Greatest Retirement Mistake
The Power Of Zero Show
While on the golf course with his son, David McKnight got asked a question, by a couple of men in their early 70s, every pre-retiree and retiree wonders at some point: “What’s the biggest mistake people make when preparing for retirement?” Many people spend their entire career saving money in tax-deferred accounts like 401(k)s and IRAs. As that balance grows larger every year, it’s easy to get the illusion that all that money belongs to you, while a larger portion actually belongs to the IRS. How much of that sum you ultimately get to keep depends on what tax rates happen to be...
info_outline
The Hidden Costs of Whole Life Insurance
The Power Of Zero Show
For many people, an approach that incorporates whole life insurance has become part of their broader retirement strategy. Is that a good way to go? That’s what David McKnight addresses in this episode. While Whole Life has some legitimate applications, especially for people who are risk-averse and are looking for guaranteed steady accumulation, there’s an option that does the job more effectively: Indexed Universal Life (IUL). David touches upon why you may want to opt for IUL instead of Whole Life, including the fact that, with IUL, you can access your cash value in retirement without...
info_outline
Why You Should Replace Your Bonds with an Annuity
The Power Of Zero Show
In this episode of The Power of Zero Show, host David McKnight discusses why it may make sense to replace the bonds in your retirement portfolio with a Fixed Index Annuity, and how doing so could lead to a much better outcome for your retirement. For decades, financial advisors have followed the conventional wisdom of the 60-40, 60% stocks, 40% bonds. As you approach retirement, that ratio shifts even further in favor of bonds… …however, the problem is that today’s bond market isn’t built like it used to be, and bond yields are still below their historical averages. David touches upon...
info_outline
Where Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman Fit and Where They Don't
The Power Of Zero Show
David sits down with John Manganaro to unpack the advice of financial gurus like Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman. While their guidance has helped countless Americans get out of debt, David explains why their cookie-cutter approach to retirement income planning can fall short. Why “hope over math” is a dangerous foundation for retirement planning—David explains why advice built on optimistic return assumptions leaves disciplined savers exposed to massive disappointment later. Learn how Dave Ramsey’s 8% withdrawal and 12% return claims mislead investors and why following them could drain your...
info_outline
If A.I. Leads to Universal Basic Income, How High Will Taxes Have to Go to Pay for It?
The Power Of Zero Show
David explains why A.I. could make Universal Basic Income (UBI) a reality sooner than you think. As machines take over more jobs—especially white-collar ones—we may need a new safety net just to keep society stable. Why UBI is no longer a fringe idea but a serious policy being considered in Washington. It promises monthly cash payments to every adult, regardless of their job or income. David highlights the staggering cost of UBI if implemented today. At $12,000 per adult annually, the total price tag would hit $3.1 trillion a year—equal to all Social Security and Medicare spending...
info_outline
Social Security and Medicare Trustees Just Dropped a Bombshell (New Dates for Insolvency)
The Power Of Zero Show
David starts by talking about the apocalyptic headwinds facing Social Security and Medicare and what it means for your retirement plan. The Social Security and Medicare trust funds are projected to be insolvent by 2033, with the combined Social Security trust fund gone by 2034. David explains why this isn’t just a distant problem: Without intervention, roughly 70 million Americans will face major benefit cuts—23% for Social Security, 11% for Medicare. How this impacts you personally: If you're 59 today, you’ll reach full retirement age right as the trust fund runs dry. If you’re...
info_outline
Five Mathematical Reasons to Delay Retirement by Five Years
The Power Of Zero Show
How could postponing your retirement by just five years transform your retirement picture? David McKnight shares mathematical reasons that could help. Reason #1 is compounding. As David explains, “When you delay retirement, your money has more time to grow.” The second reason for considering the postponement of your retirement has to do with the fact that an extra 5 years would give you more time to save. Reason #3: Worried that your money won’t last as long as you do? Just remember that it doesn’t need to last as long. If you retired at 65 and lived to 95, you’ll need your...
info_outline
Vanguard--4 to 5% Stock Market Growth Over Next 10 Years (Should You Change Your Retirement Strategy?)
