Winning at Life with Gregory Ricks

01:57 - Gregory Ricks and Associates is growing! A new office is opening in Biloxi and Mandeville. A common saying in the business world is: if you're not growing, you're dying. We're growing.

08:37 - Gregory Ricks Live is coming to Ruth's Chris in Metairie on Wednesday, November 14. This is your chance to meet Gregory Ricks, and find out more about what Gregory Ricks and Associates can do for your financial future. Learn about how to decode volatility, Social Security planning, how to generate income streams, tax strategies, and estate planning.

12:27 - Susan Roesgen from News With a Twist on WGNO asks for Gregory's advice for a situation with her father's estate planning.

24:58 - Trump announces the third leg in his administration's efforts to lower drug prices. He has sped up the rate of approvals for generics, signed The Patients' Right to Know into law, and now he wants to address the high costs of drugs in the US vs other countries. Gregory reviews the audio, and how these programs could affect your money.

30:55 - When it comes to income planning, Gregory stresses the importance of using reasonable returns on your investments when calculating where you're going to be in the future. If you overshoot your numbers, no problem. When you plug your numbers into Gregory's proprietary Guided Planning System, you get a pretty high probably of knowing where you're money is going to be for years down the road.

44:18 - Dwayne Stein from Mortgage Gumbo covers:
Will the Fed slow down its rate hikes in the face of market volatility?
Have home refinances stopped with rates up?
And Dwayne exposes myths about reverse mortgages.

1:31:53 - Gregory has new offices opening up in the Biloxi area, and the northshore, to better serve a wide range of people who need help.

1:43:51 - Linda in Covington asks Gregory's thoughts on using a Special Needs Trust to take care of a disabled adult child.

1:49:30 - A guy recently thanked Gregory for his guidance on dealing with high credit card debt a few years back.

1:54:09 - Gregory gives his take on what's going on with the Mississippi state pension's 13th check.

1:59:26 - Tom in Metairie asks Gregory's opinion on estate planning for those with no heirs or family at all.

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01:15 - The Numbers are horrible. The NASDAQ has one of its worst days in years, and the other indices all took big losses as well. The earning season is off to a good start, with some big names already beating estimates. Even little ol' Tesla turned a profit.

13:28 - Susan Roesgen from News With a Twist on WGNO asks for Gregory's advice for a situation with her father's estate planning.

26:02 - Netflix is an interesting stock to watch. It's lost a huge chunk of its value in the last week or so, and it's looking to take on more debt. On the other hand, Netflix's growth and revenue numbers are impressive, and it seems to have already ingrained itself somewhat into our modern culture.

38:12 - Student debt is crushing peoples' ability to advance their financial situation.

42:12 - Pension buyout offers

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The Mega Millions jackpot is expected to be around $1.6 billion. What would Gregory do if he won?

03:23 - Debbie in Slidell asks Gregory how her pension from the school system will affect her Social Security check. She heard from a person at Social Security her benefit will be cut by about two-thirds. Gregory drills down with a few questions, and Debbie's situation is not nearly as bad as she has been led to believe.

09:56 - Robert in New Orleans asks Gregory if putting real estate in a trust is a good idea. Gregory warns about high tax rate and costs of a trust, but it does buy you more control.

15:47 - Gregory shares a pet peeve of a commonly seen piece of bad advice from financial world. Not everybody in the investment world is licensed as a fiduciary, and the guys who only have an insurance license sometimes have an incentive to put too much money in annuities. The commissions are great, but it may not be what's best for the you.

25:34 - Charles in Slidell asks Gregory: can I retire early? Charles wants to quit working at age 62. He doesn't have much saved thus far, so he may be better off working a few extra years.

35:38 - Joe in Metairie asks Gregory how he could best utilize Social Security spousal benefits. His wife's record is significantly bigger, they both will get pensions, and they each have savings in a retirement account.

41:01 - Kenny in Covington is 41 years old and saving for retirement. He wants to know if Gregory thinks he's on the right path.

43:52 - John in Lockport wants to retire early, and asks Gregory if he's on the right track.

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01:08 - Sears files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Gregory noticed some differences on his recent trip to Sears, and it wasn't that busy. Hear a couple of clips from Milton Friedman the Phil Donahue Show around 1980 with a debate about Sears vs Kmart.

12:56 - Gregory responds to clips on economic issues from Trump's interview on 60 Minutes. Trump's practice of Truthful Hyperbole is on display, and he gives a solid defense of his use of tariffs.

19:09 - All 3 major indices closed in the red today.

24:29 - Gregory details Tesla's recent troubles dealing with their debt. The world of Corporate Bonds can be a complicated mess when you include stock conversions and other triggers.

27:20 - What happens to warranties and service from a company that goes out of business? When a company folds, often the existing warranties are no longer honored.

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34:42 - Gregory Ricks and Associates is sponsoring the WNOE Bra Country benefit concert on Thursday at the Howling Wolf with Maddie and Tae.

37:39 - How much is a McDonald's franchise these days?

40:15 - The top 3% of tax payers paid more than half of all the income taxes.

41:04 - Mattress Firm is facing bankruptcy as well, and Gregory reports on some of their business struggles.

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00:58 - Sears bankruptcy imminent. Gregory sees it's likely to happen on Monday.

04:12 - The Numbers: After two days of a bloodbath, the markets limp along in positive territory. The isn't the robust bounce back you would hope for after such huge losses. GE is circling the drain.

12:17 - The roar of the permabears: Gregory reviews the enthusiastic permabears hoping this market correction is the tectonic collapse they've been warning us about. David Stockman, Dan Shaffer, and Peter Schiff having been consistently predicting economic doomsday, are they finally right? Is this a correction, recession, or depression?

