Retirement Success Blueprint With Michael Stewart - podcast cover

Retirement Success Blueprint With Michael Stewart

Financial and retirement planning guidance from Michael Stewart of Crystal Lake Tax & Financial.
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Episodes

Where Financial Advisors Drop The Ball

We see a lot of people who aren’t getting the kind of advice and service from their financial advisor that they should be. In a lot of cases, the advisor is only “managing the investments,” but not providing guidance in other areas. Let’s talk about some of the things that your advisor should be doing. Contact Info: Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Nov 18, 202118 minEp. 88

Handling Unreasonable Requests

Certainly, none of our podcast listeners would be guilty of making unreasonable requests, but let’s talk about some of the unreasonable requests we hear from others in the financial world. We’ll explore what makes them unreasonable and what proper expectations look like instead. Contact Info: Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Nov 04, 202117 minEp. 87

Pride Before A Fall: How Overconfidence Can Lead To Financial Ruin

Proverbs 16:18 says “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Let’s talk about some of the ways that pride might manifest itself in your financial planning in the form of overconfidence. Contact Info: Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Oct 21, 202123 minEp. 86

Risk Averse: Explaining The Buzzword

Have you heard someone say they’re risk averse? Do you know what it really means in the context of the financial world? We’ll explore this important buzzword on today’s show and explain why it’s so important to have a good grip on just how risk averse you are. Contact Info: Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Oct 07, 202116 minEp. 85

How Age & Wisdom Play Into Financial Planning

There’s an old quote that says, “Age is the price of wisdom.” Let’s talk about how that applies to the financial world. Contact Info: Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Sep 16, 202120 minEp. 84

Retirement Plan Customization Is King

Most people understand that a customized retirement plan is much better than a one-size-fits-all approach. And yet, most people don’t have a plan that’s truly customized. Let’s talk about some of the things that need to be considered if you’re going to build a truly customized plan. Contact Info: Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Sep 02, 202118 minEp. 83

What Retirement Are You Living For?

Everyone has a different reason, goal or something they want to accomplish in retirement. Let’s explore some of the various motivations people have in retirement and how your financial advisor can help you accomplish what you set out to do. Contact Info: Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Aug 19, 202117 minEp. 82

5 Things You Must Know About Decumulation To Retire Successfully

So much focus in the financial world revolves around accumulating money. There’s all sorts of advice, how-to guides and guardrails in place when it comes to saving and investing, but a lot less resources out there to help retirees navigate the period of time after retirement. This is known as decumulation, the spending down and managing of the assets you’ve accumulated through your life. And on this episode, we’ll point at (at least) 5 things you must know about decumulation to retire successful...

Aug 05, 202118 minEp. 81

Not Your Father’s Retirement

If you’re of the age that your mom and dad retired 20, or 30 years ago, the world was a much different place when they walked away from their paychecks. Let’s talk about how things are different now. Contact Info: Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Jun 17, 202121 minEp. 80

Learning Through Uncommon Sense

At first glance, each of these statements seem like basic common sense that everyone agrees with. But when we look at the way people actually behave with their money, it seems that common sense is actually a bit uncommon. Contact Info: Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Jun 03, 202121 minEp. 79

Listening To The Money Doctor

If we take a look at the world of medicine, we can learn some valuable lessons that can be applied to your financial life. Contact Info: Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

May 20, 202119 minEp. 78

So What You Really Meant Was...

Some people in the financial world speak in code. It’s important for you to learn how to crack that code. Let’s look at a few examples of what you’ll hear someone say, but breakdown what they really meant. Contact Info: Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

May 06, 202119 minEp. 77

Financial Fact Or Fiction

Sometimes the easiest way to learn about something is make it really simple. Like some of the first true/false tests you might have taken in school. Let’s play a round of fact or fiction to test your financial planning acuity. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Apr 15, 202118 minEp. 76

Are You Flirtin’ With Disaster?

Let’s talk about some of the areas of your financial life where you might be flirtin’ with disaster and don’t even know it. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Apr 01, 202122 minEp. 75

Money Lessons From The Richest Musicians

Let’s look at some of the richest people in the music industry and see what lessons we can learn from them that we can apply to our own retirement planning… Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Mar 18, 202120 minEp. 74

This Is Why You Never Assume

We often see people making certain assumptions about retirement that just aren’t correct. Let’s explore some of those on today's show. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Mar 04, 202120 minEp. 73

Financial Literacy: What Are The Three Qualities Of Money?

