Keen On Retirement™

"I'm going to run out of money." That's the fear that stands between so many seniors and enjoying their Golden Years. That's the fear that delays retirement five years too long. The fear that causes new retirees to pinch every penny instead of buying a new car, joining their local country club, or travelling the world. The fear that leaves so many seniors thinking "Coulda ... Woulda ... Shoulda ..." at the end of retirement. In fact, according to a study by the Allianz Center for the Future of Retirement , 64% of Americans are more afraid of running out of money in retirement than they are afraid of death! Today, I'm going to try to bring one of those fears down to size. Because, unlike dying, your odds of running out of money in retirement can be reduced, if not eliminated, with hard work, diligent saving, and comprehensive financial planning.

Last week, I discussed how Keen Wealth's comprehensive planning process might assess a multi-million-dollar nest egg. I think these hypotheticals, including some back-of-the-napkin math, are useful in illustrating how retirement planning can work, and also the limits of focusing exclusively on your numbers. However, in the Keen Wealth offices, we don't work with hypotheticals. We work with real people, their real savings, their hopes, dreams, worries, and goals for the future. Every day, we help hardworking folks navigate complex financial issues that touch every part of their lives. We're honored that our clients have entrusted us with the responsibility of managing assets they've spent decades earning, and we want them to feel confident about their path to retirement. On today's show, we explore the Keen Wealth Advantage in action as we help a couple answer one of life's most important questions: Can we retire?

You typically don't build up a multi-million-dollar nest egg by timing the markets, cutting corners, or getting lucky. The majority of the folks we work with at Keen Wealth who hit that kind of financial milestone get there because over many years they've collaborated with their advisor on a plan they have real confidence in. Through market swings and the inevitable ups and downs of life, they've worked hard, made adjustments, stuck to their plan, and built meaningful wealth. But as you near retirement, it's not about your number. It's about what your number can do for you. Here's an example of how Keen Wealth's comprehensive planning process goes beyond the math to determine if a $2.9 million nest egg is "enough" for a married couple to enjoy a successful retirement at age 65.

According to a report from the Federal Trade Commission, Americans lost $12.5 billion to scams in 2024, a 25% increase from 2023. That's why episodes like this one are among my least favorite to record and also among the most important. We’ve all heard about so many folks losing large sums of money because they answered the wrong phone call or clicked on the wrong email link. The greed, cruelty, and, yes, ingenuity of today's fraudsters is only growing along with the technology available to them. Keeping our audience updated on the latest scams is an important part of Keen Wealth's educational mission. On today's show, we discuss warning signs that you may be dealing with a scammer, as well as best practices for safeguarding your personal information and your nest egg.

Are you ready to retire? Great! Why? Because you're turning 65 this year? Or 70? Or 75? Because you've hit your "retirement number" and you feel good about your nest egg? Because you like how the markets are performing? Because you finally paid off your mortgage? All these factors can contribute to a positive retirement transition. But none of them should "trigger" a rush into retirement either. Even if you're retiring in the right time frame, you could move too quickly and make some of these common mistakes that planning ahead with an advisor could help you avoid.

Well ... we were wrong. During our previous discussion about The One Big Beautiful Bill, we predicted that the final law would probably pass with a different name. But, instead of the acronyms we're used to seeing lately, like the SECURE Act (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement), President Trump and Congress stuck with the original title. For the most part, the final bill also maintains the big picture tax policy objectives that President Trump has been discussing since the start of his second term. On today's show, we focus on the portions of the One Big Beautiful Bill that could have the biggest impact on retirement planning.