One Minute Retirement Tip with Ashley

Welcome to a new week here on the Retirement Quick Tips podcast! I'm your host, Ashley Micciche. I'm a financial advisor and co-owner of True North Retirement Advisors, a fee-only fiduciary financial advisory practice managing over $425M in assets.  For 17 years, I've helped clients retire with confidence, and my goal on this podcast is to simplify the complexities of retirement planning so you can focus on what truly matters—enjoying your retirement years while maintaining financial security. One of the biggest spending categories for most Americans is food. Even wealthier Americans will still spend a lot of money on food - eating out more, buying higher quality foods, entertaining, and shopping at places like Whole Paycheck (er, whole foods).  Retirees spend about $7500 a year on groceries and eating out on average, and because food costs matter in your budget, I wanted to focus on that in this week's episodes. And I can think of no better person to discuss this topic with than my good friend, Karrie.  I first met Karrie about 5 years ago, shortly after her family moved to my town and started attending the same church we go to. OVer that time, we've become good friends. She also babysits my little ones a couple days a week, and we share a lot of the same views on things and have a similar sense of humor. At the moment, I'm working on arranging a marriage between their youngest and my 4 year-old, Theodore. I've offered their daughter a paid-for wedding, if only she agrees to marry my little man.  As the chief grocery shopper for her family of 11 - her and her husband have 9 kids, ages 20 to 4 - Karrie has learned a lot about saving money on food over the years.

It's Sunday and I'm wrapping up the week by summarizing this week's theme: How To Get Over Your Guilt About Spending Money in Retirement In case you missed any episodes this week, here's the recap…

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm sharing with you my thoughts and ideas about how to get over your guilt about spending money in retirement.  Today, I'm talking about how getting over your guilt often requires an attitude adjustment.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm sharing with you my thoughts and ideas about how to get over your guilt about spending money in retirement.  Today, I'm talking about how you can prove to yourself that it's ok to take withdrawals from your investments in retirement, to help combat your guilt.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm sharing with you my thoughts and ideas about how to get over your guilt about spending money in retirement.  Today, I'm talking about putting your investment withdrawals on auto-pilot to help combat your guilt.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm sharing with you my thoughts and ideas about how to get over your guilt about spending money in retirement.  Today, I'm going to share with you the simplest strategy of getting over your guilt: as the rolling stones would say: Time is on your side, yes it is!

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm sharing with you my thoughts and ideas about how to get over your guilt about spending money in retirement.  Today, let's talk about how to NOT enjoy your retirement years!

Welcome to a new week here on the Retirement Quick Tips podcast! I'm your host, Ashley Micciche. This week, I'll share with you how you can get over your guilt about spending money in retirement. 

Welcome to a new week here on the Retirement Quick Tips podcast! I'm your host, Ashley Micciche. On the podcast this week, I'm going to do something quite different.  My father-in-law, Doug Micciche, passed away on May 22nd, after a very brief battle with cancer. I first met Doug when I was 16 years old, and for the last 24 years that I've known him, he's been a confidant and someone I love and miss deeply.  Doug was also a financial advisor in our advisory practice, and over the years, I learned from him - not just personally, but professionally as well. So I wanted to take this opportunity to share a few things about Doug - the kind of man he was, the way he inspired me, and the things he taught me.  To do that, I think we'll start at the beginning. I don't remember the first time I met Doug, but my husband and I started dating in high school, so I'm sure 16 year old me walked into his house acting like I owned the place.  Because my husband and I were high school sweethearts, I spent a lot of time at his parent's house, countless hours in the family room watching TV and movies with Doug. He and I both shared a mutual love for bad 90s action movies. By the time my husband moved out of his parent's home, I had already spent more quality time with Doug than most daughter-in-laws get to spend with their father-in-law in a lifetime, and for that I am grateful. One of my favorite pastimes was needling Doug, which was a tradition that continued until the end. Back in the early days, I would plop down on their couch so aggressively, I might as well have been working on my high jump, using the couch to break my fall. I would immediately look over at Doug with a sly smile, waiting for the inevitable sigh or eye roll. Eventually, after thousands of forceful couch plops, the spring broke in the exact spot where I would always sit…I still maintain I had nothing to do with that janky couch spring.  Their house had hardwood flooring on the stairs, and like a 7 year old boy, I would fly down the stairs. The pounding reverberation on the stairs irritated him to no end, so whenever I would run down the stairs he would always yell: “stampede!!” I took that as an invitation to pound my heels as loud as possible whenever I came down the stairs, just to see if I could get a stampede yell out of him. Doug was a great listener, and I often went to him when I had a problem or needed some advice. He was always honest and a no-BS guy. He was great at telling me what I needed to hear, even if it wasn't what I wanted to hear. I could trust his advice, knowing that he always had my best intentions at heart. There was no duplicity in Doug, and I very much appreciated that about him.  Doug was one of the most selfless people I know. Anything you asked him to do, he would do it, and whether he wanted to do it or not, you really had no idea, because he cheerfully devoted himself to other people and their needs. He would give me rides to and from the airport - often picking me up in the pre-dawn hours for the early flights I habitually booked. He always joyfully helped out with school pickups for my kids, and this past year, he picked up my 4 year old, Theodore, from preschool twice a week, always first in line because he was also ridiculously and annoyingly early for EVERYTHING. He and Theoore had their routine - he would bring him some gummi worms that Theodore quickly came to expect.  Doug was so deeply authentic, genuinely interested in other people, and kind down to his core, that he made friends wherever he went. He wasn't super extraverted, but he could relate to anyone, and making new friends was a superpower he had. He made friends with parents at my kids sports games, with other grandparents at school pickup, and most stunning of all - he made friends and stayed in contact with a guy he sold a car to - a chance encounter that turned into a friendship, and they stayed in touch for many years after.  Doug valued simplicity and he was content to spend his days at home, and as his wife Becky wrote in his obituary - “His pleasures were simple: daily exercise, command of the TV remote and a Friday night pizza, an enjoyable book and a nice slice of pie or cake. He was uncompromising when it came to his faith, to keeping his home and yard well-tended and his cars impeccable.” What I admire most about Doug was his enduring faith. He was Catholic, and attended Sunday Mass every week. He watched daily Mass on the TV livestream nearly every day.  He prayed and read the bible often, and like most men, was quite private about his spiritual life. But I caught glimpses of it often - a spiritual book he was reading, a text from him before a doctor's appointment or during a hardship to let me know he was praying for me. He did this often with me, but I found out after he passed that he did this with many other people too. After my dad had a health issue earlier this year, Doug texted to tell me that he dedicated his rosary that day to my father and his healing.  Doug was diagnosed with cancer on April 17th, and passed away barely a month later on May 22nd. His decline was so rapid and unexpected. We were all stunned by his initial prognosis of 1-2 years, even with chemo treatment. At that time, the doctors didn't know how advanced his cancer was, but the oncologist commented on his cheerfulness and energy, despite being so sick. He accepted his fate with grace and even humor on occasion.  At the end, I took great comfort and hope in the fact that Doug received all the sacraments - he went to confession and received last rites, which is very important in the Catholic faith.  In his last days of hospice care at home, they moved his hospital bed next to their queen bed in the bedroom, so Becky could lay comfortably with him, always at his side. I spent a few hours laying there with him too, praying for him and occasionally talking to him to let him know that I was there and that I loved him.  Our pastor visited him twice in the last days of his life, and I was there for the last time he visited, a little over a day before he passed. As part of the blessing and prayers for the dying, the priest read the text from Revelation, chapter 21: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, [for] the old order has passed away. The one who sat on the throne* said, “Behold, I make all things new.”  Looking at Doug lying there, so weakened and close to death, yet so peaceful, those words captivated me…Behold, I make all things new.  He is at peace now, and I have great hope that he is looking down on us from heaven. No more death. No more pain. No more mourning. Only everlasting happiness and joy with God in heaven, because He makes all things new.  I know I can still count on Doug as a confidant, and ask him to continue to pray for me… I just need to look for more subtle signs of his advice and guidance, not the straightforward, blunt, telling-it-like-it-is advice that I'm used to from him.  Doug's funeral will be on Wednesday, June 25th, and if you're so inclined, I ask for your prayers for Doug, our family, and all those who love and miss him.  His wife, Becky, needs your prayers the most. She was married to Doug for over 40 years, and this is a great loss and a great burden for her to carry right now.  I want to close with an excerpt from a letter from my husband to his dad. My husband, Troy, wrote this letter and shared it with Doug the day his diagnosis changed from 1-2 years to 1-2 months. It turned out that Doug only had about a week left with us, and he heard this letter from his son only a couple days before the cancer took away his ability to comprehend what Troy said in his letter. Timing is a funny thing. If my husband had put off writing this letter and sharing it with his dad by just a day or two, it would have been too late. But he said all the things he wanted to say to his father just in time.  Troy wrote: “Fatherhood, faith, and my marital life. These are the priorities, and you helped instill them in me…You more than did the job that the Lord asked you to do, and you did it well. I am forever grateful.” We are all grateful to have known and loved you, Doug.  I hope you have a blessed week. My name is Ashley Micciche...and this is the Retirement Quick Tips podcast.

