Retirement Planning Education, with Andy Panko
This podcast teaches listeners about IRAs and Roth IRAs, employer retirement plans, taxes, Social Security, Medicare, portfolio withdrawal strategies, annuities, estate planning, and more. Hosted by Andy Panko, it aims to educate on various aspects of retirement planning.
Episodes
#211 – 8 common tax planning mistakes often made in retirement
Andy discusses common tax planning mistakes often made in retirement. Additionally, he shares insight on how to attempt to prevent such mistakes, and/or fix them after they've happenedThe 8 common mistakes are:Not paying enough income tax timely throughout the year, and having underpayment penalties as a resultMissing or not taking the correct amount of Required Minimum Distributions (“RMDs”)
#210 - Q&A edition...Mega backdoor Roth contributions, nonqualified annuities, exceptions to the IRA early withdrawal penalty, when to hire an advisor, how much is too much to pay for an advisor and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: Are tax return amendments needed if info from a 1099-R was left out but doesn't impact the return's gross or taxable income ( 4:08 )What are the pros and cons of using average cost basis tracking for mutual funds ( 8:36 )Tax implications of nonqualified annuities and surrendering vs annuitizing it ( 13:55 )Is there a more optimized way to pay taxe
#209 – "Real" person retirement planning chat with Mark Ross from the Rock Retirement Club
Andy and Mark Ross from the Rock Retirement Club talk about Mark's journey in retiring to become an "encorepreneur" by starting a coaching business, and spending more time creating art. They also address some of standard "real person" planning questions such healthcare before Medicare, Social Security claiming, the emotional transition to leaving the corporate world, and m
#208 - "Hot topics" edition...Andy and Adam Grossman talk about analyzing annuities, retiring to a different state, bonds vs bond funds, inflation and MORE!
Andy and Adam Grossman from Mayport Wealth Management share their thoughts on a handful of current events and "hot topics" relating to retirement planning. Specifically, they talk about:How to analyze an existing annuity and whether to keep it, exchange it to another annuity or surrender it ( 11:44 )The different things to factor in when considering retiring to a different state ( 23:18
#207 – Roth conversion analysis: more than meets the eye
Andy discusses the various areas of consideration and analysis that go into deciding whether Roth conversions might potentially be of value. Furthermore, he explains why it's impossible to actually quantify how much tax savings, if any, Roth conversions might potentially create. And what to consider when figuring out how much to convert in any given yearLinks in this episode:Vanguard's &
#206 - Q&A edition...Social Security spousal benefits, tax withholdings on Social Security, bonds vs bond funds, separating basis out of IRAs and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: Claiming your own Social Security benefit at 62 and then later switching to collecting a spousal benefit after your spouse starts their benefit ( 5:45 )It's said by comedians that there are just a small number of basic jokes and everything else is just a variation. The same could be said about financial planning, where there are just a few core topics,
#205 – "Real" person retirement planning chat with Daryl
Andy chats with a real person (not an advisor) doing their own retirement planning. In this episode, Andy talks with Daryl. They talk about a wide array of retirement planning topics such as when he started getting serious about planning for retirement, how he's gotten comfortable spending from his nest egg, what he's doing for health insurance since he's not yet on Medicare and wha
#204 - "Hot topics" edition...Andy and Brad Flood talk about portfolio withdrawal strategies & sequence of returns risk, financial planning software limitations, balancing optimization and simplicity, and MORE!
