Tag: Pete Belcastro
Market Shifts: How to Stay Informed and Prepared (Ep. 71)

Market Shifts: How to Stay Informed and Prepared (Ep. 71)

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As inflation cools, new questions arise about the market’s direction and future economic trends.

How will the Fed’s decisions on interest rates affect your investments? Can the economy withstand reduced inflation without entering a recession?

This week, Josh Leonard and Pete Belcastro dive into the significant shift of investor concerns from inflation to other economic factors, highlighting vital strategies to navigate these changes. 

Join them as they discuss how these trends influence your retirement planning, the potential for future rate adjustments, and strategies to protect your investments during market volatility. 

Josh and Pete discuss: 

  • Understanding the shift from inflation to broader economic concerns 
  • Strategies to manage potential market volatility and protect your investments
  • The impact of interest rate changes on savings and investments
  • The importance of staying informed and focused on long-term trends in financial planning
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Josh Leonard: 

Connect with Pete Belcastro: 

 

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Retirement Success Through Discipline and Goal-Setting with Pete Belcastro, CFP® (Ep. 41)
Retirement Success Through Discipline and Goal-Setting with Pete Belcastro, CFP® (Ep. 41)

Retirement Success Through Discipline and Goal-Setting with Pete Belcastro, CFP® (Ep. 41)

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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
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Josh Leonard: 

Connect with Pete Belcastro: 

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How to Maximize Your Tax Savings with Pete Belcastro, CFP®
Don’t Let Taxes Crash Your Party – How to Maximize Your Tax Savings with Pete Belcastro, CFP® (Ep. 40)

Don’t Let Taxes Crash Your Party – How to Maximize Your Tax Savings with Pete Belcastro, CFP® (Ep. 40)

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Tax time is near. Nobody wants to pay taxes, but we have to, so let’s talk about how we can maximize our tax savings.

In this episode, Josh Leonard and Pete Belcastro, Financial Planner at Leonard Advisory Group, talk about tax planning. They share tips for filing taxes this year and some ways to help reduce taxation in the future and be more tax-efficient. Josh and Pete cover the importance of reporting interest from savings accounts, accurately reporting capital gains from stock sales, and the benefits of qualified charitable distributions. 

Their conversation also includes strategies for making HSA and IRA contributions to reduce taxable income and the significance of conducting a thorough tax analysis for future savings. Additionally, Josh and Pete explore the pros and cons of traditional versus Roth 401(k)s, tax diversification, Roth conversions, and managing capital gains and charitable giving. They also discuss handling sudden income increases and the use of donor-advised funds for tax-efficient charitable contributions.

Josh and Pete discuss:

  • Importance of reporting interest earned on savings accounts and capital gains from stock sales for tax purposes
  • Qualified charitable distributions as a tax-efficient way to donate to charities
  • Tax implications of qualified accounts and making direct contributions to charities from these accounts
  • Opportunity to make HSA and IRA contributions before the tax filing deadline to lower taxable income
  • Benefits of traditional 401(k) versus Roth 401(k) contributions
  • Strategies for managing capital gains and charitable giving as part of comprehensive tax planning
  • Importance of proactive tax planning and practical advice for optimizing tax strategies
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Josh Leonard: 

Connect with Pete Belcastro: 

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The Three-Bucket Strategy for Retirement Planning with Pete Belcastro
The Three-Bucket Strategy for Retirement Planning with Pete Belcastro (Ep. 37)

The Three-Bucket Strategy for Retirement Planning with Pete Belcastro (Ep. 37)

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Is your financial plan secure enough to last until retirement? How could dividing your income into separate groups help ensure your retirement income will last?

Check out this episode as Josh Leonard and Pete Belcastro from the Leonard Advisory team explore the essential elements of retirement preparation. They delve into the “three baskets” strategy, which includes the cash, income, and growth categories. Emphasizing the necessity of an emergency reserve, they discuss allocating funds for predictable costs through secure investments and the importance of long-term growth strategies to manage significant future expenses such as healthcare.

Josh and Pete discuss: 

  • Why is comprehensive retirement planning important
  • What are the three baskets in retirement planning
  • How do stable investments ensure a steady income stream during retirement
  • What role do different financial buckets play in providing insulation and protection for retirement savings
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Josh Leonard: 

Connect with Pete Belcastro: 

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Meet the Newest Member of Our Team: Pete Belcastro, CFP® (Ep. 27)

Meet the Newest Member of Our Team: Pete Belcastro, CFP® (Ep. 27)

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Get to know another puzzle piece that intertwines perfectly in the Leonard Advisory Group’s growing team…

In this episode, Josh Leonard is joined by Pete Belcastro, Financial Planning Consultant at Leonard Advisory Group. Pete shares his journey from cold calling to becoming an investment banker and then a Certified Financial Planner. Pete also discusses his passion for outdoor activities and his dedication to community service. 

Josh and Pete chat about: 

  • Pete’s personal background, including being a Pittsburgh native and a sports fan
  • Pete’s career journey into the world of financial planning and investments
  • The importance of comprehensive financial planning
  • His other certified hat: a father and husband
  • His involvement in the Reading is Fundamental program, which promotes literacy among elementary school students in Pittsburgh
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Pete Belcastro: 

Connect with Josh Leonard: 

About our Guest: 

Pete is a seasoned Financial Planning professional with over 15 years of diverse experience in financial, business, sales, and marketing domains. Presently, Pete serves as a financial planner, specializing in helping clients make decisions that align with their current and future financial requirements. His extensive career includes roles as an independent advisor, a registered assistant, and a licensed banker, providing him with a broad spectrum of financial expertise.

Pete’s belief in the value of a multifaceted background is rooted in his conviction that it enables him to offer clients a distinctive and ultimately more effective perspective when it comes to future planning and goal setting. He firmly believes that a comprehensive understanding, not just of financial matters but also of clients and their individual needs and desires, is the cornerstone of a robust financial plan. This holistic approach underscores his commitment to delivering the strongest financial solutions for his clients.

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