Discover how to maximize your Roth IRA, balance pension income, and use the 4% rule of thumb to determine if you’re truly ready to retire. Learn why asset allocation is critical, when to consider shifting from stocks to bonds, and whether cash can possibly replace bonds in a portfolio. Tackle real-world scenarios like handling inherited trusts, making tax-efficient withdrawals, and building a financial team to navigate a major windfall. Examine strategies to seek to protect investments, manage risk, and make smart decisions about long-term care. By answering listener questions and offering practical insights, Wes Moss and Christa DiBiase explore the financial clarity you need to retire sooner and smarter.

Cut through the media noise. Debunk Robert Kiyosaki's latest market crash warning. Ease financial and geopolitical anxiety with facts: GDP is growing over 2%, inflation is cooling, and the labor market has snapped back to a healthy balance—challenge fear-driven narratives by focusing on fundamentals.

Could Walmart’s earnings stumble be a hiccup rather than a harbinger? Isn’t Amazon’s quarterly revenue record the bigger story? With FactSet forecasting healthy S&P 500 earnings growth for 2025, is it time to lean in rather than sit out?

Examine Columbia Threadneedle's study to see why today’s 4.5% to 5% bond yields make them a potentially productive strategy because they sometimes sidestep cash drag to secure stable returns.

Want a retirement game plan? Wes and Jeff walk listeners through the “Fill the Gap” strategy: know your income shortfall, multiply by 25, and hopefully retire with confidence.

Then, unpack the “Doge Dividend” proposal, a concept floated by the Trump administration suggesting taxpayer rebates tied to deficit reductions. Would one-time stimulus checks be more or less productive than debt rollback? Listen to find out more, and if you're heading to the Waffle House, brace for that new 50-cent egg surcharge.

Dive into the latest financial headlines, examine the impact of modern work-from-home trends, and explore the three most compelling economic charts of the moment. Analyze inflation as it edges up around 3%, raising questions about the Federal Reserve’s next move. Debate revaluation’s potential role in helping shrink the deficit by looking at how the U.S. Treasury’s gold reserves, still marked at outdated 1970s prices, would be worth over $750 billion at today’s value. Unpack the soaring manufacturing expectations that have come along with a massive spike in projected industrial activity. Dissect the latest attempt for government downsizing as roughly 75,000 federal workers have already accepted buyouts. Wes Moss and Jeff Lloyd help connect the dots and decode what this all means for the economy, the markets, and the financial future of retirees and beyond.

Dive into the latest economic trends and retirement strategies, breaking down essential financial topics. Can investing during market highs yield strong returns and counter the typical "buy low, sell high" advice? Explore the psychology of lump sum vs. pension decisions for federal employees, and examine a balanced investment approach in a bond market with higher interest rates. Learn the nuances of fixed-income investments, the benefits of locking in higher rates, and how bonds typically outperform cash in the long run. Wes Moss and Connor Miller cover all of this, plus some fun Super Bowl stats for happy retirees and beyond.

The resiliency of U.S. economics, steady consumer spending across all income levels, underestimated impacts of a gig economy, and the surprising durability of GDP growth are all part of today’s essential discussion. Wes Moss and Jeff Lloyd examine which factors suggest productivity might be undercounted and liken AI to the space race, where any type of participation drives long-term innovation. Listen to discover how these elements could shape the economic landscape for retirees and beyond.

On this week’s Money Matters, Wes Moss and co-host Jeff Lloyd break down the biggest financial stories shaping 2025. From what the Fed’s next move on interest rates means for your wallet to how tariffs and inflation are impacting markets. Wes also shares big news about Social Security changes that could give retirees with pensions a much-needed boost. Plus, they dive into bonds, Bitcoin, and what really makes an asset worth investing in.

Wes Moss and Clark.com’s Christa DiBiase team up to highlight the top 10 financial trends investors should watch in 2025, including economic resilience, consumer spending strength, and rising productivity.

In the second hour, Wes partners with co-host Jeff Lloyd to explore market momentum, the importance of dividends, and savvy retirement strategies. The episode concludes with an inspiring story of a happy retiree using careful financial planning to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime College Football Playoff experience.

On today’s episode of Money Matters, Wes dives into the top ten trends that he anticipates will define 2025 for investors, starting with resilience in the markets and economy, the dominance of the consumer, and a surge in productivity fueled by emerging technologies like AI. Producer and co-host Jeff Lloyd analyzes what these trends mean for investors, covering everything from the bull market's potential, dividend contributions, and tariff impacts to Washington's influence on market stability.

Money Matters co-host and producer Jeff Lloyd joins Wes in the studio. Wes instills the top 10 happy retiree lessons he’s learned from his guests while hosting the Retire Sooner podcast.

Whether you’re 25 or nearing retirement age, you’ll learn something new about how to maximize social security and plan for the future in today’s show. Wes introduces you to Mary Beth Franklin, one of the country’s leading specialists on social security and Medicare and a popular guest on Wes’s Retire Sooner podcast. In this conversation, Mary Beth answers questions such as, why do you think Social Security has become so confusing and difficult for so many people to make sense of as they get ready to retire? What are some actionable steps to take right now to prepare for or maximize their social security? And what you need to know when it comes to spouses and social security.