Andy and Brad Flood from Tenon Financial share their thoughts on a handful of current events and "hot topics" relating to retirement planning. Specifically, they talk about:Portfolio withdrawal strategies for addressing sequence of returns risk ( 10:44 )Using financial planning software and dealing with its limitations ( 26:25 )Thoughts on Medicare surcharges known as IRMAA, and how much
#203 – Options for holding cash and cash equivalents
Andy discusses the different options for holding cash and cash equivalents (i.e. things that are principal protected, offer some amount of interest and are highly liquid and readily accessible)The options are:Physical bills and coinsChecking accountsSavings accountsCertificates of Deposit, or CD'sMoney Market Mutual Funds or Exchanged Traded Funds that invest like Money Market Mutual FundsMul
#202 – Guest host Mark Rosinski discusses Treasury obligation interest, basis in inherited IRAs, RMD aggregation rules, doubling up contributions to 457 plans, and ways to invest during the Social Security delay period
Guest host Mark Rosinski, CFP®, CPA, RICP®, from Dunes Financial does a "hot topics" episode where he talks about:US Government obligation interest and what to look for on your consolidated 1099 to make sure you properly reflect the state income tax treatment on your tax return ( 9:06 )Understanding and tracking after-tax "basis" in inherited IRAs ( 20:14 )Required Minimum Dist
#201 - Q&A edition...A.I. and financial planning, the "withhold and replace" method of paying taxes, step DOWN in basis, TIPS ladders and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: Correction to a previous Q&A episode regarding taxation of lump sum Social Security benefits paid in one year for benefits attributable to the prior year ( 9:54 )His thoughts on artificial intelligence and how it can impact the financial planning industry ( 13:00 )The "withhold and replace" method of paying taxes when doing IRA distributions o
#200 – 200th episode special edition: my observations about the financial services industry
Special edition 200th episode where Andy shares some of his observations about the financial services industry from his time working in it:Creating good and consistent content is hard to do and do well ( 9:32 )A lot of content is just clickbait to get your views and/or advertise something to you, and not actually good content ( 13:15 )Personal finance is a lot more personal than it is finance ( 17
#199 - "Hot topics" edition...Andy and Jonathan Vance talk about opportunities in the current market environment, 2026 tax updates, questions to ask advisors and MORE!
Andy and Jonathan Vance from Vance Financial Planning share their thoughts on a handful of current events and "hot topics" relating to retirement planning. Specifically, they talk about: Given current world affairs and their impacts on the markets, should you do anything different with your investments, or are there any other planning opportunities to consider ( 14:20 )Tax updates for 20
#198 - Whether to take a pension as a lump sum or monthly payments
Andy discusses the pros and cons of taking a lump sum vs taking monthly payments for your pension, questions to ask yourself to help figure out if it might be better for you to take one vs the other, and other considerations to keep in mind in making the decisionLinks in this episode:www.ImmediateAnnuities.comwww.PBGC.govTenon Financial's April 2026 newsletter - Whether to take a pension as a
#197 - Q&A edition...how often to rebalance, tracking Roth IRA contributions, are RMDs really that bad, paying off mortgages before retirement and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: How often to check your accounts for rebalancing, and how often to check on your bigger picture finances and plan ( 2:32 )What to do with old positions you no longer want in a brokerage account but they all have large unrealized gains ( 16:03 )How Medi-Cal benefits interact with a high deductible health plan and an HSA (spoiler alert...I don't know!) (
#196 – "Real" person retirement planning chat with Jim Kellerman
Andy chats with a real person (not an advisor) doing their own retirement planning. In this episode, Andy talks with Jim Kellerman. They talk about a wide array of retirement planning topics such as when he started getting serious about planning for retirement, how he now spends his days in retirement, what he's doing for health insurance since he's not yet on Medicare and why he's
#195 - Retirement planner chat with Bradley Hilton from Sonas Financial Planning
Andy chats with fellow retirement planner Bradley Hilton, CFP®, TPCP®, MBA from Sonas Financial Planning. In this episode they talk about a wide array of retirement planning topics such as tax planning, distribution strategies, investing, annuities, long-term care insurance, what consumers often overlook in retirement planning and much more!Links in this episode:Bradley's advisory company web
#194 - Gifting, gift taxes, annual gift exclusion and gift tax returns (IRS Form 709)
Andy discusses the ins and outs of gifting, the annual gift exclusion, gift splitting, gift taxes, gift tax returns (IRS Form 709) and more!Links in this episode:Tenon Financial's March newsletter/blog about gifting - hereIRS Form 709 - hereTenon Financial monthly e-newsletter - Retirement Planning InsightsFacebook group - Retirement Planning Education (formerly Taxes in Retirement)YouTube ch
#193 - Q&A edition...Social Security lump sum for retroactive payments, whether to pay off a mortgage, step-up in basis, gifting without having to file a gift tax return and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: Income tax treatment of buying bonds in a normal non-qualified brokerage account when you buy or sell bonds in between coupon periods ( 8:37 )When still working, are 50 or older, are maxing out your 401(k) contributions, and are high income and therefore would need to have your catch-up contribution go into your Roth (instead of pre-tax) 401(k), would it be
#192 – "Real" person chat with Kevin Sebesta from the Rock Retirement Club, discussing FIRE...Financial Independence, Retire Early
Andy chats with a real person (not an advisor) doing their own retirement planning. This week Andy is joined by Kevin Sebesta from the Rock Retirement ClubKevin retired at 43 as part of the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) concept. He shares his planning and retirement journey, and discusses more about FIRE including the FIRE community and thoughts everyone (not just FIRE folks) should
#191 - "Hot topics" edition...Andy and Jason Cutitta talk about inheritances, Die With Zero, TSP in-plan conversion, taking RMDs and MORE!