32:19 - Medicare premiums are going up, but less than the Social Security COLA raise for 2019. Many Social Security recipients will be getting a raise! Gregory explains how Medicare premiums change according to income.

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00:58 - Hurricane Matthew update.

02:03 - Rufkin in Lucedale asks Gregory's thoughts on investing in your employer's stock. He's been investing through the company plan, and isn't sure if he's doing the right thing. Gregory breaks out the charts and goas through the basics on when a stock is in a buying position.

12:18 - Gregory and James summarize the topics from the Saturday show.

15:34 - Terry in New Orleans is behind on his credit card debt, and wants to know how long he would have to ignore it for it to go away. Gregory thinks that's a horrible idea.

23:39 - Gregory Ricks Live is coming to Ruth's Chris in Metairie on Wednesday, November 14. This is your chance to meet Gregory Ricks, and find out more about what Gregory Ricks and Associates can do for your financial future. Learn about how to decode volatility, Social Security planning, how to generate income streams, tax strategies, and estate planning.

25:52 - The Numbers are a downer, with a clear losing trend forming over the last week or so of trading.

33:38 - Elon Musk's troubles from tweeting are another example of how important it is to be careful what you say online.

40:30 - Dan in Metairie found some 50 year old stock certificates, and asks Gregory what he should do with them? Gregory explains some basics, and warns against holding actual the stock certificates at your house.

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00:49 - Quick update for the far eastern reaches of our broadcast in the path of Hurricane Matthew.

04:03 - Carla in Memphis recently sold the family business and netted about $3 million. They are working on a building a new business, and want to know if Gregory approves of using that cash as seed money to expand their new business, or should they try and leverage their new endeavor?

12:33 - Ken in Long Beach texts in asking: how can your decimated IRA be resurrected after a divorce?

14:07 - Gregory has a report showing the CBO predictions about our national debt in 2008 were comically off the mark.

22:58 - Wayne on Periscope asks Gregory if he should defer taking Social Security to age 70. Gregory asks some follow up questions, and it sounds like Wayne could mathmatically come out ahead by deferring to age 70.

33:35 - Gregory responds to a report that Ford is working on an autonomous car with no steering wheel.

37:48 - Mary from Poplarville asks Gregory how to go about difersifying her stock portfolio. She has a decent sized portfolio, and the bulk of her money is in the same sector. Gregory encourages diversification in a stock portfolio, but you have to buy into other sectors only when they are in a buying position.

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01:20 - In a strange twist of fate, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell thanks President Trump for the part of the new trade agreement that will open up a new revenue stream for the league from Canadian broadcast rights. Some think Trump could be holding a grudge with the NFL dating back to his days with the USFL, but this appears otherwise.

13:13 - The Windfall Elimination Provision affects those who get a pension from a job that did NOT participate in Social Security contributions.

21:00 - Kami in Hammond recently lost her husband, and asks Gregory when she is eligible to draw a Social Security survivor's benefit from his record.

28:11 - Gregory explains your options when you inherit an IRA. If you decide to take the stretch option, you will have Required Minimum Distributions, and Gregory shows you how that works.

37:54 - Longevity is a gift to your life, but can be a curse to your financial planning. Retirement is probably going to be around 30 years for you. That's why it's important for you to know what to do should you happen to inherit a decent sum of money.

49:24 - Janice in Belle Chase is a little behind on her retirement savings, so would it be a good idea to refi her house, get a reverse mortgage, or pick up a part time job in retirement?

58:13 - Melissa in Shreveport is worried about her husband not filing taxes for the last 3 years.

1:12:02 - The new jobs report released yesterday has the unemployment rate at a 49 year low of 3.7%. Wage growth is strong. Even the broader measures of unemployment are impressive. So why are we still running a trillion dollar deficit in DC?

1:16:33 - How do you update a trust? Vic in Gulfport has a trust, but he wants to change the administrator. Also, several of the properties that were in his trust have been sold, and he's bought other properties as well. Gregory explains Vic's options.

1:23:11 - Rufkin in Lucedale asks Gregory's thoughts on investing in your employer's stock. He's been investing through the company plan, and isn't sure if he's doing the right thing.

1:34:52 - Will the federal debt and deficit be a big drag on economic growth?

1:41:18 - Mary from Poplarville asks Gregory how to go about difersifying her stock portfolio. She has a decent sized portfolio, and the bulk of her money is in the same sector. Gregory encourages diversification in a stock portfolio, but you have to buy into other sectors only when they are in a buying position.

1:44:59 - Jonathan in Gulfport is active duty military facing a couple of options on his military retirement: stick with the old legacy system, or move to a blended system. The Thrift Savings Plan is the government version of a 401k, and Gregory guides Jonathan on how to best decide his retirement path.

1:59:47 - Edward in Meridian wants Gregory's opinion on the Public Sector Loan Forgiveness program. Is using the PSLF program the right way to get rid of your student debt?

2:12:12 - Carla in Memphis recently sold the family business and netted about $3 million. They are working on a building a new business, and want to know if Gregory approves of using that cash as seed money to expand their new business, or should they try and leverage their new endeavor?

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01:46 - The industries Millenials are ruining. Even slight changes in the tastes and behaviors of Millenials are rocking some mighty industries. I suppose cereal is too much of a hassle? And who would be against old school yogurt?

31:03 - Gregory may have invented liquid soap.

34:15 - The economy is doing great now, but what are the signs of the next downturn?

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