The Investor Coaching Show with Paul Winkler

Roth Conversions Are Tricky. Did This Financial Columnist Get It Right?

An investor reaches out to a financial columnist because his advisor told him to ditch the Roth Conversion in retirement and just take his family on a cruise instead. Today, Paul examines both the advisor and the columnist’s advice and talks about why people in retirement can get enticed by the idea of tax-free money without considering their current marginal tax rate. 

 

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.

Government Announces 2.5% Increase to Social Security Benefits in 2025. Is It Enough?

It is very difficult to calculate how inflation affects consumers because Americans are purchasing different products in different parts of the country. Today, Paul talks about a 2.5% raise in the COLA for 2025 and the trouble consumers are having keeping up with rising insurance and grocery store prices. Listen along as Paul shares some insight on how retirees feel the pressure of inflation and how some investing strategies can make it even worse. Later in the episode, Paul talks about emergency funds and what happens when you start to play games with your emergency fund by trying to get market returns through bonds or fixed-income investments.

 

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.

What Happens When You Inherit a Non-Qualified Annuity?

Some assets are pretty tricky for someone to inherit because they create a lot of tax problems for the inheritor. Today, Paul talks about what happens when you inherit a non-qualified annuity. Do you pull money out and pay taxes on all of it? Do you annuitize it and hope you outlive your life expectancy? Paul answers these questions and encourages investors to avoid these kinds of problems by not getting their money tangled up in these kinds of products from the start. 

 

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.

What To Do When Your Employer Offers Company Stock as a Benefit

Today, Paul dives into what you should do if you work for a company that offers company stock as a benefit. Listen along as Paul spells out why it’s ok to trust your employer to provide you with a paycheck without putting the future of your retirement completely in their hands. In this episode, Paul explains that owning a single company can actually add risk to the rest of your portfolio even if it's performing well right now and gives you some other options to fully take advantage of this employee benefit. 

 

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.

What To Do When Your Employer Updates Your 401(k)

A concerned investor reaches out to Paul because he got a notice from his employer saying that they are updating 401(k) plans to “superior” fund options and doesn’t know what to do next. Paul explains what you should look for and avoid when your employer updates your 401(k) and how to keep from getting overwhelmed or confused by the options. At the end of the day, you are still responsible for your retirement, and your employer may not be as good at investing and financial planning as they seem. 

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.

What Actually Matters the Most: A Lesson on Asset Allocation

Paul knows that if investors aren’t educated about some of the basics of investing, they're vulnerable to trust someone who sounds like they know what they’re talking about. Today, Paul teaches about the factor that has been proven to make the most difference in the returns of your portfolio: asset allocation. Listen along as Paul explains what it is, why it’s the most important factor, and what happens to your portfolio when an advisor believes that there are more important factors for investor returns. 

 

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.

Forget the “Tax-Free” Retirement and Do This Instead

Tax laws change all the time. That is why Paul wants investors to start thinking about tax advantages like they think about stock returns. We don’t know what tax laws will look like in the future and betting your retirement on specific tax strategies is a lot like betting your retirement on one or two companies. Listen along as Paul talks about the risks of certain tax-advantaged accounts and how to create a strategy that doesn’t rely on you correctly predicting future legislation or income brackets. Later in the episode, Paul talks about an invite he got to an investment webinar.

 

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.

The Proof is in the Portfolio: Analyzing Portfolios with Classic Mistakes (Part 2)

Today, Paul talks about how conditioned investors are to hear about market updates, speculation about interest rates, and updates on specific companies’ stock prices. All of these things either confuse investors about what matters most or force them to get out of investing altogether. Listen along as Paul talks about three specific portfolios he’s seen in the last month and how these bad practices have snuck into clients' investments in places you might not think to look. 

 

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.

The Proof is in the Portfolio: Analyzing Portfolios with Classic Mistakes (Part 1)

Today, Paul talks about how conditioned investors are to hear about market updates, speculation about interest rates, and updates on specific companies’ stock prices. All of these things either confuse investors about what matters most or force them to get out of investing altogether. Listen along as Paul talks about three specific portfolios he’s seen in the last month and how these bad practices have snuck into clients' investments in places you might not think to look. 

 

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.

Healthcare Workers Aren’t Confident About Retirement. How Do We Get Confidence?

One out of three healthcare workers don’t feel confident about their retirement. This number may even be inflated because confidence usually drops during bear markets, and markets have been bullish over the past few years, covering up some bad investing habits. So what does it take for any investor to be confident about retirement? Today, Paul covers this topic and explains why educated investors are confident investors.

 

For more information about what we do or how we can help you, schedule a 15-minute call with us here: paulwinkler.com/call.