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Financial Symmetry: Balancing Today with Retirement

When considering retirement, do you wonder what financial opportunities you may be missing? Busy lives take over and years pass without taking advantage. In this retirement podcast, the Financial Symmetry advisors unveil financial opportunities, to help you balance enjoying today so you are ready to retire later. By day, they are fiduciary fee-only financial advisors who answer questions about tax savings, investment decisions, and how to save more. If you’ve been putting off your financial to-do list or are just not sure what you’ve been missing, subscribe to the show and learn more at www.financialsymmetry.com. Financial Symmetry is a Raleigh Financial Advisor. Proudly serving clients in the Triangle of North Carolina for over 20 years.
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Financial Symmetry: Balancing Today with Retirement
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Now displaying: Category: general
Mar 12, 2024

While most of our listeners are in or on the cusp of retirement, many have loved ones who are earlier in their careers. Often we get questions on how our listeners and clients can help their younger family members make better financial decisions. 

As we celebrate International Women's Day with this episode, you’ll meet our newest CFP, Niamh Douglas. Niamh and Allison discuss some tools and strategies to help young people who are just starting out get off on the right financial foot.

Resources & People Mentioned

 

Feb 12, 2024

Many investors have been tempted to invest more, if not all, of their portfolios in the S&P 500 given the incredible run it’s had over the last decade.

But today we are talking through five reasons why you should consider not making a concentrated investment only in the S&P 500. 

Don't let recency bias rule your decision-making on the road to your ideal retirement.

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📬 Sign up for the Advisor Corner Newsletter here and receive our Pre-Retirement Checklist. 

🎯 Article - A Few Thoughts on Spending Money

📰 See the full show notes here

🌐 Explore the Retirement Podcast Network here

Jan 29, 2024

One of the biggest financial disasters that people can experience in retirement is divorce. On this episode of Financial Symmetry, Grace Kvantas chats with licensed marriage and family therapist, Lesli Doares.

Lesli shares warning signs to look out for, misconceptions about keeping finances separate, and why couples should seek marriage counseling in retirement. Your marriage affects every aspect of your life. Listen in to learn how you can improve it. 

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📬 Sign up for the Advisor Corner Newsletter here and receive our Pre-Retirement Checklist. 

🎯 Article - Many Happy Returns by David Booth

📰 See the full show notes here

🌐 Explore the Retirement Podcast Network here

 

Dec 26, 2023

In our usual episodes, we aim to arm you with a particular insight or strategy that can help you inch closer to your ideal retirement.  But, with todays show, we want to close the year by providing a list of 15 surprising financial facts about the year that you could share in a conversation with a friend or family member.

We also pay tribute to the great investor Charlie Munger, by providing a few of our favorite Mungerisms.

As you begin your 2024, we thank you all for listening and sharing our show. We look forward to continuing to provide you with helpful steps on your journey to reach an ideal retirement  

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📬 Tips each month to help you Enhance Your Today and Enrich Your Tomorrow. Download our Pre-Retirement Checklist Ebook today

🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

📰 See the full show notes here

 

 

Dec 11, 2023

If you are planning on retiring before age 65, there is no doubt that you have had this question.

What do you do about health insurance? 

In the United States, the health insurance landscape is ever-changing and takes quite a bit of planning. 

Many people even feel anchored to their jobs because of the prohibitive costs of health insurance. However, there are options for healthcare before age 65.

Listen in to discover what your options are and what you should be doing to plan for this complicated aspect of early retirement. 

Outline of This Episode

  • [2:44] COBRA
  • [8:04] Using your spouse’s plan
  • [10:58] The healthcare exchange
  • [17:57] On choosing more than one option

Resources & People Mentioned

Nov 13, 2023

On the journey to reach your ideal retirement, stock options can be a valuable tool to have in your arsenal.

However, it’s easy to make mistakes given most people don’t have a class in high school that provides pointers on how to handle when they vest.

There are many things to consider with stock options: the different types, timing deadlines, tax consequences, and the leverage involved.

Since it is such a complex topic, they’re often put on the back burner and can easily be forgotten about causing you to miss out on a valuable opportunity to increase your wealth.

If you have been offered stock options with your company, you’ll want to hear these 8 common mistakes to avoid when managing your stock options.

