Mr. Stillman's Opus

By John Stillman

What's Mr. Stillman's Opus about?

Financial and retirement guidance from John Stillman, founder of Rosewood Wealth Management. Serving Durham, Chapel Hill, and the rest of the Triangle. Make sure your finances are designed to deliver you a harmonious retirement.

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Mr. Stillman's Opus episodes:

05.23.2024
Is It Okay to Sell Your House and Rent in Retirement?
The housing market remains strong in North Carolina and throughout much of the country, which creates an interesting option for many people moving in retirement. Should you go ahead and sell your home to take advantage of the current home...
05.16.2024
What You Need to Know if You Plan to Retire Early
Are you in your early 50s and dreaming of retiring early? It’s a feasible goal with the right financial planning but there are milestone ages that you need to take into account. Retiring early means different things to different people. For...
05.09.2024
Does Retirement Lead to Additional Stress?
The idea of retirement is one that’s filled with plenty of rest and relaxation, but the reality is stress doesn’t go away. From losing the structure of a daily routine to the challenges of socializing and finding a new purpose,...
05.02.2024
Is Now a Good Time to Buy Gold?
We’re just a few months away from another election and everyone anticipates it being another year, so what does that mean for your investments? When uncertainty starts to increase, there’s often a strong marketing push for buying gold, but is...
04.25.2024
Should You Move Your Money To Cash?
As you approach retirement or begin that next stage of life, the financial goals shift to protecting what you’ve saved. There are different ways to accomplish that goal, but with the volatility we’ve seen from the market, does it make...
04.18.2024
Should I Take Out a Big Life Insurance Policy to Protect My Spouse?
A common situation that many couples have to face is one spouse being older than the other and worrying about how to protect them financially should something happen. What’s the best way to ensure they are taken care of after...
04.11.2024
Should You Invest Aggressively in Your IRA in Retirement?
For most people, investing strategies change as you age because you want to protect what you’ve earned rather than chasing bigger returns. But what if you have more than you’ll need for retirement in your IRA? Is that a time...
04.04.2024
Practical Strategies for Protecting Retirees Against Scams & Fraud
As much as any other threat, recognizing and avoiding scams has become a necessary skill for today’s retirees to develop. Technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, which makes it more and more difficult to stay on top of...
03.28.2024
Should You Take the Severance & Pension Buyout?
It’s not all that uncommon to hear from someone who was given the option of a severance package and pension buyout years ahead of when they actually planned on leaving work to retire. Is it worth taking the offer and...
03.21.2024
How do you make better financial decisions?
A common area where people struggle with their finances is simply just making decisions. It’s easy to fall into the trap of overthinking, to the point where you talk yourself into circles and fail to ever make a choice. You’ve...
03.14.2024
Retired Early But Still Feel the Need to Earn Money
It’s not uncommon for someone to retire early but still not feel totally comfortable with the idea of not earning a consistent paycheck. It’s a complete shift in thinking and unless you’ve done solid planning, there might be a little...
02.01.2024
Should You Max Out Your 401k?
Are you considering maxing out your 401(k) but unsure what to do next? We face this question all the time at Rosewood Wealth Management so today we want to explore if it’s wise to max out your 401(k) before investing...
11.02.2023
Is Social Security Going Bankrupt?
The future of Social Security continues to be a cause for concern if you read the headlines, but should you be concerned about the reality of the program going bankrupt? With so many retirees relying heavily on Social Security for income,...
10.19.2023
When Should I Do a 401k Rollover?
Today we’re going to answer a question that a lot of people are asking when it comes to retirement planning and that’s when should you do a 401k rollover? You’ve probably heard that it’s usually best to move money out...
10.05.2023
Estate Planning Disasters
We’re finishing up our estate planning series with Tim Nordgren, an attorney at SchellBray in Chapel Hill, with a discussion today on what could go wrong if we don’t have the main planning documents in place. Then we’ll wrap up...
09.21.2023
Do I Need a Trust?
We’re back once again with Tim Nordgren, an attorney at SchellBray in Chapel Hill, to talk more about estate planning. Today we want to address one of the most common questions that comes up during our planning meetings and that’s...
09.07.2023
The Must-Haves of Estate Planning
Today we’re joined by Tim Nordgren, an attorney at SchellBray in Chapel Hill who focuses on trusts and estates. We send people to Tim all the time and appreciate the work he does, which is why we wanted to have...
08.24.2023
Do I need life insurance after I retire?
The role of life insurance in retirement is something many people ask about. Do you still need to keep your policy now that your children are on their own and you’ve built a nice nest egg? While that’s true, life...
08.10.2023
What do I need to know about the IRA I just inherited?
We’re in the middle of one of the largest wealth transfers in our country’s history as Baby Boomers pass on their estate to loved ones, and some of that money is coming in the form of an IRA. Rules regarding inherited...
07.20.2023
Preparing for Changing Expenses in Retirement
In this episode, we’ll explore many of the expenses in your life that might drastically change (one way or another) in retirement. We’ll break those expenses down further to see which ones are the top priorities and analyze some of...
07.06.2023
Housing in Retirement – The 4 Most Common Options
When you think about a family’s assets in retirement, few are more important than the home. Not only is it typically the most expensive thing a person owns, but it also carries a lot of emotional attachment with it. Once you...
06.22.2023
Marriage & Money: Part III – Dealing with Divorce
Our three-part series on marriage and money wraps up today with a look at the financial decisions that often happen during the divorce process. This is going to be a highly emotional and difficult process for those involved, which makes...
06.08.2023
What Changes Financially When You Get Remarried?
Money plays a significant role in the health of a relationship and life events like marriage and remarriage require us to have honest conversations about finances when we take these steps in life. In this episode, we’re going to spend time...
05.25.2023
Financial Decisions to Make Before Marriage
Some of life’s biggest events come with important financial decisions and marriage might be at the top of the list. Many of the arguments in a relationship start because of disagreements about money, which is why it’s so important to...
05.04.2023