Andy and Jason Cutitta from ToBa Financial share their thoughts on a handful of current events and "hot topics" relating to retirement planning. Specifically, they talk about: How to incorporate a potential inheritance into your retirement planning ( 12:30 )Limitations of the "Die With Zero" concept ( 18:55 )The upcoming ability to do in-plan Roth conversions in the federal Thr
#190 - All about "backdoor" Roth contributions
Andy does a deep dive into everything about "backdoor" Roth contributions, which is where you make an after-tax contribution to a traditional/pre-tax account, and then convert it to a Roth account. Looks simple on the surface, but there are a lot of angles and gotchas to watch out forLinks in this episode:IRS Form 8606 - hereCongressional meeting summary from December 2017 meeting on the
#189 - My background and prior experiences and how they shaped my views and approach to retirement planning and starting my own firm and creating this podcast
Andy shares his background and how/why that shaped his views, beliefs and approach to providing tax-efficient retirement planning and related content through the Retirement Planning Education website, podcast, YouTube channel, blog and Facebook groupLinks in this episode:Tenon Financial monthly e-newsletter - Retirement Planning InsightsFacebook group - Retirement Planning Education (formerly Taxe
#188 - Q&A edition...Social Security spousal benefits, cognitive biases in investing, changing state tax domicile, naming minors as beneficiaries and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: Can a spouse claim spousal benefits while delaying the start of their own benefit ( 10:40 )What's the best way to view your accounts in terms of how much of them are actually yours after accounting for eventual taxes you have to pay on them ( 14:08 )Can a minor be named as the beneficiary of a retirement account ( 23:28 )His thoughts on dividend stocks
#187 – "Real" person chat with Kevin Lyles from the Rock Retirement Club, discussing six "Retirement Truths"
Andy chats with a real person (not an advisor) doing their own retirement planning. This episode is a bit different from our normal real people chats though. Andy is joined by Kevin Lyles from the Rock Retirement Club. Kevin is a retired corporate lawyer who has since become a certified retirement coach, focusing on helping people with the non-financial aspects of retirement.In the episode, Andy &
#186 - "Hot topics" edition...Andy and Cody Garrett talk about ACA tax credits, Roth conversions, tax gain harvesting, paying taxes in retirement, using HSAs and MORE!
Andy and Cody Garrett from Measure Twice Financial share their thoughts on a handful of current events and "hot topics" relating to retirement planning. Specifically, they talk about: Affordable Care Act ("ACA") tax credits and income "cliffs" in tax planning ( 08:13 )Doing Roth conversions vs tax gain harvesting ( 22:30 )Paying taxes in retirement; estimated payments
#185 - My thoughts and commentary about what the financial markets did in 2025
Andy shares his thoughts and commentary about 2025 returns and events for:U.S. stocksInternational stocksU.S. bondsGold & SilverBitcoinLinks in this episode:Tenon Financial monthly e-newsletter - Retirement Planning InsightsFacebook group - Retirement Planning Education (formerly Taxes in Retirement)YouTube channel - Retirement Planning Education (formerly Retirement Planning Demystified)Retir
#184 - Q&A edition...consolidating accounts, tax withholdings vs estimated payments, QLACs, the 4% rule and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: Potential advantages or disadvantages of consolidating retirement accounts ( 4:28 )Paying taxes through IRA withholdings vs making estimated payments ( 13:08 )Whether a minister's housing allowance impacts Affordable Care Act subsidy eligibility ( 26:11 )When Qualified Longevity Annuity Contracts ("QLACs") might make sense to consider ( 30:27
#183 – Retirement planning chat with a "real" person, Jill
Andy chats with a real person (not an advisor) doing their own retirement planning. In this episode, Andy talks with Jill. They talk about a wide array of retirement planning topics such as leaving the workforce relatively early, keeping expenses moderate yet still doing and enjoying a lot in life, what she wishes she would have known and done sooner for her retirement planning, and more! Links i
#182 - "Hot topics" edition...Andy and Kevin Thompson talk about the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the markets, IRMAA, senior exploitation and MORE!
