How much will you really need to save for a secure retirement and how much of an impact will your children have on your savings success?  While you’re raising a family will you really be able save enough for retirement. Everyone’s situation is different of course, but recent stats show parents spend as much 40% of their income raising their children during the years from birth until the children are responsible for their own financial needs. CFN’s John Walker is joined by Desiree Reil and Brian Hillsberg. Each has a different personal experience and therefore a different perspective. They discuss ways having, or not having, children impacts your spending and your potential for saving for retirement. Their conversation will help you identify your priorities and your individual retirement needs based on your lifestyle.

Program Length: 14 minutes

How we handle our finances, our health and well-being, and just about everything we do, is largely within our control. We look ahead. We make plans. Then, the unexpected occurs. Today, I return to the Your Life Your Wealth podcast. I’m back to tell you about the health challenges I've experienced during the past six months. I share the invaluable first-hand lessons I’ve learned, which reinforce the essential need for all of us to prepare for the unexpected.

Program Length: 28 minutes

The stretch IRA, an estate planning strategy that extended the tax-deferred status of an inherited IRA passed to a beneficiary other than your spouse, has been eliminated with the recent passage of the SECURE Act. CFN’s John Walker is joined by CPAs Jim Tate and Tim Joseph to discuss the implications of the change and share important planning strategies that will help reduce the tax burden of the individual inheriting an IRA.  

Program Length: 20 minutes

Recent military activity between the U.S. and Iran has rattled some investors nerves. Such events often result in overblown media coverage, but how the stock market reacts may surprise you. CFN’s John Walker and Dennis Jablonoski cover recent geopolitical events and put them in historical perspective. They discuss several crises dating back to World War II and the often unexpected ways markets have reacted.

Program Length: 16 minutes

Last year was a good year in the equity markets, but for some a positive experience could fade quickly into fear. Many investors brace for a so-called “payback time,” a period in which market gains may erode, or worse, be erased. CFN’s John Walker and Dennis Jablonoski remind us that there are several reasons why an up market, as we experienced in 2019, won’t necessarily be followed by a down market in 2020, and that solid planning remains our best option for success.

Program Length: 17 minutes