Hiring a Financial Advisor: What to Ask & What to Watch For

Choosing a financial advisor can feel overwhelming. Especially when you’re not sure what questions actually matter. In this episode, Mike Canet & Ryan Herbert discuss how investors can better evaluate an advisor or firm before moving forward. The conversation covers what to ask about services provi…

The Retirement Tax Surprise Catching People Off Guard

Retired and still surprised by a tax bill you didn’t see coming? In this episode, Ryan Herbert breaks down why many retirees continue writing checks to Uncle Sam and what’s often being overlooked along the way. From first-year retirement income surprises to how extra IRA withdrawals can trigger hig…

Why Short-Term Losses Feel Bigger Than Long-Term Gains

The market can be up 160% over a decade and still feel unsettling when short-term losses show up. In this episode, Mike Canet & Ryan Herbert dig into why market volatility feels so different depending on where you are in life. They discuss long-term growth versus retirement realities, how risk tole…

The Roth Conversion Sweet Spot

Is there really a “perfect” age to convert retirement dollars? Or is that the wrong question entirely? In this episode, Ryan Herbert & Lawrence Kiely break down the often-misunderstood idea of Roth conversion “sweet spots” and why timing alone doesn’t equal strategy. They discuss how tax brackets, …

When Markets Slip: Why Volatility Feels Bigger Than It Is

Market drops grab headlines, but they’re rarely the biggest challenge facing retirement plans. On this episode, Ryan Herbert & Lawrence Kiely break down the difference between routine market corrections, bear markets, and rare major downturns, while also discussing why short-term volatility often g…

Building a Retirement Roadmap You Can Follow

What if your retirement plan worked more like a GPS: clear directions, planned stops, and updates when conditions change? In this episode, Mike Canet & Ryan Herbert use a road-trip analogy to explain why retirement planning shouldn’t rely solely on probabilities and projections. They discuss the va…

Trump Likes The Way Australia Does Retirement. Should the US Adopt?

What if the way you’re told to save for retirement isn’t the smartest option on the table? A recent comparison between the U.S. retirement system and Australia’s sparks a deeper discussion about taxes, required minimum distributions, and long-term planning. The team breaks down how traditional 401(…

What You See Isn’t What You Get: Hidden Leaks in Retirement Income

Ryan Herbert & Katherine Groce break down common misconceptions about retirement income, taxes, Medicare premiums, and investment returns. They explore why a 401(k) balance isn’t entirely yours, how Social Security can be taxed, why Medicare costs can rise based on income, and how fees quietly erod…

Trump Accounts: A New Way to Think About Saving for Kids

A Super Bowl commercial sparks a conversation that could quietly reshape how families think about long‑term wealth. Mike and Ryan explore the new “Trump accounts,” a government‑seeded savings option for children that blends features of IRAs with long‑term compounding potential. The discussion break…

The Roth Conversion Pitch That Sounds Too Good to Be True

A $5,000 Roth conversion that promises zero taxes sounds tempting but the fine print tells a very different story. In this episode, Mike and Ryan break down a real-world question that raises major red flags in retirement planning. They unpack how certain advisors frame “tax-free” strategies, why bo…