Pivot with Darryl Lyons

Our education and job system is broken.

We force everyone into college to major in any random course of study and graduate after 4 years.

But some of these degrees don’t have a job market out there for them after college. So they end up behind the counter, as Starbucks baristas. Simply making ends meet.

But there’s good news.

There’s a good career path you can take without wasting 4 years in college.

In fact, there’s a huge gap for these kinds of people. Tons of business owners are asking for people who followed this path.

So what is this career path?

In today’s episode, Todd Fleming, a CPS Energy veteran retired at 55 years old, shares why learning a trade is a great career path. You’ll also discover the massive freedom and monetary benefits that come with working as a skilled worker.

Listen now.

Show highlights include:

• Why a trade program is more important than your college degree (6:04)
• How Todd went from making minimum wage as a laborer to retiring at 55 without jumping from job to job (and how you can too) (8:37)
• Why learning a trade can unlock millions of dollars in retirement funds. (13:44)
• The right things to consider before retiring (so you don’t drown in debt) (12:15)
• A simple career blueprint you can follow if you want to be in a trade and retire before you hit 60. (19:49)

Disclosure:

"Clicking the Like button does not constitute a testimonial for, recommendation or endorsement of our advisory firm, any associated person, or our services. Clicking the Like button is merely a mechanism to circulate our social media page. “Like” is not meant in the traditional sense. In addition, postings must refrain from recommending us or providing testimonials for our firm."

“Put your mind to it and work hard.”

We’ve all heard similar words since we were children.

Because having the right work ethic helps us make the right decisions for ourselves.

And especially people, who’ve succeeded despite many hardships growing up, say that their success was due their work ethic.

And who could explain how to develop the right work ethic better than a veteran who served his country for many years?.

In this episode, retired marine Tony White, shares how to thrive in hard times, and a simple tip to make better decisions.

Listen now.

show highlights include:

• The work ethic that turns hardships in your life into your biggest achievements (2:08)
• How to adapt to new responsibilities (even if they are the opposite of what you expected) (8:18)
• One simple, yet effective habit to end bad decisions you regret (12:59)
• How networking with the right people can be a short cut to changing your career

Disclosure:

"Clicking the Like button does not constitute a testimonial for, recommendation or endorsement of our advisory firm, any associated person, or our services. Clicking the Like button is merely a mechanism to circulate our social media page. “Like” is not meant in the traditional sense. In addition, postings must refrain from recommending us or providing testimonials for our firm."

No one is surprised when someone goes to college, graduates and becomes successful in life.

This gives the misleading impression that only college graduates can have a successful business career.

If you drop out of college, you bury your opportunities.

And nothing refutes this belief better than living proof to the contrary.

In today’s episode, Tom Cuthbert, Vistage Master Chair and CEO Coach shares why real-life experience is superior to any degree, and what to do when you doubt yourself.

Listen now.

Show highlights include:

• The "Earn It" method to teach a child how to handle money responsibly (so they succeed as adults) (7:57)
• Why your “Life-BA” is more important than getting a college degree if you want to run a successful business (10:56)
• What to do whenever you have doubts about your success in the future to eliminate it (14:28)
• Why the most successful CEOs rely on business coaches to help them make better decisions (18:42)

Disclosure:

"Clicking the Like button does not constitute a testimonial for, recommendation or endorsement of our advisory firm, any associated person, or our services. Clicking the Like button is merely a mechanism to circulate our social media page. “Like” is not meant in the traditional sense. In addition, postings must refrain from recommending us or providing testimonials for our firm."

Imagine the day you retire.

You’ve been working and investing for years leading up to this point.

Not just money, but also countless hours went into planning and setting up your retirement plans.

Just for the market to crash as soon as you retire.

It’s unfortunate, since the market is outside of your control.

On the other hand, you are not powerless.

Today, you will discover how to manage the sequence-of-returns risk, and why your emergency fund may be the key to a stress-free retirement.

Listen now.

