Changes are afoot in our country, and the tax burden that is coming down the pipeline is going to be the biggest that we’ve ever had in our history. 

This is the last year of President Trump’s tax code changes, and with 65 million Boomers expected to retire by the end of the decade, the clock is running out on some of the key tax strategies we can take advantage of and leverage. 

In this episode, I share the one strategy we need to consider right now for wealth transfer and distribution.

Since the birth of the 401k, the government has been a partner in our retirement funds. When a partnership no longer serves us, it’s time to part ways. Because of the coming tax needs of the Baby Boomer generation and a higher federal tax, our future tax rates are going to hit our retirement savings hard. Even though our retirement savings are compounding, let’s not forget that it also compounds the federal tax. Right now is the time to consider buying the government out while it’s still cheaper and easier. We have a wide breadth of money, the best tax rates, and the circumstances right now to take strategic advantage. How did this tax reality come about? What options do we have in the current economic climate? In this episode, I talk about what we can do with our retirement funds before it’s too late.

Work, earn, accumulate, and retire - this is the trajectory of everyone’s life. The problem in America is that we’re so focused on spending that we don’t often plan for the future.  We get used to a certain type of lifestyle without seriously considering our immediate financial options to maintain that lifestyle after we retire. This is a basic but critical piece of information many Americans don’t have.  Without that basic information, it’s impossible to know our goals for the future, and if we’re positioned to achieve them. What are the 4 pillars of a solid financial plan, and the area many people focus on when it’s too late? How do we make sure everything we accumulate and build contributes to our long-term retirement plans? In today’s episode, I go back to the fundamentals of planning for our future, and what we need to be paying attention to right now.  

What happened last week with the subreddit Wall Street Bets, GameStop, Robinhood and multiple hedge funds is just the latest example that the system is rigged. 

When private, retail investors banded together and gave the hedge funds a run for their money, we saw a coordinated effort to censor and silence them. Every free market principle was compromised by shutting down message boards and the trading of certain stocks.

Why shut down public disclosure and discourse? Why clamp down on the free exchange of information? 

We’re treading into dangerous territory when we start to censor certain opinions and viewpoints that we don’t like, and even more so when we impinge on people's rights to operate freely within the law.

We need more transparency, openness and public dialogue, not less. The minute we start to limit public discourse, we start to compromise our freedom, and Americans are waking up to that.

In this episode, I talk about what the GameStop situation tells us about our country, and the immediate dangers of censorship. 

All equity investments come with two types of risk. There’s the risk of the stock itself, and the greater market conditions. 

Every single stock has a specific risk and economic fundamentals that affect its prospects. This type of risk can be mitigated through stock diversification, employing an investing strategy of accumulating non-correlated stocks and positions. 

Systemic market risk isn’t the same. The market is not something that we can tame or control. 

We have no way to diversify away from the risk of the market, but if you work with a financial advisor, there are ways to control it.  

What are some of the specific risks attached to individual stocks? How can we reduce the downsides of being in the market? 

In this episode, I share an important investing lesson to start off the year, mitigating risk, and the role of diversification. 

2021 is upon us, and after all the volatility and challenges of 2020, many of us are anxious about what the next few months hold, and the financial outlook for our country.

Even though the stock market is trending upward, this is not the time to invest aggressively. In a time of significant uncertainty, we have to be prepared for anything.

We’re headed for reckonings in 2021, and not just because of the economy. We also have to consider what the future holds in terms of coronavirus and the much needed direction for getting this country opened up and back to work.

We definitely still have a lot of issues to fix, and any financial strategy we employ has to take that into account.

What are some of the biggest challenges our nation is facing going into the new year? How can we respond? In this episode, I discuss the financial mindset we should carry into 2021.

The coronavirus has undoubtedly created the most stressful financial challenge since the Great Recession. Above and beyond the pandemic itself, we’re now really starting to see the emotional impact of the financial fallout.

As financial stress manifests as physical stress, we’re seeing higher levels of anxiety and depression, along with an increase in substance abuse as a coping mechanism.

On top of that, a fear of hospitals means people are no longer taking pre-emptive measures to protect their health by going for routine checkups and screenings.

The truth is, millions of Americans are struggling to cope. With so many people in distress, it can be incredibly difficult to come up with a plan to get through this time. Even if this isn’t something we’re experiencing personally, there are people in our lives who are having a hard time, and we can support them.

What can we do to combat the financial stress and strain and help people cope in healthier ways? How can we put a bridge financial plan in place to alleviate the stress? Which sectors have job openings?

In this episode, I talk about the emotional impact of the pandemic on our nation, and how we can help those in need of support.

Resource Mentioned CDC Disaster Distress Helpline (1-800-985-5990)

Ever since their inception, Big Tech companies have held themselves up as pillars of free speech; but recent events have made it clear that their influence is endangering that freedom. We should be concerned by how they are using their significant power to decide what we can say, publish, and link to.

America is a better nation when we have a diversity of opinion and thought, not censorship at the hands of tech companies.

Whether it’s the government we elect or the tech companies we subscribe to, anything that decides our freedoms for us is dangerous and damaging. We are a free country and in control of our own destiny. We should get to choose the content we consume and draw our own conclusions and no group or company should be deciding this for us.

This censorship by nefarious means is why the EU is considering a proposal to break up the top 20 Big Tech companies. As American consumers and investors, this is something we should be paying close attention to.

Why should we all be concerned by the recent actions Facebook, Twitter and Google have taken? What can we learn from the EU in regards to curtailing the power of tech monopolies? In this episode, I discuss why tech’s involvement in media censorship is a huge problem.

2020 has been the year of unforeseen events and unexpected circumstances, many of them affecting our economy, financial stability, and the biggest industries in this country.

What makes the economy work is the free market, and when that market is shuttered, no business can be saved. It’s not economically feasible for entire sectors to be shut down and while the government moves to keep stimulating the normal economic cycle, this too is unsustainable.

In the face of so much uncertainty and volatility, there are still opportunities for you to execute a strategy that makes the most out of the current situation with the CARES Act, and the favorable tax conditions. If you have a traditional 401k, you do still have options to maximize returns during this time.

What can you do with your captive retirement plan right now to improve your retirement wealth? In this episode, I share the tax strategies you can employ right now to put your retirement savings in a better position as we head toward a future of higher taxes.

Whenever we talk about the worst debt in America, we focus a lot on the obvious suspects; mortgage debt, student loan debt, and credit card debt.

But there’s a debt category that’s even more dangerous. Although it’s widely accepted as sound financial advice, many Americans don’t know that they are signing up for something they have absolutely no control over.

In this episode, I share the debt that should concern you the most and why.