Ready For Retirement
Ready For Retirement is the podcast dedicated to helping you learn the tips and strategies that will help you achieve your retirement goals. When it comes to retirement planning, it can quickly become overwhelming and easy to not take action. I designed this podcast because I want you to have the knowledge and confidence to create your secure retirement. My ultimate goal for all of my clients (and listeners) is to create peace of mind and that starts with having a strategy. I want you to spend more time thinking about what matters most to you in retirement. I post weekly episodes to keep you up-to-date on all the best tips and strategies to create a retirement that excites you. Everything from investing tips, tax planning, withdrawal strategies, insurance planning, Social Security, and that's just the start! Let's help you maximize your return on life. We use your money and the strategies I share in this podcast to do just that!
Episodes
235 episodes
Should We Always Pull From our Brokerage Account First in Retirement? (Hint: No)
Patrick and Mary will soon both be retired. They are curious about what their withdrawal strategy should be as they balance various retirement accounts, including a pension, IRAs, and a brokerage account. They've been using tax gain harvesting ...
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Episode 235
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26:47
How to Overcome Fears of Spending in Retirement
Ben has been a saver his entire life, which helped position him for an early retirement at the age of 53. Yet, he faces a big challenge. Having maintained his modest lifestyle, Ben’s comfortable portfolio has continued to grow and has nearly do...
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Episode 234
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34:21
Retire Happy: Build a Personalized Retirement Plan that You Can't Wait to Live Out
Monique aspired to retire early, and while she had faithfully saved throughout her working years, she wasn’t sure if she had enough to retire. After getting assurance from professionals, she took the plunge and quit working. Monique and James t...
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Episode 233
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43:47
Unexpected Retirement: Finding Happiness and New Adventures
Elaine didn’t decide to retire at age 57, but changes in her company meant an early retirement for her. Being caught off guard, she didn’t feel emotionally prepared to make the shift, even though she knew that her family would be fine financial...
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Episode 232
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22:57
Facing Health Challenges in Retirement and Learning to Reconnect with Your Spouse
After his father lost healthcare coverage in retirement and had to pay for a major health event with savings, Derek was highly motivated to ensure sufficient coverage in retirement. He even considered leaving the job he loved for one with bette...
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Episode 231
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30:54
How to Thrive in Retirement by Embracing the Unknown
Chris has been retired for a little over a year while his wife has continued to work. Now that Chris has “tried on” retirement and found the fit good, his wife will likely join him within the year. In his conversation with James, Chris, who cou...
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Episode 230
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34:35
The Benefits of a Retirement Community and How to Find Your Purpose in Retirement
Meet Joe Sullivan, who found the first few years of retirement very difficult. Community is important to Joe, but he wasn't getting sufficient, routine social interaction to make meaningful connections while living in rural Virginia. He found h...
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Episode 229
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28:42
Introducing the New Ready For Retirement
Ready for Retirement is on a mission to be the most valuable source of retirement information in the world. In that light, we’re making some changes. The biggest change is that rather than James doing all the talking, he’s inviting people like ...
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Episode 228
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9:46
Am I Too Old for Roth Conversions? 3 Things to Consider
Gary is a 73-year-old with $8 million in savings. Despite having substantial assets, he’s concerned about missed opportunities for Roth conversions as he faces significant required minimum distributions.James encourages Gary to reassess...
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Episode 227
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23:42
3 Key Factors to Consider Before Paying Your Mortgage Off in Retirement
Connor plans to retire soon and wonders if he should pay off his mortgage of $300,000 or invest those funds, especially since he has a low interest rate. James gives a detailed response and reveals why there is no one-size-fits-all answer. When...
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Episode 226
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19:12
Pre-Retirement Tax Planning: Things to Know to Save Big in Retirement
Retirement tax planning should begin well before retirement. Listener Jodie, with over $2 million in assets in various types of accounts, is concerned about the high tax bracket she anticipates she be in in retirement. Is there a tax strategy t...
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Episode 225
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21:51
Social Security Demystified: Calculating Taxation, Provisional Income, and the Tax Torpedo
Listener Michael asks about how Social Security is taxed, the rationale behind the 50% and 85% tax thresholds, and the implications of these taxes on Social Security and IRA withdrawals.James responds by explaining how Social Security i...