Show highlights include:

• The “Wants and Needs” method to knowing your monthly budget (7:07)
• How to reduce the risk of the market burning your savings with your emergency fund (8:50)
• 3 ways to cover your basic expenses for the rest of your life (10:49)
• How you can afford the things you enjoy (even if the market is crashing) (13:20)
• How to turn your inheritance into a life-changing legacy for your family (15:07)

Disclosure: 

"Clicking the Like button does not constitute a testimonial for, recommendation or endorsement of our advisory firm, any associated person, or our services. Clicking the Like button is merely a mechanism to circulate our social media page. “Like” is not meant in the traditional sense. In addition, postings must refrain from recommending us or providing testimonials for our firm."

Investing is simple.

You acquire assets to profit from their increase in value.

Yet, so many people overcomplicate it, and change their strategy whenever they feel uneasy about the markets. 

The result? 

They stay stuck with their portfolio, unsatisfied with their returns.

Even if you have the best investment strategies in place, you will never have full control over the outcome.

What you can do is inform yourself, so you can decide how to invest your money to generate wealth.

In this episode, you’ll discover what behavior ruins any plan to make successful investments, what to do instead, and an overview over tried and tested investment strategies.

Listen now.

Show highlights include:

• Why the urge to be in control may be holding you back from successful investments (0:45)
• Why the bond market offers great opportunities (even if it seems to be going down right now) (5:40)
• How structured products can enrich your portfolio by reducing the risk of volatile assets (10:05)
• Why dollar cost averaging and annuities can work for you (and when it’s better to forego them) (12:05)

Disclosure: 

"Clicking the Like button does not constitute a testimonial for, recommendation or endorsement of our advisory firm, any associated person, or our services. Clicking the Like button is merely a mechanism to circulate our social media page. “Like” is not meant in the traditional sense. In addition, postings must refrain from recommending us or providing testimonials for our firm."

The holidays are over, and 2023 is already in full swing.

This means two things:

1. Even though 2022 is over, it’s still impacting our plans to protect our wealth, health and relationships.
2. This year will bring its own financial challenges along with opportunities we can take advantage of.

And being aware of them is the first step to making smart financial decisions.

With an outlook on the near future you can navigate this year with success wherever you are on your journey of retirement.

In this episode, you will discover how to attain higher education easier than ever, and new chances and risks for your investments.

Listen now.

Show highlights include:

• How remote work is most likely going to improve your family life (1:30)
• A tool that simplifies managing your expenses amidst this budget-tightening inflation (3:42)
• Why people from all walks of life will be able to attain higher education more than ever before (5:36)
• The surprising reason people unretire (and what it teaches us about living our lives with purpose) (7:51)
• Why “There Is No Alternative” is true (and how to limit the risk of your investments regardless) (9:24)
• Two surprisingly well performing assets you might want to include into your portfolio (14:25)
• How you can take care of your health proactively (even if health care costs will continue to rise in the future) (17:00)

Disclosure: 

"Clicking the Like button does not constitute a testimonial for, recommendation or endorsement of our advisory firm, any associated person, or our services. Clicking the Like button is merely a mechanism to circulate our social media page. “Like” is not meant in the traditional sense. In addition, postings must refrain from recommending us or providing testimonials for our firm."

When it comes to retiring, how to invest your money is always in focus.

Since there is so much to think about with diversification and never ending trends, you may neglect something equally important:

Retirement distributions..

Why?

Because making a mistake in your distributions can burn a hole in your finances when it’s time to retire.

The IRS has strict rules regarding withdrawals. And breaking them unknowingly can cost you your hard earned profits. 

On the other hand, there are different types of retirement distributions. If you retire in times of turbulent markets, there are ways to protect your investments.

In this episode, you will uncover the most important rules of retirement distributions, how to take advantage of exceptions, and how to protect your investments in a bad market.

Listen now.

Show highlights include:

• How to never worry about taxes for your IRA again (1:29)
• The little known exceptions that allow to take money out of your IRA before you’re 59 (without risking a 10% penalty) (4:03)
• The 2 rules to avoid penalty payments when you approach the required minimum distribution age of your IRA (6:34)
• 2 ways to protect your retirement distributions when the market goes down (9:18)
• Why annuities can be more harmful than they seem (and when they can be useful) (11:57)

Sources:

https://www.medishare.org/medishare-difference/ 

https://www.healthcare.gov/see-plans/#/ 

https://chministries.org/programs-costs/ 

https://samaritanministries.org/classicbasic/cost 

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/06/10/2020-12213/certain-medical-care-arrangements 

https://healthcostinstitute.org/hcci-research/hmi-2018-prive-level-v-growth?highlight=WyJwcmljZSIsImluZmxhdGlvbiJd 

https://khn-org.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/khn.org/news/article/diagnosis-debt-investigation-100-million-americans-hidden-medical-debt/amp/

Disclosure: 

"Clicking the Like button does not constitute a testimonial for, recommendation or endorsement of our advisory firm, any associated person, or our services. Clicking the Like button is merely a mechanism to circulate our social media page. “Like” is not meant in the traditional sense. In addition, postings must refrain from recommending us or providing testimonials for our firm."

