Spring Cleaning for Your Financial Plan

3.21.25: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

3.21.25: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Speaker1:
Any examples used are for illustrative purposes only, and do not take into account your particular investment objectives, financial situation or needs and may not be suitable for all investors. It is not intended to predict the performance of any specific investment, and is not a solicitation or recommendation of any investment strategy.

Speaker2:
Welcome to Retirement Results, the national radio show and podcast for listeners like you who want to protect and grow their hard earned money. In a world filled with so much uncertainty and financial risk, we seek to cut through the noise and build successful plans for hard working Americans on their road to financial freedom. Retirement results is powered by Active Wealth Management, a team of fiduciary advisors who always place your needs first and now your host. He's a registered social security analyst, member of the Forbes Finance Council, and author of multiple books on retirement planning. Here's is your chief financial adviser, Ford Stokes.

Speaker3:
And welcome to our tournament results. I'm Ford Stokes, your chief financial advisor. I've got Sam Davis here with us. He's our senior financial advisor and co-host of the show. Say hello to everybody.

Speaker4:
Sam, welcome to the weekend result drivers, welcome back to retirement results. Thank you so much for tuning in and listening, Ford. We've been hearing from so many listeners both on Am 920 the answer in Atlanta and one up around the lake in Gainesville. So shout out to all of our listeners wherever you're listening from. We're on throughout the weekend, three different times across the Atlanta area and always available wherever you listen to podcasts as well. So Ford and I share a lot of great information throughout these episodes, and if you ever miss some of it, or if we say something that catches your interest and you want to go back and listen to that again, just find retirement results wherever you listen to podcasts and definitely don't keep us a secret. We definitely want you to share us with your friends, people who you think could use this information forward. We have so many people that have been listening to us for years, um, longtime listeners. And and we want those people to be first time callers and give us a shout. And we love meeting our listeners.

Speaker3:
Go ahead and reach out to us to get that free portfolio analysis and financial plan and free RSA roadmap. That's a registered Social security analyst roadmap that I'll give you absolutely no cost to you. All that planning with the portfolio analysis and the financial plan is all worth about $2,500 worth of value. And we're giving it to you, absolutely complimentary to you, absolutely no cost to you. Go ahead and reach out to us at (770) 685-1777, or visit us at retirement results.com/plan. You're going to want to go ahead and and do that because we've got our smart retirement plan book has been finalized. Sam, you did a fantastic job in the foreword, and I'm just super proud that you're going to be on this in this book as well. Um, and I thought you provided some great insight. That book is ready to give you guys and gals a great book, and we want to get your feedback on it. It's ready to go. We can email it to you. All you've got to do. Send me an email at forward at Active Wealth. Com that's f o r d at Active Wealth. Com. And I'll send you a free copy of my new book, The Smart Retirement Plan. There's 16 chapters in there on how to build a smart retirement plan. And with a six by nine book, a six inch by nine inch book, it was what they call like the trade journal size. Uh, that book is about 155 pages.

Speaker3:
Uh, Matt McClure, who's also on here, is in the book with the afterword. And Matt McClure gives us a bunch of our. Um, two minute updates and news updates on retirement results. So if you want. To get that book and try to figure out how can you build a smart retirement plan. Go ahead and email me at Ford f o r d at Active Wealth. Com or visit retirement results.com/plan and I'll email you that free book. Absolutely no cost to you. And what you're going to get with this free portfolio analysis is you're going to understand the risk you're taking, the fees you're paying, and the correlation to your assets. We'll also give you an actual score and rating from 0 to 100 for your current financial plan. That has nothing to do with us. And it will also give you our recommended portfolios and that financial plan all the way to your 95th birthday. That includes a Roth ladder conversion plan, so you can delete the IRS from being your partner in retirement. And again, that phone number one more time is (770) 685-1777. Sam is one of the best times to actually respond to us, so you can get that free smart retirement plan book, especially with what's going on with recent market volatility, with the tariff tantrum out there. I think that's going to be short term pain with some long term gain. I'd encourage you to reach out to us right now at retirement results.com/plan.

Speaker4:
Yeah I've been looking at the creation of this book for for months and months now. But last week when I got to see it actually laid out and what that book is going to look like and what that print copy is going to look like, I was so impressed and excited for our listeners, everyone who attends one of our free educational workshops, and we can get that in their hands. There's so many good things in there, you know, going chapter by chapter the different elements of a smart retirement plan. But just like how we share a quote of the week on our retirement results Radio show. There were some awesome quotes at the right times throughout that book, and I think this is going to be a great companion to your first book, annuity 360, and your second book. Taxes are on sale. They really go right in there. I mean, if you have that set, if you have that active wealth set, I mean, you're going to have all the information you need to prepare for a successful retirement. And the great thing for all of our listeners and the readers of your book, forward, is we're always available to help as well. You know, as fiduciaries, we love working with the listeners and our clients and helping them work towards that successful retirement.

