The Financial Huddle | Real Money Conversations for Financial Literacy
The Financial Huddle is a financial podcast that aims to simplify personal finance and investing. Hosted by Certified Financial Fiduciaries Ed Beemiller, Ryan Fleming, and Brian Minier from Keystone Financial Group, the show cuts through confusing financial information with honest, bite-sized conversations. Each episode covers practical money topics and includes some fun sports trivia. The podcast is designed to help listeners gain clarity and confidence in managing their finances.
Episodes
A Practical Approach to AI Investing (Ft. Stoyan Petev)
AI is moving so fast that investors feel whiplash and that’s exactly why we wanted a grounded conversation about AI investing, portfolio strategy, and what’s actually actionable. We’re joined by Stoyan Petev, SVP of Advanced Markets at C2P Enterprises, who brings decades of market experience and a practical framework for thinking about where AI value may accrue beyond the headline stocks everyone
Should I Be Doing Roth Conversions?
Everyone is talking about Roth conversions right now, but most people only hear the hype and miss the parts that actually move the needle. In this episode, we get specific about what a Roth conversion is, why it can be one of the biggest “engines” for moving wealth from the pre-tax bucket to the tax-free bucket, and why the real win is control: control over taxes, control over required minimum dis
Estate Planning w/ Dirk Winkler
Most people say estate planning is important, but the numbers tell a harsher story: a majority of US adults still have no will, no trust, and no powers of attorney. That gap creates real chaos when a family faces a death or, even more common, a sudden loss of capacity. We bring in estate planning attorney Dirk Winkler, who has nearly three decades of experience, to help us cut through the confusio
2026 Halftime Report: First Half of the Year Update
Gas close to $10 a gallon will do that thing where it resets your sense of “normal” in about five seconds. After Ed got back from Lisbon, where gas was almost $10 a gallon, we wanted to zoom out and give a clear 2026 market update at the halfway point, because the mood out there feels anxious even while the major indexes are still trending up. We walk through the first half performance of the S&a
Understanding Annuities - Part 2: How Annuities Actually Work
Bobby Bonilla Day is funny until you realize it’s also a masterclass in cash flow. Decades after he stopped playing, he still gets a check because the deal was built around deferred payments and a guaranteed income stream. We use that story to strip away the noise and explain what an annuity really is, how annuitization works, and why predictable paychecks can be more valuable than a big account b
Understanding Annuities - Part 1: Are Annuities Good or Bad?
“I hate annuities” is one of the loudest opinions in personal finance, and it’s usually missing one critical detail: which annuity, and what job is it supposed to do? We get specific about why annuities are so polarizing, what people are reacting to (fees, commissions, liquidity limits, and opportunity cost), and how those negatives often come from using the wrong product for the wrong objective.
Old vs. New Long Term Care (ft. Alecia Barnette)
Long-term care is the quiet threat that can blow up a retirement plan even when everything else looks “fine.” One health change can turn into years of home care, assisted living, memory care, or a nursing home stay and the monthly costs can be shocking. We want you to hear the numbers, understand the options, and stop treating this as a problem you will “figure out later.” We sit down with Alecia
5 Reasons To Consider a Roth 401k Over a Pre-Tax 401k
One checkbox in your 401(k) can quietly decide how much control you’ll have over taxes for the rest of your life. We sit down and get specific about why a Roth 401(k) deserves a serious look next to the traditional pre-tax 401(k), especially for people living in the wide middle of the tax brackets who are trying to build a smarter retirement plan instead of just following office folklore.We walk t
What is Your Largest Expense in Retirement?
Oftentimes, the biggest surprise cost in retirement is not what people think. We hear “health care” all the time, but in this episode, we make the case that taxes are the true heavyweight and it is not close, especially if most of your savings sit in a traditional 401(k) or IRA. If you have ever looked at your balance and assumed it is all yours, we walk through why that can be a dangerous illusio
The Living Benefits of Life Insurance, A Now Asset
Ready to retire with more calm and less compromise? We break down how a high-cash-value life insurance policy—structured the right way—can become your liquid reserve, your market downturn buffer, and your most flexible tax-advantaged income source, all while protecting your legacy. No fluff, just clear mechanics and real stories that show this can be a “now asset,” not a someday hope.We start with
Is Cash Value Life Insurance a Viable Asset?
In this episode, we reframe life insurance from a death-only benefit to a living asset guided by IRS Section 7702, showing how liquidity, stability, and tax treatment can expand your options. Real stories, bank data, and simple design rules lay the groundwork for part two on implementation.• differences between term and cash value• why liquidity beats forced selling• how Section 7702 enables tax-a
3 Ways to Use Your Mortgage as an Asset ft. Matt Shanlian
Our first guest joins to help reframe the mortgage not as simple debt, but as a flexible tool for cash flow, retirement planning, and estate simplicity. We break down closed-end seconds that preserve low first-lien rates, and clear the fog around reverse mortgages and what really moves rates.• treating the home as its own category on the balance sheet• common equity mistakes and emotional purchasi
Basic Investing For Dummies
We lay out a clear path for new and seasoned investors to avoid costly behavior, understand basic strategies, and keep more of their returns. Data from Dalbar and simple math on “best days” show why time in the market, low fees, and an emergency fund matter most.• why average investors underperform broad indexes• the risk of missing the market’s best days• the role of an emergency fund in avoiding
Is 4% Still The Rule of Thumb?
What if the most important number in your retirement plan isn’t your average return but the order of your returns? We dig into the real mechanics of “safe” withdrawals—why the famous 4% rule became a staple, how William Bengen’s updated 4.7% changes the picture, and where a conservative 3% mindset fits for those who value longevity protection over maximum income. Along the way, we translate the ma
I’m 24, Got My First Paycheck, When Can I Retire?
