On this Talking Real Money episode, Don and Tom tag-team one of the biggest financial myths around: your house as a retirement plan. With over $35 trillion locked in U.S. home equity, they challenge the idea that owning a home equals wealth. From the emotional pull of mortgage payoffs to the liquidity traps of reverse mortgages and HELOCs, the duo breaks down the risks, rewards, and real returns of homeownership. Then it’s on to listener questions about IRAs, 401(k)s, rollovers, and... fiber (yes, the breakfast and internet kind). And they end with a little brag—because 154,000 monthly listeners can’t be wrong.

0:04 $35 trillion tied up in homes—does that make us rich or just house-poor?
1:20 Post-COVID home equity boom: 80% growth, but at what cost?
2:53 Renting vs. buying: the case for liquidity over bricks
3:44 Property tax pain for retirees and why Florida isn't so tax-free after all
4:21 Mortgage payoff: emotional win, financial mistake?
5:48 Why home equity shouldn’t be your retirement income plan
6:37 Housing’s historic returns: barely 3% pre-inflation
7:54 Forced savings illusion and the real cost of home improvements
8:45 If you’d invested instead of buying… you’d have more
9:35 Reverse mortgages, HELOCs, and why it’s harder to get cash out
10:19 Home equity lines now ~8%—not cheap or easy to get
12:30 Big picture: don’t include home equity in your retirement spending plan
14:05 Florida vs. California: which really costs more to live in?
16:38 Insurance, taxes, and Florida's fraud problem
18:50 Listener Q: Can you do both an IRA and a 401(k) in the same year? (Yes.)
20:40 IRA vs. 401(k): pros, cons, and personal strategy
22:53 Listener Q: Should we roll an old 403(b) to a Roth IRA?
23:44 Talking Real Money’s audience numbers: brag-worthy and booming
25:19 Retirement prep tip: match income to lifestyle before you retire

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