social Security claiming strategy for Ralph and Marie in Wilmington, Delaware. Shawn wonders if YMYW listeners are ignoring the WEP and GPO when it comes to Social Security, that is, the Windfall Elim...

Today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 495, Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine CPA spitball on three different listeners’ strategies for paying the tax on a Roth conversion now, to have lifetime tax-free growth on that money in the future. Should Neo in San Clemente, California convert to Roth at the beginning or end of the year in his plan to make quarterly estimated tax payments on his conversion? Is it a good...

TJ in Louisiana has been sitting on the sidelines, but now it’s time to get into the market. Should he dollar cost average, or just go all in? Margaret in California has an idea of selling a stock at a loss and buying a put option on that stock that expires after the 30-day waiting period. Does this work as a tax loss harvesting strategy? When is it worth it for Brian in Charlotte, North Carolina to diversify beyond a...

Can "Alanis" retire early at age 60? With "Barney and Betty’s" spending patterns, can they retire ASAP? "Daisy and Donald" need retirement income for 40 years. Can they retire now? That’s today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 493 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, we review the results of the 7th Annual YMYW Podcast Survey (congratulations to jemart for winning the Amazon e-gift card!) and Joe ...

What is an exchange fund and is it a good thing if you have a lot of capital gains like Bryan in New York? That's today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 492 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, what should be the timing and ordering of Billy Joe and Bobby Sue’s Roth conversion strategy to help them achieve 33 years of retirement income? Is Boston overspending or underspending in retirement? Should...

What do Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA think about alternative investments? Andrew in Ohio wants to know. Are real estate syndication deals for real, and a YMYW listener just chose poorly? And Stewart in Serra Mesa is curious whether Joe has changed his position on annuities lately, as rates have “normalized” in the past couple of years? That’s today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 491. Plus, wh...

Can Claire and her husband retire early at age 60? Today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 490, Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball for them and explain how to calculate how much you’ll need in retirement. Plus, should Jeff invest his pension money more aggressively, and should he save to his thrift savings plan or his Roth? Should Paula save to her brokerage account or her 401(k)? When and ho...

The single biggest retirement planning mistake to avoid, the problem with tax professionals, and answers to some of the most frequently asked retirement questions we get on YMYW: should you name a trust as beneficiary on your retirement accounts? What’s the break-even point on a Roth conversion? What if you don’t have the money to pay the tax when you convert to Roth? Plus, find out the eye-opening amount of money goo...

Is timing the market when you withdraw money from your retirement accounts or do Roth conversions an effective strategy to minimize tax and maximize returns for YMYW listener Robert? That’s today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 488 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, should Doug change his 60/40 asset allocation, and should he start a solo 401(k)? Jefe plans to withdraw from his retirement accou...

Should Terry and his siblings take out a whole life insurance policy on their parents before they inherit their folks’ $10 million worth of farm land? Is Terry on track for retirement? That’s today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 487 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, should Fred and Wilma use their 401(k) money for living expenses to bridge the gap until they collect Social Security benefits?<...

How is Kimberly’s strategy for reducing her retirement taxes by doing Roth conversions and qualified charitable distributions? Is Patrick’s tax loss harvesting transaction a wash sale? At what marginal tax rate should Brian stop making Roth 401(k) contributions? Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA are back this week on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 486 to answer these questions and to spitball on the importa...

He's 56, she's 32. How does this 24-year age difference impact retirement plans for "Bonnie and Clyde", and what strategies should they implement now for the most tax-efficient retirement possible in the future? While Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA are on vacation, Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast producer Andi Last enlists the help of Pure Financial Advisors' Managing Director Jake Greenberg, CFP®, ChFC® for a video ca...

Will their $5 million nest egg get them to ages 85 and 100? Pa and GiDi are 65 and 60 and retiring now. As they consider moving to the no-income-tax state of Nevada in retirement, they have some decisions to make: should Pa take Social Security before age 70? How should they bridge the gap until Social Security? And most importantly, how can they minimize their taxes in retirement? Should they wait to do Roth conversions until afte...

How much do retirees really spend in retirement? Does the Social Security Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) continue to rise with inflation? Is all the talk about higher future tax brackets just fear-mongering? Can "Johnny Mercer" afford to leave money for his heirs, and what should his strategy be for converting his retirement savings to Roth IRA for tax-free growth on his money? While Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clop...

Cinderella and her Prince Charming have a nest egg of $2.3 million and are hoping for retirement income of up to $150K/year. When can they afford to retire? How should they coordinate paying for some big purchases, paying off debt, and collecting Social Security benefits as they plan for retirement?

While Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA each take some much-needed vacation time, YMYW producer A...

Market declines just before you retire, or early in your retirement, can really screw up your retirement income strategy. If you’re in the middle of the expensive kid years, how do you avoid this sequence of returns risk when making your retirement plans? That’s “Jaclyn Smith’s” question, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 485 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, can Vern’s wife collect Social...

Should Mike in Virginia keep using his IRA money to pay the tax on his Roth conversions? How do you do a Roth conversion when you don’t have the money to pay the tax? That’s PeterLemonJello’s question, but is it the question he should be asking? Spitballing Roth IRA conversion strategies to reduce your taxable required minimum distributions (RMD) in retirement - that’s today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 484 wit...