Your Money, Your Wealth

Brian Perry, CFP®, CFA® from Pure Financial Advisors recaps 2017's global Goldilocks economy. Will the bull run continue in 2018? Should we change our asset allocation to prepare our stock and bond portfolios for a market slow down? Are you properly allocated? What would Jim Cramer do, and should you care?! Plus, tax filing season is approaching, and Big Al's Big Brain contains a whole bunch of stuff you need to know about the new tax law before you start working on those 1040s.

Retirement nest eggs have become bigger, but fixed income rates of return are low. How do you create a cash flow? What strategy will allow your investment portfolio to provide income throughout your retirement? Joe and Big Al explain what matters when tailoring your own personal retirement income strategy. Plus, determining in which type of accounts you should have your retirement savings, from where you should withdraw your required minimum distributions, and whether any of it will matter once the robots take over.

How Trump's new tax law, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, changes state and local tax deductions, brackets, the child tax credit, medical deductions, property taxes, mortgage deductions, home equity debt, charitable contributions, itemized deductions, alternative minimum tax, residential gain on sale exclusion and small business taxes. Plus, the top things no one tells you about retiring, Social Security claiming strategies, and do Roth TSP and Traditional TSP dollars "commingle?" And the Ghosts of Joe's Christmas past, or "oh s***, Ruthie stole baby Jesus."

Whitney Hansen, host of the Money Nerds podcast, tells Jason Thomas, CFP, how the financial needs, wants and goals of Gen Y and Gen Z are different than - well, ours. And, everything you know about investing for retirement is wrong and dangerous. At least, that’s what some newsletters would have you believe. Plus, Joe and Big Al discuss 5 reasons to pay off your mortgage - and five more reasons not to pay off your mortgage.

Peter Hug from Kitco Metals, Inc. describes the four types of people that buy precious metals, how to best buy and sell silver and gold yourself, and whether these commodities are similar to cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Blockchain. Joe and Big Al talk permanent vs term life insurance and tax reform. Plus, holiday gift ideas to transform the quality of life for the retirees in your life: they get new tech, and you get your third grade report card and high school lettermen's jacket.

Laura Adams, host of the Money Girl Podcast, joins the show this week to give us eight ways to save serious cash, so we can avoid the holiday debt hangover. (Can't guarantee that you can avoid working out, though.) She also lays out how to tackling debt and whether you should lease your car or not. Plus, the latest tax reform news, and eight ways to create tax-free income. And is Joe going to start charging his dear sweet mother Ruthie rent when she comes to visit him from Minnesota?

Retirement planning tips and benefits when you don't plan to retire. Plus, how much should you have saved for retirement at different stages of life, how much has the average millennial saved, and the Roth 5 year clock: should you get married so you can take advantage of the fact that your new spouse's Roth is already over 5 years old? And, should you really be asking marriage advice of Joe and Big Al?

Recharacterizing your Roth conversion, getting that knee replacement, meeting with every client you have all across the country and more: Joe and Big Al cover many things you might want to do before tax laws potentially change in a big way come January 1. Also, Suze Orman thinks everyone should work until they're 70 - we'll find out what Walter Updegrave from RealDealRetirement.com and Money Magazine thinks about that, and we've got 20 retirement stats that will blow you away. Plus, Big Al reveals his secret man crush.

Actual news you can really use about the ever-changing landscape of tax reform, why Trump's promised biggest tax cuts ever are actually a tax increase for many of us, and how it will affect you. Plus, Joe and Big Al have a yarn with Joe's fair dinkum, true blue, Aussie fine arts painter mate, Pete Tillack, on finding your passions in life, couches at the bottom of swimming pools, and getting thrown out of Christmas parties. (photo of Donald Trump by Gage Skidmore)

Elaine Martyn from Fidelity Charitable explains how donor advised funds can help others and reduce your 2017 taxes. Retirement jitters, a retirement crisis, and 7 ways to teach your kids the value of saving for retirement to help them avoid both the jitters and the crisis. Plus, is there any way to undo rolling a 401(k) into a 403(b) annuity? And can Joe explain why a 60/40 mix of stocks and bonds isn't necessarily the best way to go - without snapping?