Just about every week here on YMYW, Joe and Big Al talk about converting your retirement savings to Roth accounts. But why? What’s the big deal? Today the “IRA guru” Ed Slott, CPA returns to Your Money, Your Wealth® in podcast number 526 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA to tell us why he calls the Roth IRA “the greatest account ever created.” (Here’s a hint: it’s all about having tax-free income in retirement - and beyond.) Plus, where to prioritize saving for retirement? Jerry Tom in St. Louis wants to know. Are Christian and Tiffany in Montana on track for retirement, and should they rebalance their ETFs? Should Frank in Lake Wobegon’s wife take her teachers’ salary over 9 months or 12 months? And finally, Jon thinks the target retirement withdrawal rates Joe and Big Al use to spitball are too low - we’ll see what they think.

Free financial resources & episode transcript: https://bit.ly/ymyw-526

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

00:59 - Ed Slott, CPA on the Roth IRA, the Future of Taxes, the Death of the Stretch IRA, and Naming a Trust as Your Retirement Account Beneficiary

19:44 - Download The Complete Roth Papers Package for free

20:37 - Where to Prioritize Saving for Retirement? (Jerry Tom, St. Louis)

28:57 - Are We on Track for Retirement? Should We Rebalance Our ETFs? (Christian & Tiffany, Montana)

40:43 - Watch Don't Let These 10 Risks Break Your Retirement on YMYW TV, Calculate Your Free Financial Blueprint

41:44 - Is It Better to Take Teachers' Salary Over 9 Months or 12? (Frank, Lake Wobegon - voice)

45:32 - Withdrawal Rates Are Very Low on YMYW (Jon, Twitter & Apple Podcasts)

49:46 - YMYW Podcast Outro

Will your taxes go up? Stay the same? Go down, even? Jeffrey Levine is Chief Planning Officer at Focus Partners, Professor of Practice in Taxation at the American College of Financial Services, and the Lead Financial Planning Nerd at Kitces.com. In other words, he’s one of the savviest tax minds in the country. Jeff returns to the show today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 524 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA, with his thoughts on what will happen to taxes under the new administration, saving for retirement in a Roth IRA vs. a traditional IRA, managing inherited retirement accounts, and the future viability of Social Security. Plus, what should you do with required minimum distributions when you don't need the money to live on? How do you calculate the maximum amount you should convert from your retirement account to a tax-free Roth account, and how much should you convert - or not - to keep RMDs under control? Finally, how can minor beneficiaries avoid probate?

Free financial resources & episode transcript: https://bit.ly/ymyw-524

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro: This Week on the YMYW Podcast

01:05 - Will These Historic Low Tax Rates Be Extended? Insight from Jeff Levine, CFP®, CPA/PFS, ChFC®, RICP®, CWS, AIF, BFA™, MSA

19:54 - Make These 3 Investments for a Happy Retirement and Watch Take Control of Your Retirement Plan on YMYW TV

21:06 - What to Do With Required Minimum Distributions When You Don't Need the Money to Live On? (Judi, San Diego)

24:40 - How Much NOT to Convert to Roth to Keep RMDs Under Control? (DH from SoCal)

32:26 - LIMITED TIME SPECIAL OFFER: Download the DIY Retirement Guide by Friday, April 11, 2025!

33:39 - How to Calculate How Much Roth Conversion I Should Do? (Joe, voice)

38:42 - How Can I Reduce My Required Minimum Distributions? (Joel, CA)

40:18 - How Can Minor Beneficiaries Avoid Probate? (Esther, San Francisco)

46:04 - YMYW Podcast Outro

What are the three predictors of retirement happiness? Dr. Michael Finke, CFP® from the American College of Financial Services tells us what his research shows. He also shares his insights on the four percent rule for retirement withdrawals and whether there is anything we can do to stave off the effects of aging on our cognitive abilities. That’s today on Your Money, Your Wealth podcast number 523 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, Joe and Big Al do some retirement spitballing: can Jon in Pennsylvania retire early at age 56, and would it be better for him to take his pension monthly or as a lump sum? Steve and his wife in Colorado are 48 and 54 and have $3 million saved. When can they retire? Eager Eagle and his wife in Washington state have $2 million saved at ages 61 and 63. Can they retire next year?

Free financial resources & episode transcript: https://bit.ly/ymyw-523

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What is your retirement income style? Dr. Wade Pfau, CFA, RICP®, is the co-founder of RISAprofile.com, providing investors with retirement income style awareness. He returns to Your Money, Your Wealth® today on podcast number 522 to talk about four different styles of retirement income, distribution planning and the four percent rule. Plus, what does Dr. Pfau think will happen with President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, scheduled to sunset at the end of this year? What are Dr. Pfau’s thoughts on annuities as part of your retirement plan? Next, "Joe Anderson’s Top 5 Things" to help you manage the impact of all this market volatility on your portfolio. Also, Joe Anderson CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball for "Al Bundy" in St. Louis: what withdrawal strategy makes sense for him, and what he should do with his IRA and 401(k) money?

Free financial resources & episode transcript: https://bit.ly/ymyw-522

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro: This Week on the YMYW Podcast

01:00 - Retirement Income Style, Tax Laws, and Annuities with Dr. Wade Pfau

16:39 - What's the Future of Your Social Security? Watch Last Week's YMYW Podcast & Subscribe on YouTube

17:08 - Joe Anderson’s Top 5 Things: How to Manage Market Volatility

26:27 - Learn to Escape These 11 Tax Traps and You'll Save in Retirement on YMYW TV, Download the Tax Planning Guide

27:13 - What Should I Do With My IRA and 401(k)? I'm 61 and Have $10M. (Al Bundy, St. Louis)

00:00 - YMYW Podcast Outro

Martin and Caterina in Green Bay are in their 40s and haven’t yet saved a million bucks. Are they on track to retire at age 58? Can Piggie and Kermit in California retire today at ages 50 and 57 and still build wealth for their children? Can Galahad and Zoot in Chicago retire early in their 50s, or do they need to keep working? Do Bo and Daisy have enough saved to retire now at 61 and 56? Plus, Chuck in South Carolina asks, if you can retire early, why wouldn’t you? Spitballing early retirement, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 520 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA.

Free financial resources & episode transcript: https://bit.ly/ymyw-520

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Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro: This Week on the YMYW Podcast

00:48 - In Our 40s and Haven't Hit a Million Yet. Are We On Track for Retirement? (Martin & Caterina, Green Bay - voice)

10:29 - We Have Over $5M. Can We Retire Today at 50 and 57 and Still Build Wealth for Our Kids? (Piggy & Kermit, CA)

18:24 - Watch 10 Will and Trust Mistakes to Avoid on YMYW TV and Download the Estate Planning Organizer

19:08 - We’re 56 and 52 With $500K. Can I Retire Early at 62? (Galahad and Zoot, Chicago)

25:36 - We’re 61 and 56 With $600K. Have We Saved Enough for Retirement? (Bo & Daisy, upstate NY)

33:49 - Calculate Your Financial Blueprint

34:12 - We’re 61 and 58 With $1.5M. How Much Can We Spend in Retirement, When Should We Claim Social Security? (Hefwannabe and Jane, OK)

42:19 - If You Can Retire Early, Why Wouldn't You? (Chuck, SC)

48:11 - YMYW Podcast Outro