Mike Milligan: QLACs, Annuity Choices, and the Total Retirement Picture (Part 4)

Coach Pete D’Arruda and Mike Milligan discuss qualified longevity annuity contracts, retirement-account withdrawal requirements, and the differences among annuity products. They consider why evaluating a financial product requires more than a blanket endorsement or rejection, and why income, access…

Mike Milligan: A Retirement Plan That Fits Your Life (Part 3)

Mike Milligan continues his conversation with Coach Pete D’Arruda about matching a retirement strategy to the person who will live with it. They discuss risk, the tendency to rely on familiar products, and lessons from past planning conversations. Hear why the group favors reviewing the full pictur…

Mike Milligan: Income Riders and Questions to Ask Before Retirement (Part 2)

Coach Pete D’Arruda and Mike Milligan discuss dedicating part of a retirement plan to income and understanding how an income rider works. They examine why a saver’s priorities can change near retirement, the importance of asking how a strategy is structured, and the difference between product recom…

Mike Milligan: The Retirement Asset Beyond Your Account Balance (Part 1)

Mike Milligan of One Oak Financial joins Coach Pete D’Arruda and Thomas Lipscomb to discuss retirement income as an asset. They explore the difference between an account balance and a plan for monthly spending, the uncertainty of market returns, and the role income can play in supporting a retireme…

Phil Graham: Medicare Premiums, Social Security Taxes, and Quiet Costs (Part 4)

Coach Pete D’Arruda and Phil Graham examine costs that can quietly reduce a retirement paycheck. Topics include Medicare’s income-related premium adjustments, taxes on Social Security benefits, Roth conversion considerations, and the cumulative effect of investment fees. They discuss why understand…

Phil Graham: Plan Once, Plan for Life—Income and Legacy (Part 3)

Phil Graham and Coach Pete D’Arruda connect retirement income with the broader work of estate and legacy planning. They discuss the shift away from employer pensions, the stress of repeatedly second-guessing investments, and why a written strategy should explain how monthly income supports the rest…

Phil Graham: The Beneficiary Forms Your Will May Not Control (Part 2)

Coach Pete D’Arruda and Phil Graham discuss why a will does not necessarily decide who receives every account. They explore beneficiary designations, payable-on-death and transfer-on-death arrangements, life insurance, and the problems that can follow outdated paperwork. Hear the questions they sug…

Phil Graham: Retirement Blind Spots, Fees, and an Income Strategy (Part 1)

Phil Graham joins Coach Pete D’Arruda and Thomas Lipscomb to discuss the questions that can reveal weaknesses in a retirement plan. They examine financial blind spots, hidden costs, market losses near retirement, and the difference between an account balance and a dependable income strategy. The co…

David Walker: National Debt, Social Security, and Your Retirement

Former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker joins Coach Pete D’Arruda to discuss America’s debt, the pressures facing Social Security and Medicare, and why fiscal decisions in Washington matter to families preparing for retirement. They explore Walker’s proposals for reform, his concerns for futur…

Tom Hegna: Hidden Fees, Non-Traded REITs, and Planning Your Legacy

Coach Pete D’Arruda and Tom Hegna look beneath the surface of retirement products, from recurring fees and commissions to the liquidity concerns surrounding non-traded REITs. They discuss why comparing costs requires understanding how a product works, how life insurance may fit into wealth transfer…