Keen on Retirement

Keen on Retirement listener "Joe" is 51 and his wife is 60. They are thinking about an early retirement before either of them turns 65.

Joe wrote in asking about the best strategy for coordinating Social Security benefits around that retirement goal. Should they take his wife's benefits now? Delay benefits to keep their income low and make Roth conversions?

And since they're both too young to collect Medicare, how will their Social...

Are you feeling a little more anxious than usual about your money?

Given everything that's happening in the world right now, that's perfectly understandable. 

What concerns me is the rising number of Americans who say that their money worries are nudging them towards high-risk speculation in crypto, meme stocks, and prediction markets. 

And what's even more concerning is that folks aren't taking massive money risks just b...

Your phone buzzes with a text message that appears to be from your bank:

"Did you authorize a purchase on your debit card at a local apparel shop today? Reply YES if you recognize this. Reply NO if you don't, and a fraud specialist will contact you."

You reply, "No." A minute later, your phone rings. The man on the other end is calm, professional, and sympathetic.

Are you ready for the Great Wealth Transfer?

Financial analysts estimate that older Americans will pass on as much as $124 trillion of personal wealth to their spouses, heirs, and charities over the next 25 years. 

And, unfortunately, much of that wealth won't survive for another transfer. According to one study, 42% of heirs fall back to their pre-inheritance net worth in about 12 months. Meaning that, due to poor planning or...

"Tom and Linda" are a married couple. They're both 55-years-old. Tom works as an operations manager for a regional manufacturer, and Linda works in corporate finance. They are both targeting retirement at age 65.

Complicating that 10-year runway is a situation that's becoming more and more common among Tom and Linda's generation: they're "sandwiched" between taking care of Linda's parents, ...

Feeling happy?

That could be because spring has finally sprung here in the Midwest. 

Or, more specifically, it could be because you're part of the Keen Wealth audience right here in Overland Park!

A recent report by WalletHub ranked the 182 "Happiest Cities in America." The researchers evaluated 29 "key indicators of happiness, including depression rates, income growth, and average daily leisure time."

Fremont, California topp...

It's "a tradition unlike any other."

The $1.50 pimento cheese sandwich.

Every year at the Masters, you'll hear TV commentators wax nostalgic about what makes the world's most famous golf tournament unique: the course, the history, the cell phone ban.

And those sandwiches, which, at the very first Masters in 1934, cost just $0.30. If the pimento and ...

When I think about the start of spring, I think about spending the Easter holiday with my family, the colors returning to our green spaces, a little more sunshine, and maybe a shower or two.

Hail the size of baseballs? Not a part of my vision!

But that's what a massive storm brought to Kansas City a few weeks ago. Like so many folks, I'm still fixing broken windshields ...

The 2026 news cycle is spinning at a dizzying pace. Technology is rapidly upending how we work and live. With midterm elections on the horizon, our leaders in Washington are sharpening their visions for the future and policy proposals. And geopolitical tensions across the globe are giving investors something new to react to -- and worry about -- on a daily basis.

On today's show, we unpack ...

Matt Wilson, Keen Wealth's Chief Investment Officer and President, recently hosted an excellent webinar on Tax Planning Through the Four Stages of Retirement. In addition to providing a thorough overview of the tax issues that seniors should be prepared for, Matt also wanted to remind folks that the best time to ask questions about retirement is before you retire. 

And I'm glad that several of our webinar attendees took Matt u...

According to the most recent available data, the IRS collected $5.1 trillion in taxes in 2024. Just ten years earlier, it collected $3.1 trillion.

We all grumble about paying the government this time of year. And gathering all our forms and statements while we're in the middle of a partial shutdown isn't going to make Tax Day 2026 any more pleasant. But those trillions are also signs of a healthy economy that continues to grow and ...

When was the last time you checked your penny jar?

If it's looking a little emptier than usual, that might be because we're in the middle of a penny shortage!

The U.S. Mint has ceased production of the penny because the cost of making one ($0.0369) is now almost four times what it's worth as legal tender.

While this is yet another step towards a mor...

During my recent trip to Australia, I learned that navigating a foreign country can feel normal but different all at the same time.

On the one hand, my family and I enjoyed the familiar experiences of being on vacation, such as unplugging from our daily routines, relaxing on a long flight, seeing the sights, and spending time with loved ones.

But once we arrived in Bris...

The freshness of the New Year can also help us gain a fresh perspective on what's really important and what we want to accomplish.

From a comprehensive financial planning perspective, that might mean looking beyond your numbers and thinking about what your money is really for.

On today's show, my Keen on Retirement co-hosts and I share a few words of wisdom that I hope ...

Longtime Keen on Retirement listeners and friends of the firm are probably familiar with The Big Hat.

Matt Wilson, our Chief Investment Officer and President, is the proud owner of an oversized Dow 100,000 cap that he wears on our show from time to time. And when folks visit our offices, such as during our annual Holiday Breakfast, they often spot Matt's hat in his office and have a bit of a chuckle about its pie-in-the-sky predict...

"How am I doing?"

"Am I falling behind my peers?"

"Do I have enough money?"

"How does my nest egg measure up?"

My team at Keen Wealth spends a lot of time talking folks through these kinds of questions. And, as the years go by and folks enter their 50s, 60s and beyond, that conversation evolves and begins to coalesce around anot...

Does your financial team provide you with comprehensive tax planning, or just annual tax reporting?

When you file your 2025 taxes next April, you're essentially just reporting your financial data from the previous year. 

At Keen Wealth, tax planning is a proactive, year-round process we use to put your annual report in the best shape possible before the ink dries and windows close. 

And when it comes to your 2025 tax retu...

"This sounds too good to be true, but you've got to believe in those that are looking at it for you and trusting in the people with Pacific Life email addresses that are sending you the documents." 

So many stories of financial fraud and mismanagement boil down to statements just like this one. All too often, the folks who are losing large sums of money are hardworking folks working 9-to-5s who don't have a team of professiona...

"Risk" and "uncertainty" are similar concepts. But your financial plan has to be prepared to cope with both.

I think that mix is what's making some folks a little uneasy right now. In addition to the typical risks that all investors accept, we're also dealing with uncertainty around the government shutdown and what the effects on the economy will be until our leaders get back to the negotia...