Andy and Kevin Thompson from 9i Capital Group share their thoughts on a handful of current events and "hot topics" relating to retirement planning. Specifically, they talk about: Thoughts on how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act complicates 2025 tax planning. And in particular whether people 65 or older should try to keep their income low to get some or all of the extra $6k bonus deduction
#181 - Q&A edition...understanding Roth IRA income limits, deciding between pension payment options, when to Roth convert vs distribute from an IRA and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: A correction on something incorrect I said last week regarding deciding which spouse's pre-tax account to distribute or convert from ( 3:28 )Pros and cons of using a single total global stock market fund vs multiple other funds such as just US and just international ( 8:17 )What's in the calculation for Modified Adjusted Gross Income ("MAGI&
#180 - Q&A edition...Social Security spousal and survivor benefits, finding an advisor who doesn't require investment management, how a decedent's income is taxed and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: Starting Social Security benefits early so your minor children can claim dependent benefits, and how the earnings test can come into play if you're still working ( 5:53 )Social Security spousal benefits, and what happens when the lower earning spouse starts their own benefit early at a reduced amount, then later switches to spousal benefits ( 10:35)Soc
#179 – "Real" person chat with Beth Pinsker about her new book, My Mother's Money, A Guide to Financial Caregiving
Andy chats with a real person (not an advisor), Beth Pinsker, a columnist for MarketWatch, about her new book, My Mother's Money, A Guide to Financial Caregiving.In the book, Beth details her personal experience in becoming her mother's financial caregiver, both during her mother's end of life and health decline, and beyond her mother's death and through the estate administrati
#178 - "Hot topics" edition...Andy and Ben Brandt talk about Monte Carlo, Donor Advised Funds, paying taxes on Roth conversions, how advisors dress and MORE!
Andy and Ben Brandt from Retirement Starts Today share their thoughts on a handful of current events and "hot topics" relating to retirement planning. Specifically, they talk about: Thoughts on Monte Carlo analysis; the good, the bad, the ugly ( 9:10 )Why all retirement plans are ultimately wrong as soon as they're made, and need to be agile and adaptable ( 13:30 )How to try to help
#177 - 2025 year-end tax planning tips and items to consider
Andy shares some year-end tax planning tips, deadlines and things to consider around the following topics:contributions to qualified accountsRoth conversionsdistributions from qualified accountsRequired Minimum Distributions ("RMDs")charitable donationsQualified Charitable Distributions ("QCDs") from IRAsgiftingtax loss and tax gain harvestingdoing a projected/pro forma 2025 ta
#176 - Guest host Brian Tegtmeyer from Truly Prosper Financial Planning talks about the non-financial aspects of planning a great retirement
In this special guest host episode, Brian Tegtmeyer from Truly Prosper Financial Planning talks about how to address and plan for the non-financial aspects of retirement such as intellectual engagement, purposeful activities, health and fitness, relationships and more. And he also shares a quick exercise to do to see how you can measure your satisfaction in these various areas, and how to help in
#175 - Q&A edition...The CAPE ratio and US stock market valuation, good enough vs optimization in retirement planning, tax on foreign stock dividends and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: The CAPE (Cyclically Adjusted Price to Earnings) Ratio as a measure of whether the US stock market is overvalued or undervalued, and drawbacks with the CAPE Ratio ( 4:32 )The meaning of Benjamin Graham's quote "In the short run, the stock market is a voting machine, but in the long run it's a weighing machine" ( 17:07 )Helping clients ov
#174 – Retirement planning chat with a "real" person, Jackie Cummings Koski
Andy chats with a real person (not an advisor) doing their own retirement planning. In this episode, Andy talks with Jackie Cummings Koski.But Jackie isn't just the typical "real" person doing her own retirement planning. She went the F.I.R.E. (Financial Independence Retire Early) route and left her corporate job in her late-40s. She's since expanded on the financial knowledge
#173 – Retirement planner chat, with Allen Mueller from 7 Saturdays Financial
Andy chats with fellow retirement planner Allen Mueller, CFA, CFP® from 7 Saturdays Financial. In this episode they talk about a wide array of retirement planning topics such as tax planning, distribution strategies, investing, annuities, long-term care insurance, how to know when people have enough to retire, what consumers often overlook in retirement planning and much more!Links in this episode
#172 - The conflicts, pros, cons and use cases of the different advisory fee structures
Andy shares his views on the few different ways in which people in the financial services/financial advisory industry can receive revenue:Commission-onlyFee-onlyHybrid or fee-basedLinks in this episode:My article in Rethinking65 - How Much Are Your Services Worth?Tenon Financial monthly e-newsletter - Retirement Planning InsightsFacebook group - Retirement Planning Education (formerly Taxes in Ret