Speaker3:
Yeah, we give complimentary financial plans and portfolio analysis. We also give out my books for free on purpose, because we want to help educate people on how to successfully retire, how to successfully invest, how to protect their hard earned and hard saved wealth. Um, you know, it's probably just as hard, if not harder to save it than it is to make it right. And we want to help really put the boundaries around your money. We want to do everything we can to help you save, protect and grow that money, build that tax efficient, fee efficient and market efficient portfolio. We've had so many people that have called us this year so far, Sam, and everyone has been like a long time listener on Am 910 The Answer or a brand new listener on WD one. We also want to just thank all the listeners. Um, at Am 920. The answer have made us the number one listened to radio show on the weekends for years, actually, and that's just a big deal to us. And we just really appreciate each and every one of you who listen and really work hard to make sure you're you're listening to us and the noon hour on Saturday or 11 a.m. on Sunday. And shout out to all the folks on on WD who listened to us on Am on Sunday mornings. We appreciate you letting us into your homes and around the lake as well. So again, our goal is to really help you kind of get everything broom swept clean for your financial plan. And today we're talking about exactly that. The title of this show is Spring Cleaning for your finances. We're going to help you put a plan in writing and prepare for retirement.

Speaker3:
We're talking about spring cleaning for your finances, how to organize your financial life for 2025 and beyond. I want to help you spend more time with your family and friends and really enjoy that retirement. Not spending all your time looking at the stock ticker. And we're also going to talk about how pensions are truly making a comeback, and why retirees love pensions and how to create one. And one thing that I've seen is this lady from the Wharton School of Business who was the expert on Social Security, who's been talking about, hey, we can't let Social Security go bankrupt. She says, hey, if you don't think pensions are important, try taking one away from somebody. And right now in 2035, the OAC is that trust fund. The Old Age Survivors Insurance Trust Fund is due to be 100% depleted by 2035. Hopefully Donald J. Trump can stop all of the graft and the theft out of Social Security and Medicare and get us on the right path. It's not that we're spending our way through it. It seems like it's being stolen from us. Um, with everything that's going on with USAID, and I'm just super excited that Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency is on the case and trying to make sure that they're inspecting what they expect about our taxpayer money, for sure. And then also, we're going to talk about how our clients are preparing for retirement and what it's like when you work with us. And also, number four is don't underestimate health care expenses and why you need to a plan really for managing these costs. Sam, go ahead and share today's And this week's financial wisdom quote of the week.

Speaker5:
And now for some financial wisdom. It's time for the quote of the week.

Speaker4:
This week's quote of the week comes to us from one of our founding fathers for Benjamin Franklin. And Ben Franklin once said, for every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned. And I think this is a great quote to kick off what we're going to talk about on the rest of today's episode for, because often we find that people have all of the pieces they need for a successful retirement. It's just about arranging them in the right way, maybe getting some of those broken pieces out of there and replacing them with some better alternatives. And, you know, this is a great quote for me. Ford. I'm someone who loves organizing. I'm a natural planner. I've been getting grief about it from my friends forever. But hey, like when I've got a home project, I know exactly where all the tools I need. Ah, and when you're preparing for retirement, you want to know where all those tools you need are to prepare successfully.

Speaker3:
Yeah. I would encourage you to, you know, if it is to be, it's up to me. I would encourage you to kind of take control of your retirement, get organized, understand what your expense ratio is within your portfolio. Understand what the risk is as measured by standard deviation. Understand the correlation of assets. Understand what you're starting with a positive retirement income surplus or negative retirement income gap. And when we come back spring cleaning for your finances and what you can do today to feel better about your financial future. Come right back. You're listening to retirement results on Am 910. The Answer and one retirement results.

Speaker2:
We'll be right back to learn more and schedule your complimentary retirement consultation, visit retirement Results.com.

Speaker6:
Making it. I'm solid gold. I've got the goods. They stand.

Speaker1:
Fixed. Annuities, including multiyear guaranteed rate annuities, are not designed for short term investments and may be subject to restrictions, fees and surrender charges as described in the annuity contract. Guarantees are backed by the financial strength and claims paying ability of the issuer.

Speaker2:
You're listening to retirement results. And now back to the show.

Speaker3:
And welcome back to retirement results result drivers I'm Ford Stokes, the chief financial advisor. I've got Sam Davis here with us who is our senior financial advisor and co-host. And also we just want to give a shout out to the result drivers. And thank you guys and gals for also the over 20,000 downloads over the last several months of our podcast. And Sam, go ahead and share where they can listen to our podcast.

Speaker4:
Yeah, so wherever you listen to your podcast, if you have an iPhone, you might find it on Apple Podcasts. You may listen to Spotify. That's where I choose to listen to my music and my podcasts when I'm driving around in the car, and you can subscribe on whatever platform you listen to, and you'll be notified whenever we upload a new episode. We usually upload new episodes on Friday evenings, so if you're a Saturday morning listener or a Sunday listener, you can actually get the show a little bit early if you're a podcast subscriber. So that's just a little pro tip for all of the listeners out there. The podcast subscribers know we're trying to get more of those radio listeners listening to us throughout the week, and what's great for it is you can go back and listen to dozens and dozens of episodes on any variety of topics that we discuss, from tax planning to estate planning. Um, and this is one of our favorites for this is spring cleaning for your finances. So I've been seeing a lot of people out there cleaning out their garages, getting the yard cleaned up for the new year. Uh, this is spring cleaning for your finances and what you can do today. And a good place to start here forward is taking a look at those New Year's resolutions, those goals that you set at the beginning of the year related to your finances, and seeing if you've made progress on those. I know a lot of people make it a goal just to get their retirement plan started, or actually get it in writing for the first time. Maybe you made it a goal to actually get that portfolio analyzed and, you know, check in on the progress and if you need some help getting started, you know, forward. We're here for that as well.