It's Sunday and I'm wrapping up the week by summarizing this week's theme: America's $36 Trillion Tab - Understanding how The U.S. National Debt Impacts You Everyone's favorite topic - the crushing US national debt - yay!  In case you missed any episodes this week, here's the recap

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about America's $36 Trillion Tab on the national debt and what that means for you.  Today, I'm talking about how you can prepare and protect yourself from the US National debt's doom loop.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about America's $36 Trillion Tab on the national debt and what that means for you.  A very smart investor told me recently that the national debt will begin to decline when the growth rate of the economy outpaces the growth rate on the debt.  Ok, so then one could conclude that we just need more robust economic growth to get out of this debt doom loop we seem to be headed for. 

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about America's $36 Trillion Tab on the national debt and what that means for you.  Today, I'm talking about the ugly tradeoffs for reducing the national debt and how each of those options, and likely some combination of all 3 could impact you.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about America's $36 Trillion Tab on the national debt and what that means for you.  Today, I'm talking about why the US national debt is problematic.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about America's $36 Trillion Tab on the national debt and how it impacts you - what does that mean for your social security & medicare benefits, inflation, taxes, the value of your investments, etc. The unfortunate truth is that the growing debt problem potentially has a big impact on all of these aspects of your life.  Before we go any further, we first need to clarify what the US National Debt is…

Welcome to a new week here on the Retirement Quick Tips podcast! I'm your host, Ashley Micciche. I'm a financial advisor and co-owner of True North Retirement Advisors, a fee-only fiduciary financial advisory practice managing over $425M in assets.  For 17 years, I've helped clients retire with confidence, and my goal on this podcast is to simplify the complexities of retirement planning so you can focus on what truly matters—enjoying your retirement years while maintaining financial security. I remember having concerns about the US national debt and having conversations with clients about this back in 2011. That's what I'll talk about this week. Because the US national debt isn't like you or I having debt. It's quite different. If we don't have enough income to pay our debts like the US government, then we don't have money trees. The US government has their own personal money tree, and that can work, up to a point. 

It's Sunday and I'm wrapping up the week by summarizing this week's theme: Right Accounts in the Right Order - Prioritizing Your Savings as a Pre-Retiree in 2025 In case you missed any episodes this week, heres how I recommend prioritizing savings especially as you approach retirement:

