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#200 The Social Security Special

What better way to celebrate our 200th show -- and the first program of 2015 -- then to have Social Security expert Bill Meyer as our guest! Bill is the founder and Managing Principal of the terrific SS resource, SocialSecuritySolutions.com.

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Bill discusses the Social Security system, how to improve it and then dives into the various strategies available to retirees. With hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake, you can't miss this show!

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#199 Reverse Mortgages, Capital Gains, Financial Planners

Retirement expert Mark Miller join the program to explain Social Security basics (which are always confusing!) and to provide an update about what the Affordable Care Act does for retirees who are pre-Medicare age.

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Mark is the editor and publisher of RetirementRevised.com, but as if that were not enough, he is also a journalist and author who writes for Reuters, Morningstar and anywhere else that a retirement guru is needed — that means a lot of places!

We also fielded questions on reverse mortgages, saving money to buy a house and what to do if you think that your advisor has a conflict.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#198 The Hanukkah, Pre-Christmas Show

As you scramble to complete your holiday shopping, listen to the great questions that we field this week. We start with Karen from Iowa, who holds a large nest egg in illiquid investments. We then shift to Karen, who is getting into the holiday spirit by gifting to her children. (Anyone can give up to $14,000 to an individual without worrying about taxation.

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Steve is trying to decide how to manage his rental income and Dennis wanted to know about Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs).

With just days to go before 2015, check out these year-end money moves!

Our guest Gary Zimmerman of MaxMyInterest.com explains his cool new service is like “Uber for cash” and how it can help you boost your returns with NO RISK!

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#197 The Birthday Show

What better way to celebrate my birthday week than to hang with my radio/podcast family! Thanks for all of the warm wishes and the great questions, starting with VJ from CT, who is gearing up to purchase his first house. (Here's the New York Times calculator that I spoke about during the show!) After reviewing details of his financial life, we were able to find the right price tag, without sacrificing other financial obligations.

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Joe is considering whether to move out of a variable annuity and into a portfolio of index and exchange-traded funds. By doing so, he would lose a guarantee of 6 percent return inside the annuity, but he would also likely save $5,000 annually.

What a delight to have my pal Dan Forbes, CFP® join the program. Dan is the owner of Forbes Financial Planning in East Greenwich, RI where he specializes in working with individuals and small businesses. He was named a Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Ambassador in 2011 and you may even recognize him from the Board’s 2014 media campaign in 2014. Dan was my intern back in the day and even then, I knew he was destined for bigger things! We discussed some year-end ideas, what to do about bond investments and why the fiduciary standard is so important. If you would like a copy of Dan’s year-end checklist, send him an e-mail at: dforbes@forbesplanning.com.

Thanks to Jackson, who asked about owning an account as tenants in common, which gave me the chance to draw a distinction between that ownership structure and joint tenants with rights of survivorship.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#196 Small Caps, Student Loans, Inflation

The holiday music is back, putting callers into a jolly mood for the first show of December! Thanks to Steve from CA, who asked about whether or not to add a small company stock index to his $825,ooo portfolio. Small stocks are defined as those with market capitalizations (number of shares outstanding, times the stock price) of less than $2 million and while they can be more volatile than larger stocks, over time, investors have been rewarded by owning them.

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Check out this chart from Dimensional Fund Advisors, which shows how lucrative small caps have been over time:

Source: Dimensional Fund Advisors

In addition to Steve's allocation question, we also answered investment questions from Alan, Kevin and Diane. Bryan's question about student loans was certainly unique, which "Splashing Around in Debt" was needed a strategy to pay down cheap housing debt as he approaches retirement.

Wade is worried about hyper-inflation, but with oil prices down 30 percent since the summer, it is hard to make the case runaway price increases are coming any time soon.

David was kind of enough to send us more information about Social Security calculators that can be helpful in determining your future benefits. Here is the link: http://www.ssa.gov/oact/anypia/anypia.html

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#195 The Thanksgiving 2014 Show

Have a great Thanksgiving!

