The Retirement Decisions That Matter Most After Age 70

What financial moves become more important as retirement gets closer, especially after age 70? John Blanchard discusses why staying financially nimble matters when markets feel expensive, how AI can be a useful research tool without replacing professional guidance, and ways to prepare for retireme…

Is Your Money Working Hard or Sitting Idle?

Is your money quietly losing value while you focus on market headlines? In this episode of Smart Tax Talk, John Blanchard explores the hidden cost of “dead money,” why taxes can be just as important as investment returns, and how the structure of your assets may impact long-term wealth. The conver…

The Retirement Risks Most People Aren't Planning For

Could your retirement plan survive rising healthcare costs, market volatility, and an unexpected tax bill? John Blanchard breaks down why productive assets matter in today's interest rate environment, how retirees can prepare for healthcare expenses that Medicare doesn't cover, and ways to reduce…

What If Market Fear Is Actually Your Biggest Opportunity?

What if the biggest opportunities show up when everyone else is running for the exits? John Blanchard explores why market downturns can create buying opportunities, how disciplined investors approach volatility, and why emotions often get in the way of smart financial decisions. The conversation a…

Could Your Retirement Success Be Creating a Tax Problem?

Could a bigger retirement nest egg actually lead to a bigger tax bill? John Blanchard explores how Social Security taxation, required minimum distributions, capital gains, Medicare premium surcharges, and future tax changes can impact retirement income. The conversation also covers planning for re…

The Hidden Risk Behind a Booming Market

What happens when a strong market, rising wealth, and viral financial advice create a false sense of security? John Blanchard explains why retirement planning requires more than chasing returns, breaking down the risks of investor complacency, the growing importance of Roth conversions, and strate…

Your Portfolio Is Growing... So Why Could Retirement Still Be at Risk?

A portfolio can average strong returns and still run out of momentum when retirement withdrawals collide with market downturns. On this episode of Smart Tax Talk, John Blanchard explains the hidden danger of sequence of returns risk and why average returns do not tell the whole story. He breaks do…

Retirement Roux Podcast 081126

What if one of the biggest investing mistakes is letting fear dictate your decisions when opportunity is right in front of you? John Blanchard explains why market downturns can create buying opportunities, how investors can separate emotion from strategy, and what to consider when evaluating divi…

Could Your Retirement Plan Be Taking the Wrong Kind of Risk?

Could your biggest retirement risk be the money you think is keeping you safe? In this episode of Smart Tax Talk, John Blanchard explains how retirees can balance growth and protection by assigning different jobs to different assets. He discusses sequence-of-returns risk, tax exposure from IRAs, R…

Are You More Concentrated Than Diversified?

Think your portfolio is diversified? It may own the same investments over and over without you realizing it. In this episode, John Blanchard breaks down why investors should look under the hood of their portfolios, from hidden stock overlap and target date fund risks to the tax consequences of reb…