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about savings optimization. How should you prioritize your savings in 2025, saving the right accounts in the right order to get to better financial stability and long-term flexibility.  If you haven't been listening to each episode in order this week, I suggest going back because each episode is like a step on a ladder. You can't skip a step, and it's important to get the right priorities.  Once everything else is taken care of, then last step on the ladder is what to do with additional money you have left to save.  You're emergency fund and cash savings are where they should be. You're saving in your 401k and you're on track for where you need to be at this age for retirement, you have no debts other than your mortgage, and you don't have any other big goals like saving for kids college or a remodel project, or a big vacation coming up that you need to earmark some savings for. You're in a great spot financially, so what's next? At this point it all comes down to personal preference.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about savings optimization. How should you prioritize your savings in 2025, saving the right accounts in the right order to get to better financial stability and long-term flexibility.  We've talked about having enough cash on hand, then 401k contributions,then knocking out your non-mortgage debt.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about savings optimization. How should you prioritize your savings in 2025, saving the right accounts in the right order to get to better financial stability and long-term flexibility.  Today, I'm talking about paying off debt.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about savings optimization. How should you prioritize your savings in 2025, saving the right accounts in the right order to get to better financial stability and long-term flexibility.  Today, once you have enough cash on hand for emergencies, big expenses, and if you're close to retirement, that extra cushion for pausing portfolio withdrawals in a downturn, we can move on to longer term goals, like saving for retirement.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about savings optimization. How should you prioritize your savings in 2025, saving the right accounts in the right order to get to better financial stability and long-term flexibility.  Today, I'm talking about the importance of liquidity and building an emergency fund that's adequate for most of what life will throw at you. 

Welcome to a new week here on the Retirement Quick Tips podcast! I'm your host, Ashley Micciche. I'm a financial advisor and co-owner of True North Retirement Advisors, a fee-only fiduciary financial advisory practice managing over $425M in assets.  For 17 years, I've helped clients retire with confidence, and my goal on this podcast is to simplify the complexities of retirement planning so you can focus on what truly matters—enjoying your retirement years while maintaining financial security. So this week, I'll break down each step in the savings optimization ladder…what to focus on first, and what you should focus on next as you check each box and move up the ladder. If you pay attention to the right savings amounts in the right order in the right accounts, you'll be better off than most Americans and be more flexible with your finances, and set yourself up for more long-term financial stability. 

It's Sunday and I'm wrapping up the week by summarizing this week's theme: The American Dream Now Costs Over $4 Million

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about the American Dream. According to a 2024 report from Investopedia, the American dream now costs $4.4 million.  Today, we're discussing what the American costs when it comes to vacations

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about the American Dream. According to a 2024 report from Investopedia, the American dream now costs $4.4 million.  Today, we're discussing what the American costs when it comes to houses and cars

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about the American Dream. According to a 2024 report from Investopedia, the American dream now costs $4.4 million.  Today, we're discussing what the American costs when it comes to raising kids and pets

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about the American Dream. According to a 2024 report from Investopedia, the American dream now costs $4.4 million.  Today, we're discussing what the American costs when it comes to your retirement

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about the American Dream. According to a 2024 report from Investopedia, the American dream now costs $4.4 million.  Today, we're discussing what the American costs when it comes to weddings and funerals.

Welcome to a new week here on the Retirement Quick Tips podcast! I'm your host, Ashley Micciche. Back in March, I came across a 2024 report from Investopedia that looked at all the things that define the American Dream - getting married, buying a house with that white picket fence, having kids, driving a nice, reliable car, owning pets, taking an annual vacation, saving enough for a comfortable retirement,and having a funeral where they don't throw your body in a pine box (unless you're into that minimal aesthetic).  What does it all cost to live the American Dream over your lifetime? $4.4 million. Can you live a fulfilling life with less? Absolutely! But I think exploring these areas together is a helpful exercise to see how your attitudes and beliefs on spending money compare to what the average American says are what they want to achieve in life.  So this week, I'll break down each of these categories of “livin the dream”, explain how Investopedia came up with their numbers and see how that compares with your own personal definition of the American dream. Come on back tomorrow…where I'm starting at the beginning and the end. We'll talk about wedding and funeral costs.

It's Sunday and I'm wrapping up the week by summarizing this week's theme: Answering Your Questions In case you missed any episodes this week, here are the [1-3] most important takeaways from this week…

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm answering your questions.  Today, I'm answering an email question from a listener: I'm in my mid 40s and simply do not feel comfortable with the current political climate and want to safeguard my 401k. I see there is an option to invest in a stable value fund in my 401k, which earns 3% guaranteed. Would it be foolish of me to put a majority of my 401k investments into this fund for the immediate future (4 years)?

