When it comes to retirement, understanding Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) and staying ahead of them is important for financial success in retirement. In our latest podcast, Matt Pastor, RICP explains the intricacies of RMDs and sheds light on why early planning is essential.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

• How RMDs have changed in the last couple of years.
• What should you be thinking about if you’re turning 73 this year?
• The four primary options for how to use your RMD withdrawals.
• If you’re still a decade out, there are some tax planning conversations you should be having.

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Believe it or not, we still get a lot of questions about pensions. Just because there aren’t many private companies that are still offering pensions, there are still many people that had them at a job 20 years ago and they have a choice to make or they are retiring from a state employee job. Whatever the case, one of the questions that people are trying to work through is do I take the lump sum on this pension or do I take the monthly income for the rest of my life?

Heath Grossman, CFP® joins the podcast to walk us through that conversation because the answer won’t be the same for everyone. It needs to be a part of the broader retirement income plan and we’ll share a look into how to determine the best answer for you and your family.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

• What type of person would benefit from the lump sum over the monthly payout and vice versa.
• How to utilize a hybrid approach to get the best of both worlds.
• Pension plan payouts are different and that could impact the decision.
• How does the interest rate environment change the decision?

Check out our other free financial resources here: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/financial-resources/

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Let’s talk a little bit about a fun topic that we haven’t covered on the podcast much in the past, which is buying cars. Pretty much everyone has a driver’s license and uses a car so it’s a topic that impacts most people. More importantly, buying a car is a large financial decision and making a smart purchase could save you significant dollars over time.

We brought Eric Hogarth, CFP® back onto the show to discuss the car-buying process and some of the things that you need to consider before you sign the check on your next car.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

• Paying cash for a car vs financing a car.
• When is it appropriate to buy a new car over a used one?
• When does it make sense to lease instead of purchase?
• A story about a client buying cars and how it fits into an overall plan.

Check out our other free financial resources here: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/financial-resources/

Contact our team: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/contact-us/ 

When it comes to investing, one of the most common concerns is how to achieve 'reasonable returns,' particularly as retirement approaches. The term 'reasonable' can be quite subjective and varies greatly from person to person. It's influenced by individual risk tolerance, financial goals, and the stage of life you're in. In the recent podcast episode of Money Wisdom, Jake Doser, CFP® will unravel the complexities behind crafting a personalized investment strategy that ensures retirement readiness without unnecessary risk.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

• Why the question is important and some background on what goes into the answer.
• How do you come up with your number?
• Why two households with the same assets might need two completely different plans.
• How do you come up with this number when you can’t predict what’s going to happen the next decade?

Check out our other free financial resources here: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/financial-resources/

Contact our team: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/contact-us/ 

Picking from a lunch menu will often give you the option to choose two items from a group. You might pick soup and a sandwich or a salad and a sandwich, but you just can’t select everything off the menu. That’s very similar to the investment world when you’re choosing between safety, growth, and liquidity. Designing an investment plan requires you to pick the two that you want to achieve so let’s talk about which investments help you achieve each of these.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

• Examples of investments that gets you safety and growth and why you might use them.
• The stock market is going to give you growth and liquidity at the expense of safety.
• How can you achieve safety and liquidity?

Check out our other free financial resources here: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/financial-resources/

Contact our team: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/contact-us/ 

If you ask most people, they will tell you they’re excited for the day they can leave work and head into retirement. And while that’s a valid feeling, many of those same people aren’t prepared for life after a career that’s been at the core of their daily routine for decades. Whether you’re selling a business, retiring, or moving out of one career for another, let’s talk about the psychology of this life change and how it impacts people.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

• The two main things people struggle with are purpose and fear.
• Why the first year is the hardest after a business owner sales his company.
• The psychology of changing jobs and moving into a different industry.
• What you need to know before selling your business.

Check out our other free financial resources here: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/financial-resources/

Contact our team: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/contact-us/ 

You’ve probably heard about reverse mortgages and might even be considering one in retirement. It’s not a question we get all the time but it’s one where somebody is seriously considering it by the time they ask us to weigh in on it. In this episode of the podcast, Jake Doser, CFP® helps us better understand this product and why someone may or may not choose to use one.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

• What is a reverse mortgage.
• How reverse mortgages have changed over the past few decades.
• The scenarios that often lead people to shopping for a reverse mortgage.
• An example of a time where a reverse mortgage makes perfect sense.

Check out our other free financial resources here: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/financial-resources/

Contact our team: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/contact-us/

Part of managing your finances and making the best decisions for retirement is understanding how to best utilize the assets you have in your possession. One of the largest accounts most people have is their 401k and it’s impossible to ignore if you need to make larger purchases. But is it a bad idea to take out a 401k loan?

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

• The mechanics of a 401k and how it works.
• Why we generally tell people this is a bad idea.
• What can go wrong with a 401k loan.
• How do the taxes and interest work with the 401k loan.
• The opportunity cost to taking a loan out of your 401k.

Check out our other free financial resources here: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/financial-resources/

Contact our team: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/contact-us/ 

We’re with Matt Pastor, a financial advisor on our team, to talk about life insurance and the need for it in retirement. Once you’ve earned enough to take care of your family and the kids are through college, do you still need to carry that policy? This is a great question and the answer will vary from person to person depending on your needs.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

• Some of the considerations we make with life insurance in retirement.
• A case where we would tell someone they probably need to keep life insurance.
• Can life insurance help replace a pension?
• How can you use life insurance as an income strategy?
• If you have a policy now, what should you do?

Check out our other free financial resources here: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/financial-resources/

Contact our team: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/contact-us/ 

Those final years leading up to retirement can be an incredibly exciting time but they can also stir up a little nervous energy. Have you done everything you need to? What should you be thinking about right now? In our latest podcast, we talked with Eric Hogarth, CFP® about the five years before retirement and what you need to do during that time.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

• The small steps we take with a client who is preparing for that retirement day.
• Walking yourself through how much you plan to spend in retirement.
• Where’s the best place for you to live if your health care goes up?
• The common reasons we have to tell people they aren’t quite ready to retire.

Check out our other free financial resources here: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/financial-resources/

Contact our team: https://johnsonbrunetti.com/contact-us/