Wealth Talks

The new year is almost here. Starting January 1st we often see more people outside, walking, jogging or running working on their "resolutions". This usually lasts for a couple of weeks after which the people, as well as their resolutions perhaps, fade into obscurity.

Are these resolutions not merely confessions?

On today's episode with special guest Ben McFie, you will learn how to make New Year's goals which will last long after the first two weeks of January. Listen Now

Resources: Goal Setting with Tom Ziglar: https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/lifebenefits/Audio/Teleconferences/2017/Tom+Ziglar+Jan+2017.mp3

As excited as everyone seems around Christmas, a lot of people report experiencing "post-holiday blues". Interestingly, over 40% of Americans go into debt to buy Christmas gifts. Might this new debt contribute to their post-holiday blues? We thought s

If you've been "around" in the insurance world, you've probably heard about a term rider.

It is quite common to see an insurance policy with a term rider attached, but this doesn't mean it's a good idea. In fact, many times, putting a term rider on a policy makes no sense at all.

Today on Wealth Talks, Tom and John discuss term riders and why they don't often like them.

Resources: Policy Class: https://www.life-benefits.com/store-detail#policy-class

Prescription for Wealth: https://www.life-benefits.com/prescription-for-wealth-book/

Taxes have been around for a very long time indeed. If we look at the history of taxes in the United States, we notice a curious phenomenon... taxes rarely decrease over time. For some reason, taxes tend to go up!

Guess what? They could be going up again! As cheerful as this may be to DC'ers, a few of us American citizens find this upsetting.

So, what should we do to ensure we don't pay more in taxes than we must? Listen now on Wealth Talks.

Resources: How to Build Sustainable Wealth: https://www.life-benefits.com/store/

With college tuition increasing and student loans becoming a real problem, the question presents itself: Is college still worth it?

Many college students graduate and work jobs completely unrelated to their degree. But at least they are thousands of dollars in debt. That always makes the future seem bright!

Today on Wealth Talks, Tom and John take a hard look at college education. Is it necessary? Is it useful? Is it dangerous? Listen now on Wealth Talks.

There is a new rule pending approval which could dramatically change 401(k)s. If the ruling is approved, 401k plan managers, while choosing investments, will have to consider the ESG criteria (Environmental, Social and Governance factors) of investments for the plan. Generally speaking, fees on ESG funds are higher and there is some research which shows the ESG market may have already peaked.

Despite privately held beliefs on whether investments based on ESG criteria are generally better/worse than other investments, these factors, combined or individually, could hurt 401k balances.

Today on Wealth Talks, Tom and John discuss this problem and some ideas for working against a disintegrating status quo.

Resources: How to Build Sustainable Wealth: https://www.life-benefits.com/store/

Ever heard that? It seems to be a prevailing theme nowadays. Look to the experts. Don't ask questions. Do what you're told. Looking to the experts is fine but relying solely on them can be catastrophic. We have to exercise discretion and make our own decisions. Today on Wealth Talks, Tom and John discuss some of the core thought processes we need to have to be financially savvy.

We live in a world of lies. This isn't anything new or unique to this time in history. We've been living in a world of lies for a long time. So, who should we trust? The government? Yeah, not us either. On today's episode, Tom and John share what we need to know to survive in our "world of lies".

Resources: Relative Truth is No Truth - Podcast

Understanding Different World Views - Interview with Krish Dhanam

Taxing the rich is a topic many elected officials harp on with a religious zeal. Despite their moral high tone, taxes on the rich seem to do more damage to the middle and lower classes. The income tax, supposedly to penalize rich tycoons, ended up being paid mostly by people other than the rich. Whoops! Guess it's time for a new tax. Any suggestions for a name?

On today's episode, Tom and John discuss how we can avoid getting squelched by taxes and inflation... it's one of the few weapons we have left.

Resources

The Creature from Jekyll Island

Warning signs are supposed to offer us some degree of protection from the described danger. Yet a recent study shows they many have the opposite effect.

Trivial warnings abound everywhere... especially in California where even a cup of coffee has been found to cause cancer. Of course, just because there is a "warning" doesn't mean it's really dangerous.

The same holds true in the finance industry. Just because something is "qualified" or "preferred" doesn't mean it's the best place to invest your money. To grow your wealth, you must know how to assess the real danger, not just read the warnings.

Listen now on Wealth Talks.

Resources

Prescription For Wealth: https://www.life-benefits.com/store/