In this episode of 'Retire with Style', hosts Alex Murguia and Wade Pfau, along with guest Rob Cordeau, continue their conversation into the complexities of Roth conversions and their implications for tax efficiency in retirement planning. They discuss the nuances of paying taxes on conversions, the importance of understanding tax brackets, and the impact of the SECURE Act on intergenerational wealth transfer. The conversation emphasizes strategic planning to optimize tax outcomes for both curre...
Nov 26, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 154
In this episode, Alex Murguia and Wade Pfau are joined by Rob Cordeau to discuss the complexities and strategies surrounding Roth conversions. They emphasize the importance of long-term tax planning and the various factors that influence the decision to convert traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs. They explore the perspectives of financial advisors versus accountants, the timing of conversions, and the emotional aspects of financial planning. The conversation also touches on the implications of nation...
Nov 19, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 153
In this episode, hosts Wade Pfau and Alex Murguia engage with Dan Veto to discuss the complexities of money conversations that arise during the holiday season. They explore the concept of the 'family bank,' where family members often turn to one another for financial support, and the emotional dynamics that accompany these requests, including love, guilt, and cultural influences. The conversation also touches on the importance of setting boundaries and understanding the implications of lending m...
Nov 12, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 152
In this episode of 'Retire with Style', hosts Alex Murguia and Wade Pfau with Jessica Wunder from McLean Asset Management delve into the complexities of early withdrawals from retirement accounts, specifically IRAs and 401(k)s. They discuss the penalties associated with early withdrawals, the Rule of 55, and various exceptions allowing penalty-free access to funds. The conversation highlights the differences between IRAs and 401(k)s, including specific exceptions applicable to each type of accou...
Nov 05, 2024•43 min•Season 1Ep. 151
In this episode of 'Retire with Style', Wade and Alex discuss the complexities of pension decisions with Jason Rizkallah from McLean Asset Management. The conversation delves into the critical choices retirees face regarding pension options, including whether to take a lump sum or annuity payment, the implications of each choice, the importance of comprehensive financial planning, and the potential benefits of external annuities. They discuss the importance of evaluating commercial annuities, un...
Oct 29, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 150
In this episode of 'Retire with Style', Wade and Alex delve into various aspects of tax planning, focusing on strategies such as front-loading taxes, tax loss harvesting, and deduction bunching. They discuss the implications of tax filing status changes, particularly for surviving spouses, and the impact of the Secure Act on inherited IRAs. The conversation emphasizes the importance of strategic Roth conversions and planning for future tax rates, providing listeners with valuable insights into e...
Oct 22, 2024•47 min•Season 1Ep. 149
In this episode of 'Retire with Style', Wade and Alex discuss the complexities of tax-efficient retirement planning, focusing on understanding preferential income, tax brackets, and the implications of additional income on tax rates. They explore the net investment income tax, strategic Roth conversions, and the significance of timing in retirement income planning. The conversation emphasizes the need for careful management of social security and Medicare surcharges, particularly during the frag...
Oct 15, 2024•28 min•Season 1Ep. 148
In this episode, Alex Murguia and Wade Pfau delve into the complexities of tax planning related to healthcare, focusing on Medicare premiums and the implications of income on these costs. They discuss the Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMA) and how it affects Medicare premiums, emphasizing the significant impact of seemingly small increases in income. The conversation also covers the Affordable Care Act subsidies, highlighting the double-whammy effect of income on both Medicare and A...
Oct 08, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 147
In this episode of 'Retire with Style', hosts Alex Murguia and Wade Pfau delve into the concept of the 'tax torpedo', a phenomenon affecting the taxation of Social Security benefits. They explore how increased taxable income can lead to a significant rise in the percentage of Social Security benefits that are taxed, particularly for middle-class retirees. The discussion covers the mechanics of the tax torpedo, the implications of provisional income, and strategies for effective retirement income...
Oct 01, 2024•32 min•Ep. 146
In this episode of 'Retire with Style', Alex Murguia and Wade Pfau delve into tax-efficient withdrawal strategies for retirement. They discuss the importance of withdrawal order sequencing, the types of accounts available for withdrawals, and effective marginal tax rate management. The conversation highlights techniques for generating taxable income, including Roth conversions and long-term capital gains harvesting, while emphasizing the need to maintain asset allocation integrity throughout the...
