Don't Retire...Graduate!

In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Julia's question: “I'm getting divorced. How do I know if I'm getting a fair split of marital assets?”

This can be a hard situation to navigate, but bringing in a financial professional is a great way to start.

Have a question? Tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning or post it on our Facebook and it may be used in a future episode of Office Hours!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Season 5 is here and Don’t Retire… Graduate! is back to share more actionable strategies for reaching financial independence and talk to more money nerds about what they want to be when they grow up. 

And your eyes are not deceiving you—this season we’re recording in VIDEO! If you’re on an audio-only player, thank you so much for listening. If you’re watching our first time doing this on camera, thank you and welcome! 

Starting a new season is exciting enough, but we wanted to really kick it off, so we brought back one of our favorite guests and all-time favorite Stacker, Joe Saul-Sehy, host of the Stacking Benjamin’s podcast and co-author of the book STACKED: Your Super Serious Guide to Modern Money Management. 

Joe is back to share some of his experiences from his past life as a financial advisor, including the best and worst advice he’s ever heard and the red flags he’s seen from other advisors that should have you running for the office exit. 

In this episode we’ll talk about:

• Social media and the harmful financial advice that can be found on it

• What compliance means and how it keeps financial advisors from sharing bad information

• Identifying the filters, credentials, and backgrounds of the people you get advice from online

• Bernie Madoff, undisclosed insiders, and schemers to look out for 

• Red flags of financial advisors you can see just walking into the office—from what’s on the television to the layout of the furniture

• Asking who, not how when you need to do learn something new—like writing a great book with Emily Guy Birken 

Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Jesse's question: "What advice do you have for someone interested in a career in finance or as an advisor?”

The career path for a financial advisor is not well-defined, but there are several ways to get into the industry for a successful career. 

Have a question? Tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning or post it on our Facebook and it may be used in a future episode of Office Hours!

Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! As part of our summer throwback series, we’re bringing back some of our favorite episodes from seasons passed.

This episode, originally released in season 3, features Heidi Herman, author of On with the Butter: Spread More Living onto Everyday Life. At 93 years old, Heidi’s mother made a list of 93 new experiences she wanted to try before she turned 94—from paragliding in Iceland to visiting the Great Barrier Reef to ziplining through the Mall of America. Now, Heidi joins us on the show to talk about the experiences her and her mother tried together and how they are inspiring others to embrace life fully.

In this episode we’ll talk about:

• Heidi’s mother and her secret to embracing life
• Ideas for exciting new experiences and ways to find something new you can try regardless of age or ability
• Thinking about what you want to be when you grow up and what you want to do when you’re no longer tied to a career
• The icelandic saying of Áfram með Smjörið and how it inspired Heidi and her mother

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Ryan's question: “When and how do you come with a hard figure goal for your retirement savings?”

Setting a savings goal for retirement is trying to hit a moving target, so you should be revisiting this question regularly. But if you're trying to do the math, this episode can help. 

Have a question? Tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning or post it on our Facebook and it may be used in a future episode of Office Hours!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! As part of our summer throwback series, we’re bringing back some of our favorite episodes from seasons passed.

Today, we’re welcoming back Kristy Schiano, Yogi and owner of the Mindful Movement Center, to tell her story of tragedy, loss, strength, and resilience. While training for a triathlon, Kristy was hit by a truck and suffered severe physical and mental injuries, causing her to lose nearly everything—including the ability to walk and talk—but she held strong to hope and joy. Her recovery has centered around helping others manage their chronic pain through yoga and meditation. Listen to her story and take her extra credit assignment seriously (even if it won’t be graded)!

*Please note this episode is rereleased from season 1, and we will NOT be taking a break. Come back next week for another episode of Office Hours!*

In this episode we’ll talk about:

• Kristy’s story of being hit by a truck while training for a triathlon and needing to relearn everything we take for granted
• Financial, physical, and spiritual wellness and how they interact in our daily lives
• Using meditation and breathing techniques in times of stress and anxiety
• Pivot points we experience throughout our lives, both expected and unexpected
• Financial wellness, paying yourself first, and having a plan for the future
• Spirituality, religion, and the spiritual journey Kristy experienced through yoga
• The power of empathy and compassion

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Brianna's question: “What is the real reason that financial advisors have asset minimums?”

Take a look under the hood to understand how financial advisors generate revenue, what asset minimums are for, and how BFG is doing things differently with Financial Planning for All. 

Have a question? Post it in the comments, tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning, or post it on our Facebook and it may be used in a future episode of Office Hours!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! As part of our summer throwback series, we’re bringing back some of our favorite episodes from seasons passed.

Today, we’re welcoming back our very own Yanni Niebuhr, CFP®, Chief Investment Officer here at BFG Financial Advisors. Originally released way back in our first season, this episode is still as relevant as ever and covers the financial planning from the perspectives of the Millennial and Gen X generations, and how people are planning differently about the next chapter of their lives. And please join us in congratulating our guest, who, in the time since this episode was recorded, welcomed his second baby boy!  

In this episode we’ll talk about:

• How retirement planning is a marathon, not a sprint, and why planning should start early
• How Yanni, a Towson University grad, got his start in financial planning and what he wants to be when he grows up
• The sandwich generation and multigenerational financial planning
• How millennials and adults in their twenties or thirties can be doing to prepare for retirement
• The average debt and student loans for recent grads and how it can hurt your financial independence
• Deciding what your financial priority should be
• Legacy planning and leaving behind things more important than money – freedom, independence, vision, values
• Talking about money within families and how views can vary with your parents, spouse, or grandparents
• Side hustles and how they’re impacting the idea of FIRE (financially independent retire early)
• Entrepreneurship and small business self-employment and how it can help you pursue your passions
• Social awareness and the importance it holds with younger generations
• Pensions, three-legged stools, social security and other antiquated retirement ideas being replaced by “you’re on your own”
• Living in two-income society vs older generations able to live on a single income
• Transferring wealth between generations, to children and grandchildren, in tax-efficient ways through life insurance, trusts, and 529 College Savings Plans without creating a Billy Madison situation
• Unemployment and underemployment, and the shrinking value of college degrees

Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers April's question: “Why do some advisors say that taking 5% or more of your retirement nestegg out every year is dangerous?”

Determining a reasonable withdrawal rate depends on factors including your asset level, retirement timeline, and age. Eric explains three different asset structuring strategies that can help you avoid outliving your money. 

Have a question? Tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning or post it on our Facebook and it may be used in a future episode of Office Hours!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome back to Don’t Retire... Graduate! As part of our summer throwback series, we’re bringing back our very own Lena Nebel, CFP®, Chief Operating Officer here at BFG Financial Advisors. This episode, originally released in Season 3, dives into the topics around marriage that people don’t necessarily want to talk about, like how much to spend on the engagement ring, how to ask for a prenup, and what to do when you and your partner don’t agree on money topics.

In this episode we’ll talk about:

• The major purchase of engagement rings and best practices for budgeting, choosing a ring, and getting it insured
• When to talk about finances with your partner and what you should be talking about
• Who should be considering a prenuptial agreement and how do you address it
• Roles and responsibilities in the relationship and how to merge them as a couple
• Combining finances and determining which account should be separate and who is financially responsible for what
• Finding the happy medium when a spender marries a saver
• How to handle inheritances after marriage and determining if it’s a marital asset
• Estate planning as a married couple
• Looking at benefits and beneficiaries with the possibility of widowhood in mind

Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices