Don't choose your retirement zip code based on weather alone — state taxes, healthcare costs, and Medicaid rules can quietly add $10,000 a year in expenses you didn't plan for.

This week on Get Ready For The Future Show:

🔹 Penny's retirement relocation checklist — what to vet financially before you commit to a new state

🔹 Portfolio rebalancing: how years of drift can shift your 70/30 allocation to 85/15 without you noticing

🔹 No heirs? Jeffrey learns how to build a meaningful legacy through smart estate and charitable planning

🔹 Roth vs. Traditional 401(k): what SECURE 2.0 just changed that could affect which you choose

Disclosure:

Traditional IRA account owners have considerations to make before performing a Roth IRA conversion. These primarily include income tax consequences on the converted amount in the year of conversion, withdrawal limitations from a Roth IRA, and income limitations for future contributions to a Roth IRA. In addition, if you are required to take a required minimum distribution (RMD) in the year you convert, you must do so before converting to a Roth IRA.

6% of Americans made hardship withdrawals from their 401k in 2025 — a record high, and it's been climbing for 5 straight years. At the same time, participation rates hit 86% and average contributions are up. So why are so many people pulling money out? Scott breaks down the Vanguard 2025 How America Saves report — what the numbers actually mean, and the one question you should stop asking about your retirement savings.

Most people think their In-Plan Roth Rollover is set once the money moves over. It's not — and the 5-year rule works differently than you think.

This week on Get Ready For The Future Show, the GenWealth team answers four real viewer questions:

🔹 Why your budgeting app isn't moving the needle — and what behavior change actually does

🔹 In-Plan Roth Rollover rules: does each $25K conversion start its own 5-year clock? (You asked — we answered)

🔹 Paid off your home at 60 — should that freed-up cash go to investments or savings?

🔹 I'm 50 and want to retire at 60. What exactly should I be doing for the next 10 years?

GenWealth Financial Advisors | Arkansas's retirement planning specialists

📞 Ready to build your plan? Visit getreadyforthefuture.com

Will Social Security still be there when you retire — or will it be 22% less than you're counting on? The 2026 Social Security Trustees' Report moved the trust fund depletion date up to 2032 — one year sooner than last year's estimate. A nonpartisan watchdog says it's the worst shape the program has been in since 1983, with the 75-year funding shortfall now at its highest level since 1977. The fixes have been on the table for decades. But the longer Congress waits, the more painful they get — a 34% payroll tax hike today, 40% if they wait until 2034. And the current administration has no specific plan. Your retirement is on you. Social Security needs saving.

Don't let a single accident — in your pool, on your trampoline, or on the road — undo everything you've worked for.

This week: four viewer questions every family needs answered.

✅ Does everyone actually need a trust — or is your sister overreacting?

✅ How much home and auto liability do you really need when cars cost $100,000?

✅ You inherited farmland in Arkansas — sell, lease, or hold it?

✅ Remarried with kids from a previous marriage? Here's how to protect them in your estate plan.

Plus: umbrella policies, earthquake insurance, and the coverage gap small business owners almost always miss.

Did you know your 401(k) could hold up to $70,000 in annual contributions — not just $23,500?

The Mega Backdoor Roth is one of the most powerful retirement tools available inside a workplace plan, and most employees have no idea it exists. This week, Crystal found out her employer just added it — we break down exactly what it is, who it's right for, and what to watch out for.

Also this episode: how to simplify an overwhelming investment portfolio without losing performance, how to budget for international travel in retirement, and what adult children need to know when helping aging parents with finances and legal documents in their 80s.

Real questions. Real answers. Every week on the Get Ready for the Future Show.

Only 1 in 3 stocks is actually beating the market right now — and history says that's a red flag.

The S&P 500 is up 18% in just 39 trading sessions, and Q1 earnings are tracking at a massive 28%

year-over-year growth rate. But LPL Chief Equity Strategist Jeff Buchbinder is flagging a warning

sign buried inside the rally: stock outperformance levels are approaching historic lows. The last

few times this happened, large-cap value and small-cap stocks outperformed over the next 1, 3, and

6 months — meaning the stocks leading today may not be leading tomorrow.

If your portfolio is concentrated in big tech, this one's for you.

Is $900,000 enough to retire at 62? Most people focus on the savings number. The questions that actually matter are harder — and this episode answers four of them.

• $900k saved, no debt, age 62 — can you retire next year? We run the real numbers, including the healthcare gap most people never see coming.

• DIY taxes getting complicated? How to know when hiring a CPA pays for itself.

• Annuitize your IRA or keep it invested? What you're actually trading away.

• Charitable giving before retirement — why QCDs beat regular donations for most retirees.

Submit your question: [email protected]

Dating in America just got a lot more expensive — and it's revealing something bigger about the state of personal finances in this country.

The average cost of a first date has climbed to $189 in 2026, up 12.5% from last year — outpacing overall inflation. Millennials are spending an average of $252 per date, and social media is making expectations even more extreme.

Meanwhile, the U.S. personal savings rate has dropped to 3.6% — the lowest since COVID — household debt sits at $18.8 trillion, and credit card balances have hit $1.25 trillion.

Your personal finances are personal. Don't let social media make your money decisions for you.

Don't let financial habits from 10 years ago determine your wealth today. From outdated long-term care policies to untapped HSA power - small blind spots compound into big losses.

This week on Get Ready For The Future Show:

• Helping your adult kids invest in their 20s WITHOUT enabling bad habits

• Walter's LTC policy hasn't been reviewed in 15 years - here's why that's a problem

• Is your HSA secretly your most powerful retirement account? (Most people get this wrong)

• Small business owner at 48 with no retirement plan? Here's exactly how to catch up

Originally aired 5/23/2026