Best of Free Money Radio

The market is jittery. Inflation is here. You can't go the distance for a safe retirement if there's a leak in your plan. Steve & Mark can help.

A listener question leads to an interesting discussion about how to maximize one's retirement investing. For those just entering the workforce, this is a MUST-LISTEN-TO recording.

After a little football talk, Steve and Mark get into an interesting and very important discussion on the latest financial market craze, cryptocurrency. Listen to their thoughts on where it fits within one's retirement portfolio, if at all!

The mantra use to be "Spend the Interest, Never the Principle". In today's low-interest environment that is impossible without assets numbering ten+ millions of dollars. Hear what Steve & Mark have to say about the best way to ensure a lifetime of income.

This is a MUST listen-to episode.  Steve provides a dramatic real-life example of how early, proper retirement planning can provide more income and security than anyone thought possible. Too good to be true? Steve & Mark, with decades of experience in the field, explain why it isn't.

Steve discusses the film, The Baby Boomer Dilemma, and offers a gift card for a free viewing. He outlines the many perils facing the baby-boom generation that may be heightened in 2022 by rising interest rates and an over-heated market. 

In the first show of the 2022, Steve and Mark talk about the importance of the client/planner relationship. While the money client's invest is their own, financial planners can be valuable sounding boards to avoid financial mistakes. 

Customers are looking to buy products while clients are looking to build a relationship. Steve and Mark talk about why it is important to define what you want before setting a meeting.

When Steve & Mark say, "Plan now for a worry-free retirement", they mean it. It's never too early to begin the planning process. Don't get to 75, lose your job & have $600 in the bank. START TODAY. 

Just like delaying going to the dentist, delaying the planning process only makes things worse. Taxes WILL eat away at your savings, and impact your retirement, if you don't start planning now. Steve and Mark ask, "What are you waiting for?"

Why should you be worried about what happens in Cyprus? Listen to what Steve and Mark have to say.  Plus, the year is coming to a close and taxes are at an historic low.  It can't be stressed enough - tax planning is important in retirement.

Steve presents a concise chart on how to assess where one stands on their road to a secure retirement. Join him for this "first of a kind" radio simulcast. 

Do your investments represent value? Do they produce revenue? Steve and Mark discuss the perils of a market reminescent of 2000.

Steve & Mark offer a good explanation of both Medicare & Social Security in this listener question radio show.

Leaving assets to one's ex-spouse may not have been in the plan but it can happen. Steve & Mark relate several stories that underscore how important it is to keep one's financial papers, such as beneficiaries, password accounts, etc. up-to-date. 

Long-term healthcare planning is part of retirement planning. One listener asks, "How does one handle L-T healthcare planning"? Steve and Mark have an innovative solution. 

Today's mail bag questions focus on home ownership. Should you pay off the mortgage; is a reverse mortgage a good idea; what about leaving the house to the kids? Steve and Mark raise goods points for families to think about.

Mark is off fishing and Steve and Melissa have a open discussion about why it is so important to make your wishes known to family and friends.

Steve and Mark discuss an on-going estate planning case which demonstrates the complexities of the planning process and why consulting with an expert can save you a lot of money.

Listen to Steve and Mark as they discuss the multitude of changes being proposed for estate taxes that can have a dire effect on your estate plan and beneficiaries.

Fear of losing and fear of losing out are huge factors in investment decisions. Steve talks about how investment mistakes, based on this emotion, can be avoided.

Steve and Mark discuss some of the financial changes being proposed in Washington. Doubling the capital gains tax for top wage earners is one.

Steve and Mark offer interesting insights into recent market short-selling; why Target Funds are not a good investment in today's market; and why you should consider tactical investing.  

Over the past 35 years, we have been conditioned to accept the stock market, without question, as the means to a secure retirement. At the same time, we have been conditioned to question the validity of annuities as a retirement tool. Steve & Mark discuss why the foundation for the 401K could really be the house that Dr. Suess built.