Speaker3:
Yeah, I say it all with New Year's resolutions. You basically give them up in the first three weeks. And I would just say stick with it. Um, only 8% of people achieve their financial resolutions each year, according to a survey by Fidelity Investments. And we want to help you achieve your goals. But honestly, just be that person. Just reach out to us, give us a call at (770) 685-1777, and we'll be happy to help you get started with that free portfolio analysis and free financial plan to your 95th birthday. We're also going to help you delete the IRS from being your partner in retirement, too. By doing that strategic Roth ladder conversion plan. And Sam, number two in this thing is spring is the perfect time to clean your financial junk drawer where you stash paperwork and statements that need attention. You know, the one that that drawer in your office or kitchen that ends up holding all the documents you will take care of someday? Um, we put all of our important documents. My mom had a partner desk. It was a lawyer's partner desk. Um, it's like over 100 years old. And that was really fun. I used to actually do my homework on the other side of the partner desk from her and stuff, and we put all of our important documents in one of those. The big, huge drawer that you can pull up the the green cushioned leather thing to write on it, and then put all the stuff inside there.

Speaker3:
And we we do a really good job of making sure that is cleaned out each and every year, especially around tax time. And so I would encourage you to kind of do the same thing. Sorting through neglected papers can help ease financial stress, take the opportunity to shed unnecessary documents, file important ones and address any outstanding financial tasks like i.e. getting your taxes done before April 15th or at least filing for that extension this year. If you have questions about a document you've received, don't hesitate to give us a call. We love helping our listeners get their finances in order, and I'll give you one more here. If you've got a pension or an orphan, 401 K and you just don't know what to do with it, I would encourage you to reach out to us. And Sam, I'm going to ask you to talk about that problem solver where you've helped out, um, one of your clients, uh, Recently regarding that their orphan 401 K and what they've done with it. Um, but I think cleaning out your your financial junk drawer, but specifically, let's go ahead and make sure we don't have any of those orphan four one k's around.

Speaker4:
Yeah. You know, this was our problem solver from last week, so if you missed it, go to the podcast and check out our episode from the weekend of March 14th. And you can listen to that one. But we had a client and she came in and she had an orphaned 401 K from an employer she hadn't been with for ten years, and she had essentially just set it and forget it with that allocation. You know, thankfully it had grown over time with.

Speaker3:
A little bit, not a lot, but it had grown a little bit.

Speaker4:
Yeah, but there were some mutual funds in there, some fees that were holding it back. Um, and we were really able to finally rescue that 401 K. She's still young and working. And so we were able to roll that into the nationwide peak ten fixed index annuity. It gave her a 20% immediate bonus. And because she's still going to be working for another decade or more, she can defer that ten years and get 8% guaranteed simple interest every year. She defers those withdrawals. So now she's got that orphan 401 K rescued. It has a home with nationwide and she's going to see some great growth. Guaranteed growth that's contractually obligated. And whenever she likes in retirement, she can turn that on and establish that personal pension for herself that she can never outlive. And that was such a good success story. And it all came from her digging up that old statement. So this is a great tip number two here, cleaning out that financial junk drawer. And it's a good time for it because you've probably got those tack tax documents sitting around right now April 15th. That deadline's coming up. So make sure you get that done as well.

Speaker4:
Next one here. Number three pay yourself First by maximizing your retirement contributions. So with that tax day deadline, it's also the the deadline to make contributions for the previous year's retirement plan. So that could be an IRA. That could be a Roth IRA. That's something I would recommend if you qualify for that. Roth is take advantage of one of the only two types of tax free investments out there Roth IRAs and life insurance. Those are the only two. And you can actually contribute up to Tax Day April 15th. So you've still got time to make 2024 contributions, believe it or not, and challenge yourself to contribute more this year. You know, make sure you're matching at least up to what your employer is matching. If they offer a match. But 401 K plans have high contribution limits, you can probably challenge yourself to save a little bit more and just keep in mind those dollars you save when you're younger and you're still working. Those are worth a lot more to you in the future, because you're going to have time and compounded interest, and you can let those be your friend.

Speaker3:
Yeah, a couple of things there. If you're over 50 and you're still working and you have it, you have access to a Roth 401 K at work. I'd encourage you to consider moving from A4K to a Roth 4k, because that's going to be a great way for you to kind of get started and kick started on building up that eventually, what will become a Roth IRA, when you roll over from a Roth 4k to a Roth IRA, most folks are qualified based on their contributions to following KS to either also contribute if you're over 50 years old, 8000 with a catch up provision of the additional thousand $8,000 into their IRA or Roth IRA. They can't do both, but you can do either one or the other, including, um, your traditional, you know, 3 to 6% set aside contributions for your 4k as well. That way you get control of that money a little bit too. If you're below the contribution limits, I would encourage you to go ahead and try to contribute to the Roth IRA instead of just the IRA.