The Psychology of Investing in the Wake of Historic Market Crashes
Have you ever wondered why you handle money the way you do? It turns out your financial behaviors can be traced back to your formative memories. Key events throughout our lives shape the way we view money. In this episode, we...
04.20.2023
Dismantling 5 Top Social Security Myths in 2023
Have you ever wondered if the Social Security system will run out of money before you retire? Or if claiming benefits as soon as you're eligible is the best decision for your financial future? In this episode, we'll be debunking...
04.06.2023
Retirement Expenses For Which You Forgot To Plan
Are you preparing for retirement but feeling confident that you have covered all the expenses? Well, think again… It turns out that many retirees overlook some crucial expenses that can leave them financially vulnerable. In this episode, we explore the retirement...
03.16.2023
Moving Your Retirement Goalposts: Worth the Risk?
Do you ever feel like your retirement planning goals are always moving? You're not alone. We’ve found that people often move the goalposts in their own retirement planning, often to their detriment. In this episode, we're diving deep into the...
02.23.2023
5 Top Tax Questions For Retirees In 2023
Retirement can come with a lot of tax questions and concerns. From understanding the tax implications of withdrawing from your retirement accounts to minimizing taxes on investment income, it can be overwhelming. On today’s episode, we’ll break down the top ten...
02.09.2023
Rookie Mistakes Even Experienced Investors Make
mistakes. No matter how experienced you might be, we’re all susceptible to a moment of weakness. On this episode, John will cover some of the top rookie mistakes we see people make and share examples of how he’s seen this play...
01.26.2023
SECURE Act 2.0 – Important Retirement Planning Changes to Know
The SECURE Act 2.0 was pushed through Congress late last year, and even though you won’t see too many exciting headlines about the legislation, there are actually some great planning opportunities inside. We spent a little time talking about the RMD...
01.19.2023
SECURE Act 2.0 – RMD Age Changing Again
We’re only a few years removed from the SECURE Act being passed, which brought about significant retirement planning changes. Now three years late, Congress passed SECURE Act 2.0 in late December and we have another round of changes to process...
12.21.2022
Better Understand Your Financial Statements
The end of the year (or start of a new year) probably means you’re getting a lot of financial statements in your mailbox (or inbox if you’re paperless). Ever wonder what some of those terms mean as you look at...
12.08.2022
Learning From Grandma’s Financial Wisdom
Even if she wasn’t directly talking about money, Grandma said a lot of smart things that we can apply to financial planning. We might not have known it then, but looking back on wisdom that was imparted to us can...
11.22.2022
The Retirement Marathon: Finishing the Race
Getting through retirement can be a lot like running a marathon. While we may not know that through first-hand experience, we can certainly lean on the lessons we’ve learned from family and friends who have succeeded in this endeavor. On this...
11.10.2022
Making Smart Decisions During Major Life Events
Whenever we’re faced with a major life event, certain people will have an impact on us and the decisions we make. But when you work with a financial advisor who you’ve built a strong relationship with, they end up being...
10.20.2022
The Psychology of Retirement Planning
We always talk about the money side of financial and retirement planning. But what about the mental aspect of that big life change? Today we’ll break down an article written by a Licensed Professional Counselor (Kate Schroeder) for Psychology Today, titled...
10.06.2022
Getting it Right: Irreversible Financial Decisions
There are plenty of decisions that you’ll make in the retirement planning process that can’t be undone, so you want to make sure that you make the right call. On this episode, we’ll explain why these decisions are so important...
09.15.2022
How Procrastination Dooms Your Financial Future
People have many reasons for procrastinating when it comes to putting a retirement plan together. Let’s explore some of those excuses and why they can be dangerous, and talk about how to overcome them. Connect with us: https://rosewoodwealthmanagement.com/ 919-391-3446
09.01.2022
Retirement Rules of Thumb
You’ve most likely heard plenty of “rules” you’re supposed to follow to retire successfully. Some of these rules are stated so confidently, you’d be crazy not to immediately accept them as fact. But we don’t mind the threat of being...
04.20.2021
The Case of the Missing Sister
Tim Williams had a little sister, but for 60 years he never knew she existed.
03.03.2021
Up in Flames
Gary & Nancy Williford hadn't been living in their new home for very long before the unthinkable happened. This is their story about losing their home to a fire, the aftermath and rebuilding process, and how they've been coping ever...
01.06.2021
Love, Deferred
Jonie & Meme Neddo were a young, interracial couple in rural Tennessee at a time when interracial dating in rural Tennessee wasn't exactly encouraged. This is their story about how they parted ways in 1980 and found their way back...
10.20.2020
Raising Them Alone
Kathy Pittman lost her husband to a brain tumor when her daughters were just 6 and 4. In this episode, she shares her story--dealing with her grief, trying to make ends meet financially, and raising two girls alone.
09.29.2020
The Coal Miner's Day in Court
Jay Campbell is a client of Rosewood Wealth Management who--back in 2003--argued a case before the Supreme Court, representing a group of West Virginia coal miners in the case Doe v. Chao. At a time when the Supreme Court is...
09.08.2020
Ice Buckets and Ballparks
Larry Falivena is a client of Rosewood Wealth Management who has been battling ALS for the last several years. He joins John Stillman in studio to discuss the disease, the emotional and financial effects on his family, and the nationwide...
01.08.2020
The Rules Have Changed: What the SECURE Act Means for You
Almost everyone will feel the some effects from the new SECURE Act. Some more immediately than others, but in the grand scheme almost everyone will be affected. Ron and I will help you tackle the new rules as we discuss...
11.20.2019
Personal Training and Financial Planning
There are actually a lot of principles from the personal training and fitness world that we can apply to retirement planning. Let's explore some similarities and learn how to increase our level of financial fitness. Get the full show notes for...
11.06.2019
The Retirement Road Trip
If you're heading out on a road trip, there's a long checklist of items that you want to be sure you haven't forgotten. And in retirement planning, some of those exact same items need to be addressed. Let's look at...
10.23.2019
Steps to a Scandal-Free Retirement
If you take a close look at most folks' financial situations, you'll find that it's almost scandalous how badly their financial matters have been handled. Let's talk about the steps people should take to create a scandal-free retirement. On this episode: 1:41...

What's Mr. Stillman's Opus about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Mr. Stillman's Opus episodes:

Is It Okay to Sell Your House and Rent in Retirement?

What You Need to Know if You Plan to Retire Early

Does Retirement Lead to Additional Stress?

Is Now a Good Time to Buy Gold?

Should You Move Your Money To Cash?

Should I Take Out a Big Life Insurance Policy to Protect My Spouse?

Should You Invest Aggressively in Your IRA in Retirement?

Practical Strategies for Protecting Retirees Against Scams & Fraud

Should You Take the Severance & Pension Buyout?

How do you make better financial decisions?

Retired Early But Still Feel the Need to Earn Money

Should You Max Out Your 401k?

Is Social Security Going Bankrupt?

When Should I Do a 401k Rollover?

Estate Planning Disasters

Do I Need a Trust?

The Must-Haves of Estate Planning

Do I need life insurance after I retire?

What do I need to know about the IRA I just inherited?

Preparing for Changing Expenses in Retirement

Housing in Retirement – The 4 Most Common Options

Marriage & Money: Part III – Dealing with Divorce

What Changes Financially When You Get Remarried?

Financial Decisions to Make Before Marriage

The Psychology of Investing in the Wake of Historic Market Crashes

Dismantling 5 Top Social Security Myths in 2023

Retirement Expenses For Which You Forgot To Plan

Moving Your Retirement Goalposts: Worth the Risk?

5 Top Tax Questions For Retirees In 2023

Rookie Mistakes Even Experienced Investors Make

SECURE Act 2.0 – Important Retirement Planning Changes to Know

SECURE Act 2.0 – RMD Age Changing Again

Better Understand Your Financial Statements

Learning From Grandma’s Financial Wisdom

The Retirement Marathon: Finishing the Race

Making Smart Decisions During Major Life Events

The Psychology of Retirement Planning

Getting it Right: Irreversible Financial Decisions

How Procrastination Dooms Your Financial Future

Retirement Rules of Thumb

The Case of the Missing Sister

Up in Flames

Love, Deferred

Raising Them Alone

The Coal Miner's Day in Court

Ice Buckets and Ballparks

The Rules Have Changed: What the SECURE Act Means for You

Personal Training and Financial Planning

The Retirement Road Trip

Steps to a Scandal-Free Retirement