Transitioning into retirement could feel just as sunny and relaxed as a perfect summer day, but like spending a day in the sun, you’ve got to plan for all weather factors when it comes to retirement or risk feeling a little burned.
Today on Relax, It’s Retirement, Josh Leonard and Pete Belcastro delve into part two of financial literacy for your golden years with a focus on government benefits and tax planning. In addition to managing required minimum distributions and the timing of Social Security benefits, the conversation also navigates through estate planning and the considerations for relocating or downsizing in retirement. Listen in to empower yourself with the knowledge and strategies needed to embrace retirement with confidence and intention.
Josh and Pete discuss:
Maneuvering the complexities of required minimum distributions (RMDs) and their impact on your taxes
Strategic insights into optimizing Social Security benefits based on individual working and earning scenarios.
The importance of updating beneficiaries and how simple changes can drastically influence estate planning
Navigating the decisions surrounding relocation or downsizing in retirement, including tax implications and quality of life considerations
Many believe that impactful philanthropy is exclusive to the ultra-rich. However, strategic charitable giving is accessible to a wide range of donors.
In this episode, Josh Leonard is joined by philanthropy expert Jack Miller, principal of Miller Consulting, for a conversation about how strategic charitable giving can be a cornerstone of your financial planning and legacy. Jack shares his personal journey, blending faith, philanthropy, and financial strategy, to provide listeners with a roadmap to creating a legacy that resonates through generations. Discover the synergy between tax-efficient philanthropy and fulfilling retirement goals, reinforced by Jack’s rich experiences and the strategic insights from Leonard Advisory Group.
Jack discusses:
The pivotal role of charitable giving in tax-efficient retirement planning
Harnessing the Qualified Charitable Distribution to optimize philanthropy and tax benefits
Creative leveraging of assets like real estate and tangible property for charitable impact
Personal stories of charity transforming lives and reinforcing community bonds
And more
Tune in to uncover how charitable giving can amplify your retirement planning and leave a lasting legacy for the causes closest to your heart.
Jack Miller is the principal and lead of Miller Consulting. During his 30-year career, Jack has conducted annual and capital campaigns, special events and estate planning seminars. He has helped individuals contribute millions of dollars to charity and in 2000, his consulting work led Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation to hire him as its first director of planned giving, a position he held until July 1, 2012 when he became Vice President of Development for Baptist Homes Society in Pittsburgh.
From 1993 until 2006, Jack also headed Anlin Industries’ development division before founding Miller Consulting. Since 1975, Jack served western Pennsylvania as planned giving director for United Way of Allegheny County and St. Barnabas Charitable Foundation; chief development officer for Suburban General Hospital, The Medical Center and St. Peter’s Child Development Centers; executive director of Duquense University’s Duke’s Court sports booster organization; assistant development and alumni director at LaRoche College and public relations coordinator at the School for Blind Children.
Jack graduated with distinction from Bethany College and is a past-president of the Pittsburgh Planned Giving Council. In 2000, the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Western Pennsylvania Chapter named him its Outstanding Fund-raising Executive.
In 1992, Jack helped to organize a statewide development issues task force that was instrumental in passing the Pennsylvania Charitable Gift Annuity Exemption Act, 10 P.S. §361 et. seq., that established parameters for Pennsylvania charities to issue gift annuities. The task force also helped to pass legislation that defined purely public charities in Pennsylvania.
Some interesting gifts Jack closed include an outright gift of a personal residence with a retained life-interest; the first funeral home in Pennsylvania to fund a charitable remainder annuity trust and a $500,000 grant from a major foundation to promote planned gifts as a way of leveraging resources.
Are you ready to greet retirement with a well-prepared smile?
Welcome to the Relax, It’s Retirement podcast, where we dive into mastering financial literacy in your golden years. This episode, featuring Josh Leonard and Pete Belcastro, zooms in on transitioning into retirement with intent. They explore practical tips for income and budget planning in April’s Financial Literacy Month, highlighting ways to navigate the shift from a steady paycheck to managing retirement funds. Through engaging discussions and real-life examples, you will glean insights into making informed decisions for a fulfilling retirement.
Josh and Pete discuss:
Understanding income and budgeting in retirement
Navigating the transition from receiving regular paychecks to retirement income planning
Strategies for managing expenses and creating effective budgets
Addressing the impact of healthcare expenses during retirement
Are you struggling to navigate the complexities of charitable giving and tax planning for retirement?
Let us introduce you to Daffy!