Speaker4:
Yeah, that's a great tip. And, you know, if you have that cash available, maybe you've had a bank CD mature recently. Maybe you've got a little extra cash sitting in the bank. Keep in mind you can make those contributions for last year up to tax day of this year. That's something we would love to help you do. If you can take advantage of some of the recent volatility and dips in the market that we've seen and, you know, invest while some of those investment options are on sale for you. Um, so let's go ahead and do this forward. Let's take a break. When we come back we're going to have three more tips. We're talking about spring cleaning for your finances. Giving our listeners some great tips, some actionable advice as they look to improve their financial future. You're listening to retirement results.

Speaker2:
Learn more at Retirement results. Com or by calling us today at 6851777.

Speaker7:
Nothing I can do. Change your mind. I'm so in love with you.

Speaker1:
Hi, this is Matt McClure, senior financial advisor with retirement results. You've saved your whole life so you wouldn't have to worry about your money when you retired. But you worry more now than ever. You've been a good saver. You have 500,000, maybe $1 million or even more. You should feel confident, but you don't. You're worried a big loss will wipe you out. You saved so you could spend during retirement, but you don't. You're worried you'll run out of money. You want to retire, but you don't. You're worried you don't have enough. Does any of this sound familiar? Well, it should, because we hear these things all the time from people just like you who are preparing for retirement or even already retired. So why do you worry so much? It's because you don't have an actual plan in writing. Nothing to guide you through retirement. Retirement results helps people just like you. You'll get a free, customized written retirement plan. That's right. Free and no obligation. Schedule your meeting now at retirement results.com/plan. That's retirement results.com/plan.

Speaker2:
Investment advisory services offered through Brookstone Capital Management LLC, a registered investment advisor.

Speaker8:
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Speaker9:
We, as insurance companies, are advocating for solutions to really try and help address these increasing costs that families, individuals and business owners are facing. This is the economic safety net that helps rebuild homes, neighborhoods and communities. And it's really, truly vital.

Speaker8:
About 40% of Americans who own their home view homeowners insurance as a discretionary purchase. And despite the risk a handful of Americans have decided upon self-insuring their homes. So how can you get the best deal for you and your family without paying too much for homeowner's insurance? Well, first, check your coverage. You don't want to insure your home for more than it's worth. And second, assess your deductible. A higher deductible could lower your premium. Third, consider bundling your car insurance with your home insurance, as companies offer discounts. When you combine multiple policies. By being informed and proactive, you can make sure you're paying a fair price and protecting your property. For the retirement Radio network powered by Amara Life, I'm Jim Tabuchi.

Speaker2:
Visit retirement Results.com to schedule your free, no obligation consultation today. Now back to the show.

Speaker3:
And welcome back to Retirement. Result result. Drivers. My name is Ford Stokes. I'm your chief financial advisor. And we've got Sam Davis. Here with us is our senior financial advisor and co-host of the show. Sam, go ahead and finish that recap of number three on our spring cleaning for your finances in 2025. Pay yourself first by maximizing your retirement contributions.

Speaker4:
Yeah. So we talked about revisiting those financial New Year's resolutions, cleaning out your financial junk drawer and paying yourself first by maximizing your retirement contributions. And Ford, we wanted to let people know there's still time to contribute for 2024 and really challenging themselves to contribute more, especially if they're able to contribute to a Roth.

Speaker3:
Yeah, if you're over 50 years old, you can contribute either 8000 into your IRA or 8000 into your Roth IRA. You can't do both if you're making less than $236,000, it phases out at 246,000. But let's just say if you're making less than 236,000, you can and you're over 50 years old, married, filing jointly, you can contribute $8,000 into your Roth IRA. That is something definitely to take advantage of if you've got earned income.

Speaker4:
And here's tip number four when it comes to spring cleaning for your finances, make sure your beneficiaries are named and up to date. This is an important step in retirement planning forward. When we're opening up new accounts, we've got to get the beneficiaries on there when we're helping people set up personal pensions and we're doing the contracts for those policies, we've got to get beneficiaries. And sometimes we're even putting contingent beneficiaries in there as well. These are the individuals who will inherit your assets when you pass away and go to heaven. Review your current beneficiaries and ensure they align with your current wishes. Maybe you have a former spouse still named as your beneficiary. You may want to update that. Change the designation. This is just an important quick one for people to check off the list for.