If you don’t know the answer to the question, then this episode is for you. On this episode, we’ll explore the three qualities of money, discuss whether you can achieve them in a single investment, and how to put the right emphasis on the different qualities. It’s really quite basic, but understanding these fundamentals can make an enormous difference in your financial life. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092...

Jan 21, 202123 minEp. 72

Important Retirement Statistics Worth Understanding

Sometimes numbers, figures and stats can go in one ear and out the other. But on this episode, we’ll break down 5 important statistics that are worth taking a moment to understand. They’ll underscore some very real problems people face when prepping for retirement. We’ll explore those problems and talk about possible solutions. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Jan 07, 202125 minEp. 71

What Drives Your Financial Advisor Crazy?

No industry is without its flaws, and the financial industry is no exception. Let’s explore some times where we’ve encountered annoying or frustrating elements of the financial world. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Dec 17, 202023 minEp. 70

Understanding The Different Types Of Risk

There are many more risks to guard against in retirement planning than most people realize. Let’s explore some of the planning risks we all face and how to prepare for them. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Dec 03, 202021 minEp. 69

A 5 Question Retirement Preparedness Quiz

Want to grade your preparedness for retirement? Here are five key questions you need to ask yourself. Your answers will help determine how ready you are for retirement. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Nov 19, 202024 minEp. 68

How To Pick The Right Advisor

A lot of concern goes into trying to pick the proper investments, build a balanced portfolio, and getting the highest return. But how much time have you really put into finding the right advisor to work together with on all these tasks and more? So, we want to clear some of that up on this episode and clarify some of the ways you can evaluate your current advisor relationship and how to shop for, and find, the right advisor for you. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092...

Nov 05, 202017 minEp. 67

Following The Financial Commandments

On this episode, we present you with five commandments that are worth of being written on stone tablets in your retirement plan. We will also discuss the Illinois tax debate that is on the docket come this November. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Oct 15, 202024 minEp. 66

Obsolete Retirement Planning Ideas

Just like your iPhone or your computer can become obsolete and need to be replaced, the way that some people think about retirement is obsolete and needs to be replaced. Let’s talk about some outdated ideas that people still cling to. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Oct 01, 202017 minEp. 65

Eye Opening Stats Showing How Americans Save

Vanguard’s “How America Saves 2020” report is packed with lots of intriguing stats and findings about Americans and how they save for retirement in the crazy year that is 2020 (most of the recent data is technically from 2019 although some figures are current through the Spring of 2020). Let’s look at some of the top takeaways from the study and how you might compare to the “normal” savings behaviors of Americans. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092...

Sep 17, 202021 minEp. 64

How To Build Your Financial House

For some people, the idea of putting together a financial plan doesn’t sound like much fun. But the idea of building a home sounds like a lot of fun. So let’s find the similarities in building a strong financial plan and a dream home. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Sep 03, 202016 minEp. 63

Financial Issues Particularly Challenging For Women

Many financial issues impact us all the same. But, of course, other challenges have varying impacts from person to person because our situations are all unique. Let’s take a look at some of the financial and retirement challenges that are unique to women. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Aug 20, 202020 minEp. 62

The Difficulty Of Financial Planning After The Death Of A Spouse

It is a life event that can be one of the most difficult things to go through both emotionally and financially. When one spouse dies, the remaining spouse is left to wrestle with a mountain of questions and choices. And although it’s difficult to discuss, proper planning can help make it easier to transition through this major life event. Let’s explore what someone should do in the event of a spouse’s passing, but also some of the pre-planning that can take place. Website: https://crystallaketax...

Aug 06, 202022 minEp. 61

Are You Making These Classic Pre-Retiree Mistakes?

There are some financial planning blunders that are interesting to talk about but are quite rare in reality. On the other hand, there are some financial planning mistakes that happen far too often. Let’s talk about the mistakes so many people have made in the past it has made them “classic”. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Jul 16, 202019 minEp. 60

What Mark Twain Can Teach Us About Money

Will talk about what is going on in the news, answer an email question and see what can we learn about money by exploring some quotes from the great Mark Twain. Website: https://crystallaketax.com/ Phone Number: 815-526-3092

Jul 02, 202020 minEp. 59
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