📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/ 

One of the most common- and least understood- questions in financial planning is how advisors actually get paid. Fees, commissions, percentages… it can feel confusing, uncomfortable to ask about, or easy to misunderstand. In this episode, Eric explains the primary ways financial advisors earn compensation, including commission-based and fee-based models, how those structures work in practice, and what they mean for clients.

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

💼 Advisor Compensation Basics: The main ways advisors earn income

⚖️ Fee vs. Commission Models: How incentives and alignment differ

🧾 Costs and Taxes: How fees are paid and treated

🛡️ Ethics and Oversight: Licensing, fiduciary duty, and regulation

📈 Value of Advice: What clients receive beyond investment returns

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/ 

There’s something special about a snow day. They’re somewhat unexpected, memorable, and a break from the routine. Eric borrows a few classic snow-day moments and uses them as metaphors for building a strong financial life. Snow days don’t last forever, but the memories they create do. The same is true financially. When you build a solid plan, you give yourself the freedom to handle the hard parts, enjoy the fun ones, and stay steady when conditions change.

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

❄️ Snow Day Metaphors: How weather mirrors financial seasons

🛷 Uphill Work: Why preparation comes before enjoyment

⛄ Strong Foundations: Building income, tax, and legacy layers

🚦 Risk Awareness: Staying safe during volatile conditions

🎉 Planned Enjoyment: Giving yourself permission to enjoy

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/ 

Some of the loudest voices in personal finance aren’t shy about strong opinions, but are those opinions actually helpful? Eric reacts to controversial advice from some of the most recognizable names in money and retirement conversations. The discussion focuses on why one-size-fits-all guidance often misses the mark and how real planning differs from financial entertainment. Just because advice sounds confident doesn’t mean it fits your situation.

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

💥 Hot Takes – Bold opinions from well-known financial personalities

🏠 Rent vs. Buy – Debating the role of homeownership

💵 Cash Reserves – How much liquidity retirees really need

🎤 Expert Reactions – Thoughtful critiques of popular advice

🗺️ Personal Planning – Why one-size-fits-all advice falls short

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/ 

A new year is the perfect time to make sure your financial plan is still working the way it should. In this episode, Eric walks through a simple (yet impactful) checklist to help you reset, refocus, and avoid common mistakes that can sneak up over the course of the year. Miss these now, and they can quietly cost you later.

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

🧾 Tax Withholdings – Making sure the right amount is withheld

📜 New Legislation – How recent laws affect your taxes

📆 Estimated Taxes – Quarterly payments versus automatic withholding

💼 Retirement Contributions – Maximizing limits and catch-up options

📁 Tax Prep – Organizing documents before deadlines arrive

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/ 

Money shows up in our favorite songs for a reason. It captures the emotions, tensions, and tradeoffs we all feel when it comes to finances. In this episode, Eric has some fun pulling financial lessons from iconic lyrics and exploring what they reveal about real-life money decisions. You might never hear these songs the same way again!

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

🎤 Song Lyrics – Financial lessons hidden in familiar music

💵 More Money – Why higher income creates new complications

🧠 Mindset Shift – How wealth changes decisions and emotions

🛣️ Big Decisions – When it makes sense to pull money out

🧾 Taxes – Keeping more of what you’ve earned

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/ 

In a world full of flashy promises and polished marketing, how do you know what actually matters when choosing a financial professional? In this episode, Eric tackles “shiny object syndrome” in retirement planning- the glossy brochures, impressive projections, testimonials, awards, and alphabet soup of credentials that can distract investors from what really counts. Eric breaks down which tools can be helpful, which deserve skepticism, and why trust, process, and real-world experience ultimately outweigh hype.

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

✨ Shiny marketing vs. substance

📊 How to interpret hypothetical projections realistically

🗣️ What testimonials can (and can’t) tell you

🏆 Why advisor awards may be misleading

🎓 Experience vs. professional designations

🤝 The importance of trust and a clear planning process

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/ 

When it comes to retirement, having enough money doesn’t automatically mean having everything figured out. In this episode, Eric tackles real listener questions that reveal where even confident savers can still go wrong. From deciding whether an advisor adds value when money isn’t an issue, to the risks of relying on stock-picking and “passive income” strategies for early retirement, the conversation centers on one core idea: having options isn’t the same as having a strategy.

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

💬 “If I already have more money than I’ll ever need, do I really need an advisor?”

💬 “Can I create reliable passive income by picking the right stocks and retiring early?”

💬 “How do we handle risk when my spouse and I don’t see money the same way?”

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/ 

We’ve all seen those Christmas ornaments that say things like “Baby’s First Christmas.” It’s a milestone moment worth commemorating. But what about a retiree’s first Christmas? You may not have a specialty ornament to hang on the tree for this one, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a milestone. Let’s break down what might be different about this year’s holiday for your first Christmas in retirement…

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

🎁 How gift-giving changes without holiday bonuses

✈️ Travel freedom- and costs- during the holidays

📊 Why many retirees feel cautious their first year

🫴 The power of giving back to your community

❤️ Creating new traditions, giving back, and building lasting memories

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/ 

We’re bombarded daily with headlines that spark panic — elections, health insurance changes, Social Security insolvency, market swings, and more. But how much of it really matters for your retirement?

In this episode of the Retirement Ready Podcast, Eric Peterson breaks down three major worries retirees bring up all the time — political elections, ACA subsidy changes, and the Social Security trust fund — and explains which ones deserve your attention and which ones are mostly noise.

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

🗳️ Election noise ≠ reality

🛡️ Focus on what you control

💊 ACA subsidies still workable

📉 Social Security needs fixes

🧾 Your plan should absorb changes

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/

Your retirement journey has more in common with The Wizard of Oz than you might think. In this playful but practical episode, Eric uses themes from the classic film — the Yellow Brick Road, the Scarecrow, Glinda the Good Witch, and more — to illustrate some of the most important principles in retirement planning.

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

 🟨 Stay on the Yellow Brick Road

🏡 There’s No Place Like Home 

🧠 “If I Only Had a Brain” 

🧙‍♀️ Good Witch or Bad Witch? 

🚫 Don’t Follow the Munchkins

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/