Keen on Retirement

Tariffs are nothing new. They've been implemented at several points in U.S. history, including as recently as 2018. But there are a confluence of factors surrounding President Trump's current round of tariffs that make it worth discussing.

On today's show, we round up questions we've been receiving at Keen Wealth about tariffs to provide a comprehensive rundown of why Wall Street is interested and what you should discuss with your financial advisor.

With about a month until Tax Day on Tuesday, April 15th, you should, ideally, have all your financial documents collected. It might be a good idea to check in one last time with your financial advisor before you send your 2024 data to your CPA or start plugging away on your favorite tax software.

But as you put a bow on last year, it's important to keep an eye on the future, especially for retirees. Cracking open your nest egg and sequencing how and when you use your assets and benefits is a complex process. Decisions you make today can affect your lifetime tax liability, the lifestyle you can enjoy during your Golden Years, and your legacy planning.

On today's show, we use this combination of short-term and long-term perspective to tackle some listener tax questions and explain how the Keen Wealth Advantage can help you feel more confident about how taxes fit into your comprehensive planning.

The words "fun" and "taxes" probably don't go together in your mind.

But, as I mention on today's episode, they do at Keen Wealth!

Helping folks be good stewards of their money so that they can enjoy life to the fullest is one of the most rewarding parts of being a financial advisor. And as Tax Day approaches, I love seeing my team in action, working through our checklist-driven process to make sure folks aren't overlooking any details or making any mistakes that might not be fixable.

Whether you're working with professionals or preparing your taxes solo, make sure these four common filing errors are on your radar.

If you're spending a lot of your day scrolling on social media or glued to cable news, you might feel like your emotions are running a little high right now.

Major life transitions can also cause our feelings to spike, whether we're getting ready to send a kid to college or thinking about retiring.

But while letting your feelings in is just part of being human, letting too much emotion seep into your financial decision-making can be catastrophic for your long-term security.

On today's show, we discuss financial biases that we all should be on the lookout for as we try to manage both our emotions and our money.

A New Year brings excitement, hope, and a little extra motivation to achieve some major goals. But 2025 has also brought some uncertainty as well. Political, economic, environmental, and technological events have all made big headlines, sometimes all on the same day. If you're feeling a little unsure about your financial planning right now, you're not alone.

So, on today's show, we answer three timely listener questions that hopefully will give folks some perspective on where the economy is right now, where we could be headed, and how to set the best course for the rest of the year.

Happy 2025!

At Keen Wealth, we're often of two minds at the beginning of the New Year. On the one hand, Tax Day is just around the corner, so we're helping folks put a bow on last year's financials and making sure they not missing out on any potentially advantageous moves.

But this New Year also means a new president, a new congress, new laws, new facts and figures, and lots of new legislative proposals.

On today's show, we discuss some important changes coming to Social Security and retirement accounts in 2025, as well as the items that could be at the top of President-elect Trump's economic agenda.

What might be even better than having a Happy New Year?

Having a purposeful 2025.

Longevity experts who study "blue zones" where folks live the longest have popularized the Japanese concept of "ikigai," meaning roughly, "having a purpose in life." Their research shows that seniors who are motivated to get out of bed in the morning don't just live longer, they also feel more fulfilled and have healthier habits that nourish their minds, bodies, and souls.

On today's show, we discuss various ways that focusing on purpose could help you set better goals and achieve more in the year ahead.

Reviewing your estate plan is an important part of the year-end review sessions that we hold at Keen Wealth. At least annually, folks should make sure that their plan is still in sync with how they want to be cared for, how they want their assets distributed, and who they trust to settle their estate and preserve their legacy.

But an estate plan check-up is also a good opportunity to review your feelings around what your money means to you, both while you're still around to enjoy it and after the next generation takes over. On today's show, we discuss lessons from two different approaches to estate planning that all seniors should think about as they prepare their financial plans for a new year.

"Sam" is 58 and he retired at the end of the first quarter of 2024. His wife, "Alice," is 65 and still working as a paid caretaker for the couple's son with special needs. Sam has $400,000 in a Roth IRA, $2 million in a traditional IRA and they have $400,000 in a joint taxable account. In 2024, Sam earned $75,000 and Alice earned $20,000.

And, like so many couples in their age range, Sam and Alice want to know if their nest egg is ready to support them as they prepare for retirement.

On today's show, we use Keen Wealth's comprehensive planning process to help "Sam and Alice" analyze their financial situation and identify some key decisions they'll need to make to keep their money and their lives in sync.

If there's one thing we know that the financial markets like, it's certainty.

And since the 2024 presidential election was settled overnight -- rather than the weeks it took to count votes in 2020 -- the markets have reacted to the certainty of our new political reality with very strong returns.

But as Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House, there are still many lingering questions about how the economic vision he laid out on the campaign trail will or won't materialize. On today's show, we explore some of President-elect Trump's policy proposals and how they could affect your retirement planning.