Retirement Finances Whether You're Married, Separated, or Single - 561
Release Date: 12/23/2025
Your Money, Your Wealth
YMYW friends, welcome to 2026. What actually mattered most to you in 2025? It turns out to be tax-free gains on investments, retirement timing, and claiming Social Security. Today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 563, Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA break down the smartest tax moves, the biggest Roth mistakes to avoid, and how real people solve real retirement problems - with the help of special guests Susan Brandeis CFP® and the IRA guru, Ed Slott, CPA. Find out when Roth conversions help or hurt, how to lower lifetime taxes for you and your heirs, what it really takes...
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Today on Your Money, Your Wealth podcast 562 (an encore of episode 513), Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball for YMYW listeners in their 40s who are ready to call it quits at work, become financially independent, and retire early. Can they afford to do it? Peter and Joanna want to retire in the next two years. Burned Out and Ready to Retire wants out of his toxic office. If Maryland Chicken Man never earns another dollar, how much can he afford to withdraw from his retirement accounts each year? And Suzanne in Massachusetts is 69 and needs $60K a year for the next 30 years. Is...
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Financially speaking, should Old Bear in Northern Kentucky marry his Honey? How should Sebastian in Virginia navigate the financial aspects of his separation? Plus, Famous Missourians want to know, how much is enough for retirement and when can you take your foot off the gas? Can Paul with the Big Wallet Bridge the long gap between retiring and claiming Social Security benefits? And can Aspiring Adventurer in Oregon retire single at age 58? (While Joe and Big Al enjoy a little seasonal downtime and Andi recovers from surgery, enjoy this encore presentation of these questions from an early 2025...
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Today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 560, Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball business development company (BDC) funds for Edward in Illinois before diving into buckets of cash, T-bills, decumulation, and Roth conversion timing for Pebbles and Bam Bam. Plus, the fellas help 34 year old Keith in Connecticut figure out if he’s actually on track, whether he’s taking too much risk, or just worrying too much. They also spitball on the six-figure annuity gain that Gus in Philly’s 95 year old dad has amassed. Finally, why yelling “never pay an advisor” on the internet...
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Today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 559 with Joe Anderson, CFP®, and Big Al Clopine, CPA, David wants to know if he and his wife (ages 47 and 53) are actually on track for retirement - without realizing they’re creeping toward that .01% crowd that David swears he is not part of. Mia and Jessie from Seattle want to retire and still pick up a dream lake house with a combined ten million dollars saved. Can they pull it off? Yosemite Sam from Allen, Texas, wonders if he should wipe out the lake house mortgage or keep that low-rate loan to hang on to more flexibility as he approaches...
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McDreamy Dempsey wants to know if converting to Roth in the 37% tax bracket ever makes sense, and Gary in La Crosse warns Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA about Roth conversion “lag” and when it DOESN’T make sense to convert, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 558. Plus, Wine Guy and Gal in Northern California want a spitball on whether they should protect their ACA subsidies or keep converting to Roth before Medicare kicks in. Then it's the classic question for Robert in Napa, Luke and Lorelai in Indiana, and Phil and Claire in California: should they save for...
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Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA are defusing some confusing tax time bombs today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 557. George in Torrance wants to know the smartest way to deal with the giant UGMA account set up by his kids’ grandparents. Suzanne in Detroit has a twist on the new 529 plan to Roth rollover rule. Homer and Marge need a spitball on whether they can build huge 529 plans for college savings and still retire early. Plus, Bill in Chicago just inherited a $950K IRA and needs a withdrawal plan before he triggers a tax explosion. Aaron in Cincinnati...
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Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball Roth conversions, capital gains, and retirement readiness from every angle, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 556. Joe Momma from Virginia wants to know if his zero percent capital-gains strategy is too good to be true, if he can trust his advisor, and if it’s finally time to start converting to Roth. David in Poway is already converting his IRA to Roth, but should they convert his wife Shannon’s too? Thomas wonders when in retirement to finally start using the Roth money he’s saved, instead of just admiring it. And...
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Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball withdrawal strategies, Roth conversion timing, and saving priorities for every stage of life, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 555. Christine just retired at 59 and wants the smartest way to draw income before Social Security, without letting taxes take a third of it. Prickly Richard and Margarita Maggie have a plan to “pull ahead” some Roth conversions now to dodge an RMD avalanche later. Will it work? And the Michigan Queen and Mississippi Boy are wondering whether to save harder for retirement or college for three...
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Should the new temporary senior tax deduction change your Roth conversion strategy? Joe and Big Al spitball for Chris in Maple Grove, Minnesota, who wonders whether to keep converting to Roth now that the $6,000 Senior Bonus deduction phases out with higher income, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 554 with Joe Anderson, CFP®, and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Teri from Salt Lake City’s broker has amassed $60,000 of losses in Teri’s $1.1 million account due to tax-loss harvesting. When is enough… enough? Windy Chicago in Chino Hills, California, wonders what to do about their cost basis...
info_outlineFinancially speaking, should Old Bear in Northern Kentucky marry his Honey? How should Sebastian in Virginia navigate the financial aspects of his separation? Plus, Famous Missourians want to know, how much is enough for retirement and when can you take your foot off the gas? Can Paul with the Big Wallet Bridge the long gap between retiring and claiming Social Security benefits? And can Aspiring Adventurer in Oregon retire single at age 58?
(While Joe and Big Al enjoy a little seasonal downtime and Andi recovers from surgery, enjoy this encore presentation of these questions from an early 2025 episode.)
Free Financial Resources in This Episode:
https://bit.ly/ymyw-561 (full show notes & episode transcript)
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WATCH: Going Solo: Navigating Your Financial Future Single on YMYW TV
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Chapters:
00:00 - Intro: This Week on the YMYW Podcast
01:01 - Financially Speaking, Should Old Bear Marry His Honey? (Northern Kentucky, near Cincinnati, OH)
08:41 - Navigating Finances When Separating from Your Spouse (Sebastian, VA)
15:13 - Watch Going Solo: Navigating Your Financial Future Single on YMYW TV, Download the Going Solo Guide for free
15:42 - How Much is Enough for Retirement? When Can We Take Our Foot Off the Gas? (JC Penney & Laura Ingalls Wilder, Kansas City, MO)
28:31 - How to Bridge the Long Gap Between Retirement and Social Security (Paul with the Big Wallet)
38:50 - Calculate your free Financial Blueprint
39:20 - Can I Retire at Age 58? Where to Save? Should I Do a Roth Conversion Ladder in Retirement? (Aspiring Adventurer, OR)
51:00 - YMYW Podcast Outro