As we come to the end of the year, today I reflect on getting through 52 retirement planning podcast episodes, the main goal I have for the podcast, and a reminder that money is just the means, but not the ends, to what we want in life.

If you're looking for ways to give money to charity in a tax efficient way, this episode is for you.  It's based off of a great article I read by Christine Benz over at Morningstar, and it highlights three ways you can give to charity this year, including one really easy one that anyone can take advantage of.

While Roth Conversions can be a great financial planning tool, they are not suitable for everyone.  And there may be times when you should avoid them altogether.

In today's episode, I discuss 5 reasons why you should not do a Roth Conversion.  Make sure to tune in so that you can be as smart with your taxes as possible, and set yourself up for the best retirement possible.

One of the most common retirement rules of thumb is the 4% rule, which helps guide you on how much you can take in retirement distributions without running out of money.  It essentially suggests that if you have $1M in investments, you can safely withdraw $40K per year, adjusted for inflation. New research by Morningstar suggests that instead of using 4% as a guide, you should use 3.3% instead.

In this episode, I'll go into why I don't like using either percentage as a rule in your retirement and I'll tell you what to do instead.

I received a great question from someone recently: Should he do a giant (and I mean giant) Roth Conversion in light of potential tax increases as well as future legislation potentially ending Roth Conversions?

Today we are going to be sharing something really sad and frankly troubling for your finances.

We’re going to be talking about why people have poor returns on their investments.  And no, it’s not because the market is doing poorly.

Instead, it’s because of investor behavior, or in other terms, human error.  Human behaviors that cause investors to walk away with much lower returns than they could.  

If you're looking to increase your returns and have more money for your retirement, you'll want to tune in so you can avoid these costly mistakes.

Working with a financial advisor is a really big decision, and you want to make sure you make the right choice.

If you are considering hiring one for yourself and your family, I would encourage you to consider the services offered, the cost, as well as the value they can provide to you.

In my experience, a lot of people talk about the cost of using a financial advisor but don’t properly consider the value they can provide as well.

In today's episode, I talk about 8 value propositions that a GREAT financial planner can provide to help you make the best decision for you and your family.

There’s no feeling like when you are close to retirement and you know you have a really huge, juicy nest egg waiting for you. But what if I told you there was one tiny thing you may have never heard about that can ruin it?  I don’t mean ruin a small part of your retirement plan, but all of it!

Today's episode is all about that.  So if you are looking to retire in the next few years, listen in so you are fully prepared to make sure your retirement assets can last 30 plus years.

If you're looking to retire in the next few years, but you aren't sure where to start, this episode is for you.

In this episode, I lay out a proven 10 step process that I think all retirees should go through as they enter into this new stage of life.

We all know somone who has sadly gotten ill later in life, and simply wasn't able to make decisions for themselves any longer.

If this happens to you, do you want to have someone else make these decisions for you later in life?  Or do you want to make those decisions for yourself today, while you are still healthy?

If you'd like to make those decisions today, listen in as I discuss 8 health care questions you need to answer in your Estate Plan.