retirement planning

Retirement: Ready Or Not, Here It Comes

Are you nearing “retirement age?” If so, let’s explore that pivotal question you’ll soon face: Should you retire or continue working? We’ll unravel the intricacies of this decision, addressing both financial and emotional aspects, and help you find out if you’re truly ready to retire.

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Will the Pandemic Rob Your Retirement? 4 Things to Check Now

The fear for many right now is that once the pandemic finally passes, the financial impact will knock them off track for the future. If you’re worried that the coronavirus could rob you of your retirement, there are four areas of your finances that you can check right now. Find out what they are and why they’re good indicators of where you’re headed.

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New Rollover Rules for 2020 RMDs

With so much news to process these last few months, financial updates might not be at the top of your list. But part of the recent relief efforts included new rollover rolls that impact people that need to take RMDs. Find out what it all means and whether this impacts you.

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5 Life Events That Spark Major Financial Changes

Building a financial plan is as much about protecting your portfolio as it is building it, and that’s why it’s important to prepare for the unexpected. These five life events would likely fall into that category so what should you financially if any of these things impact you? We’ll talk about each one and discuss what adjustments might be made.

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Best Intentions But Bad Financial Advice

Maybe even more so now than ever, we are looking for more and more financial guidance. A lot of times we turn to lots of different sources to find that information. And while these sources might have the best intentions, that doesn’t mean that the advice is always going to fit you. Let’s look at some examples and explore the reasons why we have to be very careful from whom we’re taking this important guidance.

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Tax Planning Opportunities with Special Guest David McKnight

Since we aren’t able to bring David McKnight to Kansas City for an in-person appearance, we decided to do the next best thing and bring him on the podcast. Join us as the author and tax planning expert gives us his perspective of what we’re experiencing with a turbulent economy and what opportunities investors have to move closer to a zero percent tax bracket.

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Vital Takeaways From The Coronavirus Stimulus Bill For Individuals & Small Business Owners

The $2 trillion coronavirus (COVID-19) economic stimulus bill was signed into law on March 27, 2020 aimed to provide relief and opportunities for individuals and businesses impacted negatively by the current pandemic. On this episode, we’ll cover some of the key provisions in the bill with Scott Dougan and special guest Mark O’ffill of Prairie Fire Resources LLC.

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Inhale… Exhale… Pumping The Brakes On The Economy

Take a deep breath. Yes, the Coronavirus is scary and we know it’s causing a lot of you to worry. But on today’s show we try to put the crisis in historical perspective, share stories with about how other people like you are responding to situation, and look ahead to the future with a sense of hope, not doom. Give a listen as Scott analyzes the purposeful pumping of the brakes on the economy and where we go from here.

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The Power Of Zero – Lessons From Our Event With David McKnight

The Bird’s Eye View: Respected financial author David McKnight joined Scott Dougan and the Elevated Retirement Group team for a recent event to learn about tax strategies that can lead you to the zero percent tax bracket in retirement. Scott recaps the event and details some of the strategies David talks about in his book,…

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The SECURE Act Passed – How It Serves As A Tax Increase For Successful Savers

After it simmered in Congress for a year, the SECURE Act is now law. If you have a retirement account of any kind, or will one day inherit a retirement account, this will affect you…

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The Senate’s RESA Is Even Worse News For The Stretch IRA

On today’s show, we’ll follow-up on an earlier conversation about the SECURE Act’s impact on the Stretch IRA and talk about how the Senate’s plan (RESA) spells even greater doom for IRA owners with large balances. If you have a lot saved in an IRA and might pass it to a non-spouse beneficiary one day, this conversation better be on your radar.

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5 Tax Saving Strategies

How do the ultra-wealthy get away with paying fewer taxes than everyone else? Many people believe it’s because they use complicated, or questionable tax practices. But that’s not necessarily the case. In fact, many of the strategies the ultra-wealthy use to save a small fortune in taxes are also available to you. You just don’t know they exist, or you’re simply not taking advantage of them. On today’s show, we’ll cover 5 strategies that could potentially help you save a small fortune in taxes.

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Are You Prepared For Rising Taxes?

Taxes are very likely to increase in the future and failing to plan accordingly may have painful financial consequences. That said, not everybody should alter their plans, but some should. Like most financial matters, this is a very nuanced subject. There are very few absolutes or hard-and-fast rules here. Listen to today’s show to find out if you should make some changes in your plan to take advantage of likely higher taxes in the future.

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9 Important Ages

The Bird’s Eye View: As you near retirement, there are several different ages to keep in mind, each of which represents an important landmark in retirement planning. Let’s discuss what those landmarks are, and why each of them is vital to consider and discuss with your financial advisor when planning for your retirement future. Your…

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The 5-Step Complete Planning Process

The Bird’s Eye View: Over the course of two decades, Scott has developed a comprehensive 5-step plan for retirement. Listen to today’s show to see if you have included these steps and why they are needed in a thorough retirement plan. 5-Step Planning Process Reference PDF Your Guide: Scott Dougan, RFC, Investment Advisor – Contact

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Common Investor Biases

When it comes to investing and planning for retirement, everyone is affected by a handful of different biases that influence how they make decisions. And oftentimes, these biases can get us into quite a bit of trouble if we’re not careful. So let’s learn how to spot these biases and gain an overall healthier financial mindset.

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How The SECURE Act Might Impact Your Financial Plan

Congress is in the middle of passing the SECURE Act (passed in the House, waiting on the Senate). The bill brings a lot of positive changes for those of us planning for retirement, but it also threatens the elimination of an important and well-used planning strategy, the Stretch IRA. Scott will break down this bill for us and talk about how it might impact our financial plans going forward.

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Advisors: What They CAN and CANNOT Do For You

Part of discovering a financial advisor’s true value and role in your life is coming to grips with the things they can and cannot actually do for you. Advisors aren’t superheroes, so there will be some things you can’t reasonably expect them to be able to do. Let’s chat about some of these expectations and see how it all might impact your own financial situation.

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5 Reasons Someone Should Never Hire A Financial Advisor

This might seem like a surprising headline on this show, but it’s true. For some, working with a financial advisor makes a lot of sense. But for many, it does not. Let’s cover the reasons and see where you might fit.

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What’s Your Return On Retirement?

You only get one chance at retirement, so how can you make sure you’re set up for the best possible future, and also getting the most out of this new era in your life? Scott sets the financial talk aside today and takes a candid look into what the real return on your retirement should be.

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