It's hard to be rational when the world is crashing around you. Mary Beth Franklin welcomes Mark Halloran of Transamerica to the podcast to explain why so many people make investing mistakes during a crisis.

In this episode, Mary Beth Franklin speaks with Tom Wald of Transamerica to define the big picture of the coronavirus pandemic in terms of how it has affected our economy, our investments, and our everyday lives.

More than one million women are widowed every year in America. Now consider this: 70% of all married women will experience widowhood, and 80% of women will die single. Mary Beth Franklin sits down with Kathleen Rehl, the author of Moving Forward on Your Own: A Financial Guidebook for Widows, for a special conversation.

What happens if there is a significant stock market downturn at the beginning of your retirement? Research indicates if you're taking withdrawals from a shrinking nest egg at the beginning of your retirement, it can increase your risk of running out of money. By the time the market recovers, your portfolio may be significantly compromised. Even if stock prices rebound, you may not have enough assets left to benefit. What can you do to protect yourself? Mary Beth Franklin is joined in the Repair Shop by Angie O’Leary of RBC Wealth Management to discuss strategies to protect retirees from nail-biting stock market dips early in retirement.

Saving for retirement is hard enough, but saving beyond retirement care for a special needs child presents its own set of challenges. 57 million Americans have a physical or mental disability but fewer than 1,000 financial advisers nationally have expertise in special needs planning. What's more, fewer than 250 have attained the only certification offered for it. John Nadworny specializes in working with special needs families, and he joins Mary Beth Franklin for this episode.

There is no one size fits all when it comes to financial planning for disability and long term illness. Each diagnosis has a different set of next steps. As an adviser, you can help families take a step back to think and prioritize, but can you help insulate a nest egg from the unexpected? Mary Beth Franklin chats with Tom West of Signature Estate & Investment Advisors.

Saving for retirement is hard enough, but what happens when your savings strategy is cut short after being abruptly fired or downsized? Mary Beth Franklin chats with Monica Dwyer of Harvest Financial Advisers to discuss what to do when you’re forced to retire early.

What can you do when a long-time marriage ends in or near retirement? The truth is the “gray divorce” rate has doubled since 1990, and this growing trend is hampering more than just retirement. Mary Beth Franklin sits down with Swan Capital’s Andrew McNair to discuss what to do when a gray divorce cracks your nest egg in half.

There is one retirement planning challenge no one can ignore: Health care. According to the 2017 Retirement Health Care Costs Data Report, retiree healthcare expenses are expected to rise at an average annual rate of 5.5% for the foreseeable future—almost triple the U.S. inflation rate. Mary Beth Franklin talks with Ron Mastrogiovanni on how to overcome this moving target.