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Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#194 Year-End Retirement Planning with Ed Slott

What a treat to have retirement plan expert Ed Slott CPA join the show to help make smart year-end financial decisions! Ed is a nationally recognized IRA expert, television personality and best-selling author who has dedicated his life to educating Americans on saving for retirement and the intricacies of IRAs.

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Among his many pearls of wisdom, delivered with his awesome Long island accent, Ed reminded us to do the following before the clock strikes midnight on December 31, 2014:

  • Make your 2014 Roth IRA conversion
  • Be aware of new IRA rollover rules
  • Max out your retirement accounts
  • Take Required Minimum Distributions
  • Check / Update Beneficiary Forms
  • Be aware of stealth taxes
  • Consider donating your IRA distributions to charity
  • Use Your Gifting Limits

In the first hour of the show, we had a terrific call from Mike in Texas, Sharon in CT and Mike in Maryland, all of whom needed guidance on financial advisors.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:
  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#193 Help Our Veterans!

In honor of the recent Veterans' Day holiday, guest Ann Marsh, Senior Editor and West Coast Bureau Chief of Financial Planning Magazine joined the show. In a must-read article, Ann highlighted how financial problems are weighing on our servicemen and servicewomen, and in some cases, contributing to suicide.

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If you want to help, contact your favorite lawmaker and encourage him/her to support the Holt Amendment, which designates $1 million to study the links between financial stress, financial abuse, and military suicide and to generate recommendations to address these issues.

The two organizations that Ann mentioned are: www.giveanhour.org, which is in the process of considering launching a financial planning arm of its services and www.psycharmor.org, which is putting together a new network of private sector professionals to help soldiers and vets, including financial planners.

Your calls and e-mails are always great-this week was no exception. Kurt from Alaska is considering selling his home, just one year after buying it; Cheryl needs help allocating her investment accounts; Michael wants to know about buying real estate inside his IRA and a Petty Officer was wondering about the impact of rising mortgage interest rates on his VA loan.

When a complicated estate planning question arises, like one from Keith, I recommend consulting an attorney. I know it costs money, but these are thorny issues that require an expert. Edward is weighing a lump sum pension pay out versus an annuity and Philip wanted to know whether he should invest in an insurance policy on his mother.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:
  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#192 Why You Need a Fiduciary Advisor

Guest Paul Auslander the Director of Financial Planning at ProVise Management Group, LLC and the former FPA President and Chairman of the Board, joins the show to discuss why it is so important to hire a FIDUCIARY advisor--one who puts YOUR interests first!

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Paul and I discussed the startling report from the The Financial Planning Coalition, which highlighted the fact that some financial service providers “are contributing to the confusion in the marketplace by identifying themselves as financial planners but not providing financial planning services.” If you want to read more about the report, check out my post "Investors are 'Confused and Harmed'".

We love guests, but we also love your calls. Melanie is a second-time caller, seeking additional advice on how to invest her husband's retirement money. E-mailer Lupe needed help getting started with investing, while Keith is trying to juggle the income tax impact of his 10 rental properties.

Thanks to Ben and Paul who weighed in on collecting Social Security on a former spouse and to Caroline, Beverly and Gail, who wrote in about my recent article "Estate Planning Checklists".

Jan and Debbie wrote in about their retirement accounts and Rich wanted to know about 2015 limits for Roth IRAs.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#191 Open Enrollment Season

Ah, the change of the clocks, the never-ending temptation of Halloween candy and the mind numbing exercise of choosing new benefits! It's that time of year -- open enrollment -- and we have special guest Paul Essner of The Signature Group to help wade through the choices.

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Paul raised an important issue, but luckily it's one that you can address. As the cost of insurance rises, many are not taking into account their specific health care situations and as a result, they are not choosing the most affordable health care option.

The solution is easy: you need to understand how you are using health care and project what the year ahead will look like to determine the best plan for you. (Hint: Some may be better off using high deductible plans, paired with Health Savings Accounts!) Paul also addressed some of the nuances of the Affordable Care Act and its impact on employers, as well as how some companies are rolling out new benefits that could be advantageous.