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm answering your questions.  Today, I'm answering the question: My life insurance policy is expiring soon. Should I buy more?

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm answering your questions.  Today, I'm answering the question - I'm retiring in 2 years. Should I start social security at retirement or wait longer?

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm answering your questions.  Today, I'm answering the question - I got a big raise, what should I do with the money.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm answering your questions.  Today, I'm answering the question - are we headed for a recession

Welcome to a new week here on the Retirement Quick Tips podcast! I'm your host, Ashley Micciche. So this week, I'm answering some of your questions - addressing everything from what to do when you get a big raise to figuring out the ideal age to start social security, to whether or not the ultra-safe stable value fund in your 401k is a good idea right now.

It's Sunday and I'm wrapping up the week by summarizing this week's theme: How to Keep Your Focus (and Your Nerve) Amid Market Chaos

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about how to keep your focus and your nerve amid market chaos. Today, I'm talking about ways you can build a moat around your finances, so you're not spinning out during market chaos, and tempted to sell when you shouldn't. 

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about how to keep your focus and your nerve amid market chaos. Today, I'm talking about the fact that the world is always changing, it's a scary place, and there are always reasons not to invest.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about how to keep your focus and your nerve amid market chaos. Today, I'm talking about how the average investor woefully underperforms the overall market, mostly due to market timing decisions.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about how to keep your focus and your nerve amid market chaos. Today, I'm talking about staying focused on the long-term…

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, how to keep your focus and your nerve amid market chaos.  Today, I'm talking about how the simple act of stopping or significantly curtailing how often you look at your investments is a powerful way to keep your focus amid market chaos.

Welcome to a new week here on the Retirement Quick Tips podcast! I'm your host, Ashley Micciche. One of my favorite questions that I came across recently that I've started asking clients who are nervous about the current environment now is - what needs to happen for you to feel more in control right now?  It's important to ask the right questions and I find this question to be helpful because it gets to the heart of the issue for most people - you're not in control of the events of the world, yet you're feeling the effects of those events in a very real way as your investments go up and so far this year…down. Sometimes it's a small change that can make all the difference - slightly lowering your allocation to stocks, selling a particular position that is the most volatile, moving more into cash so at least you won't need to sell stocks if things get worse from here.  The key is keeping the long-term view in focus and not let current events cause you to completely abandon your long-term investment strategy. And just doing something - the smallest thing in many cases - is enough to help you stay stick to your plan. So this week we're exploring the topic: How to Keep Your Focus (and Your Nerve) Amid Market Chaos

It's Sunday and I'm wrapping up the week by summarizing this week's theme: 10 Stupid Things People Waste Money On In case you missed any episodes this week, here are the [1-3] most important takeaways from this week…

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about 10 stupid things people waste money on. Today, I'm wrapping up the week by talking about something I see very commonly among my retired clients. 

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about 10 stupid things people waste money on. Today, I'm talking about spending money on something that you might only wear once…

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about 10 stupid things people waste money on. Today, I'm talking about overpaying for convenience. This is something that is so pervasive in our culture today. 

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about 10 stupid things people waste money on. Today, I'm talking about 2 very problematic problems that point to a deeper issue among Americans: buy now, pay later & not paying off your credit cards every month.

This week on the Retirement Quick Tips Podcast, I'm talking about 10 stupid things people waste money on. Today, I'm talking about the first 2 stupid things I see people spending money on: luxury handbags & other status symbols

Welcome to a new week here on the Retirement Quick Tips podcast! I'm your host, Ashley Micciche. I'm a financial advisor and co-owner of True North Retirement Advisors, a fee-only fiduciary financial advisory practice managing over $425M in assets.  For 17 years, I've helped clients retire with confidence, and my goal on this podcast is to simplify the complexities of retirement planning so you can focus on what truly matters—enjoying your retirement years while maintaining financial security. This week we're exploring the topic: 10 Stupid Things People Waste Money On