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
Can current market predictions be as off the mark? How do long-term investment strategies and emotional management play into market unpredictability? How do unexpected market outcomes challenge current forecasts?
Listen in as Josh Leonard and Pete Belcastro, Financial Planner at Leonard Advisory Group, dive into what the market’s been up to and look back at some of the surprises from last year. They tackle the whole issue of bank failures and what that means for our wallets.
Josh and Pete discuss:
Why are market predictions not always the most reliable
Where has the impact of bank failures been felt in the economy
What is the influence of interest rate changes on the economy
Why is it important to have a long-term investment plan and manage emotions during market fluctuations
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.
In this episode, Josh Leonard discusses the concept of “unretirement” and finding a mission in the next phase of life. They challenge the conventional understanding of retirement, discussing the potential pitfalls, tax implications, and the emotional aspects of stepping away from a lifelong career.
Josh unpacks:
The future of retirement and how individuals are seeking purpose beyond the paycheck
Caution against claiming social security too early due to potential repayments
Reasons why individuals return to the workforce post-retirement
The emotional aspects of work: finding a mission, purpose, and social connection
How work can serve as a gateway to community involvement
As the flowers bloom, the grass gets greener and our worries feel lighter, we know that spring is around the corner. You’re probably cleaning out your closets this spring or your garden beds but we’re going to talk about financial spring cleaning as this is a great time to get organized. It is a process of organizing your finances and reviewing your financial position. It can help find areas to save money, reduce expenses and improve your retirement.
In this episode, Josh Leonard discusses 10 different ways you can clean up your finances to get ready for this season and easily transition, helping you feel confident in your portfolio.
Josh discusses:
How you can calculate and review your expenses
Cleaning up debt and checking your credit report
How to approach that junk drawer we all dread going in to
Optimizing your tax strategy to pay fewer taxes in retirement
Some strategies on how to operate inactive accounts from prior jobs or student accounts that are no longer in use
What do YOU view as your most substantial asset that allows you to live the life you want to live on a daily basis?
In this episode, Josh Leonard talks about the road you have to follow once your paychecks stop coming in. Is your life going to run the same? How do you feel confident in your bank account when that number stops increasing? Where is all your money going to come from? Josh alleviates all of these stressors in detail.
Josh discusses:
How life expectancy can determine the plan you create for your retirement
The ins and outs of pension planning
Some ways you can keep a consistent income source during retirement that does not limit you to a 9-5 job
The Secure Act 2.0 was signed into place on December 23, 2022. This opens several new strategies you can dip into, in order to save for your retirement and/or fund important goals such as education.
In this episode, Josh Leonard discusses the number of changes this act has brought forward to us so that we can save more money more efficiently. Whether you are in the planning stage of your retirement or are looking into the future to understand how to further your savings, this episode will help you move forward.
Josh discusses:
What this act means for people under or over the age of 72
Changes in required minimum distributions and how the reduction penalty has lowered
The increase in catch-up contribution amount for different plans
The ability to roll leftover 529 funds into a Roth IRA tax and penalty-free
How you can more effectively donate to charities of your choice
With the large number of clients under our belt, we pride ourselves in adapting and catering to any of our client’s needs, in any circumstances. This is why we work with trusted professionals, as well as other partnered firms such as AE Wealth Management and Morningstar Investment Management.
In this episode, Josh Leonard is joined by some of the key players from his team: Angela Ferrante, Desiree Hoosac and the founder of Leonard Advisory Group, Bill Leonard. They explain what you can expect while working with them as you plan your retirement. Additionally, they talk about some fun events you can look forward to participating in when you join the clientele.
The Leonard Advisory Group team discusses:
Everyone’s individual role within the business and how it all works together
How the Leonard Advisory Group started out
The importance of a close-knit environment among the staff
How we have helped clients no matter what step in their planning process they are at
William Leonard founded Leonard Advisory Group to fill in the gaps he saw when helping his mother plan for retirement. Bill focused much of his career on the insurance and annuity industry. As an independent advisor, he helped thousands of retirees and pre-retirees face the financial challenges that lie ahead with confidence. Since 1996, Bill has worked in a variety of capacities, gaining valuable experience with insurance. In 2007, he became an independent consultant, focusing on income protection and retirement planning. In his free time, Bill enjoys traveling, boating, skiing, hiking, biking, restoring antique vehicles, and spending quality time with family, friends, and clients. He has been married to his wife, Cindy, for almost 40 years. They have three children: Zach, Josh, and Zoey, as well as a crazy border collie named Sweep. After over 25 years assisting families transition into retirement Bill is excited to transition himself into retirement at the end of 2022.
Angela Ferrante is a 1987 graduate of Allegheny College with a degree in Economics and Finance. She started with Equitable Life as an insurance representative 2 weeks after graduation selling life and disability insurance to the medical community. By 2005 she was supervising 165 representatives in 4 states and running the brokerage side of the office which included the opening of accounts, research, trade placement, cashiering of upwards of $2 million per month, as well as her own client base. Angela became an Accredited Investment Fiduciary in 2015. Angela and Mark live in Somerset County where she enjoys skiing, hiking, biking and gardening.
Desiree Hoosac has worked for over 20 years in client service and administrative roles in the financial and medical industries. Her top priority is to provide exceptional service to clients. This includes assisting the team in preparing for client reviews, updating plans and various service items. Desiree resides in New Eagle, Pennsylvania, with her two rescues: Maggie, a Lab mix, and Mittens, her cat. She has a daughter, Deanne, and granddaughter, Eliza. Desiree stays active trying to keep up with her many great nieces and nephews and enjoys golfing with her dad, playing pinochle, reading, spending time with family, history and being outdoors.
Retirement may pose many questions, but you can make the most of this next chapter of your life by preparing for it intentionally.
And you’re in the right place if you’re wondering how.
Introducing the Hello Retirement podcast with Josh Leonard.
In this inaugural episode, Josh Leonard is joined by the father of the Leonard Advisory Group, Bill Leonard who also happens to be his father and real-life mentor during his shift to the financial services industry.
Bill and Josh share:
Stories of how each of them started in the financial industry
What their business philosophy is
How they integrate teaching in their client community
Leonard Advisory Group’s five areas of personalized retirement planning
William Leonard founded Leonard Advisory Group to fill in the gaps he saw when helping his mother plan for retirement. Bill focused much of his career on the insurance and annuity industry. As an independent advisor, he helped thousands of retirees and pre-retirees face the financial challenges that lie ahead with confidence. Since 1996, Bill has worked in a variety of capacities, gaining valuable experience with insurance. In 2007, he became an independent consultant, focusing on income protection and retirement planning. Bill was an honorary host of the “Protecting Your Profits” radio show on 94.5 3WS Pittsburgh and a weekly guest on the national broadcast “Financial Safari” radio show heard locally on NewsTalk 104.7 FM. He has also been featured on WISR 680 AM and WORD FM. In his free time, Bill enjoys traveling, boating, skiing, hiking, biking, restoring antique vehicles, and spending quality time with family, friends, and clients. He has been married to his wife, Cindy, for almost 40 years. They have three children: Zach, Josh, and Zoey, as well as a crazy border collie named Sweep. After over 25 years assisting families transition into retirement Bill is excited to transition himself into retirement at the end of 2022.
