What is the risk with BDCs, or business development company funds? Edward in Illinois wants to know. Do Pebbles and Bam Bam in Kentuckystone have too much invested in T-bills? Are mutual funds or ETFs a better place for them to invest qualified money in the decumulation phase? Is there a difference between a traditional IRA and a rollover IRA? And Keith in Connecticut is 34 and wants a spitball on whether his investments are appropriate for his time horizon, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 512 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, Gus in Philly needs a withdra ..read more

YMYW friends, welcome to 2025. Today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 511, we’re revisiting your favorite topics of 2024 as Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball on strategies for building up tax-free retirement income in Roth accounts, determining your appropriate mix of taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free savings (also known as tax diversification), and whether YMYW viewers and listeners can retire as soon as possible. Access free financial resources and the episode transcript: https://bit.ly/ymyw-511 DOWNLOAD the 2024 Key Financial Data Guide for free CALCULATE ..read more

Does it make sense for Alex and his wife in Massachusetts to do Roth conversions now to the top of their eventual tax bracket? Steve in San Diego got serious about saving for retirement after Joe and Big Al gave him some tough love 5 years ago. Is he good to retire now, and should he convert to Roth? That’s today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 510 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, can Barbara in New Jersey’s grandson move excess 529 funds to a Roth and withdraw the money after 5 years? PWare has a cunning plan to gift appreciated stock to avoid capital gains ta ..read more

When should Richie and Heather and Rebecca and Sam collect their Social Security benefits? Why is Dan’s benefit so much higher than his wife’s? PWare has a Roth conversion case for claiming Social Security AFTER age 70, and Jerry wonders how Donald Trump’s plan to stop taxing Social Security could impact claiming strategies. Plus, Joe rants about Rebecca and Sam’s $1 million single premium deferred indexed annuity, and the fellas also spitball on their Roth conversion and retirement strategy and how much is too much when it comes to paying advisor fees. Access free financial resources and the ..read more

John in Pennsylvania doesn’t have bonds in his investment portfolio. Should he add them, and if so, where? That’s today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 508 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. The fellas also spitball on retirement plans for James in Tierrasanta, California, who has $4 million plus annuities, Esther in the San Francisco Bay Area, who has nearly $12M net worth, and Tiger and Lioness, who wonder about a safe level of lifestyle creep. Also, Charlie in Castlerock, Colorado has an “exciting” new question on how to balance collecting Social Security with makin ..read more

Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA spitball on paying the tax on your Roth conversions on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 507. If you take the money out of your retirement account, what does Joe mean that you’ll be “paying the tax to pay the tax to pay the tax”? Can you pay it from the Roth account itself, or from your monthly pension tax withholding? Are the fellas wrong on this whole topic altogether? They also spitball on withdrawing Roth 401(k) contributions that were rolled to an IRA, those infamous 5-year rules for withdrawals from Roth accounts, when to do Roth conversio ..read more

What’s a safe withdrawal rate for Wine Guy and Wine Gal in Sonoma California to have 35 years of “guaranteed” retirement spending? How aggressively should they convert their retirement savings to Roth IRA? Should the Bond family move from Silicon Valley to a no-income-tax state in retirement? Can Doc in San Francisco quit work in 8 years when his daughter starts college? Rob in Kansas City and his wife are in their late 30s and have 2 million saved. Can they retire early? Plus, Elisa in Fremont has more than the capital gains exclusion for a married couple of $500,000 worth of home equity. How ..read more

What do Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA think about alternative investments? Andrew in Ohio wants to know. Are real estate syndication deals for real, and a YMYW listener just chose poorly? And Stewart in Serra Mesa is curious whether Joe has changed his position on annuities lately, as rates have “normalized” in the past couple of years? That’s today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast number 491. Plus, when should Steve in Las Vegas’ friend quit her casino job and collect Social Security and child benefits? And how is D in the Midwest’s plan for creating income in retirement? Visi ..read more

Should Terry and his siblings take out a whole life insurance policy on their parents before they inherit their folks’ $10 million worth of farm land? Is Terry on track for retirement? That’s today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 487 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, should Fred and Wilma use their 401(k) money for living expenses to bridge the gap until they collect Social Security benefits?  Should Glen claim his Social Security at age 65 and use it to fully fund his wife’s Roth IRA? When should Bill take his Social Security and should he do Roth conversions? Fi ..read more

Market declines just before you retire, or early in your retirement, can really screw up your retirement income strategy. If you’re in the middle of the expensive kid years, how do you avoid this sequence of returns risk when making your retirement plans? That’s “Jaclyn Smith’s” question, today on Your Money, Your Wealth® podcast 485 with Joe Anderson, CFP® and Big Al Clopine, CPA. Plus, can Vern’s wife collect Social Security at age 63, then switch to spousal benefits at age 70? Matt wants to know if 2026 catch-up Roth contributions will be subject to the pro-rata rule, and Tom and Amy are tr ..read more