Can't Take It With You

Medicare planning is complex, and people often receive a confusing flurry of insurance marketing material when they turn 65. In today's episode, we talk to Medicare expert Dana Lasman. Dana explains the basics of Medicare in an understandable way so you can make sense of your options. Dana reviews: •⁠  ⁠Medicare eligibility and how to enroll •⁠  ⁠⁠Unbiased resources for evaluating the different Medicare options •⁠  ⁠⁠The different parts of Medicare – A, B, C, D and all the way to N. What do these letters stand for? •⁠  ⁠⁠Original Medicare v. Medicare Advantage •⁠  ⁠⁠The components of medical expenses when on Medicare -- i.e. premiums, co-pays, co-insurance, deductible and max out of pocket cost?

It's great to earn a big bonus, receive a vesting of company stock, or achieve a profitable business year. Unfortunately, without good tax planning, extra income and insufficient withholdings can result in a big tax bill and/or penalties. In this episode, Joe Pachuca, CPA, discusses how proactive tax strategy can avoid unpleasant surprises from the IRS. Joe shares his insights about: Common reasons that clients may owe a large surprise tax bill The importance of proactive tax planning How estimated taxes work and when they are due Paying taxes immediately v. reserving funds in a high-yield account to earn interest until the tax deadline How CPAs help clients calculate, prepare for, and pay estimated taxes Guest: Joe Pachuca at joe@thedobl.com

There are many ways to increase business value. Owners often focus on the tangibles, but the intangibles are equally important. In this episode, business coach Dan Dowdy highlights the importance of cultivating a team and its core values. Dan shares his insights about: Finding and retaining top-performing team members Building a positive company culture Creating career paths for growth Practical ways to promote accountability and track results, including score cards, position agreements and Key Performance Indicators Using technology and social media to build a top team Guest: Dan Dowdy at builtforthetrades.com

College consultant Marina Glava discusses key strategies for the increasingly competitive world of college admissions. Marina also shares how students can make the most of their high school years to identify their academic interests. Marina offers details on these topics: Strategies for navigating the new "test optional" landscape. The level of importance that admissions officials give to extracurricular involvement. Determining high school students' skills and interests (and how to align those with a plan of study). Key actions that high school students should take in their freshman through junior years. How "passion projects" can make a student more appealing to the most selective colleges. Guest: Marina Glava at marinaglava.com

Matt is joined by Andrew Beer of Dynamic Beta Investments (DBi) to explore the world of managed futures. In this episode we cover: Managed Futures 101 What is a futures contract? What are managed futures strategies? The role managed futures can serve in a broader portfolio including the case for a long-term allocation The challenges of investing in such a diverse space DBi's innovative product solution to address those challenges

Estate planning attorney, Kyle Robbins, helps us understand how the probate process actually works (in Texas, but the big concepts apply elsewhere), and what the Executor of an estate should expect to experience. Most people don't learn about this until they have been assigned the Executor of a loved one's estate. Learn about it now so you can make the right decision for your family. What happens if you don't have a Will? What happens if you do have a Will? What if your Will wasn't created in your State? How does a Living Trust impact your estate plan?  Guest: Kyle Robbins at https://www.robbinsestatelaw.com/

Matt is joined by Phil McInnis, Chief Investment Strategist for Avantis Investors, to explore the story and strategy behind the newest investment manager to our client portfolio lineup. In this episode we cover: Avantis' founding and why Phil personally embarked on a new career journey Defining Systematic Investing Avantis' valuation-centric philosophy to portfolio construction How do we attempt to buy more for less? Avantis' holistic approach to value and why a broader view is critical Is goodwill no good? Sifting through measures of company profitability How Avantis can fit in the context of a broader portfolio  

Kevin goes deep into the topic of credit cards with colleague, John Toungate, a self-taught expert with plenty of real life examples to share. How credit cards impact credit scores Strategies to improve credit scores using credit cards Using the 'soft benefits' of credit cards Strategies to maximize cash rewards When does it make sense to pay annual fees? When is it worth it to get the unlimited 'black card'?