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📬 Tips each month to help you Enhance Your Today and Enrich Your Tomorrow. Download our Pre-Retirement Checklist Ebook today

🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

📰 See the full show notes here

 

Oct 30, 2023

There’s so much we can overlook with retirement plans. Here at Financial Symmetry, we are constantly finding ways to help you be aware of retirement opportunities and rules and improve your wealth. 

On this special Halloween-themed episode of Financial Symmetry, Allison has come up with some retirement plan horror stories to spook you. Listen in to ensure that these horrors don’t ruin your retirement plans. 

*****

📬 Tips each month to help you Enhance Your Today and Enrich Your Tomorrow. Download our Pre-Retirement Checklist Ebook today

🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

📰 See the full show notes here

Oct 16, 2023

If you are a long-time listener you know that we like to go through the nuances of financial planning that may be valuable to you. 

In this episode, Allison and I take a look at net unrealized appreciation (NUA). Listen in to learn what it is, who could benefit from it, and the benefits and pitfalls of using NUA. You won’t want to miss out on hearing one of our classic fictional case studies involving Freddie Krueger. Press play to hear if you could benefit from using NUA.

Outline of This Episode

  • [1:20] What is net unrealized appreciation?
  • [3:45] A case study
  • [8:40] The four triggering events
  • [11:15] Benefits of NUA
  • [15:44] The drawbacks

*****

📬 Tips each month to help you Enhance Your Today and Enrich Your Tomorrow. Download our Pre-Retirement Checklist Ebook today

🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

📰 See the full show notes here

Oct 2, 2023

When it comes to the question of rolling over a 401K or 403B to an IRA, many people fear making mistakes. It’s true, that retirement account mistakes can be costly. On this episode, we’ll explore the options you have, the factors to consider, and the reasons you should and the reasons you shouldn’t roll over your employer-sponsored retirement account.

Outline of This Episode

  • [3:15] The 6 options you have when you separate service 
  • [8:01] Factors to consider
  • [13:54] Reasons to roll over
  • [20:45] Reasons not to roll over

*****

📬 Tips each month to help you Enhance Your Today and Enrich Your Tomorrow. Download our Pre-Retirement Checklist Ebook today

🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

📰 See the full show notes here

Sep 18, 2023

Investing is simple but not easy. To that end, what are the impacts if you do a poor job managing your investments?

Several studies from Vanguard and Morningstar have attempted to quantify how behavioral coaching can impact your savings. The numbers settle around 1.5-2%/yr. That may not sound like much, but could equate to millions of difference over 30+ years of savings. 

On this episode, we continue to explore the benefits of the wealth management relationship. If you haven’t listened to the first part you can find it here

Resources & People Mentioned

*****

🎥 See video recaps here

📬 Tips each month to help you Enhance Your Today and Enrich Your Tomorrow. Download the Benefits of Wealth Management here

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📰 See the full show notes here

Aug 7, 2023

If you're a Modern Family fan, you should enjoy today's episode. 

Today, we're diving in the mistakes made when we make assumptions about our IRA beneficiary forms. 

Many people don’t realize this but their IRA has the opportunity to be the star player of their estate plan.  In this episode, we walk through real world examples, to help you take steps now to avoid similar pitfalls in your own lives. 

*****

🎥 See a video recap

📬 Tips each month to help you Enhance Your Today and Enrich Your Tomorrow. Download our Pre-Retirement Checklist Ebook today

🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

📰 See the full show notes here

Jul 24, 2023

The behavioral and emotional side of financial planning takes precedence when planning for our future.

I see this play out frequently in the form of anchoring to a perceived value we’ve grown accustomed to, based on prior experience.

This “value”; however, can unfortunately lead to decisions that damage the success of our financial plan.

Outline of This Episode

  • [1:40] Anchoring to a dollar amount is what we’re used to
  • [5:56] Are you stuck on your stock prices?
  • [10:25] Your retirement number needs to have a basis
  • [15:20] What are you sacrificing to reach your number?
  • [16:13] Don’t limit your tax thinking
  • [20:25] Gain confidence with a financial plan

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect with Chad and Cameron

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Jun 26, 2023

Summer is here! That means it’s time to brush off the bookshelf and get reading. We have a few book ideas to enhance your reading list. If you are looking to improve your financial life or even just enjoy a light beach-read you won’t want to miss this list.