#171 - Q&A edition...how much you can spend in retirement, Roth IRA 5-year rule, RMDs, accounts for grandchildren and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: How to calculate how much money you can gift or donate in retirement without running out ( 8:47 )Does the five-year rule met by a previous Roth IRA carry over to a new Roth IRA ( 17:03 )Is it better to draw down an inherited IRA and delay starting Social Security, or vice versa ( 19:39 )Can distributions from an annuity in a 403(b) be used to meet Required
#170 – Retirement planning chat with a "real" person, Scott
Andy chats with a real person (not an advisor) doing their own retirement planning. In this episode, Andy talks with Scott. They talk about a wide array of retirement planning topics such as leaving the workforce early than planned during COVID and later reengaging in part-time work to have social interaction, managing income for purposes of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, how life and fi
#169 - "Hot topics" edition...Andy and Justin Pritchard talk about target date funds, illiquid assets in 401(k) plans, firing an advisor and MORE!
Andy and Justin Pritchard from Approach Financial share their thoughts on a handful of current events and "hot topics" relating to retirement planning. Specifically, they talk about: The pros and cons of target date funds ( 11:05 )Their thoughts on the recent presidential executive order allowing private and illiquid investments to be offered inside 401(k) plans ( 23:26 )Can you make up
#168 - Helpful tools and interesting information from the recent IRS Tax Forum
Andy summarizes some helpful IRS tools and interesting IRS and tax return-related information after his recent attendance at the annual IRS Tax Forum/conferenceLinks in this episode:IRS Taxpayer Online Account - hereID.me - hereIRS IP PINs - hereIRS Document Upload Tool - hereIRS Interactive Tax Assistant - hereTenon Financial monthly e-newsletter - Retirement Planning InsightsFacebook group - Ret
#167 - Q&A edition...basis in inherited IRAs, Social Security break even analysis, coordinating RMDs and Roth conversions and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: How to account on your tax return for the basis in inherited IRAs ( 7:00 )Is having large Required Minimum Distributions ("RMDs") really a bad thing ( 12:04 )Is there any merit to using a break-even analysis to help decide when to start Social Security ( 15:59 )When does it make sense for someone to consider working with a financial advisor ( 18:1
#166 - The most common retirement planning questions from "real" people
In this slight twist to the "real" person episode format, Andy doesn't interview a real person but instead addresses the most common retirement planning questions he gets from "real" people. The questions addressed are:Do I have enough to retire?When can I retire?How much cash should I have?When should I start my Social Security?How do I get money out of my portfolio?How d
#165 - "Hot topics" edition...Andy and Mark Rosinski talk about different withdrawal strategies, rule of 55 distributions, allocating the stock portion of a portfolio and MORE!
Andy and Mark Rosinski from Dunes Financial share their thoughts on a handful of current events and "hot topics" relating to retirement planning. Specifically, they talk about: Thoughts on common withdrawal strategies and what they use in each of their firms ( 12:04 )The level of impact of some of the changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act ( 30:51 )Things to consider when doing rule o
#164 - Summary of the 2025 annual Social Security trustees report
Andy summarizes the recent 2025 annual Social Security trustees report, including what it would actually mean if the system's trust fund were to deplete, and what changes can be made to ensure that doesn't happenLinks in this episode:The full 2025 Social Security trustees report - here My company's August 1 2025 newsletter summarizing the 2025 Social Security trustees report - hereT
#163 - Guest host Larry Pershing from Optimum Retirement Planning talks about managing and reducing concentrated stock holdings
In this special guest host episode, Larry Pershing from Optimum Retirement Planning talks about how to reduce and manage concentrated holdings in your investment portfolio. Particular emphasis is given to the tax implications and tax management of trying to reduce highly appreciated positions in normal brokerage accountsLinks in this episode:Optimum Retirement Planning's website - https://www
#162 - Q&A edition...more about bonds, taking distributions from a 401(k), when tax rates might actually go up (and by how much) and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: Why you know the return you'll ultimately realize if you hold a bond to maturity, but can't know the return you'll eventually realize if you instead hold a bond fund ( 7:13 )A commonsense intuitive answer why bond prices decrease (increase) when interest rates increase (decrease) ( 9:56 )His thoughts on holding only fixed maturity instruments
#161 – Retirement planning chat with a "real" person, Jan
Andy chats with a real person (not an advisor) doing their own retirement planning. In this episode, Andy talks with Jan. They talk about a wide array of retirement planning topics such as leaving the workforce early due to family caregiving needs, how health changes have impacted retirement, how to distribute money from an IRA particularly when looking to do Qualified Charitable Distributions, an
#160 - "Hot topics" edition...Andy and Lauren Hunt talk about the Social Security annual trustees report, the ever-increasing stock market, whether to take out loans or pay for things outright and MORE!