Josh Leonard and his guest, Adam Nash, co-founder and CEO of Daffy.org dive into the world of donor-advised funds, money decisions, and much more on this engaging episode of Relax It’s Retirement. They address how Daffy can help simplify your giving and give you more control over your charitable donations. Take the stress and guesswork out of charitable giving, allowing you to support causes you care about with ease while maximizing your tax benefits. Find out how Daffy can revolutionize your approach to giving and tax planning.
Josh and Adam discuss:
What donor-advised funds are, and how do they benefit individuals
How Daffy.org is reshaping charitable giving with cutting-edge technology and innovation
The importance of setting financial goals for charitable giving
The impact of automating contributions on financial planning
Benefits of setting giving goals and embracing a donor-advised fund for smarter tax planning and impactful philanthropy
Adam Nash is co-founder and CEO of Daffy.org. Adam is a proven advocate for development of products that go beyond utility to delight customers. At Dropbox, he led the teams responsible for growth, product strategy, product management & product analytics for a platform with over 600 million registered users with responsibility for all of Dropbox self-service revenue (~90% of all company revenue in 2019).
Before Dropbox, Adam served as the President & CEO of Wealthfront, where for four years he championed the creation of a new category of automated investment services. While Adam was at Wealthfront, the company grew its client base by over 60x, and grew assets under management 45x from less than $100m to over $4 billion. During his tenure, Wealthfront delivered industry-leading innovations including Direct Indexing, the Single-Stock Diversification Service, and the first automated 529 College Savings Plan.
Prior to joining Wealthfront, Adam was Vice President of Product Management at LinkedIn. Adam led LinkedIn’s Platform & Mobile products, including the launch of LinkedIn’s open developer platform and their highly successful native applications and mobile web experiences. Adam was the founder and architect of LinkedIn Hackdays, a seminal program for driving the innovation culture at the company. He also was responsible for leading LinkedIn’s search & cloud efforts, as well as forming and leading their user experience & design team.
Prior to joining LinkedIn, Adam held a number of leadership roles at eBay, including Director of eBay Express, an innovative new site focused on new, fixed-price products. Previously, Adam also held strategic and technical roles at Atlas Venture, Preview Systems and Apple.
Adam holds an MBA from Harvard Business School as well as BS and MS degrees in Computer Science with a focus on Human-Computer Interaction from Stanford University.
Adam was born and raised in Silicon Valley where he lives with his wife, four children, and a golden retriever.
Are you looking to maximize your tax bracket and secure a stress-free retirement?
You might want to consider adding Roth conversions to your retirement plan.
Josh Leonard and Pete Belcastro dive into the world of Roth conversions, discussing three key scenarios when converting to a Roth IRA might benefit your retirement plan with a focus on reducing taxes, maximizing income, and securing a tax-efficient legacy for your family.
Josh and Pete discuss:
Maximizing your tax bracket by strategically converting to a Roth IRA to save on taxes in the future
Using Roth funds for emergency or unexpected expenses to avoid high tax implications when tapping into traditional IRAs
Creating a tax-free legacy asset by inheriting a Roth IRA and providing your heirs with a tax-efficient asset
Balancing tax diversification by considering a blend of traditional and Roth IRAs based on your unique financial situation and long-term goals
Are you nearing retirement but still burdened with your kid’s college debt payments? Discover how you can potentially cut those payments in half with The College Dude.
Today on Relax, It’s Retirement, Josh Leonard and Dan Cieniewicz, CFP®, CCFC, CSLP®, a.k.a. The College Dude, delve into the world of managing Parent PLUS loans to balance funding education and retirement savings effectively. They discuss the nuances of student debt repayment strategies, income-driven repayment plans, the double consolidation loophole, and the impact on retirement planning.
Josh and Dan discuss:
Understanding Parent PLUS loans and their underwriting criteria.
Exploring income-driven repayment plans for managing student loan debt effectively.
Unveiling the double consolidation loophole as a strategy to lower Parent PLUS loan payments.
Examining the implications of student loan repayment on retirement income and estate planning.
Dan Cieniewicz works with parents of teenage children as they find themselves in a position to strategize to pay for college while also staying on track for retirement. Dan’s goal when working with clients is to explain the complexities of the financial aid & college application process and to strategize to make sure that both parents and children are set up for long-term success.
Dan was born & raised in Berks County. He attended Albright College, majoring in Economics & Political Science and played on the football team. Dan has obtained the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation.
Dan is the head girls basketball coach at Warwick High School in Lititz, PA and loves working out and playing basketball. He resides in Lititz with his wife, Carly. He also became a father in March of 2022, to a beautiful daughter, Stella.