Speaker3:
And it's also really important for folks that when, let's say somebody passed away in the marriage or there was a divorce or any change to the marriage union. Um, there are so many accounts. Sometimes people don't change all their beneficiaries and they don't want on their death. They don't want, um, the money to go to their ex spouse. Something to kind of get broom swept clean there. And then number five is you want to dust off that estate plan or establish an estate plan for the first time. We did a lot of research during Covid all the way back to 2020. On how do we reduce the cost for establishing a will or revocable trust, or an irrevocable trust for our clients? We just saw it was like a runaway freight train on how expensive it was with attorneys kind of in that Buckhead area. And what we found is we were able to work with a service that's got licensed attorneys, and they're doing it for a lot less, and it's really just a fraction of the cost. If you want to get a will or a revocable trust done, all you got to do is reach out to us at retirement results.com/plan. Put your information in and we'll go ahead and reach out to right away. Um, but it's a great way to really kind of get going on where you want your money and your property to go upon your death when you go to heaven. And I think it's the right way to do it. You don't want the state doing it. Um, and trust me, you really want to get that estate plan established. You can really have that smart legacy so that your kids go, gosh, you know, Mom and dad were really on it.

Speaker4:
Yeah. And this really just makes things so much more smoothly when a loved one passes away. Um, especially someone who's been, you know, involved in the family for so, so long. Um, that's already a tough enough time. Having that estate plan makes the transition a lot more smooth and really just having those designated plans in place so your loved ones step by step, know what to do next and where it's supposed to go. Where. Um, and yeah, but you definitely don't want the state getting involved. Um, who knows how long that could take. And again, this is your opportunity while you're alive and with us on this earth to, you know, let let people know what you want to do with those assets. This is about legacy planning. And that's why we want people to have an estate plan. And step number six is have your entire portfolio reviewed by a licensed professional in Ford. Good news for all the listeners. This is exactly what we do at retirement results. As fiduciaries, we are obligated to put your needs ahead of our own. And this is something that a lot of people have taken advantage of. Listeners have become our clients, Ford, and continue to have their assets reviewed in their annual checkups with us.

Speaker3:
Yeah, this is a big one. This is really important. You really need to understand the risks you're taking, the fees that you're paying, and the correlation of your assets. You also need to understand if you've got a tax problem or not. The other other thing is you got to understand, are you going to start with a positive retirement income surplus or negative retirement income gap? And then also let me ask you a question. Why wouldn't you want to maximize your Social Security income benefit? That's another thing that myself, as a registered Social Security analyst can help you. There's only like 15 of us in the state of Georgia. I'm here to help you do that. And we take your top 35 earning years. We put them all together. Um, we get an average what's called an AME, an average income, monthly earnings. And we'll really establish what your Social Security income is based on which year you plan to file. We also help couples maximize the Social Security income benefits. Do both of them. Um, and there's some really good things that we can do and strategies that we can implement. If you've got questions about that and you really want to maximize your social income benefit, I'd encourage you to reach out to us at (770) 685-1777. Uh, that's again (770) 685-1777 or visit. Retirement results.com/plan. That's retirement results.com/plan and submit your information. Just your name email and phone number. We'll give you a call in an email and we'll get started right away.

Speaker4:
Yeah. And another way we're really able to help people who come in and get that complimentary portfolio analysis and sit down and meet with us for is helping them get a lot more tax efficient with their portfolio and their retirement plan. A lot of times, that's not something people are thinking about when they're planning for retirement. They're just thinking, okay, I want to do a good job saving. I want to pay down debt. I want to make sure that my investments are right. And when I retire, I'll just dip in and I'll and I'll grab that money whenever I need it. Well, there's a much more tax efficient way to plan for retirement with regards to the way you're structuring your assets in different buckets. And and for some people just aren't even thinking about the fact that they're going to have to continue pay paying taxes in retirement and taxes in retirement sometimes are way different than they are when you're working. And, you know, we're concerned about the levels of US national debt. Um, it's now passed $36.6 trillion. Um, we've also got the Department of Government Efficiency that has freed up $214 billion in US federal budget and counting up, which is a good thing to see. But, you know, we're still concerned. You know, when we see the Congressional Budget Office come out and say that they're anticipating cuts in Social Security benefits, that's not something that we like seeing forward when it comes to planning for our retirees in a stable future. So making sure that you're on a good track with regards to tax efficiency and your future tax liability and retirement, that's another reason to give us a call and make sure you're on the right track.

Speaker3:
Yeah, I feel like Doge is and you know, the speaker of the House, uh, Mike Johnson. He came back and said, hey, he's looking at it from a constitutional lawyer perspective, and he feels like we're giving the power back to the people with the Department of Government Efficiency. And I'm super excited about what we're doing and how we're doing it. Um, I'm just excited about what the Trump administration is doing, and I can't wait to see the savings. And hopefully that Social Security will be around for a very long time. Um, for all of the listeners and all the pre-retirees and retirees out there, and not just the folks that are receiving Social Security already. And, um, it's a big deal. I mean, it's a big deal. And, um, I'm just super excited about where everything is going right now.

Speaker4:
Thank goodness you are starting to see the federal government behave more like we do when we're running a good household, right? We are minimizing our expenses. You've got the Department of Government Efficiency coming in there and cutting things that may not be necessary, and we've just been keeping them running for a long time and also increasing income. What President Trump is doing implementing tariffs should have good revenue and income effects for this country down the line. And so definitely more optimistic when it comes to the financials of this country. And we'll see where things are going. We're still in the first few months of the new administration forward, but we've been seeing a lot of people come in and see us that have a sense of relief compared to the way they looked maybe six months ago.