Outline of This Episode

  • [0:55] Never Split the Difference
  • [5:20] The Gap and the Gain
  • [9:55] Simple Wealth, Inevitable Wealth
  • [12:52] Hello, Molly

Resources & People Mentioned

Connect With Chad and Mike

Subscribe To This Podcast

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May 15, 2023

Are you the type of person who loves surprises? One surprise you probably don’t enjoy is having to pay more taxes than you anticipated. 

Unfortunately, taxes are a necessary part of life. The best thing you can do to ensure that you aren’t caught off guard at the end of the tax year is to prepare throughout the year. 

On this episode of Financial Symmetry, Allison Berger and I review 9 ways to prevent taxes from catching you off guard. Don’t let the next tax season take you by surprise. Listen in to hear how you can improve your tax situation so that you can rest easy come tax time.

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🎥 See a video recap & slides referenced here

📬 Tips each month to help you Enhance Your Today and Enrich Your Tomorrow. Download our Pre-Retirement Checklist Ebook today

🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

📰 See the full show notes here

Apr 17, 2023

As you plan to live your ideal retirement, you may want to share your good fortune with others who are less fortunate.

🎥 See a video recap here

Giving is incentivized through the tax code, so being charitably inclined can also help to reduce your tax liability.

In retirement, there are many ways to map out your charitable giving to take full advantage of the tax benefits. This is why, we discuss ways to capitalize on those opportunities while meeting your charitable goals.

Listen in to learn how to enhance your today and enrich your tomorrow while giving intentionally.

What You'll Learn In This Episode

  • [0:49] Common charitable goals
  • [2:37] Time talent and treasure
  • [5:27] Mikey and Minnie’s case study
  • [11:36] Donald and Daisy’s case study
  • [19:13] Be intentional about your giving
  • [21:10] Today’s progress principle

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📬 Tips each month to help you reach your Ideal Retirement. Subscribe to the Financial Symmetry newsletter and receive a free Mega-backdoor Roth guide.

📰 See the full show notes here

🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

Mar 20, 2023

If you have been watching the news lately you may be wondering if your cash is safe. Watching the country’s 16th largest bank collapse causes people to question whether the banking system is set up to ensure that funds are accessible. 

On this episode of Financial Symmetry, we’ll discuss what happened to Silicon Valley Bank, examine how much cash you really need, and explore options for managing your emergency fund. Listen in to learn how to safely manage your emergency fund. 

Outline of This Episode

  • [1:34] What happened with Silicon Valley Bank
  • [4:40] How much cash do you really need?
  • [7:50] How to manage your emergency fund
  • [15:31] Create your own plan

Connect With Chad and Mike

Subscribe To This Podcast

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Mar 6, 2023

As International Women’s Day approaches, we wanted to get together to explore ways to improve the financial outcome for women across the globe. 

In this episode, Allison Berger, Grace Kvantas, Haley Modlin and Darian Billingsley, break down the four Cs of women’s personal finance.

Resources & People Mentioned

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📬 Tips each month to help you reach your Ideal Retirement. Subscribe to the Financial Symmetry newsletter and receive a free Market Volatility Playbook.

📰 See the full show notes here

🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

DOWNLOAD the Sudden Money Financial Transition Journal here

Feb 20, 2023

Retirement is one of the most significant changes that you will manage in your life. It takes not just careful financial planning, but also careful life planning as well. 

🎥 See a video recap here

Our guest today, Susan Bradley, is the author of Sudden Money and the founder of the Sudden Money Institute. She is also a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and a Certified Financial Transitionist (CFT). We discuss how best to prepare for the retirement transition

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📬 Tips each month to help you reach your Ideal Retirement. Subscribe to the Financial Symmetry newsletter and receive a free Market Volatility Playbook.

📰 See the full show notes here

🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

DOWNLOAD the Sudden Money Financial Transition Journal here

Feb 6, 2023

In today’s video, we discuss several questions of what we can learn from last year’s investing experience and what we could expect for 2023.

  • Why 2022 was a challenging year in stock and bond markets?
  • What was historic about the year for bond returns?
  • Could there be a silver lining for stock returns?
  • How do markets react in the years after a down year in stocks?
  • The range of emotions when holding a diversified portfolio
  • Why you’ll always hate something in your portfolio
  • Which 7 stocks held back the S&P 500 in 2022?
  • When does a growth stock become a value stock?
  • What 6 different “expert” companies are predicting for returns over the next 10 years?
  • Why does having an investment plan informed by a financial plan matter?
  • Do you have a monitoring process to know when or when not to act with your portfolio?