Have you ever wondered how quickly the stock market can plunge into a bear market and the impact it has on your investments?
Join Josh Leonard and our Pete Belcastro, as they delve into three significant market crashes in history, including the 1929 stock market crash, Black Monday in 1987, and the recent COVID market meltdown. Discover how fear drives investors, the role of margin accounts, and the importance of long-term investing, even in times of extreme volatility.
Josh and Pete discuss:
Historical market crashes: 1929, Black Monday 1987, and the COVID crash in 2020
Examining the impact of fear on market behavior and investor decisions
Understanding the role of margin accounts and their implications in market downturns
Highlighting the importance of staying committed to long-term investing despite market volatility
What’s your retirement adventure? Meet Barbara Hillary, the trailblazer who set foot on the North Pole at 76. Let’s explore her remarkable story!
In this special Women’s History Month episode, Josh Leonard and Yana Leonard, CIA, MBA, Director of Finance, share the incredible life story of Barbara Hillary, an inspiring woman who challenged herself to achieve the impossible. From battling cancer to conquering the North Pole at 76, Barbara’s journey is a testament to resilience and determination. Discover how she raised funds, trained rigorously, and embodied the spirit of adventure in retirement, inspiring others along the way. Get ready to be inspired to embrace new horizons and set audacious goals.
Josh and Yana discuss:
How Barbara Hillary conquered the North Pole at 76 and later the South Pole
Overcoming health challenges and turning them into inspiration
The importance of finding purpose and adventure in retirement
Planning for the next chapter in life and empowering women to chase their dreams
Embracing new challenges and adventures in retirement
Yana Leonard, CIA, MBA, is the Director of Finance at Leonard Advisory Group. Ms. Leonard has held various finance roles within the manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and food and beverage industries. In her current role, Ms. Leonard delivers strategic recommendations and implements targeted solutions to drive business growth and optimize financial performance. Ms. Leonard earned a bachelor of arts degree in accounting and a minor in economics from Baldwin Wallace University and a masters of business administration (MBA) with a concentration in Accounting. She is a certified internal auditor (CIA). Ms. Leonard grew up in Solon, OH and resides in St. Joseph, MI with her husband Josh, their children, Eli and Isaac, and Layla, a golden retriever. In her spare time, she enjoys attending her kids’ extracurricular activities, traveling, volunteering, reading, and spending time at the lake with friends and family.
Have you ever found yourself making financial decisions based on instinct rather than informed choices?
In this episode, Josh Leonard talks about five common behavioral biases that can influence financial decision-making. He addresses loss aversion, confirmation bias, herd mentality, overconfidence, and anchoring bias, illustrating each with real-world examples. He also discusses the influence of laziness and habit on decision-making and suggests a four-step approach to counteract biases: recognition, education, professional advice, and informed decision-making.
Josh discusses:
Loss aversion and its impact on investment decisions
Confirmation bias and its influence on perceptions and decision-making
Herd mentality and the potential financial risks associated with following the crowd
Overconfidence and its role in guiding risky financial decisions
Anchoring bias and its impact on decision-making and perceptions of value
In a world filled with distractions and temptations, discipline stands as a beacon of consistency and success, guiding us toward our goals and aspirations. Whether in financial planning, health routines, or personal growth, discipline forms the foundation for long-term achievement and fulfillment.
Today on Relax, It’s Retirement, Josh and Pete Belcastro, CFP®, talk about discipline in various aspects of life, drawing parallels between maintaining financial discipline and personal habits. Using personal anecdotes, they emphasize the importance of setting realistic goals, committing to long-term strategies, and seeking professional guidance to achieve financial success in retirement. They discuss the three-bucket approach to retirement planning, emphasizing the significance of consistent contributions and staying invested for long-term growth.
The conversation touches on the value of discipline in navigating market fluctuations and resisting short-term impulses. The episode concludes with insights on the positive impact of discipline in achieving financial goals and the benefit of seeking professional advice for retirement planning.
Key topics include:
The concept of discipline in various aspects of life, including health decisions and financial planning for retirement.
Why setting realistic expectations, consistent behavior, and long-term goals to achieve success is important.
Discipline’s role in investing, and the need for a disciplined approach to navigate market volatility and achieve financial goals.
How discipline can help achieve financial security for retirement.
Negative connotations associated with discipline and how it can actually lead to positive outcomes and personal growth.
The challenges of maintaining discipline and the benefits of setting disciplined goals
