Winning at Life with Gregory Ricks

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02:37 - In creating some new commercials for Clesi's restaurant, we stumbled on the notorious backstory of how a trademark effects restaurants promoting specials for Tacos on a Tuesday.

10:20 - Yes, you can sue your employer over how your 401k is handled. There's hundreds of cases right now where employees are unhappy in several different ways. Some find it unethical to steer too much money into the company's stock plan. Some are unhappy about fees, returns, and

19:52 - Reasons you will regret buying an RV. Gregory and James sing the praises of a list of reasons people regret buying an RV, and add in their own experiences with people who've tried that lifestyle.

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01:01 - There's a new form of scam call aimed at Medicare recipients. Learn the details and protect yourself. Gregory plays back a recent scam call he recorded on his phone.

05:58 - Doug in Covington asks Gregory about how the earnings clawback on early Social Security benefits are calculated. Gregory points out some details of how you're affected in the first year of starting your retirement benefits early, and begs the question: if you're making good money, why are you turning on your benefit early?

13:32 - The Top Ten Largest Banks in the United States. Gregory and James chat about the list of the biggest banks ranked by assets. The top 4 banks hold half the assets!

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The trade tariff battle escalated this week, with China slapping new tariffs on US goods, and Trump retaliates by bumping up the tariffs on Chinese goods. It's hard to see this trade war being resolved anytime soon.

What makes Gregory different than the other guys you hear claiming to never lose money?

Tonight we will be partying at the big gala for the Louisiana Pediatric Cardiology Foundation. The live auction is hosted by Michael Berry, and the L'Auberge Casino is a opulent place to have a party!

Dwayne Stein of MortgageGumbo.com stops by. We cover some changes to lending standards, why refinances are through the proverbial roof, and how to fight your property tax assesment.

Clesi's restaurant in Mid City deserves a place in the Chicken Sandwich Wars. Gregory raves over the food, and it's turned out to be a hot spot for visitors looking for authentic New Orleans food.

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00:40 - Last night's Wine, Wisdom, and Food event was a hit, and there was a strong interest in both Social Security scenarios, and Gregory's 50-50-50-50 rule of investing.

03:54 - After saying earlier this week that they were looking at tax cuts including indexing capital gains for inflation, Trump says they aren't looking at tax cuts and not in favor of indexing capital gains for inflation.

12:20 - Scientific breakthroughs in testing make predicting death much more accurate. Having a shorter time horizon has a huge effect on your financial planning, and more accurate actuarial tables can really smooth out bumps in the insurance industry.

20:30 - Gregory helped a young couple understand how the wife's Social Security benefit will be affected by the Windfall Elimination Provision if she decides to continue in her current position.

29:24 - Does my Windfall Elimination Provision affect my spouse's ability to draw on my Social Security record? Ray in Metairie is on Social Security disability, and his wife's Social Security will be hit by the Windfall Elimination Provision because she'll be getting a pension from a job that didn't withhold Social Security taxes.

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01:06 - What's up with Tax Cuts 2.0. Larry Kudlow tells Fox News Sunday the Trump Administration wants another round of tax cuts. Gregory is skeptical that this is much more than a rallying cry for the campaign.

09:28 - FOODIE TALK: In a recent trip to Chicago: Gregory is blown away by Michael Jordan's steakhouse, and has a meticulous review of his experience with an authentic Chicago-style deep dish pizza.

24:19 - This part of the investing portfolio that is the cause of the majority of complaints is equities. Other asset classes may not capable of explosive growth, but stock losses are a bigger problem.

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00:22 - Do casino winnings count as income for Social Security purposes? Patty in Paulina has turned on her Social Security retirement benefit early, and works part time up until the earnings clawback limit. She just won over $4,000 at the casino. Will this put her over the limit?

02:52 - John in Hattiesburg has been saving money in a regular savings account over the years and has about $600k piled up. How should he get this money to work?

06:42 - As Social Security has it's 84th birthday, Gregory reviews the most common questions he gets about Social Security.

