A Keen Wealth Case Study: Planning for Early Retirement Before Age 60
Release Date: 12/04/2024
A Keen Wealth Case Study: Can We Retire Comfortably at 65?
Keen on Retirement
Last week, I discussed how Keen Wealth's comprehensive planning process might assess a multi-million-dollar nest egg. I think these hypotheticals, including some back-of-the-napkin math, are useful in illustrating how retirement planning can work, and also the limits of focusing exclusively on your numbers. However, in the Keen Wealth offices, we don't work with hypotheticals. We work with real people, their real savings, their hopes, dreams, worries, and goals for the future. Every day, we help hardworking folks navigate complex financial issues that touch every part of their lives....
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Don’t Engage: Protecting Your Info and Your Money from the Latest Scams
Keen on Retirement
According to a report from the Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost $12.5 billion to scams in 2024, a 25% increase from 2023. That's why episodes like this one are among my least favorite to record and also among the most important. We’ve all heard about so many folks losing large sums of money because they answered the wrong phone call or clicked on the wrong email link. The greed, cruelty, and, yes, ingenuity of today's fraudsters is only growing along with the technology available to them. Keeping our audience updated on the latest scams is an important part of Keen...
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What Seniors Need to Know About The One Big Beautiful Bill and Their Retirement Plans
Keen on Retirement
Well ... we were wrong. During our previous discussion about The One Big Beautiful Bill, we predicted that the final law would probably pass with a different name. But, instead of the acronyms we're used to seeing lately, like the SECURE Act (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement), President Trump and Congress stuck with the original title. For the most part, the final bill also maintains the big picture tax policy objectives that President Trump has been discussing since the start of his second term. On today's show, we focus on the portions of the One Big...
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What to Know and What to Ask When You’re Searching for a Financial Advisor
Keen on Retirement
I believe that The Keen Wealth Advantage helps folks feel more confident about comprehensive financial planning and their road to retirement. I also believe wholeheartedly in the consumer being as educated as possible on their various options before entrusting their planning and investing to any financial advisor. This is one of the key reasons we are now in our 10th year of producing this podcast and blog, answering listener questions and giving listeners a candid “look behind the curtain” on all things personal financial planning. When you're meeting with professionals who could be...
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One, Big, Beautiful Podcast About 2025 Tax Policy
Keen on Retirement
By the time it works through Congress to President Trump's desk, The One, Big, Beautiful Bill will probably have a few different details, and a different name. But the version of the bill that recently passed in the House gives us a fair indication of where tax policy could be headed for the next few years. On today's show, we discuss the current version of the 2025 tax bill, potential changes that Congress might make, and potential ways this bill could affect your financial plan.
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Should You Consider Taking Social Security Before Age 70?
Keen on Retirement
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, there were 580,887 pending Social Security claims in March 2025. That's an increase of more than 80,000 from a year ago. Many of those claimants are seniors who have not yet reached their reach full retirement age. I'd love to believe that the majority of these folks are taking Social Security early as part of a carefully considered plan to achieve a specific goal, such as early retirement. But, unfortunately, fear and short-sightedness often play far too big a role in the Social Security decision, especially for seniors who aren't...
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Keen Wealth’s Q2 Market Update: Who’s Driving Market Moves and How Should Investors React?
Keen on Retirement
Matt Wilson, Chief Investment Officer and President of Keen Wealth, sure had a lot to work with when he put together his 2025 Q2 Market Update Webinar! It's been an eventful few months for the economy, and Matt delivered a clear analysis of everything from growth trends and interest rate expectations to the potential impacts of tariffs. On today's show, we complete our Q2 outlook by discussing some of Matt's broader points and answering follow-up questions from webinar attendees.
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4 Warning Signs That You Might Be Receiving Bad Financial Advice
Keen on Retirement
Folks reach out to Keen Wealth for all sorts of reasons, at all different points in their lives. We talk to young couples just starting out who want to put themselves on a path towards financial security. New retirees want to feel secure about transitioning away from work. Older seniors come to us looking to secure their legacies and make life a little easier for the next generation. And, sometimes, a person realizes they've been receiving bad financial advice, and they're hoping my team can help them clean up the mess. On today's show, we discuss some warning signs that the person...
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Should Tariffs and Market Volatility Change Your Retirement Timeline?
Keen on Retirement
"Jim" (66) and "Karen" (64) both retired in the last six months. Jim has an IRA with $900,000, and Karen has a Roth IRA with $300,000. They inherited a brokerage account with $600,000 and a cost basis of $500,000. They have $100,000 in an emergency cash fund. Jim is receiving his Social Security benefits of $2,600 per month. He also has a pension of $1,800 per month. Karen is planning to start receiving her Social Security benefits at 67, for $1,900 per month. Their total net worth is $2.7 million. And now, just months into their retirement, Jim and Karen are wondering if they retired too...
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Could Tariff Turbulence Create Opportunities for Your Financial Plan?
Keen on Retirement
Tariffs are nothing new. They've been implemented at several points in U.S. history, including as recently as 2018. But there are a confluence of factors surrounding President Trump's current round of tariffs that make it worth discussing. On today's show, we round up questions we've been receiving at Keen Wealth about tariffs to provide a comprehensive rundown of why Wall Street is interested and what you should discuss with your financial advisor.
info_outline"Sam" is 58 and he retired at the end of the first quarter of 2024. His wife, "Alice," is 65 and still working as a paid caretaker for the couple's son with special needs. Sam has $400,000 in a Roth IRA, $2 million in a traditional IRA and they have $400,000 in a joint taxable account. In 2024, Sam earned $75,000 and Alice earned $20,000.
And, like so many couples in their age range, Sam and Alice want to know if their nest egg is ready to support them as they prepare for retirement.
On today's show, we use Keen Wealth's comprehensive planning process to help "Sam and Alice" analyze their financial situation and identify some key decisions they'll need to make to keep their money and their lives in sync.