Listen in to see how lessons from last year can help you move forward with confidence. 

*****

📬 Tips each month to help you reach your Ideal Retirement. Subscribe to the Financial Symmetry newsletter and receive a free Market Volatility Playbook.

📰 See the full show notes here

🎥 See a video recap here

🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

Jan 23, 2023

The Secure Act 2.0 was recently passed bringing in hundreds of new retirement and investment account changes.

In this episode, we detail some of the most impactful changes for you. We’ll break down these changes to explore planning opportunities for your retirement planning strategies. 

*****

📬 Tips each month to help you reach your Ideal Retirement. Subscribe to the Financial Symmetry newsletter and receive a free Mega-backdoor Roth guide.

📰 See the full show notes here

🎥 See a video recap here

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Dec 26, 2022

As we come to the end of 2022, we reflect on some of our favorite reads and podcasts that we have highlighted in our monthly newsletter. If you’d like to check out what we’ve been reading or listening to on a more regular basis, sign up for our monthly newsletter to get the information delivered straight to your inbox.

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📬 Actionable tips each month to help you reach your Ideal Retirement. Subscribe here are get a free copy of a Pre-Retirement Checklist ebook!

🎥 WATCH video recaps of the show here

📰 DOWNLOAD our Investing Principles Guide

🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

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Resources & People Mentioned

Dec 12, 2022

How often do you go back and question your retirement and investment decisions?

🎥 WATCH a video recap of the show here

When thinking through your personal financial decisions, it is common to be swayed by emotions rather than rational thoughts. However, your emotions could derail your wealth-building journey. 

Today, we explore five of the most common behavioral financial biases and ways to combat them. If you are ready to get serious about making better financial decisions to build wealth, you won’t want to miss this episode. 

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📬 Actionable tips each month to help you reach your Ideal Retirement. Subscribe here are get a free copy of a Pre-Retirement Checklist ebook!

📰 DOWNLOAD our Investing Principles Guide

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Nov 28, 2022

📬 Tips each month to help you reach your Ideal Retirement. Subscribe to the Financial Symmetry newsletter and receive a free Mega-backdoor Roth guide.

What if one of these ten tax tools could be the tax opportunity that you’ve been missing?

If you are looking to increase your wealth over your lifetime, you’ll want to ensure that you have the best tax planning strategies in place for long-term success. 

Paying more taxes now to lower your lifetime tax rate may seem unconventional, but if you are serious about building wealth, this episode could include steps to help you get there. 

From donor-advised funds, QCDs to Roth conversions and more. See if any of these 10 could benefit you.

*****

📰 See the full show notes here

🎥 See latest video of podcast recap here

🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

 

Nov 14, 2022

📬 Tips each month to help you reach Your Ideal Retirement. Subscribe to the Financial Symmetry newsletter & receive a free guide with 5 questions to ask your financial advisor!

So many conversations today are tied to the news. Hard to not find someone talking about the troubled economy, inflation, and the tumbling stock market.

How should you change your investments in light of all these issues? You may be wondering if you are invested too aggressively, or you might even be considering pulling out of the market and waiting out the storm. 

Before you rush in to change your investment tactics, listen to this episode to compare our 10 investing principles to your investing blueprint. 

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🎥 WATCH video recap of the show here

📰 DOWNLOAD the General Investing Principles Guide

🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

 

Oct 31, 2022

None of us know how long we will live, so it is important to prepare for the inevitable. Unfortunately, all that we have earned in this life won’t transfer into the next, so it is important that we have our wishes laid out appropriately.

🎥Watch the video here

An estate plan is a critical component of the retirement planning journey.

Estate attorney, Adam Tarsitano joins the Financial Symmetry podcast again today to discuss spooky estate planning tales from the crypt that he has seen in his experience.

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📬 Tips each month to help you reach your Ideal Retirement. Subscribe to the Financial Symmetry newsletter!

📰 DOWNLOAD the ESTATE PLANNING CHECKLIST

🎥 See other videos of podcast recaps here

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