Mail Bag Day introduces us to the man who recently lost his job and wants to know if he can afford to retire. What's wrong with this picture? Retirement planning should start in one's 40s not as retirement approaches. Planners are here to help so why are people so resistant to the idea of using them? Listen to Steve and Mark discuss this and more....

People concentrate on accumulating money for retirement but neglect to think about the toll that taxes can take on their retirement income. Steve & Mark ask, " Would you rather pay a tax on every saved $ at a tax rate that is unknown or pay the tax now when rates are at their lowest?"

It's Super Bowl Sunday and Steve & Mark discuss how employing the same principles that make Tom Brady a success will work for you to create financial security.  

Now that bond rates are approaching negative returns, money managers are at a loss as to mitigating portfolio risk. For those who are retired, the question is "Why are you in a risky portfolio?" Steve and Mark raise a number of questions worth considering.   

Market sell-offs aren't the only thing that can put one's retirement at risk. Taxes in retirement can shrink that pot of gold significantly. Steve and Mark define qualified money and explain why it's important to understand it.

The market is historically high, taxes are historically low. Both are unsustainable. There may never be a better opportunity in our lifetime to take advantage of this by moving money into tax-free accounts. 

If you buy insurance for your house, why not buy insurance for your retirement? Mitigating retirement risk is no different than mitigating the risks associated with one's home or car. Steve & Mark noodle on why there is such resistance to the idea. 

Steve & Mark clarify some misconceptions around financial planning and present an interesting case study.

Listen to Steve and Mark for the answer!

Steve & Mark give us a short course in macroeconomics and explain why a little inflation is a good thing.

Steve & Mark discuss the options available to maintain your retirement income in this low-interest-rate environment.

Steve and Mark answer listener questions about when and how best to retire. 

Steve, Mark & Jen relive some of their favorite Seinfeld episodes before Mark discusses an interesting case of a woman retiring early due to the coronavirus. A carefully created and fully vetted plan will make her future financially secure.

Steve continues with the analogy of getting off the tracks and onto the train. Playing the market with money needed to live on leads to stress and strain. Those reporting happiness in retirement are people with a steady income stream.

Steve strikes a cautionary note and lists several warning signs worth considering when planning for the future. Americans want to get back to normal, but the worst may be yet to come. This episode is truly worth the time to listen.

Mark is off fishing so Steve & Jen are holding down the fort. Sparked by a few questions from listeners, Steve expands on  Warren Buffet's Rule #1 & Rule #2.  

In the era of the coronavirus, when people are feeling less in control of their lives, Steve and Mark provide some food-for-thought for taking more control of one's investments. 

Some great questions are asked that illustrate two financial truisms: "It's never too soon, but it's often too late" and "Losses always win". Hear how Steve & Mark respond to Kevin who is thinking about investing in cruise lines, Diane who wants to retire, and Eric who has delayed a decision about his 401k.  

Playing defense with your money may not be a bad idea. The market is off its historic highs but there are still profits to be had. Steve talks about the importance of taking the long view. 

Is waiting for the market to recover a good strategy? After musing about the loss of Tom Brady to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Steve & Mark discuss the aftermath of the 1929 and 2008 crashes in a not-to-be-missed episode that could be the difference for you having a secure retirement. 

The corona virus has thrown everyone a curve ball. Ups and downs in the market are a given, but record-breaking swings can be downright heart stopping. Mark & Steve discuss why it is never too late to re-orient your thinking to better secure your financial future. 

This mail bag segment goes into depth on the question, "Where should I put my money?" Before that can be answered, Steve and Mark analyze how behavior has an impact on investing.

Steve & Mark talk about the risk involved in getting emotionally attached to your money. Plus, It's Mail Bag Day! Hear from Carl from Rochester, Rick from Nashua, and learn about what re-balancing is all about.

At the 11th hour Congress attached The Secure Act to an appropriations bill that went into effect January 1, 2020. Steve and Mark go over some of the significant changes that could have tax implications for you down the road.