Sep 24, 2024•39 min•Season 1Ep. 145
In this episode of 'Retire with Style', Alex and Wade delve into the intricacies of Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). They discuss the calculations involved, the implications of RMDs on retirement planning, and the recent changes introduced by Secure Act 2.0. The conversation also covers the consequences of failing to take RMDs, the aggregation of RMDs across different accounts, and provides examples of RMD calculations using life expectancy tables. Additionally, they touch on the topic of ...
Sep 17, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 144
In this episode, Alex and Wade discuss the importance of asset location in addition to asset allocation. They explain that asset location involves strategically placing assets in different types of accounts based on their tax efficiency. They discuss the tax efficiency spectrum, with tax-exempt bonds being the most tax efficient and REITs being the least tax efficient. They also discuss the tax advantages of different types of accounts, such as Roth IRAs, 529 plans, health savings accounts, and ...
Sep 10, 2024•40 min•Season 1Ep. 143
In this episode, Alex and Wade discuss tax-efficient retirement strategies, specifically focusing on tax diversification. They explain the three broad types of tax treatments in the tax code: taxable accounts, tax-deferred accounts (such as IRAs and 401ks), and tax-exempt accounts (such as Roth IRAs). They highlight the importance of having assets in each category to provide flexibility in retirement planning. They also discuss the characteristics and advantages of each type of account, includin...
Sep 03, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 142
In this episode, Alex and Wade introduce a new arc on tax-efficient retirement distributions. They discuss the importance of tax planning and how it can add value to your bottom line. They explain the concept of marginal tax rates and how they differ from average tax rates. They also touch on state income taxes, filing options, and the different federal income tax brackets. Additionally, they mention other types of taxes, such as social security and Medicare payroll taxes. In this conversation, ...
Aug 27, 2024•54 min•Season 1Ep. 141
The Retirement Income Challenge is a four-day event that helps individuals create a retirement income plan. Day one focuses on the Retirement Income Style Assessment (RISA), which analyzes two factors: probability-based safety first and optionality versus commitment. Day two introduces the funded ratio, a balance sheet approach to financial planning that compares assets to liabilities. The funded ratio helps individuals understand if they have enough assets to meet their retirement goals. Day th...
Aug 20, 2024•44 min•Season 1Ep. 140
In this episode, Alex, Wade, and Jason discuss what to expect in retirement. They cover several major lifestyle changes that occur during retirement, including the loss of work identity, increases in unstructured time, changes in social connections, shifts in physical health, adjustments in daily routines, and the need for financial planning. They provide insights on both the positive and negative aspects of these changes and offer suggestions on how to navigate them. In this conversation, the h...
Aug 13, 2024•47 min•Season 1Ep. 139
In this episode, Wade, Alex, and Jason discuss the meaning of retirement and the factors to consider when deciding on a retirement date. They explore the idea that retirement is not just about leisure activities like golfing, but also about personal goals and relationships. They also touch on the possibility of working in retirement and the importance of financial independence. The conversation highlights the need for careful planning and consideration of health, financial, and personal factors ...
Aug 06, 2024•44 min•Season 1Ep. 138
In this episode, Wade and Alex discuss the evolution of messaging in the financial advisory industry and the importance of retirement income planning. They highlight the transition from brokers to investment managers to wealth managers and the shift from accumulation to decumulation. They emphasize the need for comprehensive financial planning that considers both the asset and liability sides of the balance sheet. They also discuss the challenges of retirement income planning, including longevit...
Jul 30, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 137
In this conversation, Bob French and Rob Cordeau discuss ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) investing and its growing popularity. They explore the different ways investors can align their portfolios with their personal values and beliefs. They also address common misconceptions about ESG investing, such as it being solely for liberal investors. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding the impact and potential trade-offs of ESG investing, including the potential for lo...
Jul 23, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 136
In this conversation, Wade Pfau, Alex Murguia, and James Matthews discuss retirement income and the Retirement Income Style Awareness (RISA) framework. James shares his background in the retirement income space and his realization that traditional retirement planning advice was lacking. The conversation touches on the limited investment options in 401(k) plans and the need for a holistic view of retirement income. They also discuss the importance of risk management and the gaps in the current fi...