Speaker3:
Yeah, I mean, there's just no question about it. We've we've got a chance now. And, um, Trump could not have I mean, it was that was it. I mean we were able to get America back thank God. So it's great.

Speaker4:
And when we come back forward, we're going to talk about how pensions are making a comeback in retirement planning. People love pensions, but a lot of employers don't offer them. We're going to talk to you about how you can implement a personal pension in your retirement plan. It's something that a lot of our clients are doing and really enjoying that guaranteed income that comes for life, similar to the way a pension would or even Social Security. You're listening to retirement results. You can give us a call at (770) 685-1777. Our main headquarters is located just up the road from Atlanta in Alpharetta and just down the road from Gainesville. So whether you're listening on Wmca or WGN, we are close to you. We've also got a midtown office as well. Again, that number is (770) 685-1777. You're listening to retirement results. Come right back.

Speaker2:
Thanks for listening to retirement results. Schedule your complimentary financial consultation now at retirement results. Com.

Speaker10:
Think about it. There must be higher love. Down in the heart of hidden in the stars.

Speaker3:
Hey, this Ford Stokes with active wealth management and retirement results. You've gotten used to getting higher interest rates on your savings accounts and bank CDs, but the fed has been lowering rates. If you're 55 or older and have at least $250,000 to invest, and you'd like to lock in to higher interest rates, we can help. Currently, we can lock in income payout rates as high as 8%, 9%, or even 10% guaranteed for life. Even if interest rates drop back down to 1% or lower, you'd be locked into higher income payout rates for as long as you live. You can do this with your IRA for one K for three B pension, rollover, current bank savings, or even brokerage accounts. Schedule your free meeting with us at Active Wealth. Com and we will help you battle lower interest rates by locking in great income payout rates for the rest of your life. Call our office today at (770) 685-1777 or visit Active Wealth.

Speaker1:
Com investment advisory services offered through Brookstone Capital Management, LLC, a registered investment advisor. Guaranteed income streams refer to fixed insurance products only and are subject to the claims paying ability of the issuing company.

Speaker2:
This part of today's show. Retirement results is available wherever you listen to podcasts and online at retirement results.com.

Speaker3:
And welcome back to Retirement. Results. Result. Drivers on Fort Stokes. Chief financial advisor got Sam Davis here with us, our senior financial advisor and co-host on the show. And Sam, now we're talking about how pensions are making a comeback in retirement planning.

Speaker4:
Yeah. And Ford, I want to start by reading this fact, this statistic here in 1975, almost 30% of the US workforce had pension benefits, so almost a third of folks had access to a pension. But today that number has decreased to just 13.5%. So we've gone from about a third of the workforce having pension benefits to just 13.5%. You know, the decline of these traditional pensions has also led to some misguided participation in 401 K plans, people investing in a lot of mutual funds, people setting it and forgetting it. Maybe they're there contributing every couple of weeks, but they don't really know what they're investing in. Um, people would rather have that pension plan, but it's more expensive for the employers, and that's one of the reasons why it's gone away. But you can actually take action now and establish a personal pension for yourself. Recent survey data from the National Institute on Retirement Security shows that over 80% of respondents believe all workers should have access to a pension to protect their financial independence and self-reliance in retirement. You know, so maybe your employer doesn't offer that pension, but for the fact is that folks who work with us and give us a call, our clients establish personal pensions. They do have access to those tools, just not through their employer.

Speaker3:
And also those those traditional pensions back in 1975, they're all flat. They don't go up. They don't they're not market linked. They're usually implemented by something called a single premium immediate annuity. Whereas the personal pensions that we help our clients set up with, and we do it through just replacing the bonds within your portfolio. So we replace the bonds in your portfolio, which is about 20 to 40% of your portfolio with fixed indexed annuities. And we invest the rest into portfolios that are implemented through exchange traded funds and stocks and a basket of stocks, things like that, that are constantly updating, at least on a monthly basis, using tactical asset allocation and to some extent, strategic asset allocation as well, where we'll reallocate and rebalance every year on a portion of the portfolios. That's what we do here. We're able to really kind of diversify a lot of risk away, but we truly offer a true diversification of your portfolio. You've got ETFs, stocks you've got we try to minimize the bonds that you actually have, insurance products like fixed indexed annuities as a way to generate income instead of bonds. So you don't have reinvestment risk. You don't have interest rate risk. So that's a really great way to go. But these fixed indexed annuities they're they are required to by the states. They're regulated by the states. And the states require that you literally they must reserve the annuity. Companies must reserve 100 pennies of the 100 pennies you give them. So they've got to they've got to reserve 100% of the assets that you give them. So if you're going to invest $100,000, they have to buy $100,000 worth of ten year US treasuries.