Derek Ripp meets with Gary Zimmerman of MaxMyInterest to discuss the fragility of banks, risks to cash depositors, and strategies to reduce risk and optimize yield on cash in bank accounts. ·       Cash is King or Cash is Trash? ·       What should investors learn from the Silicon Valley Bank fiasco? ·       What is the risk to cash beyond FDIC limits? ·       How MaxMyInterest provides FDIC covered accounts on large deposits ·       Fighting the effects of inflation on cash ·       Actively managing savings accounts for higher yields

Veteran mortgage professional, Russ Laing of Vista Lending, joins us with insight about the dramatic changes in mortgage lending since rates more than doubled in the past year, and what borrowers can do to improve their terms on new mortgages. Has the market really cooled off? How do lenders make money? Why are jumbo rates often so different from conventional rates? How ominous are current mortgage statistics? What can a borrower do to drive down the interest rate they receive? What should self-employed borrowers know about how lenders look at income? How to think about buying points? Which mortgage products have become useful again? What drives mortgage interest rates? Will blockchain technology ever disrupt the industry?

Matt interviews George Milling-Stanley, Chief Gold Strategist for State Street Global Advisors. Spanning the historical to the practical, George gives a breakdown of gold's role over the years, the investment case for gold, and surveys the present state of the market.  George's personal 50 year history with gold What happened in 1971 and what gold was prior to that date Gold's investment role and place in a portfolio The current state of the gold market The recent history, 1971 - Present

Today Matt interviews Michael Green, CFA from one of our newest fund partners, Simplify Asset Management where he serves as Portfolio Manager and Chief Strategist. In a wide ranging conversation, Michael shares the unique lens through which he analyzes markets and articulates his concerns around changes in the underlying market structure.  When did he begin to question the underlying tenets of his traditional valuation background and education? Separating truth from fiction in the 30-year overnight success story of passive investing. What are the implications of changing market structure? How is Simplify creating products that utilize options and other derivatives to help mitigate the impact on portfolios from these structural changes? Assessing the market behavior of 2022 and looking ahead

Real estate entrepreneur, Mark Strub, visits the podcast to give us an update on the rapidly changing residential real estate market. We cover so many topics! The market transitioning from blazing hot to warm Supply and demand forces in Austin The impact of higher mortgage rates on buyers and sellers The 'missing middle' housing problem The negotiating table: buyers vs sellers Real estate as an investment Evaluating schools Best bang for the buck on home improvements

Matt and Kevin analyze the worst year for bonds since the industry began recording data in 1926. They talk about what caused this and where the market might go from here. They review the main categories of bonds, the recent outcomes for each, and what investors should be prepared for when investing in bonds going forward.

Jeff Socha shares insights about how to achieve lower tax liability while adhering to IRS tax laws. We talk about: Levels of tax strategies Understanding your relationship with the IRS Business deductions often overlooked How to get the most out of your CPA Perspectives on audit risk

Matt and Kevin crack open the 'other' category of investments, sometimes called 'alternative' investments. The broadest definition is any investment other than traditional stocks and bonds. With both stocks and bonds facing difficult economic conditions, many investors are asking the question 'what else is there?'. This Part 2 episode focuses on 'trading strategies' as a category of alternative investments.    The conversation includes discussion of the characteristics, expectations and investment methods with respect to: What purpose can trading strategies serve in a portfolio? Buy-and-hold vs alternative trading strategies Using the whole trading tool kit Contrarian value strategies Price trend following strategies From hedge funds to exchange traded funds

Matt and Kevin crack open the 'other' category of investments, sometimes called 'alternative' investments. The broadest definition is any investment other than traditional stocks and bonds. With both stocks and bonds facing difficult economic conditions, many investors are asking the question 'what else is there?'. This became Part 1 of an expected two part series on the topic, focused on the category of real assets.    The conversation includes discussion of the characteristics, expectations and investment methods with respect to: Real estate Infrastructure Commodities Currencies

Meg Bartelt, founder of Flow Financial Planning, joins us to discuss a method for weaving employer stock into personal financial planning. Trends in employer stock plans What are you actually getting from your employer? The simplest way to get your head around buy/sell decisions What type of analysis is most useful?  Using employer stock to fulfill your personal goals

Matt and Kevin delve into the wild west of cryptocurrency: NFTs. What the heck is an NFT? How does this relate to Bitcoin and Ethereum? What are the current uses of NFTs? What is the hope of NFTs in the future? How do you actually buy an NFT? How to deal with risks and scams Investment characteristics of NFTs

