Category: Podcast

Carrie in Florida asks, “What’s going to happen with tax rates in the future? I’ve always assumed they’ll be going up for the rest of my life, but now I’m thinking maybe they’ll go down given recent decisions at the White House. What do you think?” We’ll attempt to answer her question and give you some other things to think about when it comes to tax planning and retirement.

Many of the smart money questions that we feature on the show are from our very own listeners. On this episode, Matt will answer some listener questions about longevity planning, handling lump sums, and more.

Let’s look at some recent headlines to see how the news might impact you in the short and long term. We’ll cover news about big box retail struggles, bonuses getting handed out left and right, plus robots! Who doesn’t like talking about robots, right?

Psychologists have determined that retirement is the 10th most stressful event that you can experience in life. The events on the list that are considered more stressful include things like the death of a spouse, divorce, and going to jail. Let’s look at the ways to proactively deal with stress in retirement…

Very often, we hear people try to make excuses or explain away some of their questionable financial decisions. Let’s talk about why these excuses usually don’t hold water.

Let’s hear about a client who has lived to an advanced age, but they’re still in good shape financially, due in part to the great financial plan they have in place.

We’ll ring in 2018 by answering your questions about age gaps, investing too conservatively, and what to do with an old rental property. Matt also has details about some upcoming events at the brand new office in Westchester. Plus, Walter reminisces on his days as a chocolate festival emcee. You won’t want to miss the first episode of the year.

A lot of Americans have 401k accounts. Let’s cover some of the common questions we get from 401k owners. You probably have some of these questions on your mind anyway. Oh, and this advice generally applies if you have a 403b or similar type of account, too.

In the spirit of the holiday season, let’s pretend that Santa Claus is filling up the stockings of retirees and pre-retirees with useful financial resources. But you can only fit 6 items into the stocking. Which 6 would you choose?

What happens when you retire before Medicare eligibility? What do you do if your significant other is a tightwad when he doesn’t really need to be? Is it OK to buy a brand new car on credit right at retirement? What should you do if you’re getting an unexpected divorce right before retirement? We’ll answer all those questions and more on this week’s “Mailbag” edition of Smart Money Questions.