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Episode 224
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17:18
The Roth Conversion Sweet Spot: Maximize Retirement Savings (And Avoid Costly Mistakes)
Listener Nael opens up a discussion about Roth conversions. There are benefits to doing Roth conversions, but can you do too many? Are there any downsides to Roth conversions?Reaping the tax benefits from Roth conversions requires hitti...
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Episode 223
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24:31
How to Estimate Your Tax Bill in Retirement (And How to Pay it)
David has a question about taxes in retirement: When you’re retired and no longer getting a regular paycheck from which your employer withheld tax payments on your behalf, how do you estimate the taxes you’ll owe? To answer this qu...
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Episode 222
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27:02
Retirement Income Strategies: IRA vs. Brokerage Withdrawals (The Tax-Smart Choice for Retirees)
Mark asks a common question – What should I do regarding my withdrawal strategy? Should I first pull from my brokerage account or my IRA? There is no one-size-fits-all answer, but James provides a framework for creating a strategy ...
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Episode 221
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33:01
The Four Phases of Retirement with Dr. Riley Moynes
Dr. Riley Moynes, author and creator of a popular TED Talk joins James to discuss his own retirement which led him to become the author of The 4 Phases of Retirement. While Dr. Moynes was financially prepared for retirement, he wasn’t prepared ...
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Episode 220
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30:01
Planning for Large Costs in Retirement | Beyond the 4% Rule
Listener Sherry asks a good question: How do large, one-off expenses (like a new roof, new car, etc.) fit in the 4% Rule? James explains the concept of the 4% Rule and its limitations while demonstrating how it can be an effective ...
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Episode 219
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22:42
Early Retirement Health Insurance Strategies | Roth Conversions vs. ACA Subsidies
Healthcare subsidies are like a tax break and should always be optimized, right? That seems like an easy question that should have a straightforward answer. But the correct answer is, “It depends.” Cole from Move Health is back, as...
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Episode 218
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33:36
Health Insurance Options for Early Retirement
We meet many people who are in a position to retire early. But when they think about healthcare in retirement and not being eligible for Medicare until age 65, they feel stuck, even though they’re ready for retirement in every other way. <...
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Episode 217
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29:25
Everything You Need to Know About Medicare: Q&A with a Medicare Expert
Drew Shockley of MOVE Health Partners joins James to address questions about Medicare. He overviews the Medicare system, explains Parts A, B, C, and D, and breaks down what Medicare does and doesn’t cover, who is covered, and when/why you might...
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Episode 216
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42:21
How to Prepare for Retirement Within 5 Years: 401k, Savings & Investment Changes
Graham and his wife are in their early 50s and plan to retire in 5 years. He wonders if they should continue maxing out their 401ks, how their investments should change, and what they should do with savings accounts to best prepare for their re...
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Episode 215
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30:28
How to Know When You Should Stop Saving for Retirement (and What to Do Next)
Drew, a burnt-out, financially responsible 40-something father of two, hopes he can scale back from his stressful job and still be okay when it’s time to retire. James offers a practical and philosophical take as he tackles Drew’s question. He ...
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Episode 214
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31:23
3 Simple Steps to Determine If You Can Retire
How do you know if you can retire? It seems straightforward, but the answer is far from simple. Beyond portfolio balances and age thresholds, there are other things to consider. James explains his three-step test to determine your retirement re...
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Episode 213
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21:19
Tax Planning for Widowed Retirees: How to Optimize Your Tax Strategy
Jennifer, 54, plans to retire soon. Her husband, 70, is retired, on Social Security, and dealing with some severe health issues. Jennifer worries about possibly becoming single in retirement, which could result in a higher tax bracket for her.&...
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Episode 212
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21:54
Lump Sum vs. Annuitization: Tax Implications for Your Non-Qualified Annuity
Joe is planning for retirement and wants to minimize his tax burden, especially on the interest earned from his three annuities. James explains that non-qualified annuities are purchased with post-tax money and offer tax deferral on growth unti...
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Episode 211
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17:43