Keen On Retirement

If you go back and skim the 200-plus episodes we've recorded of Keen on Retirement, you'll notice that every year or so, we devote an episode to the latest financial frauds and scams that are making the rounds. Especially as we head into tax season, it's important that folks remember the IRS, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Social Security Administration are never, ever going to call you and ask for your banking info. We also regularly caution folks against clicking on suspicious emails or text message links, or making investments that seem too good to be true with the Bernie Madoffs of the world. On today's show, we talk about another type of financial "fraud" that's perfectly legal but potentially just as dangerous to your financial security: taking bad advice from unaccredited financial commentators and celebrities trying to further their own best interests, not yours.

Just after midnight on New Year's Day of 2012, I was standing in a pizzeria in New York with my wife Carissa. We had just watched “The Ball” drop in Times Square. Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" was playing over loudspeakers. Confetti was in the air. Spirits were high. And I was filled with gratitude and hope for the year ahead. Then I happened to see an email from my mother come in on my phone. What it said confused and worried me. I showed the email to Carissa, and she confirmed my reaction: "It is clear your mother is telling you goodbye." On today's show, I discuss how this experience changed my life, as well as my approach to financial advisory and building community at Keen Wealth Advisors.

We spend a lot of time on Keen on Retirement discussing how retirement is changing, from new laws and rules to generational shifts in how seniors work and live. But one constant in the retirement planning process is the importance of the age of 65. Many folks still feel like turning 65 means you've hit "retirement age," even though the government's definition is a bit different. And even if you continue to work well into your 70s, at age 65 there are some important decisions that should be coordinated as your vision for your Golden Years comes into focus. On today's show, we discuss why the age of 65 will be an especially important transition point for the next couple of years. We also answer listener questions about charitable contributions and required minimum distributions that might factor into your tax prep this spring.

My team at Keen on Retirement has been hard at work analyzing the question that's top-of-mind for many of our listeners. And after crunching the numbers ... Yes, it looks like Taylor Swift will be able to attend the Super Bowl! She's scheduled to perform in Tokyo the night before our Chiefs take on the 49ers, but thanks to a 17-hour time difference -- and, presumably, a private jet -- we do expect to see Taylor in Las Vegas. All kidding aside, I'm especially excited for this round of listener questions. A couple of folks who have been with Keen Wealth for many

At the end of 2023, the Keen on Retirement podcast crossed a significant milestone: 200 episodes. To put that number in context, less than half of the 460,080 active shows on Apple Podcasts reach episode 4. It's a real testament to the quality of our discussions, Keen Wealth Advisors' commitment to financial education, the dedication of my cohosts, and the support of our subscribers that Keen on Retirement is still going strong as we begin our 9th year. On today's show, my cohosts and I look back on our favorite episodes of Keen on Retirement and reflect on some of the common themes that connect our wide-ranging conversations about the economy, investing, comprehensive financial planning, retirement, and living well.

Happy 2024 from the team at Keen Wealth Advisors! The Dow sent us into the New Year on a high note -- literally -- by hitting a new all-time high in December on the back of some very positive economic news. Employment and job creation are still strong. It looks like we're going to avoid the recession that some analysts have been predicting for the better part of two years. And the Federal Reserve is hinting that it might be done with interest rate hikes as well. That's a pretty good jumping-off point for a year that, I can confidently predict, sure won't be boring. Elections, Olympics, big changes to how and where we work, advances in AI and other tech, ongoing conflicts across the globe, Leap Day -- there's a lot to look forward to in 2024, but also a lot of very serious matters to keep tabs on, and a lot of potential distractions to filter out of your financial planning.