Speaker3:
And then the next thing you'll see them do is they take the interest that's generated off that ten year US U.S. Treasury, and they will invest that into options, into indices like the BNP Paribas Global Factor Index or the Invesco Kukuk index, or the S&P 500 or the Nasdaq 100. Those are going to get you gains and get you market like gains. But if if the indexes don't perform over the protection period, let's say a 1 or 2 year protection period, the options may go to zero. But your money is invested in the ten year U.S. Treasury. So zero is your hero with these fixed index annuities. But what's great is that they're able to give more money and greater rates of return they ever have, because throughout my career, it's usually been about a 1.4 to 1.8% yield on the ten year US Treasury. This past week, it was like 4.28% yield. That's that's almost triple what the British would say. Treble. Um that's triple what it's been. So therefore they can give you triple of of about those indexes perform nationwide with their peak ten fixed index annuity. It's a ten year product, and with two year protection periods, they're able to give 310% participation rate in how that index performs every two years. That's remarkable. And that's for account value. That's not just income value. You mentioned also the bonus, Sam, that Nationwide peek ten gives you 20% immediate bonus, but also gives you an 8% guaranteed interest growth into the income account each and every year.

Speaker4:
Yeah, and there's so many good options out there as well. It's not just AA1 product option. We can actually compare the best personal pension options for you from highly rated annuity carriers, not just nationwide, but companies like Allianz and Aspida and others. And take a look at which option best fits your needs for some people are looking to turn on that income much more quickly, and so they'd be looking for something like nationwide that's a good income product. Others are looking for accumulation. Maybe it's a percentage of their portfolio that they just want to safeguard and place that protective shield around. Maybe they need income later, but it's really more about protecting and growing that asset. And Ford Protect and Grow is what we do here at Active Wealth management and Retirement results. And and that's why we're here, you know, talking about personal pensions because people are really looking for safety when you're working, when you're in your career, it's easy. You know, you go to work, you get your paycheck every two weeks, the taxes are taken out, and you can use that income for your expenses.

Speaker4:
But in retirement, you need to find a new and more efficient way to accumulate your assets you've been accumulating for decades now you're going to actually start drawing that down. That's a big change for a lot of people. Some people find that difficult actually managing that. I mean, if you're trying to do strategic withdrawals from your portfolio, I mean, imagine all the people out there who are just trying to make systematic withdrawals at the right time from their retirement, whether it be their IRA or their 401 K, and they're seeing all this volatility that's happened through the first part of the year that causes so much stress. Wouldn't you rather have a situation where you know you're going to get that income check each month. You know that you're not going to retreat, that the income portion of your portfolio is not going to go backwards. And I really enjoy providing people with that peace of mind. You see almost the weight lifted and they can carry on into retirement knowing that no matter what happens, that those paychecks are going to keep coming.

Speaker3:
Yeah. And you mentioned this beta, believe it or not. Now the SPDR is offering 95% on how the Invesco Kukuk index is performing. Um, that's pretty remarkable. And then also the North American Charter plus 14 if you're a bonus person and let's say you've had some losses in the market over the last couple of months, and you want to just get out of a portion of your of those assets. The North American Charter Plus 14 is offering a 27% bonus. That is remarkable. Um, that's a 14 year product with a 14 year surrender period, but that's fantastic.

Speaker11:
It's the final countdown.

Speaker2:
So let's recap what you may have missed. It's the final countdown.

Speaker11:
The final countdown.

Speaker3:
All right, let's share the final countdown. So on today's show, we talked about the spring cleaning for your finances and how to put a plan in writing and prepare for retirement. We also talked about how pensions are making a comeback, and how you really should consider building your own personal pension. Also, if you've got a lump sum pension and you're considering whether you're going to take the lump sum or not. I would encourage you to reach out to us and give us a call at (770) 685-1777. We'll give you that free pension x ray, that free 400 1KX ray as well. Absolutely no cost to you. And then also we're talking about how to help our clients prepare for retirement. We gave you a lot of great tips on that. And we didn't quite get to don't underestimate healthcare expenses. We'll get to that next week. We're so glad that you've been listening to us, remember. And by the way, that was that was Charlie Stokes. We've got Charlie and Cammy in the office today because we got a new roof going on the Stokes house because of the high winds that we've had. And we, Sam and I have been dancing around our dogs trying to bark at people that come by at the office and everything else. So if you've heard some barking in the background, we apologize. But remember, if you're seeking information about retirement, if you're going to be a bear, be a grizzly. Be as aggressive as you can and go ahead and reach out to us at retirement results.com/plan. Again that's retirement results.com/plan. Have a great week everybody.

Speaker2:
Thanks for listening to retirement results. You deserve to work with an independent team of fiduciary advisors that will strategically work to protect and grow your hard earned assets. To schedule your complimentary financial consultation, call us now at (770) 685-1777. That's (770) 685-1777. To connect with a qualified advisor. To learn more about our mission and our team, visit retirement Results.com. Investment advisory services offered through Brookstone Capital Management, LLC, a registered investment advisor and Active wealth Management are independent of each other. Insurance products and services are not offered through BCA, but are offered and sold through individually licensed and appointed agents. Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Past performance cannot be used as an indicator to determine future results.