When we enroll for health insurance through an employer, through the individual plan marketplace, or Medicare, the options are vast and complicated - anything but consumer friendly. When we need to use our insurance the financial impact can be massive. We are joined by Christine Simone, co-founder of Caribou, a firm that matches health care advisors to people in need of guidance.   Health care costs in a household budget Navigating marketplace insurance policies for self-employed, early retirees, and grown children leaving their parents plans A framework for evaluating Medicare plan options Caribou's new program to make health care advice more accessible

Matt Pierce makes his inaugural debut on the podcast to discuss the different ways markets might play out over the next decade and how investors can prepare accordingly. We talk about the following scenarios: More of the same - market outcomes look a lot like the last 10 years Mean reversion - prices come back to something more normal Lost decade - below average returns on both stocks and bonds Breakthrough! - innovation drives an unexpected surge in productivity Gloom and doom - our worst fears materialize and we enter a sort of depression

Kevin was inspired to take action upgrading his online security and shares the most practical and effective measures he has taken: Long and random passwords Password managers 2-factor authorization: basic and advanced Wireless network security

Cash is how we participate in the economy every day. But it pays almost no interest while it sits in the bank, and inflation is constantly eating away its purchasing power. My partner, Derek Ripp, joins us to talk about how much cash to hold, where to keep it, and strategies to get the most out of it.

The thought of investing in commercial real estate can be daunting, even for someone very comfortable with traditional residential investing. The transactions are bigger, the leases are different, financing is different, and on and on. We are joined by Austin-based commercial real estate professional, Spencer Holbert, to demystify commercial real estate investing. We cover: • Easing into commercial real estate with smaller multi-family unit projects. • Comparing and evaluating deals. • How financing and property management work. • The good and bad about partnerships. • Opportunity zones.

Kevin explores the (surprising!) origins of what it means to be a 'maverick' and how that relates to investing differently from the masses. He talks about the reasons to consider being a maverick investor and the challenges of enduring the psychological torment that comes with the territory. He ends with practical examples from history and suggestions for how an investor should be prepared to take 'maverick risk'.

Inflation and aliens are on the minds of many. They are big, scary concepts that haven't played much of a role in our lives recently, but some fear they might. Inflation is personal, so Kevin breaks down a typical household budget and analyzes the impact of inflation. He considers the causes of inflation and offers consumers and investors tools that might help defend against it.

Kevin expands on his recent blog post about the sudden increase in home prices over the last 12 months and the options homeowners are considering to make the best of it, including: Sell and Move Stay and Improve Buy a Rental Rent and Move Do Nothing

Medicare is a complicated topic filled with jargon, confusing enrollment periods, and all sorts of private insurance bolt-on options. Cindi Gatton of Caribou joins us to make sense of it all. Timeline for enrollment - when do people need to start taking action? What are the common reasons people incur a penalty? How to avoid. What is not covered by Medicare? How to shop for supplemental plans: call brokers, online comparison tools, etc Evaluating supplemental coverage options - what is a proper framework for sorting through policies? What impact does a new health condition have when trying to sign up for or change supplemental plans? Maintaining current doctors? Some doctors not taking Medicare? How does working past age 65 impact Medicare coverage?

We are joined by attorney Chris Hildreth of Hildreth Legal (https://www.hildrethlegal.com/) to discuss the more common questions people have about estate planning. What happens when someone dies without a Will in Texas? What to prepare for when meeting with an attorney to create your Will. What to do if you are named Executor of someone's estate. When is a template service like Legal Zoom good enough? Where to keep a Will. How to prevent a disputed estate. When to pursue power of attorney with aging parents? Tax laws may change, making more estates taxable. What are some basic tools?

We are talking all things property insurance with industry veteran, David Mescher. We look under the hood of insurance companies, how they differ, and how to find a proper price-to-value fit. Topics include: What should we know about an insurance broker's incentives? How are independent and captive agents fundamentally different? When is it most appropriate to consider online insurance platforms? What are the important differences between top tier and bottom tier insurers? Is bundling home and auto usually the best deal? What does umbrella insurance actually pay out for?