The Retirement Risk That Changes Everything
Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast
Release Date: 02/19/2026
3 Things to Review on Your Tax Return (And a Fresh Take on Social Security Timing)
Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast
Tax season is finally over. The returns are filed, the stress is behind you, and the last thing you probably want to do is think about taxes again. But the weeks right after tax season are one of the most valuable windows you have all year. Every number from last year is fresh, every missed opportunity is still visible, and every mistake you just uncovered is a clue about what to fix going forward. In this episode, I sit down with Josh Rendler, CFP®, a partner at our firm and someone who spends his days deep inside client tax returns. Together, we're answering some of the biggest questions...
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The Most Overlooked Retirement Decision (It’s Not Your Portfolio)
Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast
One of the biggest decisions you’ll make in your 70s and 80s has nothing to do with your portfolio. It’s not about Social Security timing. And it’s not about Roth conversions. It’s about where you’ll live and, more importantly, how care will be delivered, coordinated, and paid for if your health changes later on. Most people think of this as a lifestyle decision. But in reality, it’s a housing-and-care decision, and it’s one most retirement plans barely address. In this episode, I’m breaking down the later-life housing choices most retirement savers haven’t fully thought...
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The 6-Digit Code That Can Drain Your Retirement Account (And How to Stop It)
Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast
According to the FBI, Americans lost nearly $21 billion to cyber-enabled fraud last year—a 26% increase from the year before. And the single largest category? Investment-related fraud, with more than $8.6 billion in losses. But what's most unsettling isn't the scale... it's how simple some of these scams really are. A retired couple recently lost thousands of dollars from their IRA after a scammer tricked them into sharing a single six-digit verification code over the phone. No hacking. No stolen password. Just one text message and one phone call. In this episode, I'm breaking down how...
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The Real Cost of a Financial Advisor (And Why the 1% Math Is Misleading)
Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast
A viral claim keeps making the rounds: that a 1% advisory fee will drain hundreds of thousands of dollars from your retirement savings. The math looks alarming... and that's exactly the point. But as with most things in finance (and life!), the truth is more nuanced than a headline or social media post makes it seem. In this episode, I break down research from Derek Tharp, Ph.D., CFP®, that puts this widely shared math to the test and reveals where it falls apart. Here’s what you’ll learn: → The misleading assumptions behind the popular “1% fee” calculation → How...
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Why the Happiest Retirees Spend Their Money Differently
Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast
Saving for retirement is one challenge. Feeling comfortable (and confident) enough to actually enjoy it is another. Even when the numbers say you’re okay, uncertainty about the future can make it hard to use money for the things that matter most. Today, I'm revisiting a conversation with Dr. Daniel Crosby where we talk about money, happiness, and why spending is often harder than saving. It's especially relevant for me as my family currently navigates some big financial decisions... and a birthday trip for my oldest son that almost didn’t happen. 🫣 In this episode, we discuss: →...
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Why 59% of Stocks Destroy Wealth (And What Smart Retirees Do About It)
Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast
If you’re in or near retirement, one bad investment decision can have lasting consequences. And new research shows just how risky stock picking can be: Over the last 100 years, nearly 60% of all U.S. stocks underperformed Treasury bills—one of the safest investments you can own. Even more surprising, fewer than 4% of companies created all of the stock market’s net wealth. In other words, the odds of consistently picking the right stocks are far lower than most people realize. In this episode, I’m breaking down this eye-opening research and what it means for protecting your...
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The Roth Conversion Rule Almost Nobody Explains Correctly (4 Scenarios That Make It Simple)
Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast
Now that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act has made the 2017 tax rates permanent, more retirees are taking a fresh look at Roth conversions. But there's one rule that even reputable sources struggle to explain clearly—and the confusion can lead to costly mistakes. In this episode, I'm simplifying the Roth conversion 5-year rule and sharing: → Why the rule is so confusing (and what most people get wrong) → The fastest way to determine how the rule applies to your specific situation → 4 real-world scenarios so you can see exactly how it works If Roth conversions aren’t a fit today,...
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5 Withdrawal Strategies to Boost Retirement Income (And How High You Can Really Go)
Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast
📝 Note: The 6.5% withdrawal rate is based on an 80% stock portfolio, a 30-year time horizon, and a 90% "confidence score." Thanks for your patience while we update the episode to include that information. ~Taylor *** Most people spend far less in retirement than they likely could. In fact, one study found married households age 65+ with more than $100k in savings withdrew just 2.1% per year on average. And ironically, the traditional 4% rule may be one reason why. In this episode, I’m breaking down new research on retirement withdrawal strategies—and what it reveals about how retirees...
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Why Healthcare Before Medicare Shouldn't Stop You From Retiring Early
Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast
Health insurance is keeping millions of Americans stuck in jobs they’d otherwise leave. In fact, 1 in 5 workers ages 50–64 say they’re staying put because of their employer health coverage. And with recent changes to the ACA, that pressure is only growing. In this episode, I cover: → Why healthcare before Medicare has become a psychological roadblock to early retirement → Why the real cost of waiting until 65 may not be what you think → The options many people overlook and the tradeoffs worth understanding Because for most people, the healthcare challenge does have a...
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The Retirement Income Mistake That Costs Investors Up to 6% Per Year
Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast
For 30 or 40 years, a paycheck simply showed up. Then one day, it stops. Now you’re staring at a portfolio and asking: "How do I turn this into reliable income for the rest of my life…without overpaying the IRS or outliving my money?" It’s no surprise so many retirees gravitate toward dividends. They feel like a replacement paycheck. In fact, the majority of investors say they prefer dividends and interest over capital gains to fund retirement. But retirement income planning isn’t just about generating cash flow. It’s about creating sustainable income from a finite pool of...
info_outlineMarkets move every day. Headlines change every hour.
But the greatest threat to your retirement plan isn’t volatility... it’s something far less visible.
In this episode, I'm breaking down:
→ The three components of risk most investors focus on (and the one they ignore)
→ Why rare, extreme events have an outsized impact on long-term wealth
→ How to build a retirement plan designed to survive (and even benefit from) uncertainty
I'm also sharing why many "downside-protection" strategies sound compelling in theory, but are risky and difficult to execute in the real world.
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Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.
See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers.
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