Speaker1:
Registered investment advisors and investment advisor representatives act as fiduciaries for all of our investment management clients. We have an obligation to act in the best interest of our clients and to make full disclosures of any conflicts of interest. Please refer to our firm brochure, the Adv2 to item four for additional information. Hi, this is Matt McClure, senior financial advisor with retirement results. You've saved your whole life so you wouldn't have to worry about your money when you retired. But you worry more now than ever. You've been a good saver. You have 500,000, maybe $1 million or even more. You should feel confident, but you don't. You're worried a big loss will wipe you out. You saved so you could spend during retirement, but you don't. You're worried you'll run out of money. You want to retire, but you don't. You're worried you don't have enough. Does any of this sound familiar? Well, it should, because we hear these things all the time from people just like you who are preparing for retirement or even already retired. So why do you worry so much? It's because you don't have an actual plan in writing. Nothing to guide you through retirement. Retirement results helps people just like you. You'll get a free, customized written retirement plan. That's right, free and no obligation. Schedule your meeting now at retirement results.com/plan. That's retirement results.com/plan.

Speaker2:
Investment advisory services offered through Brookstone Capital Management LLC, a registered investment advisor. Get started on your free portfolio analysis and financial plan right now by visiting Retirement Results.

Speaker4:
Com and welcome back to our podcast listeners and our listeners on one. This is the Retirement Results bonus segment and forward for the bonus segment. This week we've got three retirement statistics that we think will motivate you to start planning for your future. And statistic number one is that 54% of people so over half don't know their retirement needs. This means for a lot of people out there are lost. They're not sure how much to contribute for retirement, they're not sure if they're on track to retire. And a lot of different factors play a role in what your actual retirement needs are. And that's one of the things we help people align when they come in and see us.

Speaker3:
Yeah for sure. I you really do need to plan your work and work your plan, and all you got to do is just you just reach out to us at retirement results.com, and you can call us. You can schedule a consultation in the upper right corner by hitting that button to get to that page. Um, and also we've revamped the retirement results. Com forward slash plan page. You can also hit the contact page. It takes you there as well. Um, we want to get started with understanding the risks you're taking, the fees you're paying and the correlation of your assets. And then also get an understanding of whether you're starting with that positive retirement income surplus or that negative retirement income gap that can worsen over time due to inflation. So let's make sure you don't lose purchasing power. Let's make sure you stay invested and let's get you the income that you need in retirement. Um, listen, farmers hats are been in on the sides because they're looking to the mailbox for the subsidy check. Same thing goes with retirees. Everybody's looking in the mailbox for mailbox money. They like getting the Social Security check. They like getting, um, all their, you know, their pension income from a fixed indexed annuity. And any 4% withdrawals are going to make every, every year those types of things. It's income is really important during retirement because you know, that monthly budget is is more important than how much are you going to make over your 35 plus year retirement? It's much more important to make sure you're outpacing that piece.

Speaker4:
Yeah, and talking about monthly budget. And that's a good segue to statistic number two. And that's that. The average yearly Social Security benefit is less than $22,000. That's an average monthly payment of just $1,790. So if you feel like you're going to live off of your monthly Social Security payments, I'd beg you to reconsider. You likely have an unrealistic expectation of how things will go for you in retirement. Ford, you're a registered social security analyst. You are preparing the Social Security maximization reports for all of our clients who are taking a look at that, and any of our listeners who give us a call so that they can really optimize their Social Security and make the best, best decision about when to turn on that income.

Speaker3:
Yeah. The biggest surprise that I see that people have is they don't realize that Medicare, the costs for Medicare, come out of your Social Security check every month. And they also are blown away by how much taxation has been on Social Security. And we're hopeful that that budget goes through, um, this year, where there's no tax on Social Security income benefits for recipients, I think that would be a huge deal. It would put 2 to 300 plus dollars back in everybody's pockets, and that would buy a lot of groceries. So we're super excited about that as well. Why don't you share the number three stat?

Speaker4:
Nearly 80% of Americans feel the nation is facing a retirement crisis due to a lack of pension options. That's coming from a SoFi report. More than 3 in 4 Americans believe pensions help lead to a more secure retirement. I would agree, and that's per the SoFi study. Only a few companies are going back to offering pensions again. Ibm is one of them. John Deere and Coca Cola also have defined benefit plans. Most people, though for it are on the 401 K train. They're on that defined contribution plan. They would love to establish a personal pension, but they're not sure where to start. And that's what we help people do every week.

Speaker3:
I think it's much better to get a personal pension that is market linked, where your income is going to go up over time, uh, versus just getting a flat pension. I think that's a big deal difference. And I would encourage you to reach out to us at (770) 685-1777 or visit us at retirement results.com/plan and submit your information, and we'll get started right away on your financial plan and portfolio analysis and also your retirement income gap analysis. And one last thing that registered Social Security Analyst roadmap, that RSA roadmap I'm happy to do that for you. Absolutely at no cost.

Speaker4:
That's right. You can visit retirement results.com/plan. Give us a call or just submit your information in the online form and we'll see you soon.

Speaker12:
Just as I thought it was going all right, I found out I'm wrong when I thought I was right. It's always the same. It's just a shame, that's all.

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