The Investor Coaching Show with Paul Winkler

Today, Paul gives a quick crash course on a topic that is getting more attention because of the rhetoric around capital gains and the Harris campaign: taxes and investing. Listen along as Paul walks you through how the financial industry uses tax planning to sell products, how to make a financial plan that includes diversification for tax planning, and why the idea that most Americans don’t pay capital gains taxes but should isn’t accurate. In a two-part episode, Paul explains why the tax system is designed to benefit the federal government and why a wider tax on capital gains should be viewed as a tax on inflation — which the government is involved in creating. 

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.

Paul walks through an important conversation about how to treat taxes when saving for retirement. Is it best to pay taxes before you contribute or after you retire? The answer depends on marginal tax rates. Listen along as Paul helps you navigate these two popular retirement vehicles and keeps you from paying more in taxes than you need to. 

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.

We live in a world where your personal information can be made public by hackers and data breaches at any time. Paul walks through a way to “lock the front door” of your identity by placing a freeze on your credit when you find out your personal information has been stolen. This keeps anyone from opening accounts and taking out credit in your name. Listen along as Paul also explains why these breaches are much less common in financial institutions and the steps custodians have to take to protect your personal information and money.

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.

Paul brings multiple stories where investors are getting taken advantage of because they didn’t read the fine print. The hard truth all investors must come around to is that they can’t wait for the government to step in and protect investors against dangerous products and advisors who act in their own best interest. You need to take a moment, stop running on autopilot, and look at the fine print in all investment disclosures. Listen along as Paul shares exactly what documents to look for and where to look in them to understand if your advisor is working for you or just selling to you.

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.

Paul found an article about medical professionals sharing the difficulties of navigating the medical industry when all they want to do is help people. He responds by saying, “This sounds just like the financial industry.” Listen along as Paul shares how the financial industry trains advisors and investors to buy products and adopt strategies that emphasize commissions and offer poor returns for the risk. 

Paul talks about a recent survey that states 29% of Americans would opt to invest in real estate over a 10 year period compared to only 26% who would invest in equities. This survey confirms most people have some misconceptions about the risks and returns of real estate and as a result are prime candidates to get some costly, illiquid investments. Listen along as Paul shares what you need to know about real estate so you can make educated decisions with your hard earned money. 

Today, Paul talks about why a diversified portfolio is great for capturing market returns and also for taking an income in retirement. Listen along as Paul explains why you hold stocks, bonds, and cash in a portfolio and how they work together in retirement to help you relax about money. 

2024 is an election year and with that comes a lot of rhetoric, fear, and optimism. Today, Paul talks about Harris' Unrealized Capital Gains Tax plan and why taxing the wealthy has not proven to be an effective strategy to fund government spending. Listen along as Paul explains why wealthy Americans utilize their ability to hire tax lawyers and why tax laws like these create unanticipated tax strategies. Paul wants you to know that this plan does not seem likely and is not a major cause for concern right now. 

This week, Paul was reading MarketWatch and finds an investor whose advisor put them in a “10 year double guarantee” investment. Listen along to hear why there is no such thing as a guarantee in the investment industry, what happened to this investor who got sold the product, and what we can all learn from this kind of experience. Later in the episode, Paul talks about the FED adjusting interest rates and how interest rates affect inflation and stock markets. 

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.

Investing can feel unnatural and confusing leading investors to make all kinds of mistakes that seem like smart decisions at the time. Throw in the uncertainty of an election year and almost everyone feels anxiety from not knowing what the future will hold. Today, Paul shares the most common mistake investors are making in 2024 along with others to help you become a more confident and educated investor. Later in the episode, Paul wants you to know about sector investing because it is actually just an industry term for stock picking and market timing.