Jul 16, 2024•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 135
In this episode, Wade and Alex answer listener questions about portfolio allocation in retirement. They discuss the impact of low yields on TIPS and how it affects a retiree's portfolio. They also explore the optimal allocation of assets in taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-avoided accounts. Additionally, they address the role of annuities in retirement income and how they can replace the bond portion of a portfolio. They emphasize the importance of tax diversification and asset location. Finally, ...
Jul 09, 2024•36 min•Season 1Ep. 134
In this episode, Alex, Wade and Rob answer listener questions about retirement planning. They discuss topics such as asset allocation, selling RSUs, managing sequencing risk, and when to claim Social Security. They provide insights on diversification, tax implications, and the importance of considering both sequence risk and concentration risk. They also suggest strategies like creating a bond ladder and using IRA distributions to bridge the income gap. The episode ends with a plan to continue a...
Jul 02, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 133
In this conversation, Alex Murguia and Wade Pfau discuss various topics related to retirement planning, including glide paths, asset allocation, index funds, and tax planning. They address questions about implementing a rising equity glide path, asset allocation across different types of accounts, the performance of index funds, and the availability of withdrawal strategy software for retirees. They also touch on the topic of Medicare and HSA contributions. Overall, the conversation provides val...
Jun 25, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 132
In this conversation, Alex and Bob discuss the impact of the election on the stock market and retirement planning. They emphasize the importance of looking at historical data and not getting caught up in the rhetoric and uncertainty of the election cycle. They also highlight the recency effect and how campaigns are information machines that can influence market movements. They discuss the complexity of interpreting campaign statements and the countervailing effects they can have. They also menti...
Jun 18, 2024•48 min•Season 1Ep. 131
In this episode, the conversation covers various aspects of long-term care, including qualifying for long-term care insurance, alternative options for funding long-term care, and the role of Medicaid. Alex and Wade also discuss the importance of planning for long-term care and the potential challenges faced by individuals who cannot afford to pay for care. The conversation concludes with a discussion on how to invest funds set aside for long-term care. The conversation covers various topics rela...
Jun 11, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 130
In this conversation, Wade Pfau and Alex Murguia discuss retirement planning and how to determine how much can be spent from a portfolio without running out of money. They touch on the use of Monte Carlo simulations and the funded ratio approach. They also highlight the limitations of Monte Carlo simulations and the importance of considering the magnitude of failure and the potential for underspending in retirement. The conversation emphasizes the need for individualized planning and the importa...
Jun 04, 2024•44 min•Season 1Ep. 129
In this episode, Wade and Alex discuss the different features of long-term care insurance. They cover topics such as waiting periods, benefit periods, benefit amounts, inflation adjustments, and methods of payment. They also touch on the administrative aspects of managing long-term care insurance and qualifying expenses. In this conversation, Alex and Wade discuss various aspects of long-term care insurance. They cover topics such as the definition of activities of daily living, the differences ...
May 28, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 128
In this conversation, Alex and Wade discuss traditional long-term care insurance policies. They address the declining popularity of these policies and the shift towards hybrid policies. They also cover topics such as premium payments, care coordinators, and the importance of starting early with long-term care planning. Wade emphasizes the need to read the specific details of the policy and the potential for premium hikes. They also mention the option of Medicaid for those with limited assets. Ov...
May 21, 2024•49 min•Season 1Ep. 127
In this episode, Wade and Alex discuss Medicaid as a funding source for long-term care. They touch on the importance of Medicaid planning and the different rules and qualifications that vary from state to state. They also highlight the need for specialized elder law attorneys to navigate the complexities of Medicaid. Wade shares his personal experience with his parents' Medicaid coverage and the benefits it provides. The episode concludes with a reminder to consider Medicaid as an option for par...
May 14, 2024•33 min•Season 1Ep. 126
In this conversation, Alex, Wade, and Jason discuss the importance of incorporating long-term care into financial planning. They share a real-life example of a client who unexpectedly needed long-term care earlier than anticipated and how having a long-term care policy helped preserve their assets. They also discuss the different types of long-term care insurance policies, such as hybrid policies, and the factors to consider when deciding whether to self-insure or purchase insurance. The convers...
May 07, 2024•45 min•Season 1Ep. 125