15:42 - The main goal in financial planning should be happiness, not just a number on a spreadsheet. Gregory explains how his journey in learning more about enjoying food and wine has been a fun ride.

19:01 - A lot more people talk a big game about retiring abroad in some exotic location, few people actually leave, and even fewer people stay gone.

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03:19 - If Jay Leno can have his identity stolen, so can you. Learn some ideas on what may have happened to the former Tonight Show host, and how you might prevent something similar from happening to you. Gregory stresses the importance of setting up your account at SSA.gov.

14:34 - The Numbers: the markets started off negative, but after a list of exempt items from the upcoming China tariffs is released, the markets turned positive and stayed there.

19:38 - Steve in Houma asks Gregory how to get $20k in after-tax cash into a back door Roth IRA. Can his spouse's earned income cover his Roth contribution requirements?

25:27 - The modern job market is incredibly more fluid than what previous generations had.

33:41 - There's little concern from Gregory's side of the table over the record setting level of mortgage debt in the US. Some of it could wind up being bad news, but much of this is driven by ultra-low mortgage rates incentivizing people to take on more mortgage debt.

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00:47 - Get updates on James adventures in fighting his high tax assesment.

05:08 - The Numbers are red, and continue the trendline downward. China trade tensions have this market swinging like Tarzan.

14:34 - There is no role for gold to play in the 50-50-50-50 plan.

20:20 - How to know if your pension buyout lump sum is big enough.

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01:22 - Where's the yield? The stock market is trending downward for the last few weeks, bonds rates are painfully low, interests on savings accounts and CDs are microscopic... where does an investor make money in a market like this?

04:33 - Student loan debt is hindering the ability of those borrowers to save for retirement. This is especially true for parents helping adult children, but how much is too much help for your grown kids?

15:56 - Rocky in Slidell asks Gregory if he can use the Back Door Roth method to get the proceeds from the sale of a house to into a Roth IRA.

24:13 - Gregory previews his three upcoming Gregory Ricks Live events in Madisonville, Metairie, and Biloxi.

27:01 - Paul in Denham Springs has a huge IRA, and wants to convert as much of that as possible to a Roth IRA so he doesn't have to pay higher taxes down the road. Gregory says it's all about tax bracket management, and doing strategic Roth conversions over time may be the best way to minimize taxes on Roth IRA conversions.

33:15 - The Mega Back Door Roth is a way to make a massive Roth conversion from investments at your company plan or IRA, and you do not want to try and pull this off without some guidance from a financial professional.

38:50 - Mimi in Gulfport asks Gregory if her husband currently receiving a disability check from Social Security could possibly get more money by switching to spousal benefits from HER Social Security record when she turns on her benefit.

45:09 - Estate Planning Attorney Wes Blanchard joins to show to flesh out more of how the SECURE Act could affect Financial Planning and Estate Planning. If the new law takes away the stretch option on inherited IRAs, what estate planning strategies can be used to acheive a similar goal?

49:47 - Arlette in Loranger is having issues getting Medicaid to help with her husband's long-term care costs. Their primary residence is in a revokable trust, and are being told that the structure of the trust is causing Medicaid to count those assets. Wes and Gregory suspect it may be time to revoke that trust, and get it right with a new one.

1:05:30 - Mary in Raceland is having her Social Security benefit hit with the Windfall Elimination Provision, and wants to know if her husband will be affected if he takes her spousal benefit when she passes.

1:08:11 - What happens to all of these civil lawsuits against Epstein now that he's dead? Wes Blanchard explains how the legal system handles the passing of the subject of a lawsuit.

1:18:59 - Handwritten wills are the cause of a couple of cases Wes is handling lately. People writing their own wills may be more common than you think, but the convenience and cost of doing it yourself may have a huge price to pay later.

1:27:04 - China trade tensions are driving the downward trend in the stock markets, and Gregory doesn't see a deal happening before the 2020 elections. The awful audio from Trump in front of the helicopter gives us a pretty good idea of what's coming up in trade talks.

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