The Power Of Zero Show
In this episode of the Power of Zero Show, David McKnight looks at headlines, such as those from Vanguard, BlackRock or Morningstar, that have predicted a dismal forecast for stock market returns over the next decade. Since such articles predict 4-5% annual growth for the next decade, many investors are pondering whether they should take some chips off the table. Back in 2015, those same institutions and companies stressed that valuations were too high and that, since the markets had a great run, it couldn’t possibly continue anymore. Vanguard forecasted 4-6% returns, BlackRock predicted...
info_outline
Should You Take Social Security Early Given the Scary Trust Fund Report?
The Power Of Zero Show
The 2025 Social Security Trustees Report is out and the news is bleak. This episode of the Power of Zero Show looks at the potential repercussions if nothing changes by 2033. If things don't improve, Social Security will face a cash flow deficit that triggers a 23% across-the-board benefit cut - and that's one year earlier than predicted. But that's not all… in fact, it gets far worse, says host David McKnight. The system is already $72.8 trillion in the red, an unfunded liability that's twice the size of the national debt and $10 trillion worse than 2024. This is by no means a temporary...
info_outline
The Vindication of Indexed Universal Life and Fixed Indexed Annuities: What the Ernst & Young Study Finally Proves
The Power Of Zero Show
Ernst & Young recently came out with a new updated study, which is likely to scandalize mainstream financial experts like they did with their 2021 study. Back then, they asked the question, “Is the stock market-only retirement approach really the strategy that gives you the highest levels of income and the best outcomes over a 30-year retirement?” In their new study, on the other hand, they substituted Indexed Universal Life for Whole Life, and Fixed Index Annuities for Deferred Income Annuities – a move that led to unexpected and spectacular results. Host David McKnight...
info_outlineThis episode of The Power of Zero Show revolves around a recent Ray Dalio video in which he issued warnings about the U.S. debt crisis.
In the clip, Dalio appears to be giving America three years to get their act together and to right the fiscal ship of state.
Dalio mentions the draft of his new book that goes through the mechanics of the debt – and highlights the supply-demand problem he believes will occur if the deficit doesn’t go from the current 7.2% of GDP to about 3% of GDP.
Dalio touches upon what people should do when there isn’t an adequate supply-demand balance.
He believes that looking back at history will show you that the current problems are the results of history repeating itself.
A recession isn’t the one thing Dalio is afraid of… the breakdown of the monetary order is!
Host David McKnight talks about the bid other countries may have on the U.S. fiscal debt, as well as the related crisis of confidence of sorts.
According to a recent Penn Wharton study, if the U.S. doesn't right their fiscal ship of state by 2040, no combination of raising taxes and/or reducing spending will arrest the financial collapse of the nation.
David believes that in the next 10 to 15 years, the U.S. is likely to need huge infusions of capital to avoid a financial collapse, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the Great Depression.
What should you do? If you have the lion’s share of your Retirement Savings, IRAs or 401(k)s, you need to act now while tax rates are historically low.
Since we’re on the cusp of Trump extending his tax cuts for another 8 years, it’s important to know that, if you count 2025, we’ll have historically-low tax rates for another 9 years.
David is in favor of taking action before tax rates increase, also because he believes that, come 2034, tax rates aren't going to simply revert back to what they were in 2017.
If the American fiscal ship doesn’t get right on time, we could go back to seeing high tax rates that were part of the past – such as 94% in the last two years of World War II, or 89% as it was throughout the entire decade of the 70s.
Mentioned in this episode:
David’s national bestselling book: The Guru Gap: How America’s Financial Gurus Are Leading You Astray, and How to Get Back on Track
PowerOfZero.com (free video series)
@mcknightandco on Twitter
@davidcmcknight on Instagram
David McKnight on YouTube
Get David's Tax-free Tool Kit at taxfreetoolkit.com