First paychecks feel like a win… until taxes, rent, and loans show up. We break the noise with a clear playbook for 20-somethings: how to build a budget that actually sticks, why “free money” from your employer match comes first, and when a Roth 401(k) or IRA can set you up for decades of tax-free growth. Along the way, a nostalgic detour through baseball and Pokémon cards shows how small choices
New Year's Resolutions to Make You Healthier & Wealthier
Resolutions fade when they rely on motivation. In this episode, we trade hype for design, showing how to build a practical system that links sleep, budgeting, and automated savings into one durable routine for real wellness. Money stress touches everything—health, relationships, even the way we sleep—so we break the cycle by starting upstream and moving step by step toward financial clarity.We beg
Episode 12: The 12 Days of Financial Planning
The Financial Huddle Christmas Special delivers exactly what the season demands: nostalgia, music, and a financial planning twist wrapped in pure holiday energy. Ryan, Ed, and Brian open with their favorite Christmas songs—Bing Crosby, Pentatonix, Little Drummer Boy—and pivot straight into a full breakdown of “The 12 Days of Financial Planning,” a playful but legitimately valuable guide built arou
Episode 11: Financial Planning's Black Friday: Are There Deals?
Black Friday isn’t just a retail circus. It’s a masterclass in consumer psychology—and a perfect window into how people think about value. In this episode of The Financial Huddle, Ed, Ryan, and Brian break down the real lessons hidden inside the biggest shopping event of the year and translate them directly into smart financial strategy.They open with the cultural shift around Black Friday, the ri
Episode 10: Taxes Just Became Permanent??
They said the 2025 tax brackets were made permanent — but we’ve all seen this movie before. In this episode, Brian, Ryan, and Ed dig deep into The One Big Beautiful Bill and reveal why “permanent” tax cuts might be the most temporary promise in Washington. The conversation breaks down how the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reshaped the system, why the brackets that were supposed to expire suddenly didn’t,
Episode 9: Did The One Big Beautiful Bill ACTUALLY make Overtime, Tips, and Social Security TAX FREE?
In this episode of The Financial Huddle, Ryan, Ed, and Brian break down one of the most talked-about new pieces of legislation - The One Big Beautiful Bill. There's been a lot of noise about "tax-free" Social Security, overtime, and tips, but what's actually true?The team cuts through the misinformation and explains exactly:- What the new deductions mean for tips, overtime pay,
Episode 8: Government Shutdowns: What does that REALLY mean for YOU and ME?
The U.S. government has shut down—again. Headlines are screaming panic, markets are twitching, and the noise is deafening. In this episode, we cut straight through the hype and break down what actually matters for your money, your investments, and your long-term plan.Most investors make the same costly mistakes during events like this—panic selling, chasing cash, abandoning strategy, or freezing i
Episode 7: Avoiding Rookie Financial Mistakes: Budgeting, Saving Early, and Managing Debt
In this episode of The Financial Huddle, Brian, Ed, and Ryan take a deep dive into the financial habits that can make or break your future. The conversation starts lighthearted with stories about kids heading off to college and parents still stepping in to guide their finances, but quickly shifts into the core theme: common financial fumbles and how to avoid them.Ed shares a real-world story of he
Episode 6: Running on Empty? How to Avoid Outliving Your Money in Retirement
This week on The Financial Huddle, we kick things off with football season energy, family updates, and even some half-marathon training mishaps—but the conversation quickly pivots to one of the biggest concerns we hear from clients: Will I run out of money in retirement?It’s not just a casual worry. Studies show that the fear of outliving savings consistently ranks as the top financial concern amo
Episode 5: Pickleball, Fiduciary Duty, & Why Trust Matters in Finance
Welcome back to The Financial Huddle! In this episode, Ryan, Ed, and Brian kick things off with the rise of pickleball, from neighborhood courts to Bainbridge Island’s Hall of Fame. But beyond the sport, pickleball serves as the perfect analogy for today’s topic: fiduciary duty.We break down:What it really means to be a fiduciary and why it matters to you.The difference between “suitable” advice a
Episode 4: Can I Retire? Breaking Down the #1 Financial Question
When clients sit down with us, one question comes up more than any other: “When can I retire?” In this episode of The Financial Huddle, we dive deep into the realities behind that question—why so many Americans don’t know their retirement number, why living longer makes planning more complex, and why early retirement often isn’t a choice.Ryan also shares his personal story of being forced into “re
Episode 3: Planning Through Every Phase of Life
In this episode of The Financial Huddle, Brian, Ed, and Ryan dive into the power of focus - in family, finances, and your future. From navigating wedding season and NFL internships to strategic college funding and business-owner tax planning, the team highlights how intentional financial strategies can create confidence and certainty at every life stage. They also explore long-term care planning,
Episode 2: Trust the Process
In Episode 2 of The Financial Huddle, the team dives deep into the importance of process—on the field, in college athletics, and in financial planning. The conversation kicks off with a personal story about how new NCAA rules allowing direct pay to athletes are reshaping college sports, sparking thoughtful dialogue about the ripple effects on non-revenue sports and smaller programs like Butler.Fro
Episode 1: Welcome to The Financial Huddle – What is our Why?
Episode 1: Welcome to The Financial Huddle – What is our Why?In our very first episode, meet your hosts Ryan Fleming, Ed Beemiller, and Brian Minier as we launch The Financial Huddle! We’re diving into why we started this podcast, how we each found our way into financial planning, and why financial literacy matters now more than ever. From sports backgrounds to corporate careers, we share our stor
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