Andy and Lauren Hunt from Daybreak Wealth share their thoughts on a handful of current events and "hot topics" relating to retirement planning. Specifically, they talk about: Their thoughts on the takeaways from 2025 annual Social Security Trustees report ( 7:17 )Some of provisions in the pending One Big Beautiful Bill Act that are likely to impact most people's tax returns ( 16:12
#159 - SPECIAL EDITION...Provisions of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" most likely to impact your tax return
In the SPECIAL EDITION episode, Andy summarizes the key provision of the recently signed into law One Big Beautiful Act that are most likely to impact you and your tax return. The topics summarized are:Permanency of the current federal tax ratesPermanency, and a slight increase, to the current standard deduction amountsA new temporary personal exemption up to $6,000 per person 65 or olderPermanenc
#158 - How investment custodians make money
Andy discusses the main ways in which investment custodians like Scwhab, Vanguard and Fidelity make money (even when you often don't outright directly pay them anything...)Links in this episode:Tenon Financial monthly e-newsletter - Retirement Planning InsightsFacebook group - Retirement Planning Education (formerly Taxes in Retirement)YouTube channel - Retirement Planning Education (formerly
#157 - Q&A edition...bonds and the bond market, paying estimated taxes, converting ALL pre-tax money to Roth and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: A short explanation of bonds and "the bond market" ( 2:48 )Are actively managed bond funds better than passive bond funds ( 21:53 )What are the pros and cons of making all of the year's estimated tax payments in the first quarter ( 30:30 )Why insurers don't offer a long term care product with a 2-3 years elimination period or deductible
#156 - Three "real" people discuss how they handled the emotional transition into retirement and how they now find fulfillment, meaning and satisfaction
Andy chats with three different "real" people to discuss how they handled the non-financial/emotional transition from working to retirement, and what they do now to provide a sense of fulfillment, meaning and purpose and in retirementLinks in this episode:Tenon Financial monthly e-newsletter - Retirement Planning InsightsFacebook group - Retirement Planning Education (formerly Taxes in R
#155 - "Hot topics" edition...Andy and Larry Pershing talk about the Big Beautiful (tax) Bill, US debt, concentration in the S&P 500 and MORE!
Andy and Larry Pershing from Optimum Retirement Planning share their thoughts on a handful of current events and "hot topics" relating to retirement planning. Specifically, they talk about: The pending "Big Beautiful Bill" tax bill that recently was approved by the House; what's in it, what's not in it, practical planning considerations around it, etc. ( 8:12 )Potenti
#154 - What retirement-focused financial and tax planning firms do for their fee, using my firm as an example
Andy discusses what financial firms do for their fee, using his own firm, Tenon Financial, as an exampleLinks in this episode:Tenon Financial's website - https://tenonfinancial.com/Tenon Financial's June 2025 newsletter - hereAndy's article explaining how it's impossible to quantify the value of advisory services in - How Much Are Your Services Worth?Tenon Financial monthly e-n
#153 - Guest hosts Mike Powers and Kirsten Ashbaugh from Manuka Financial talk more about data and cybersecurity best practices
In this special guest host episode, Mike Powers and Kirsten Ashbaugh from Manuka Financial talk cybersecurity best practices.Links in this episode:Manuka Financial's website - https://www.manukafinancial.com/Tenon Financial monthly e-newsletter - Retirement Planning InsightsFacebook group - Retirement Planning Education (formerly Taxes in Retirement)YouTube channel - Retirement Planning Educa
#152 - Q&A edition...how to deal with market declines, Social Security spousal benefits, vacation home sale impacts on IRMAA and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: Why more fund managers don't offer mutual fund-to-ETF conversions ( 5:02 )How my firm helps clients prepare for severe market declines, and how we communicate bad markets to them ( 8:48 )Who's the voice of the intro and outro to this podcast ( 16:06 )For spouses claiming Social Security, what's a good claiming strategy when one spouse doesn&a
#151 – Retirement planning chat with a "real" person, Rob Berger
Andy chats with real people (not advisors) doing their own retirement planning. In this episode, Andy talks with Rob Berger, the creator of the Rob Berger YouTube channel, the founder of the former DoughRoller website, published author and more!. They talk about a wide array of retirement planning topics such as when he started getting serious about retirement planning and a variety of financial t
#150 - "Hot topics" edition...Andy and Brian Tegtmeyer talk about retiring in a down market, concerns about Social Security, making estimated tax payments and MORE!
