The Retirement and IRA Show

The Retirement and IRA Show

What do you get when you combine two knowledgeable CFP® PROFESSIONALS (one also a well-informed COLLEGE FINANCE INSTRUCTOR)? If you mix in relevant financial information and a healthy dose of humor you get the Retirement and IRA Radio Show! JIM SAULNIER, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional with Jim Saulnier and Associates who specializes in retirement planning for clients across the country, CHRIS STEIN, a Finance Instructor at Colorado State University who is also a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional, offer real-world knowledge on a diverse range of topics including Social Security planning, investing for your retirement, the fundamentals of 401(k) and IRA accounts. Jim and Chris make learning about your retirement both educational and entertaining!

Episodes

April 26, 2025 65 mins

Jim and Chris discuss listener questions relating to Social Security spousal benefits, IRMAA relief, suspending Social Security for tax planning, and QCD timing with RMDs. (3:00) A listener enquires whether her 85-year-old mother, who recently remarried, must remain on her ex-spouse’s record for one year before switching to spousal benefits on her new husband’s record.(12:15) […]

The post Social Security Benefits, IRMAA, and QCD Ti...

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Chris’s Summary:Jim and I are again joined by Jacob as we continue exploring transition period strategy—the years just before retirement when you’re not yet withdrawing but want to prepare. We cover how near-retirees can manage emotional reactions to volatility while positioning assets to support early retirement spending. For those using our Minimum Dignity Floor™ and […]

The post Transition Period Strategy and Positioning: EDU #2...

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Jim and Chris discuss listener questions relating to tax planning at full retirement age, the minus-one method for RMDs, inherited Roth RMDs, and early Social Security. (9:10) A listener jokes about the state trivia and offers a suggestion for Chris’s benefit.(11:10) Another listener shares a PSA about delays in online Social Security applications and recommends […]

The post Tax Planning, Minus-One Method, Inherited Roth RMDs, and ...

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Chris’s Summary: Jim and I are joined by Jake and Jacob to discuss listener emails related to asset positioning for retirement and the transition period leading up to it. We break down how we think about asset allocation across account types, what a liquidity account is and why we use it, and how we handle […]

The post Asset Positioning in the Transition Period: EDU #2516 appeared first on The Retirement and IRA Show.

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Jim and Chris discuss listener questions relating to Social Security, origins of the RMD age, the tax planning window, and RMDs from Inherited Roth IRAs. (11:00) Georgette asks how to qualify for child-in-care survivor benefits if her ex-husband, who has been missing for seven years, is legally declared deceased. (23:00) A listener wonders when to […]

The post Social Security, RMD age, Tax Planning, and Inherited Roth IRAs: Q&A #25...

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Chris’s Summary:Jim and I are joined again by Jacob as we discuss listener emails about “unicorn” status—our term for retirees whose Minimum Dignity Floor™ and Fun Number™ are both covered by secure income. We clarify what qualifies as secure income and explore whether a very low withdrawal rate from a conservative portfolio might serve as […]

The post Defining Unicorn Status in Retirement: EDU #2515 appeared first on The Retiremen...

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This week’s is a bit of a non-traditional Q&A episode where Jim and Chris address two listener questions on Social Security but then move into Public Service Announcement mode. For the first PSA they discuss a listener email about a potential state-level Roth conversion tax saving strategy. Then, to wrap up the episode, Jim shares […]

The post Social Security, Roth Conversion Tax Strategy, and Identity Theft PSA: Q&A #2514 appeared...

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Chris’s Description Jim and I talk about how market downturns—like the one we’re seeing now—can cause people to second-guess their plans, even when they’re well prepared. We walk through how our Secure Retirement Income Process™ is designed to provide structure and clarity during volatile times, and explain how proper positioning can help you maintain perspective. […]

The post Weathering Market Downturns: EDU #2514 appeared first o...

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Jim and Chris discuss listener questions relating to spousal Social Security benefits, RMD tax withholding, IRA withdrawals, and 401(k) contribution limits. Jim also shares a PSA about a recent attempt at identity theft. (20:15) Jim shares a PSA about a fraudulent payday loan application attempted in his name and what he learned about credit freezes […]

The post Identity Theft, Spousal Benefits, RMD Taxes, IRA Withdrawals, and 401(...

