Send a text

📱 Want expert help in planning for your financial future? Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

⚡ Get your no-cost Retirement Toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

With 2026 here, it’s a good time to step back and revisit what Powerhouse Financial Advisors is really about. This episode pulls back the curtain on why the firm focuses so heavily on utility employees and how that specialization shapes the planning process. Steve shares the personal experiences that inspired the firm’s mission and walks through what’s evolving behind the scenes. It’s a clear look at who Powerhouse is designed for and where things are headed next.

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

🧠 Early 401(k) Lessons: Where the mission began

⚡ Utility-Focused Planning: Why specialization matters

🚀 What’s New in 2026: Tools, technology, and expansion

🧭 Power Shift Path: Aligning benefits and risk

👥 Best-Fit Clients: Who Powerhouse serves best

Get your copy of Power Up Your 401K in our toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

Follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEE5ZkDedYTsKzkh2UxQ9Sg

Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

Other ways to get in touch:

Phone: (775) 266-8867
Our website: https://powerhousefinancialadvisors.com/
Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/powerhouse-financial-advisors/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PowerhouseFinancialAdvisors

Send a text

📱 Want expert help in planning for your financial future? Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

⚡ Get your no-cost Retirement Toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Steve has a little fun comparing a lifelong relationship to your financial journey. From the first spark all the way to ’til death do us part. Like any good relationship, your financial journey works best when you stay committed, adjust through different seasons, and ask for help when you need it. So, if your financial plan were a relationship, how healthy would it be right now? That’s a conversation worth having. 

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

🦋 Catching Butterflies: Early investing excitement and first financial steps

🍽️ First Date Decisions: Budgeting, goal setting, and initial risk-taking

💍 Going Steady & Proposal: Increasing sophistication, commitment, and shared planning

👶 Family & Future Planning: Growing responsibilities and long-term focus

🏡 Till Death Do Us Part: Estate planning and legacy conversations

Get your copy of Power Up Your 401K in our toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

Follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEE5ZkDedYTsKzkh2UxQ9Sg

Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

Other ways to get in touch:

Phone: (775) 266-8867
Our website: https://powerhousefinancialadvisors.com/
Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/powerhouse-financial-advisors/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PowerhouseFinancialAdvisors

Send a text

📱 Want expert help in planning for your financial future? Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

⚡ Get your no-cost Retirement Toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

Paying off debt is a huge milestone, but what you do next can shape the rest of your retirement. In this episode, Steve tackles two common listener questions: how to wisely redirect extra cash after becoming debt-free, and whether “tax-free retirement income” is actually possible. If you’re trying to make smart retirement decisions, instead of emotional ones, this conversation is for you!

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

💸 Debt Management & Extra Income: Smart choices for newfound cash flow

🎉 Celebrating Debt Freedom: Why milestones matter before next steps

🧾 Tax-Free Retirement Income: What it really means (and doesn’t)

🔁 Roth Conversions & Tax Strategy: Paying taxes now vs. later

📞 Getting Guidance: When professional advice matters most

Get your copy of Power Up Your 401K in our toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

Follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEE5ZkDedYTsKzkh2UxQ9Sg

Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

Other ways to get in touch:

Phone: (775) 266-8867
Our website: https://powerhousefinancialadvisors.com/
Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/powerhouse-financial-advisors/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PowerhouseFinancialAdvisors

Send a text

📱 Want expert help in planning for your financial future? Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

⚡ Get your no-cost Retirement Toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

One of the most important retirement decisions doesn’t show up on your paycheck; it shows up in how your contributions are taxed. That’s what prompted a recent listener question about whether 401(k) contributions should be Roth or traditional, and whether age changes the answer. The truth is, the right choice isn’t simply tax now versus tax later, but how each option fits into the bigger picture of your retirement plan. Today, Steve brings clarity to a decision many people second-guess.

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

⚖️ Roth vs. Traditional: Understanding the core difference

🧾 Contribution Basics: How each option is taxed

⏳ Age Factor: Why timing influences the decision

🔄 Tax Dynamics: Planning across changing brackets

🧩 Splitting Strategies: How to use both for flexibility

Get your copy of Power Up Your 401K in our toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

Follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEE5ZkDedYTsKzkh2UxQ9Sg

Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

Other ways to get in touch:

Phone: (775) 266-8867
Our website: https://powerhousefinancialadvisors.com/
Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/powerhouse-financial-advisors/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PowerhouseFinancialAdvisors

Send a text

📱 Want expert help in planning for your financial future? Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

⚡ Get your no-cost Retirement Toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

There’s no shortage of financial advice out there, and unfortunately, not all of it is good. Some of the most damaging retirement mistakes don’t come from reckless behavior, but from ideas that sound reasonable and get repeated often enough to feel true. Today, Steve busts some of the most common retirement planning myths and explains why believing them can quietly derail an otherwise solid plan.

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

📄 Financial Plans – Why more doesn’t automatically mean better

⚖️ Estate & Spousal Assumptions – Where oversimplification causes problems

📉 Markets & Spending – The danger of reacting emotionally to volatility

🧾 Taxes & Social Security – Why retirement income often surprises people

🧠 Decision-Making in Retirement – Choices often get harder, not easier

Get your copy of Power Up Your 401K in our toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

Follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEE5ZkDedYTsKzkh2UxQ9Sg

Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

Other ways to get in touch:

Phone: (775) 266-8867
Our website: https://powerhousefinancialadvisors.com/
Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/powerhouse-financial-advisors/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PowerhouseFinancialAdvisors

Send a text

📱 Want expert help in planning for your financial future? Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

⚡ Get your no-cost Retirement Toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

After a year filled with volatility and economic curveballs, it’s understandable why optimism about the economy may not come naturally for many people. Steve shares why one economist believes 2026 could be stronger than expected and offers his own perspective on whether that optimism is justified. A brighter outlook is encouraging, but Steve explains why a solid financial plan matters more than any single economic forecast.