Andy and Brian Tegtmeyer share their thoughts on a handful of current events and "hot topics" relating to retirement planning. Specifically, they talk about: Should someone delay their planned retirement if the markets are bad ( 6:50 )Should someone cancel or delay taking a big trip in retirement if the markets are bad ( 13:48 )Should someone start Social Security earlier than they were
#149 - Tips and best practices to protect your ID and financial information
Andy provides some tips and best practices to help keep your ID and financial information secure. Specifically:Check your credit report regularlyFreeze your creditGet a tax return filing PIN from the IRSUse strong and unique passwords for all websites and online accountsUse a password managerUse two-factor (if not multi-factor) authentication wherever possibleUse a VPN (Virtual Private Network) wh
#148 - Q&A edition...buffer ETFs, direct indexing, bucketing strategies, kiddie tax and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: Buffer ETFs and whether they can be used as replacements for CDs in building a ladder for upcoming years' expenses ( 4:29 )His thoughts on direct indexing and whether it's worth doing to try to make non-qualified accounts for tax-efficient ( 14:11 )Whether or not it's practical to implement a bucketing strategy ( 23:38 )Considerations to put
#147 – Chat with four "real" people, sharing what they wish they would have known or done differently during their divorces
In this special edition "real" person chat, Andy talks with four different people who went through "gray" divorce (i.e. divorcing later in life; typically over the age of 50), to learn what they wish they would have known or done differently as they were going through the divorce process. Tenon Financial monthly e-newsletter - Retirement Planning InsightsFacebook group - Retir
#146 – Retirement planner chat, with Mark Rosinski from Dunes Financial
Andy chats with fellow retirement planner Mark Rosinski, CFP®, CPA from Dunes Financial. In this episode they talk about a wide array of retirement planning topics such as tax planning, distribution strategies, investing, annuities, long-term care insurance, how to know when people have enough to retire, what consumers often overlook in retirement planning and much more!Links in this episode:Mark&
#145 - Understanding mutual fund capital gain distributions
Andy discusses the ins and outs of mutual fund capital gain distributions, particularly in normal taxable brokerage accounts.Links in this episode:Tenon Financial monthly e-newsletter - Retirement Planning InsightsTo send Andy questions to be addressed on future Q&A episodes, email andy@andypanko.comFacebook group - Retirement Planning Education (formerly Taxes in Retirement)YouTube channel -
#144 - Q&A edition...Rule of thumb for retirement income needs, qualified vs ordinary dividends, Social Security taxation and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: Whether the rule of thumb saying in retirement you'll need about 80% of what you were making in wages is on a gross or net of taxes basis ( 6:49 )Understanding why some dividends are "qualified" and some are not, why they're taxed differently, and why dividends from bond funds aren't qualified ( 14:15 )Whether the decision to start
#143 – Retirement planning chat with a "real" person, Jim Jones
Andy chats with a real person (not an advisor) doing their own retirement planning. In this episode, Andy talks with Jim Jones. They talk about a wide array of retirement planning topics such as transitioning from owning a dental practice into retirement, investing, Social Security, when they got serious about retirement planning, and more! Links in this episode:Jim's podcast - The JimJamTen
#142 - "Hot topics" edition...Andy and Mike Powers talk about tariffs, TIPs, international stocks, data/cyber security and MORE!
Andy and Mike Powers share their thoughts on a handful of current events and "hot topics" relating to retirement planning. Specifically, they talk about: Tariffs: what they are, who pays them, do they cause inflation, etc. ( 9:42 )Pros and cons of Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, or TIPS ( 21:32 )Whether or not to hold international stocks ( 37:07 )Considerations about whether t
#141 - Determining how much Roth conversion to do in a given year
Andy discussed how to determine how much Roth conversion to do in a particular year (assuming you've decided Roth conversions make sense for you). He walks through how to do a current year income & tax projection, and what tax "targets" or "goals" are commonly used in determining how much conversion to do.Links in this episode:DinkyTown 1040 online tax return projectio
#140 - Q&A edition...Donor Advised Funds, back door Roth IRA contributions, 10-year Treasury bonds, crypto and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: Can Donor Advised Funds ("DAFs") be funded with pre-tax IRA money ( 2:22 )How to do a backdoor Roth IRA contribution and avoid the pro rata rule if you have pre-tax funds in other IRAs ( 5:46 )What are the must have important things to address and get right in retirement planning, vs what are nice to have optimization things ( 10:51 )How come mos
#139 – Retirement planning chat with a "real" person, John McLaurin
Andy chats with a real person (not an advisor) doing their own retirement planning. In this episode, Andy talks with John McLaurin. They talk about a wide array of retirement planning topics such as planning for special needs and the "generational" planning involved, investing, Social Security, when they got serious about retirement planning, and more! Links in this episode:The book Joh
#138 – Retirement planner chat, with Liz Yoder from Dependent Financial Planning
Andy chats with fellow retirement planner Liz Yoder, CFP®, ChSNC® from Dependent Financial Planning. In this episode they talk about a wide array of retirement planning topics with a particular emphasis on special needs planning and the unique considerations and areas to consider when you or your child has or is likely to have a disabilityLinks in this episode:Liz's advisory company website -
#137 - 7 scenarios where it might be beneficial to do Roth conversions
Andy discussed seven common scenarios where it might be beneficial to do Roth conversions:You know your income now is much lower than it will be in the futureYou're married (and may eventually be single)You have large pre-tax accountsYour eventual heirs are likely to be in higher tax situations than you currently areYour plan on moving to a state that will have higher income taxes than your c
#136 - Guest host edition...Mike Powers walks through his retirement planning checklist
Special guest host, Mike Powers, CPA, PFS, CFP®, from Manuka Financial sits behind the microphone to walk through his 22-point retirement planning checklist, which includes financial, insurance and lifestyle considerations. Links in this episode:Mike's blog post about the retirement planning checklist - hereGeorge Kinder's life planning three questions - hereMike's company's w
#135 - Q&A edition...understanding financial advisor's titles, repeal of Social Security WEP & GPO, umbrella insurance and MORE!
Listener Q&A where Andy talks about: What it means between an advisor who calls themself a financial planner vs wealth manager vs any other label they choose to use ( 10:24 )My thoughts on the recently repealed Windfall Elimination Provision ("WEP") and Government Pension Offset ("GPO") parts of Social Security ( 20:35 )A follow up to a previously discussed Q&A topic ab
#134 – Retirement planning chat with a "real" person, Brian Alexander
Andy chats with a real person (not an advisor) doing their own retirement planning. In this episode, Andy talks with Brian Alexander. They talk about a wide array of retirement planning topics such as investing, Social Security, when they got serious about retirement planning, funding potential long term care needs and more! Links in this episode:Tenon Financial monthly e-newsletter - Retirement
#133 – Retirement planner chat, with Eric Niergarth from Retirement Roadmap Financial Planning
Andy chats with fellow retirement planner Eric Niergarth, CFP®, RICP® from Retirement Roadmap Financial Planning. In this episode they talk about a wide array of retirement planning topics such as tax planning, distribution strategies, investing, annuities, long-term care insurance, how to know when people have enough to retire, what consumers often overlook in retirement planning and much more!Li
#132 - Why the value in financial advisory services can't actually be measured
Andy explains how there is definitely value in good financial advisory services, but how it's impossible to quantify that value and is often disingenuous for advisors to claim they can, or for studies to try to put a number on itLinks in this episode:Vanguard's research paper - Putting a value on your value: Quantifying Vanguard Advisor's AlphaMy article - How Much are Your Services