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Chris’s SummaryJim and I continue our review of interesting and sometimes confusing retirement planning facts, mostly drawn from Jim’s recent Ed Slott conference. We focus on the two Roth five-year rules and how they apply to Roth IRAs versus Roth 401(k)s. I explain the key distinctions between tax-free earnings and penalty-free access. Jim goes further […]

The post Roth 5-Year Rules and the Tax Planning Window: EDU #2513 appeared ...

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Jim and Chris discuss listener questions relating to Social Security strategies, spousal benefits, Roth conversions, and annuities. (8:15) George asks whether a widow who was widowed before age 60 has two Social Security claiming strategies available based on the FRA benefit of each spouse.(20:30) The guys address a question about how spousal benefits are calculated […]

The post Social Security Benefits, Roth Conversions, and Annui...

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Chris’s Summary:This week’s EDU show is a throwback to an old favorite—things that make you go “hmm.” Jim brought back a list of oddities from the latest Ed Slott training, covering everything from RMD rules the IRS only recently addressed to real-world court cases involving bankruptcy, lottery tickets, and IRA self-dealing gone wrong. Turns out, […]

The post Things That Make You Go Hmm – RMD Rules, IRA Mistakes, and Tax Court Surp...

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Jim and Chris answer listener questions on Social Security records, GPO, QCD timing, annuity costs, and excess IRA contributions. (10:30) Georgette asks about fixing gaps in her Social Security record. (19:30) The guys discuss how a listener’s spousal Social Security benefits work after the repeal of GPO. (28:30) George seeks clarification on the timing of […]

The post Social Security records, GPO, QCD Timing, Annuity Costs, and Ex...

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March 12, 2025 59 mins

Chris’s Summary: Jim’s back from his conference and Jake joined the show again this week as we tackled the latest Ed Slott quiz. Unlike last time, Jim didn’t give us the book to reference—so Jake and I were going in cold. Jim also decided to test ChatGPT by giving it the entire quiz and the […]

The post IRA Rules Quiz: EDU #2511 appeared first on The Retirement and IRA Show.

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Jim and Chris are joined by Paul Neiffer, CPA to answer listener questions on qualified dividends, gifting strategies, Roth conversions, and trust taxation. (09:00) George wonders if frequent rebalancing in his taxable brokerage account is causing more of his dividends to be classified as unqualified. (21:30) A listener asks for guidance on which accounts to […]

The post Qualified Dividends, Gifting Strategies, Roth Conversions, an...

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Chris’s Summary: Jim is at yet another industry conference, so Jake is stepping in to join me this week. We pick up where Jim and I left off last time, discussing misleading financial articles. This time, we take a critical look at an article from Moneywise that claims to lay out the “standard” order for […]

The post Setting the Record Straight on Clickbait vs Reality: EDU #2510 appeared first on The Retirement and IRA Show.

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Jim and Chris sit down to discuss listener questions relating to Social Security, 529 plans, Fun Vision, and Annuities. (Intro – 12:00) Chris provides a Social Security PSA. (19:00) A listener wonders whether her husbands Social Security benefits have been getting a COLA since his passing or if they’ve been frozen. (26:00) A listener wonders […]

The post Social Security, 529 Plans, Fun Vision, and Annuities: Q&A #2509 appeared firs...

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Chris’s Concise Summary: Jim and Chris examine a recent Suze Orman article on inherited IRA rules, identifying key errors that could mislead readers. They clarify the nuances of the 10-year rule, explain how the required beginning date determines whether annual RMDs are necessary and why Roth IRAs don’t have required minimum distributions. The guys also […]

The post False Facts and Real Consequences: EDU #2509 appeared first on The...

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While Jim is attending a conference, Chris is joined by Jake to discuss listener questions relating to Social Security benefits, RMD taxes, IRMAA, and taxability considerations for claiming Social Security. (5:00) Georgette asks whether her survivor benefit will be reduced since her husband passed away at age 71. (13:30) The guys address whether claiming early […]

The post Social Security Benefits, RMD Taxes, IRMAA, and Social Secu...

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Chris flies solo for this long promised, very special, EDU episode where he describes our retirement planning philosophy and approach in just 30 minutes.

The post Our Retirement Planning Philosophy and Approach, Condensed Version: EDU #2508 appeared first on The Retirement and IRA Show.

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