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

💵 Consumer Cash – Why households may have more money

💰 Extra Payments – Potential refunds and additional inflows

🏢 Business Growth – Increased capital and investment flexibility

📉 Lower Costs – Interest rates and energy easing pressure

🌍 Market Stability – Fewer shocks from tariffs and trade

Bloomberg News opinion column by economist Allison Schrager

Five Reasons To Be Optimistic About The 2026 Economy

https://www.fa-mag.com/news/five-reasons-to-be-optimistic-about-the-2026-economy-85324.html?section=68

Get your copy of Power Up Your 401K in our toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

Follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEE5ZkDedYTsKzkh2UxQ9Sg

Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

Other ways to get in touch:

Phone: (775) 266-8867
Our website: https://powerhousefinancialadvisors.com/
Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/powerhouse-financial-advisors/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PowerhouseFinancialAdvisors

Send a text

📱 Want expert help in planning for your financial future? Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

⚡ Get your no-cost Retirement Toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

There’s something unforgettable about a snow day- unexpected, disruptive, and strangely freeing. In this episode, Steve borrows classic snow-day moments and turns them into practical lessons for building a stronger financial life. From preparation to patience, these metaphors reveal what really matters when conditions change. Because the best plans aren’t just built for sunny days.

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

☃️ Snow Day Memories: Why unexpected breaks teach us more than routine

🛷 Sledding Lessons: The effort it takes to build momentum

🏠 Staying Put in Storms: Knowing when not to react

🧥 Layering Up: Why diversification matters

🌨️ Enjoying the Moment: Making space for what you’ve built

Get your copy of Power Up Your 401K in our toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

Follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEE5ZkDedYTsKzkh2UxQ9Sg

Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

Other ways to get in touch:

Phone: (775) 266-8867
Our website: https://powerhousefinancialadvisors.com/
Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/powerhouse-financial-advisors/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PowerhouseFinancialAdvisors

Send a text

📱 Want expert help in planning for your financial future? Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

⚡ Get your no-cost Retirement Toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

A new year brings new rules, and some of the changes in 2026 could quietly impact your cash flow, taxes, and retirement strategy. In this episode, Steve walks through the most important updates affecting retirees and pre-retirees. While each change may seem small on its own, together they can meaningfully shift how your plan works, so tune in! 

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

🗓️ 2026 Overview: The financial changes setting the tone for the year

📈 COLA Update: What the Social Security adjustment really delivers

🏥 Medicare Premiums: Why higher costs still catch people off guard

🧾 Senior Tax Breaks: New deductions that may ease the burden

🚀 Catch-Up Contributions: Bigger saving opportunities near retirement

Listen to Retirement Health Care Costs Just Jumped Again (2025 Update):

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2416928/episodes/18289117

Get your copy of Power Up Your 401K in our toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

Follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEE5ZkDedYTsKzkh2UxQ9Sg

Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

Other ways to get in touch:

Phone: (775) 266-8867
Our website: https://powerhousefinancialadvisors.com/
Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/powerhouse-financial-advisors/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PowerhouseFinancialAdvisors

Send a text

📱 Want expert help in planning for your financial future? Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

⚡ Get your no-cost Retirement Toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

As we close out 2025 and look ahead to the new year, we’re answering listener questions in this special mailbag episode. From spending more in retirement to finding the right kind of financial guidance, this episode focuses on making confident, well-planned decisions. Steve explains why needing more income in retirement isn’t irresponsible if it’s intentional and feasible, how to plan for the more active “Go-Go Years,” and what to watch out for when professional advice starts to feel like a sales pitch.

Here are some of the questions we discuss in this episode:

💼 Spending more in retirement- when it works and planning for it

✈️Planning for travel and fun during the Go-Go Years

🛑Recognizing product-driven advice vs. real planning

🎉Year-End Note: Perspective and gratitude

Listen To "The 5 Retirement Questions Smart People Ask:"

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2416928/episodes/18401922

Get your copy of Power Up Your 401K in our toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

Follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEE5ZkDedYTsKzkh2UxQ9Sg

Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

Other ways to get in touch:

Phone: (775) 266-8867
Our website: https://powerhousefinancialadvisors.com/
Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/powerhouse-financial-advisors/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PowerhouseFinancialAdvisors

Send a text

📱 Want expert help in planning for your financial future? Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

⚡ Get your no-cost Retirement Toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

You’ve heard the saying, “There’s no such thing as a bad question.” But in retirement planning… some questions are definitely better than others. In this episode, we’ll shift some common financial questions to better, more productive ones that can dramatically change how your retirement planning unfolds.

Here are some of the questions we discuss in this episode:

💭 How much money do I need to have saved in order to retire?

💭 Should I get long-term care insurance or just roll the dice?

💭 Where can I pay the lowest fees for financial advice?

💭 Should I take Social Security at 62 or 70?

💭 How can I avoid risk?

Get your copy of Power Up Your 401K in our toolkit: https://keap.page/ngt919/toolkit.html

Follow along on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEE5ZkDedYTsKzkh2UxQ9Sg

Book your 401(k) Onboarding Meeting with Steve: https://calendly.com/steven-powerhouse-advisor/401-k-retirement-meeting-1-hour-clone?month=2024-12

Other ways to get in touch:

Phone: (775) 266-8867
Our website: https://powerhousefinancialadvisors.com/
Email: [email protected]

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/powerhouse-financial-advisors/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PowerhouseFinancialAdvisors