Retire Sooner with Wes Moss

Retirement Catch-Up Strategies, Social Security Timing & Essential Planning Insights

Kickstart your journey to a happier, earlier retirement with this high-energy episode of the Retire Sooner Podcast, where Wes Moss and Christa DiBiase tackle real listener questions and spotlight flexible strategies that could help you build a more confident retirement plan. Whether you're in your 40s, 50s, or beyond, get motivated to consider meaningful actions—starting now. • Jump-start your savings approach in your 40s and 50s, even if you're just beginning to focus on retirement. • Unlock the “50+ Retirement Catch-Up Toolbox” with tools like Roth conversions, HSAs, and enhanced contribution limits. • Discover what’s ahead with new “super catch-up” contribution rules and upcoming IRS changes that may impact your planning. • Maximize your Social Security outlook by understanding how the timing of withdrawals could influence your benefits. • Hear how annuities and home equity were discussed as potential components in long-term financial planning. • Tune in to real-world stories from listeners managing late-in-life parenting, mortgages, and the pursuit of financial independence. • Reconsider the risks and rewards of penny stocks with a balanced conversation about their place in a retirement portfolio. • Weigh the role of pensions in your overall asset allocation for a more personalized investment approach. • Rethink your withdrawal game plan with a closer look at the 4% rule—its origins and relevance today. • Confront concerns around global exposure by reviewing how emerging markets and China-related investments might affect your portfolio. • Strengthen your retirement mindset with income-focused planning designed to help support a more stable financial future. Get energized with actionable ideas and relatable stories that help make retirement planning feel more approachable. 🎧 Listen and subscribe to the Retire Sooner Podcast to join a community focused on financial clarity and living a purpose-filled retirement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are You Richer Than You Think? Retirement Benchmarks and Planning Insights

Think you might be richer than you realize? In this episode of the Retire Sooner Podcast, Wes Moss and Christa DiBiase examine realistic benchmarks and practical frameworks for retirement planning. • Define what the “rich ratio” means and consider how it may reframe your retirement outlook. • Compare your savings habits to U.S. medians to understand the broader landscape. • Acknowledge that building wealth typically occurs over long periods and that consistency can be meaningful. • Discuss research on how happiness and financial confidence often plateau beyond certain savings levels. • Evaluate the roles of traditional and Roth IRAs, 457(b)s, pensions, and brokerage accounts to support flexibility. • Identify scenarios where a standalone brokerage account may be unnecessary for certain savers. • Consider a target date fund allocation approach that may better align with your stated risk tolerance. • Weigh convenience, costs, and tax features of index mutual funds versus ETFs, including changes following a major fund industry patent expiration. • Clarify how the Net Unrealized Appreciation (NUA) rule for company stock in 401(k)s works and where tax treatment can differ. • Review key factors when choosing between a state pension plan and a self directed plan for teachers and public employees. • Position specialized pension income, including Railroad Retirement, as part of a base income layer within an overall plan, subject to program rules. • Incorporate year round tax planning as a component of a well documented retirement strategy, noting that individual circumstances vary. Listen and SUBSCRIBE to the Retire Sooner Podcast for weekly educational conversations that can inform more confident financial decision making. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What If Everything You Knew About Retirement Was Wrong?

Think you know the rules of thumb for retirement and investing? Think again. On this episode of the Retire Sooner Podcast, Wes Moss and Christa DiBiase examine common money myths and respond to listener questions that may reshape how you approach your financial future. What you'll explore in this episode: • Begin investing at any income level by seeing how access to markets has evolved. • Focus on long-term participation instead of trying to perfectly time the market. • Revisit the role of cash in your strategy and reflect on whether “cash is king” still holds. • Understand why not all bonds carry the same level of risk, despite common assumptions. • Consider how long-term investing differs from gambling based on historical probabilities. • Explore modern tools and AI platforms that can support your portfolio analysis. • Avoid the comparison trap by staying grounded in your personal financial goals. • Compare the potential uses of whole life insurance versus long-term investing in special needs planning. • Remember that market declines only become losses when assets are sold. • Recognize the limitations of using past performance to estimate future outcomes. • Examine whether real estate consistently appreciates by looking at real-life exceptions and patterns. • Shift your perspective from outperforming the market to maintaining a long-term plan. • Emphasize the importance of hobbies and social connections alongside financial readiness in retirement. • Track your accounts and consider when changes to a managed portfolio may be appropriate. • Reassess how supplemental funds—like vacation accounts—fit into your broader plan and tax picture. • Simplify charitable giving by analyzing options such as donor-advised funds and intentional planning. 🎧 Listen today and subscribe to the Retire Sooner Podcast for thoughtful insights to help guide your retirement journey._ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Every Retiree Needs to Know About Social Security, Trusts, and Retirement Withdrawals

Take the next step in your retirement planning. Tune in to the latest episode of the Retire Sooner Podcast with Wes Moss and Christa DiBiase, where you'll hear thoughtful, real-world insights designed to help you make informed financial decisions and pursue a more confident, purposeful retirement. • Explore ways to optimize Social Security benefits, including timing strategies, spousal considerations, and personalized withdrawal approaches. • Understand common sources of retirement anxiety, even among high-net-worth individuals, and consider approaches for managing emotional and financial uncertainty. • Learn how trusts can support estate planning goals, from avoiding probate to managing real estate assets within your long-term financial plan. • Consider retirement account strategies such as the Rule of 55, Roth conversion timing, and prioritizing tax-efficient cash flow. Review your investment mix by comparing target date funds and balanced funds, and evaluate which may better align with your risk tolerance and retirement timeline. • Weigh different withdrawal strategies by comparing the timing of distributions from retirement accounts versus claiming Social Security. • Examine how 529 plans and Roth IRAs may fit into your education and retirement planning—especially if you’re part of a high-income household navigating recent tax law changes. Compare the structure and features of S&P 500 mutual funds and ETFs to help determine which may be more appropriate for your investment preferences. 🎙️ Subscribe** and listen to the Retire Sooner Podcast today** for thoughtful conversations that can support your journey toward long-term financial well-being. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Roth Rules, Pension Puzzles, and Real Retirement Stories: Your Questions Answered

In this episode of the Retire Sooner podcast, Wes Moss and Christa DiBiase respond to listener questions and explore practical approaches to navigating retirement, investing, and financial planning. • Discover a common Roth IRA misstep that can lead to unexpected taxes in retirement and learn how to approach it with more clarity. • Explore the process of rolling over a Roth 401(k) into a Roth IRA and how the five-year rule of thumb might impact your withdrawal timeline. • Hear real-world scenarios that highlight different outcomes based on how long your Roth accounts have been in place. • Understand how to approach IRA rebalancing, including what to consider when dealing with concentrated stock positions and market changes. • Compare Social Security and police pension benefits while examining updates to the Social Security Fairness Act and what it could mean for spousal coverage. • Consider the use of retirement income projection tools and how applying more conservative assumptions may help you plan with greater confidence. • Reflect on a “retirement love letter” that reveals three powerful themes behind a fulfilling retirement: financial flexibility, lifestyle design, and intentional planning. • Follow the story of a couple who built a $6 million net worth, established six income streams, and prioritized meaningful pursuits and family in retirement. • Explore why consistent movement and a sense of adventure are strongly connected to retirement satisfaction—and how shared community living can sometimes support both. • Examine how changing family dynamics may shift your highest spending years later in life and why it matters for long-term planning. • Get a clearer understanding of buffered index-linked notes, including their structure, potential costs, and how they differ from ETFs and other options. • Learn how to calculate the present value of a pension using basic inputs such as years of service and average salary. • Hear answers to more listener questions, including how stay-at-home spouses may qualify for Social Security and what pensions might mean for younger professionals. Listen now to explore thoughtful planning strategies, real retirement stories, and insights that can help you design a future with more purpose and peace of mind. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices