Volatile Vet Podcast

4 Streams of Tax-free Income 2-15-25

Sat, 15 Feb 2025 12:00:00 -0400

How can you create multiple streams of tax-free income in retirement? How can you ensure that your 401K/IRA is insulated against inevitable tax increases in the future? How can you make your tax return so simple that a 4th grader could do it?

In this episode, we break down how to create 4 streams of tax free income in retirement--and some of the sources of that tax-free income might susprise you.

Retirement Destination 2-22-25

Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 -0400

What does “holistic retirement planning” actually mean when a firm says it? On this episode of the Volatile Vet, the R-E-T-I-R-E framework gets spelled out — retirement, estate, taxes, income, risk, and the enjoyment that only shows up when all five are handled — and why conventional “defer, defer, defer” advice quietly hands the IRS a seat at your retirement table, from RMDs to the taxation of your Social Security.

Asset Based Long-term Care 3-1-25

Sat, 01 Mar 2025 12:00:00 -0400

Political risk, longevity risk, and the long-term care plan that isn't one. This week the Volatile Vet looks at how Washington affects your retirement, why Medicare and the VA don't cover what most people assume they do, and walks through a couple who believed they were self-funding long-term care — and what the numbers said instead.

Income Planning with Guaranteed Annuities 3-15-25

Sat, 15 Mar 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Can you legally divorce the IRS in retirement? This episode of the Volatile Vet makes the case for multiple streams of tax-free income, then turns to guaranteed lifetime income: when annuities make sense, when they don't, and why research from Ernst & Young found retirees with guaranteed income covering their living expenses report more confidence — and better health.

First Day of Finance Class 3-22-25

Sat, 22 Mar 2025 12:00:00 -0300

The first day of the finance class nobody got in high school. Grab a notebook: this week the Volatile Vet teaches the tax columns — taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free — where every account you own actually lives, and why the three biggest deductions you enjoy while working tend to vanish right when you retire.

Tariff Markets and Retirement 4-19-25

Sat, 19 Apr 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Tariffs, market swings, and the shelf of tax policy that never really dies. On this week's Volatile Vet: what legislative risk means for IRAs and 401(k)s, what a Compass Report reveals about your current path versus a more holistic one, and why the typical result is more net income, less tax, and assets that last years longer.

Estate and Legacy Planning 4-26-25

Sat, 26 Apr 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Estate and legacy planning rarely has the “wow” of a tax-free strategy — until it's urgent. This week the Volatile Vet walks through the pieces of a complete estate plan, the mistakes seen most often, and a special offer for listeners on a full estate and legacy plan through Abshire Family Financial.

Finding Your IPA (Income Production Ability) 5-4-25

Sun, 04 May 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Meet Tom and Judy: 60 years old, a million in an IRA, more in a 401(k) and a brokerage account — and paying tax on money they aren't even using. This episode of the Volatile Vet works a full Compass Report case study, finds the income production ability hiding in their portfolio, and shows how repositioning changes the math.

The Happiness Dividend 5-17-25

Sat, 17 May 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Introducing the Happiness Dividend. This week on the Volatile Vet: why the strategies that got you up the mountain are not the ones that get you safely down, how a retirement buffer and guaranteed lifetime income change the way retirement feels, and where most financial harm actually happens — in the decumulation years.

Money Misconceptions 5-24-25

Sat, 24 May 2025 12:00:00 -0300

401(k) rollover confusion, small-business finance in a high-rate world, retirement income anxiety, and what the Moody's downgrade of U.S. debt could quietly mean for your future. A Northern Nevada–focused episode of the Volatile Vet, with a complimentary Compass Report on offer for the first callers.

Social Security Planning 5-31-25

Sat, 31 May 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Five recent updates to Social Security, the “shadow tax” that can cut a benefit check by 30, 40, even 50 percent, and why most advisors never mention it. This week's Volatile Vet also details a giveaway of Tom Hegna's bestseller Paychecks and Playchecks for listeners who set up a free visit and Compass Report.

The Other Side of the Pre-tax Equation 6-7-25

Sat, 07 Jun 2025 12:00:00 -0300

The other side of the pre-tax equation. On this episode of the Volatile Vet: the collateral damage a head-in-the-sand approach to retirement creates, worked out in real numbers — including what happens to a portfolio when you replace a smooth average return with the actual year-by-year returns of the market since 2000.

Tax Free Retirement: What’s Legal, What’s Smart 6-14-25

Sat, 14 Jun 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Tax-free retirement: what's legal, what's smart, and how the Compass Report tells the two apart. This week the Volatile Vet covers RMD timing traps — including the year that can hit you with two required distributions — the IRS uniform lifetime table, and how to get as close to the 0% tax bracket as your situation allows.

The One Big Beautiful Bill and the Tax Scorecard 6-21-25

Sat, 21 Jun 2025 12:00:00 -0300

The One Big Beautiful Bill, read through an economic lens rather than a political one — where it stood in the Senate, what changed in the Finance Committee draft, and what it means for retirement accounts. Then the Tax Scorecard: a case study called Johnny that shows the true lifetime tax bill on pre-tax savings.

7 Essential Elements of Your Estate Plan 6-28-25

Sat, 28 Jun 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Seven essential elements every estate plan must have — will, revocable living trust, financial and healthcare powers of attorney, living will, correct beneficiary designations, and the legacy letter — plus the estate-planning mistakes seen most often. A shift of gears this week on the Volatile Vet.

Implications of The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) 7-12-25

Sat, 12 Jul 2025 12:00:00 -0300

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is law. This week the Volatile Vet breaks down what it actually changes for retirees: the new senior deduction, how the taxation of Social Security really works underneath the headlines, and the planning windows the bill opens for tax-free income strategies.

Is the OBBBA Really Beautiful? 7-19-25

Sat, 19 Jul 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Is the One Big Beautiful Bill really beautiful? This episode of the Volatile Vet takes on the near- and long-term tax effects, the new “Trump accounts,” the senior deduction, and the email from the Social Security Administration that overstated some facts and got others flat wrong — plus what the CBO says about Social Security and Medicare's funding by 2035.

Tax Diversification & The Tax Columns 7-26-25

Sat, 26 Jul 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Every financial instrument on earth falls into one of three tax columns: taxable, tax-deferred (“tax procrastination”), and tax-free. This week the Volatile Vet maps brokerage accounts, IRAs, 401(k)s, Roths, annuities and more onto those columns, and explains why the right balance between them is different for every retiree.

Exploring the Engine of a Life Insurance Retirement Plan 8-2-25

Sat, 02 Aug 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Under the hood of a Life Insurance Retirement Plan. Building on last week's tax-columns episode, the Volatile Vet dives into the tax-free column — how a LIRP's engine actually works, what the after-tax numbers look like against a traditional portfolio, and how volatility (standard deviation) shapes real-world results.

7 Key Social Security Updates and 7 Claiming Strategies 8-9-25

Sat, 09 Aug 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Seven key Social Security updates and seven claiming strategies, including the one-time do-over most people never hear about. This week the Volatile Vet explains why a real Social Security maximization report has to look at your whole picture — IRAs, Roths, pensions, real estate — not Social Security in a vacuum.

Getting Your Retirement to Behave 8-16-25

Sat, 16 Aug 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Ever made a money decision and immediately thought, what was I thinking? This week the Volatile Vet gets into behavioral finance: why smart people make dumb money moves, what fear does to a portfolio when the market drops 12%, and how to get your retirement to behave.

Tax-free Income Planning Throughout Retirement 8-23-25

Sat, 23 Aug 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Five streams of tax-free income, built step by step. This episode of the Volatile Vet works a Compass Report case study from a current path full of pitfalls to a plan with far less tax and far more net income — and asks a hard question about a self-funded long-term care plan that would last a year and a half.

Hidden Potential 9-6-25

Sat, 06 Sep 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Borrowing from Adam Grant's Hidden Potential, this week the Volatile Vet argues that most portfolios have potential their owners can't see — the pieces are usually there, just positioned wrong on the chessboard. Taxes are the largest fee you'll pay in retirement, and when the IRS is your joint account holder, you don't know their share until you start living on the money.

Micro vs Macro View 9-13-25

Sat, 13 Sep 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Micro versus macro: why looking at each account in isolation hides the real picture. This week the Volatile Vet walks through account types from taxable to tax-deferred to tax-free — including the ones trending on social media — and how a holistic view changes the decisions you make with each.

Common Questions, Uncommon Answers 9-20-25

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Common questions, uncommon answers. This week the Volatile Vet answers what listeners ask most about the Compass Report — current path versus holistic path, how the stress test works — and gets into the temporary senior bonus deduction through 2028 and how it accelerates moving money out of tax-procrastination accounts.

Tax-free Planning vs Inflation 10-4-25

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Meet Hank and Emily: 63, $1.2 million in pre-tax accounts, a brokerage account, and an 18% effective tax rate. This week the Volatile Vet runs their Compass Report from current path to holistic path — and shows why four years of Roth conversions changed their retirement against inflation and rising taxes.

The 7 Keys to Wise Financial Stewardship 10-11-25

Sat, 11 Oct 2025 12:00:00 -0300

The seven keys to wise financial stewardship — principles you may have heard before, applied in ways you probably haven't. Whether you're starting out, deep in the accumulation years, or already retired, this week's Volatile Vet is about having the courage to look at the x-ray and adjust.

Avoid These Spooky Retirement Mistakes 10-25-25

Sat, 25 Oct 2025 12:00:00 -0300

Halloween edition: avoid these spooky retirement mistakes and outsmart the IRS. This week the Volatile Vet plays Ghostbuster to the retirement myths that haunt personal finance — with a case study of a high earner who finally caught her breath after raising kids, and what to fix before the tricks become permanent.

9 Big Retirement Updates for 2026 11-22-25

Sat, 22 Nov 2025 12:00:00 -0400

Nine big retirement updates for 2026 and their real impact, modeled in case studies where the math meets the road. This week the Volatile Vet covers the new Social Security earnings thresholds, IRMAA surcharges, and how the Compass Report's holistic path turns these changes into multiple streams of tax-free income.

The Great Wealth Transfer & Your Family Legacy 12-6-25

Sat, 06 Dec 2025 12:00:00 -0400

The great wealth transfer is underway — and families lose wealth not because there was no plan, but because nobody knew about it. This week the Volatile Vet gets into hidden expectations, unclear roles, outdated documents, and wrong beneficiaries, plus a giveaway of the firm's digital Holistic Planner.

5 Core Retirement Income Principles 12-13-25

Sat, 13 Dec 2025 12:00:00 -0400

Five core principles of retirement income planning. The strategies that build wealth are not the strategies that distribute it, and traditional advice leaves retirees exposed to four major risks: longevity, inflation, sequence of returns, and taxes. This week the Volatile Vet lays out the framework that addresses all four.

Family Wealth and Harmony 12-20-25

Sat, 20 Dec 2025 12:00:00 -0400

Family wealth and harmony — estate and legacy planning in a different light. As the year closes, this week's Volatile Vet focuses on the family meeting most families have never held: why it matters, what it covers, and how Abshire Family Financial helps clients host one.

Focus on the P.L.A.N. 1-10-26

Sat, 10 Jan 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Focus on the P.L.A.N. — predictability, low correlation, alignment, net income. This week the Volatile Vet explains why the 401(k) was never designed with the middle class in mind, what a retirement strategy engineered for reliable net income looks like, and offers a favorite book on tax-free income to the first callers.

Modern Long-term Care Planning 1-17-26

Sat, 17 Jan 2026 12:00:00 -0400

If you're 65 and married, there's a 65–70% chance one of you reaches 90. The real risk isn't dying early — it's living a long time with the wrong income, tax, and risk strategies. This week the Volatile Vet covers modern long-term care planning, including an approach that keeps your money liquid while lowering today's taxes.

2026 Retirement Rules Changes 1-24-26

Sat, 24 Jan 2026 12:00:00 -0400

For people doing everything right who still feel something is fragile. This week the Volatile Vet breaks down what changes in 2026 retirement strategy — the new catch-up rules and more — mathematically, psychologically, and behaviorally, so you don't become the person who saved perfectly and still retired poorly.

8 Keys to Roth Conversions 1-31-26

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Eight keys to deciding whether a Roth conversion makes sense. This week the Volatile Vet introduces the Tax Scorecard — like golf, lower is better — and shows how shifting dollars into the tax-free column can eliminate RMD problems, lower Medicare premiums, and reduce the tax on your Social Security.

(Asset) Location, Location, Location! 2-7-26

Sat, 07 Feb 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Asset location, location, location. The retirement class you never got — 401(k) versus 403(b) versus TSP, when to convert, the nine-thousand-plus ways to claim Social Security, how to avoid IRMAA — and why losing your three biggest deductions at retirement matters even if your income drops.

8 Truths Wall Street Won’t Tell You About Your Retirement 2-21-26

Sat, 21 Feb 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Eight truths Wall Street won't tell you about your retirement. Building wealth and living on it are different skill sets, and average-return charts don't show what happens when the first three years of retirement go badly. This week the Volatile Vet covers the retirement red zone, withdrawal damage, and the bond seesaw.

13 Successful Money Habits 3-7-26

Sat, 07 Mar 2026 12:00:00 -0400

Thirteen successful money habits — because you can't control the Fed, the headlines, or the market, but you can control what you do. This week the Volatile Vet cuts through the noise with habits that matter more than predictions, including a hard look at sequence-of-return risk when you withdraw too much, too early.

The Essential 7 Keys to Your Estate Plan 3-21-26

Sat, 21 Mar 2026 12:00:00 -0300

The essential seven keys to your estate plan: will, revocable living trust, financial and healthcare powers of attorney, living will, correct beneficiary designations, and the legacy letter. This week the Volatile Vet covers each one and the most common estate-planning mistakes seen at the firm.

Navigating the RRZ 3-29-26

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 12:00:00 -0300

Navigating the Retirement Red Zone — the years just before and after retirement when sequence-of-return risk does the most damage. This week the Volatile Vet gives the topic a full show, digs into research on retirement buffers using a fixed index annuity, and offers David McKnight's The Volatility Shield to the first callers.

The IRMAA Ambush 4-4-26

Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0300

It's on millions of Medicare statements right now, and most people paying it don't know why: IRMAA. This week the Volatile Vet explains the shadow tax where taxes and income collide, why the bill arrives years after the event that triggered it, and the complimentary IRMAA stress test on offer.

The Quest for Max Income 4-11-26

Sat, 11 Apr 2026 12:00:00 -0300

More yield. Better Social Security timing. Higher returns. Retirees try all of it in the quest for maximum income, and it's where the expensive mistakes get made. This week the Volatile Vet runs every strategy through the P.L.A.N. filter and shifts the question from gross income to what you actually keep.

9 Myths That Can Turn the Golden Years Blue 5-2-26

Sat, 02 May 2026 12:00:00 -0300

Nine myths that can turn the golden years blue — beliefs repeated so often they feel like facts. This week the Volatile Vet breaks them open, including the contingency plan of “I'll just go back to work,” and why a retirement plan built on a contingency you can't control isn't a plan.

The 2026 Retirement Reality Check 5-16-26

Sat, 16 May 2026 12:00:00 -0300

“I've got $1.2 million — I think I'm okay.” Compared to what? This week the Volatile Vet's 2026 Retirement Reality Check argues the wrong question is costing people their retirement, with real-world examples from the office and a hard look at what happens if Social Security's benefit formula changes.

Retirement Goal Confluence 5-23-26

Sat, 23 May 2026 12:00:00 -0300

The confluence of retirement goals: however different people's objectives sound, they nearly all point to the same place — peace and confidence. This week the Volatile Vet shows how a Compass Report stress-tests your current path, with a complimentary report offered to the first callers.

The Confluence of Retirement Goals 6-6-26

Sat, 06 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0300

Income to live on, a legacy to leave, less IRS involvement, protection from inflation and downturns — the goals differ, the destination is the same. This week the Volatile Vet works a couple's case study from their 401(k), old IRA, pension and Social Security toward one overriding aim: peace and confidence in retirement.

The Retirement Confidence Recession Why Americans Are More Worried Than Ever 6-13-26

Sat, 13 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0300

The retirement confidence recession. Per Allianz, 83% of Americans felt confident about their financial future in 2020; today it's 70%. This week the Volatile Vet asks why even people with millions feel more stressed than ever — and what actually restores confidence.

Should I pay Voluntary Tax? 6-20-26

Sat, 20 Jun 2026 12:00:00 -0300

Should you pay voluntary tax? Most people transfer wealth unnecessarily and unknowingly — through avoidable taxes, unneeded market risk, and fees they never knew they were paying. This week the Volatile Vet covers asset location versus allocation, orphaned retirement accounts, and how to plug the leaks in the boat.

Retirement Under Pressure 7-11-26

Sat, 11 Jul 2026 12:00:00 -0300

Retirement under pressure — from markets, inflation, taxes, healthcare costs, rates, and headlines. The question is no longer “do I have enough,” it's “can my plan hold up?” This week the Volatile Vet tests retirement plans against predictability, correlation, alignment, and net income.

The New Retirement Red Zone (and Happiness Dividend) 8-15-26

Sat, 15 Aug 2026 12:00:00 -0300

In football, the red zone is the last twenty yards — the highest-value, least forgiving real estate on the field. This week the Volatile Vet applies it to the years around retirement: why a plan that dominated for decades can still lose, what actual market returns do to a “safe” 5% withdrawal, and the Happiness Dividend that a retirement buffer can pay.

Pre-tax Retirement and the Widow’s Penalty 8-22-26

Sat, 22 Aug 2026 12:00:00 -0300

A deep dive on conversions and the Widow's Penalty. This week the Volatile Vet uses the Tax Scorecard — part of the Compass Report — to show the other side of the pre-tax equation: one couple's total retirement taxes and surcharges came to about $2.6 million through age 95, even after every deduction.

What $40 Trillion in Debt Means for Your Retirement 9-12-26

Sat, 12 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0300

The United States crossed $40 trillion in debt on August 19th — climbing about five and a half million dollars a minute. This week the Volatile Vet skips the outrage and talks about what it means for money you spent decades saving, and how the Compass Report's side-by-side paths let the math, not opinions, decide.

The Fund That Never Runs Out 9-19-26

Sat, 19 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0300

This summer's Social Security and Medicare trustees report sounds the alarm on two trust funds, then calls Medicare Parts B and D “adequately financed into the indefinite future.” This week the Volatile Vet explains why that fund can never run out: its funding is reset every year, and the bill lands on retirees as rising premiums and IRMA surcharges taken straight out of Social Security checks. Then he walks through one couple's case where Roth conversions cut lifetime taxes from about $5.1 million to $894,000.

The Tax Tumor in Your Retirement 10-10-26

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 12:00:00 -0300

Every pre-tax IRA and 401(k) has a silent partner: the IRS, and its share grows every time your account does. This week, the Volatile Vet calls it the tax tumor and shows why cutting it out with a Roth conversion costs you potentially nothing, because that tax was never yours to begin with. Then the Tax Scorecard — part of the Compass Report — takes a hypothetical couple with $1.1 million in IRAs: they pay about $2.1 million in lifetime taxes staying pre-tax and about only $318,000 converting, and end up with potentially $2.87 million more in lifetime wealth.