Tag: Retirement
How to Choose the Best Place to Retire (Ep. 24)

How to Choose the Best Place to Retire (Ep. 24)

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Are you questioning whether you want to retire in your home state or venture into a different area during your golden years? 

Josh Leonard explores the topic of the best places to retire, depending on an individual’s savings and personal preferences. He explains the important factors to consider when making the decision to relocate such as thinking about the taxes, the cost of living, the proximity to family and friends and more.

In this episode, Josh covers: 

  • How to research the cost of living for the place you desire to relocate to
  • Getting to know the climate or seasonal changes in certain retirement locations
  • Considering the travel time to visit your loved ones, especially any kids or grandkids in your family
  • Looking for areas where it’s not going to be difficult to stay active and make new friends 
  • Thinking about healthcare needs before making a move in retirement
  • Considerations for living overseas in retirement
  • And more

Resources:

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How Can You Prepare for the Rising Cost of College? with Dan Cieniewicz (Ep. 23)

How Can You Prepare for the Rising Cost of College? with Dan Cieniewicz (Ep. 23)

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As your children get closer and closer to graduation, that education cheque is slowly becoming your reality. 

In this episode, Josh Leonard is joined by Dan Cieniewicz aka The College Dude, to discuss all things saving for college. They emphasize the need for parents to come up with a budget and consider sources of funding for college including the FAFSA process and recent changes to it. 

Dan and Josh discuss: 

  • Retirement benefits grandparents can receive through paying for their grandchildren’s education 
  • The challenge of integrating grandparents into the conversation about college funding
  • The importance of scholarships, grants, and choosing the right school for each student
  • The FAFSA Simplification Act and its implications for grandparent-owned 529 plans
  • The four fits and factors you need to consider before choosing a college 
  • And more

Resources:

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About our Guest: 

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.

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Practical Tips for Traveling (Ep. 22)

Practical Tips for Traveling (Ep. 22)

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Dreaming of world travel but unsure how to do it safely?

In this episode, Josh Leonard dives into how you can transition into a retirement life filled with safe, intentional travel. Learn how to embrace the excitement of exploring new places while also ensuring your safety, health, and financial well-being.

We’ll cover:

  • Blending in and maintaining a low profile while traveling
  • The importance of having an emergency plan and what it should include
  • The essentials of a travel first aid kit
  • The need for short-term travel insurance and its implications
  • Why digital copies of your important documents are vital and how to securely manage them
  • The pros and cons of solo travel and maintaining connections back home
  • Strategies to stay sharp, alert, and aware, minimizing risks during your travels
  • The significance of an emergency cash stash and how it can be a lifesaver
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Josh Leonard: 

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5 Reasons to Ignore the Market When You Retire (Ep. 19)

5 Reasons to Ignore the Market When You Retire (Ep. 19)

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Are you worried about the market affecting your retirement plans?

In this episode, Josh Leonard talks about five reasons to ignore the market when you retire. He explains each reason and emphasizes the importance of the corresponding retirement planning steps. But ultimately, it’s all about sticking to a long-term plan. Just like climbing a mountain, reaching the peak doesn’t mean you’re done. Your investments need time to grow. So, relax and tune in to learn more about creating a solid financial plan so you can ignore the market.

The 5 reasons Josh discusses: 

  • You still have a long timeline
  • You have planned for your retirement income
  • You can reduce market risk with a proper tax plan
  • Planning for market corrections
  • You have an ample emergency fund

Resources:

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Important Life Lessons Learned: Father’s Day Edition With Bill Leonard (Ep. 18)

Important Life Lessons Learned: Father’s Day Edition With Bill Leonard (Ep. 18)

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Father’s Day is a great time of the year to reflect on some of the most important life lessons and skills you have learned over the years.

In this episode, Josh Leonard invites a VERY special guest on the show, his father, Bill Leonard! Together they discuss some of the unforgettable life lessons and mindset-altering moments that made them into the fathers, professionals, and family men they are today.

Josh and Bill discuss: 

  • The mindset each of them was taught about work early in life and how it influenced their work ethic
  • How they curated a lifestyle that allows them to be at most, if not all, their kids’ ball games (and how you can too!)
  • Some advice for new parents and how to discover your child’s unique skills and interests throughout their development
  • Strengthening your family’s structure 
  • And more

Resources:

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About Bill Leonard: 

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 of assisting families transition into retirement Bill is excited to transition himself into retirement at the end of 2022.

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Money Meets Machine: The Impact of AI in Financial Services (Ep. 16)

Money Meets Machine: The Impact of AI in Financial Services (Ep. 16)

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In a world where AI is slowly taking over our everyday lives, it is important to understand what exactly this technology is and how it may be beneficial to a number of different aspects of your life. 

In this episode, Josh discusses new AI ventures such as Chat GPT and how some of our everyday devices may not be so far from it. He shares the different ways this technology could be leveraged to serve our clients better.

Josh discusses: 

  • Some benefits AI might bring to your job and everyday life
  • The number of different AI vehicles you might not realize you are using on a day-to-day basis 
  • Ways we see it impacting the financial services industry 
  • How AI can be used to assist in data analysis and decision making
  • The benefits of using AI to personalize and enhance customer experience
  • The future of what these technologies could mean for us in a number of facets 
  • And more

Resources:

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Spring Cleaning! 10 Tips to Clean up your Finances (Ep. 14)

Spring Cleaning! 10 Tips to Clean up your Finances (Ep. 14)

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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
  • And more

Resources:

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Income Planning: When The Paychecks Stop (Ep. 12)

Income Planning: When The Paychecks Stop (Ep. 12)

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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
  • And more

Resources:

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Secure Act 2.0: What does it mean for you? (Ep. 11)

Secure Act 2.0: What does it mean for you? (Ep. 11)

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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
  • And more

Resources:

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Let’s Talk About Risk (Ep. 10)

Let’s Talk About Risk (Ep. 10)

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What is your biggest fear? Many times our fears don’t align with our biggest risks. Market risk has been on the top of everyone’s mind but that is not the only risk we need to worry about in retirement. 

In this episode, Josh Leonard discusses what risks you should be wary of when preparing and in retirement. Due to the recent market activity, everyone’s been worried about the stock market, but that might not be the biggest risk you might be facing in your financial life.

Josh discusses: 

  • Common risks we might not be aware of in retirement
  • How current tax cuts will affect your portfolio in the next few years
  • Longevity risk and how that ties into your retirement plan
  • Mitigating market risks by diversifying
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Josh Leonard: 

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