In this episode, we review an article by CNBC regarding the impacts of longevity in retirement planning. We run our retirement plans out to age 95 for both spouses, and often get questions about why we are assuming such a long-retirement for both spouses.

We want to make absolutely certain that clients don't run out of money in retirement. That involves not only assuming a longer life, but also using many of the strategies and tactics that we've covered in prior episodes: Roth IRA conversions, buckets for investment income and growth, retirement income guardrails, etc.

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/01/16/longevity-can-have-a-greater-impact-on-retirement-money-than-inflation.html#:~:text=Investing%20Club-,Life%20expectancy%20can%20have%20a%20greater%20impact%20than%20even%20record,your%20retirement%20savings%20will%20last&text=Longevity%20can%20have%20a%20greater%20impact%20on%20how%20long%20retirement,according%20to%20a%20new%20report.

We often get asked, "should I contribute to Traditional or Roth?". The answer is it depends. Listen to learn more about the reasons to use one versus the other.

How do you know for sure what amount you can take out of your retirement accounts? And how do you know when an adjustment is needed or allowed? Listen to this episode with Matthew Jarvis to learn about retirement income guardrails and dynamic distributions from your invesment accounts in retirement. That way, you know how much income you can take without running out of money in retirement.

When one spouse dies, then in the following calendar year your tax filing changes from married filing jointly to filing single (most likely). That can be a big problem if you haven't planned accordingly. In this episode, we discuss why this is important and what you can do to put yourself in a better position for this "what if".

What amount do I need to retire? It's a question we hear often. Let's dive into why that is different for each person, especially depending on your living expenses, how you structure your investments, and how all of your income will be taxed.

Learn about the Roth IRA 5-year rule to avoid tax on the earnings of the account, and why you might want to open a Roth IRA now to get the clock started on the 5-year period.

Transitioning into retirement can be challenging mentally. Don't forget to have fun!!

Learn about the difference between risk tolerance and risk capacity with your investments, and why it's critical to have a plan in place for when your investment values change.

Often, it's easy to get distracted by the little things. Not that the little things aren't important, but we have to put them in the proper perspective. We need to focus on the big items first before spending time and energy on the smaller items.

We see this in everything from running a business, to handling personal finances, to planning for taxes long-term, to planning for retirement.

In episode 30, we touched briefly on QLACs (Qualified Longevity Annuity Contracts) as part of the Secure Act 2.0. While it's not a product or strategy that we see used very often, most any tool can be helpful in the right situation. So in this episode, we dive further into what QLACs are and how they could help.