Healthcare may be the most dreaded topic in regards to retirement.

Since the traditional healthcare system seems so complicated, most people lose track of how it works, and make decisions that make a healthy retirement impossible.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Understanding how the healthcare system works is the first step to assess your situation, so you can make the right decisions for your future.

You can be in charge of your health, if you know about the options you have at your disposal.

In this episode, you will get the answers to the most common questions regarding the health care system, and helpful additions to traditional health insurance, so that you can retire without worrying about your health.

Listen now.

Show highlights include:

• How traditional healthcare holds the middle class back from ensuring a healthy retirement (2:42)
• The difference between Medicare and Medicaid (and how they contribute to your health care) (7:33)
• How to combine a high deductible plan with a health savings account to make the most of traditional healthcare (12:29)
• How Christian healthcare sharing helps you to pay for unexpected and expensive treatments (without bankrupting yourself) (14:37)

Sources:

• https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/retirement-plans-faqs-regarding-iras-distributions-withdrawals 
• IRS, Actuarial Tables, IRS.GOV (June 15, 2022 11:15 AM), https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/actuarial-tables 

"Clicking the Like button does not constitute a testimonial for, recommendation or endorsement of our advisory firm, any associated person, or our services. Clicking the Like button is merely a mechanism to circulate our social media page. “Like” is not meant in the traditional sense. In addition, postings must refrain from recommending us or providing testimonials for our firm."

2022 has been an eventful year.

And unfortunately, some happenings had bad effects on our economy.

Russia invading Ukraine made our problems with inflation even worse. The following energy crisis led to soaring inflation.

Fortunately, there is good news, like the plans to become independent from foreign countries. And even bad occurrences like the FTX-scandal can help you to prepare to make wiser decisions in 2023.

In this episode, you will get an overview of the 10 most important things that happened in 2022, and what they mean for your wealth and your overall wellbeing.

Listen now. 

Show highlights include:

• Why Disney’s new CEO will most likely focus on telling good stories again (and what this teaches about the priorities of your business) (1:20)
• The making of a neutral news source for you to make the right decisions (3:59)
• The basics of what the Fed is doing to stabilize the economy (and what this means for the housing market) (7:27)
• How the Midterm election results create a historic opportunity for the economy to thrive again (14:01)

Disclosure: 

"Clicking the Like button does not constitute a testimonial for, recommendation or endorsement of our advisory firm, any associated person, or our services. Clicking the Like button is merely a mechanism to circulate our social media page. “Like” is not meant in the traditional sense. In addition, postings must refrain from recommending us or providing testimonials for our firm."

Travel is one of the best ways to create unforgettable memories.

But, before that you feel uncertain about your destination and how to get there.

And before you know it, you start to doubt if all the hassle is worth it.

Of course, there is a risk the travel you look forward to can turn out to be a disappointment, but there are some key aspects to make sure this doesn’t happen to you.

Today, Edward Leos from The Hotel Guide shares how to make the best travel choices, so you can have lasting travel experiences that await you in 2023.

Listen now.

Show highlights include:

• The simple way to find the right cruise for you and your family (without any worry about missing out on better opportunities) (6:33)
• How the new kind of wellness travel helps you to restore your mind and body) (9:10)
• A travel expert’s advice on how to visit any place you want on a budget (11:54)
• The “Playlist” method for creating vivid travel experiences you’ll remember for decades (14:49)

Disclosure: 

"Clicking the Like button does not constitute a testimonial for, recommendation or endorsement of our advisory firm, any associated person, or our services. Clicking the Like button is merely a mechanism to circulate our social media page. “Like” is not meant in the traditional sense. In addition, postings must refrain from recommending us or providing testimonials for our firm."