Showing 50 results of 1052
Have financial holes in your retirement plan (like not enough savings or unknown risks)? See if you should use home equity to fill them. The post 5 Ways to Tap Home Equity in Retirement and 7 Times Wh...
Imagine it's 2004 and I explain to you what a mortgage-backed security (MBS) is. I show you how they work and how banks are using them to sell groups of mortgages to investors. Even with this knowledg...
Most families are not prepared for the moment when someone must step in and take over another person’s financial life. Whether it happens suddenly or gradually, it happens far more often than people r...
Ever since we had a kid, my friends and family were like “well, I guess you’re going to have buy a house now!” After all, they reasoned, we couldn’t possibly raise a kid in a one-bedroom apartment, ri...
People knock real estate for being slow and tedious. I get it. It’s not nearly as exciting as chasing big tech or the latest AI winner. But slow and steady might be exactly what the doctor order...
Explore why de-cluttering is the ultimate retirement and estate planning task. 7 compelling reasons to clean out your closets this year. Read now... The post The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: ...
The worst investments I've ever owned all share one thing in common—I couldn't sell them.Whether we are talking fractional shares of expensive artwork or private investments in friends' companie...
When I wrote about our trip to Portugal, I did say we were searching for inspiration for a recovery trip. On a whim and with a definite need to experience a little more European sunshine before winter...
Housing is one of life’s fundamental needs, right up there with food, water, and safety. For decades, though, housing affordability has become increasingly out of reach for the average American....
In this episode of Retirement Reality, Darren shares what it’s really like to walk away from work at 54 and why it still feels surreal. After decades of saving, hitting his number, and paying of...
A 50-year mortgage is a re-timing device: it improves near-term liquidity but increases lifetime interest, slows equity, and extends leverage later into the life cycle....
With 17 team members serving 125 ultra-wealthy families, the Continuum Group blends institutional experience, in-house portfolio management and family-office service....
Explore some of the issues around the family home and how it works as an inheritance. The post The Pros and Cons of Inheriting a House: Understanding How to Make Good Plans for Your Heirs appeared fir...
I (M74) am really having a difficult time trying to decide how and who to handle our assets after my death. I have done most of our investing and financial management in the past. The majority is in b...
Here are 10 methods to help your child with their housing costs, along with the pros and cons of each and a ranking of all the options. The post How to Help Your Child Buy a Home appeared first on The...
Life insurance trusts, particularly irrevocable life insurance trusts (ILITs), can minimize estate taxes and protect your heir's inheritance....
We asked financial experts for advice....
What if downsizing your home could actuallyupgradeyour lifestyle in retirement? In this episode, Tyson Thacker sits down with real estate professionals Jodi Rosko and Heather Fisher, co-hosts ofThe Do...
A single misunderstanding about Social Security spousal benefits can cost couples thousands over retirement. This episode unpacks the real math behind how Social Security treats spouses, ex-spouses, a...
A lot of people have strong opinions about paying off a mortgage early. Some argue it’s always the smartest move, others insist you should keep the loan and invest instead. The noise gets loud, ...
Sentimental items might have little monetary value, but their disposition can cause hurt feelings. Talking about who wants what and labeling items can help....
When illness or death occurs within an unmarried same-sex partnership, family members can step in and push the surviving partner out. An estate plan is vital....
Retiring soon. Looking for insights on my ability to retire, and things I haven’t considered — especially from women in similar life circumstances. I have 600K in mixed retirement accounts...
My wife and I (both retired, not working jobs) are strongly considering San Diego CA as our final living destination. Austin TX is just getting too hot, and it will only get worse. 8 months of summer,...
David asks for a general idea of what estate planning services typically cost, following up on the six-part podcast series. Although this show does not provide specific tax, legal, or financial advice...
Housing security is something I hope everyone will one day obtain. Once you are house secure, you can more easily focus on your career, family formation, and other things you care about. However, if y...
I recently spoke with a couple who wants to sell their home. Their realtor told them the market was a little soft but added that interest rates were likely to come down this year. The suggestion was t...
I retired about 4 months ago. We downsized to a single story with plans for it to be our forever home about 6 years ago. One bonus was the really large backyard for our urban/suburban area. But I&rsqu...
As a buyer and seller of real estate since 2003, I’ve learned that getting a home inspection before each purchase is one of the most important steps in protecting yourself. You want a profession...
Those “3x by 40, 6x by 50, 10x by 67” charts feel official—until your life doesn’t match the average. In this episode, James shows why age-based savings benchmarks miss the mar...
Congratulations on getting your estate plan in order. Now, you need to communicate the relevant details to ensure your plan is effectively carried out....
Me? I'm a hunter, but I never shoot anything. I'll go out in the woods in the afternoon and sit and observe. Then, when it gets dark, I walk back to the car and go home or to my camp. Mornings, I go o...
Recently, an executive order has set the stage for 401 (k) providers to potentially start offering investments like private equity, private real estate, digital assets (think bitcoin), commodities, an...
It’s a raging bull market, and I’ll confess, I’m a little annoyed I don’t have a large paycheck anymore to take advantage of more investment opportunities. Every day, I see peo...
Interesting Social Security Scenario - What’s your take on this? ? or ? A (breadwinner) parent divorced a real deadbeat parent after 14 years of marriage -and (2) kids. Neither ever remarried. T...
Today we answer a question from Sandi about how much umbrella insurance coverage you really need — especially as you approach retirement. We discuss why someone might choose a $2 million policy,...
Today we answer a question from Peter about what happens when a parent dies with a fully planned estate that avoids probate — and how the Small Estate Affidavit process works in practice. We dis...
In this special episode, we catch up on a backlog of insightful listener questions—covering everything from estate planning and Social Security taxation to Roth conversions and Medicare rules. I...
In the final installment of our 3-part estate planning series, we dive into one of the most overlooked—but critically important—aspects of planning: protecting your heirs' inheritance. It'...
Today we answer Jeff's question about using home equity to pay for end-of-life care — from tapping into equity for in-home support to selling the home to cover nursing home costs. In high-cost s...
In this episode, we shine the light on common estate planning mistakes that can derail even the best intentions. We discuss the risks of failing to update beneficiary designations and why relying sole...
In this episode, we cover key tax considerations around wealth transfer. We cover the differences between federal estate tax and state inheritance tax, and explain why the stepped-up basis is such a p...
In this episode, we explore how to pass on your assets smoothly and efficiently—without dragging your loved ones through probate court. You'll learn why probate can be costly and time-consuming,...
In the first part of our series on estate planning, we laid the groundwork for why incapacity planning matters and what documents you need to get started. But there's more to it than just having your ...
Today kicks off a brand-new series on estate planning. Estate planning is one of those things everyone knows they should do—but far too many people put it off, sometimes until it's too late. And...
Cryptocurrency has changed the financial landscape, and that includes estate planning. Unlike traditional assets, crypto presents unique challenges—there's no customer service line to recover lo...
In this episode, we dive into Stephen's fascinating question about estate planning for the far future—trusts designed to preserve wealth for individuals who undergo cryonic preservation. Is this...
A recent Supreme Court decision in Connelly v. United States has sent shockwaves through closely held businesses employing life-insurance-funded redemption-type buy-sell agreements. In this episode, w...
John asks if taking larger IRA withdrawals beyond his RMD to fund his daughter's Roth IRA makes sense as a strategy to reduce future RMDs, lower estate taxes, and pass on tax-free assets. Although thi...
Winning the lottery may be rare, but estate tax mistakes aren't. In this episode, we use the recent $1.8 billion Powerball jackpot to highlight how generational wealth can be eroded by estate taxes an...