Karen is 61 years old and plans to retire next year. Her big question is whether she will be able to supplement her pension and Social Security, to the tune of about $20K per year. The answer is yes, with a caveat…

We helped Sally figure out whether or not to take an employer buyout and discussed how Barbara and her husband should pay for long-term care.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#190 Credit Boot Camp with John Ulzheimer

Nationally recognized expert on credit reporting, credit scoring and identity theft John Ulzheimer joins us for a pre-holiday season credit boot camp! John is the President of The Ulzheimer Group, the Credit Expert at CreditSesame.com and the credit blogger for Mint.com. Formerly of FICO, Equifax and Credit.com, John is the only recognized credit expert who actually comes from the credit industry.

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John scared the you-know what out of us, as he discussed identity theft. Did you know that Phishing is out, but SPEAR-PHISHING is in? Bottom line: it's going to happen to you, so you better be smart about how you handle your information.

As we head into the holiday season, John offered tips about debit versus credit cards and rounds out our conversation with credit score basics. As a reminder, here's what determines your score:

  • Payment History: 35%
  • Total debt outstanding: 30%
  • Credit History: 15%
  • Inquiries (Hard): 10%
  • Credit Mix: 10%

Here are links to John’s blogs:

We had a great call from Mary in KY, who is contemplating retirement at the end of this year. Take a listen to hear how you might start thinking about your own retirement!

Thanks to Rita and Julie, who sent us lovely thank you notes and to Tucker, who gave us the opportunity to discuss having "THE TALK" with your aging parents. As a reminder, here is my updated post on "Estate Planning Checklists".

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#189 Democratizing Investing with Mitch Tuchman

After a volatile period in the markets, it's time to focus on things you CAN control, like the expenses you pay for investment management. MarketRiders.com and ReBalance-IRA.com founder Mitch Tuchman joins us to explain why now is a great time to seek affordable investment advice.

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Mitch says that fees are eating away at your bottom line, which is why he launched MarketRiders.com for do it yourselfers and Rebalance-IRA.com for those who want to outsource their management. And here's a stunning a fact: a recent ReBalance-IRA study found that half of the people surveyed think that they are paying ZERO in fees. If you are seeking investment advice, here are 10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Advisor.

Marcia from Maryland asked about collecting Social Security benefits from an ex-spouse, David from Texas wants to know whether he should he use extra cash flow to fund a Roth and separately, what's the best college funding vehicle? Jo from Louisville wants to know whether investment advisory fees are worth it and Sharon wrote in about my recent segment on CBS This Morning about “Women and Money”.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#188 How to Land a Job for You and Your Kids

It's parents' weekend at many colleges all over the country, a perfect time for career expert, Sheila Curran of The Curran Consulting Group (CCG) to join us for a guest appearance. Sheila has spent a chunk of her career running college career service centers and is now a consultant who helps would-be job seekers of all ages to understand how to better position themselves to land a plum gig.

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What should young scholars be doing to prepare for the new cut-throat career world, where there is little loyalty and only a few formal training programs? Sheila says it is no longer about classroom learning-students should be interning as a means to try out different career tracks. She also advises that young interviewees do their homework before the interview. For mid-career professionals, who seek change, she advises to self-examination and to think like an employer!

Calls this week from Scott from Boston, Carol from RI, Debbie and Warren were heavily tilted towards retirement, while Mark from KY wanted to know what a self-described stock-market-a-phobe should do with an account that has ballooned in value?

Chris from MD asked how he might be able to determine whether his advisor is acting in your best interest? This allowed me to talk about the F-Word: FIDUCIARY! Check out: PlannerSearch.Org

No-Name, a recently retired with $185K in cash is seeking a “fairly safe” investment…ah, the age old question of risk vs. reward! And Chris from Melville, NY wrote in recommending that I discuss bond/CD ladders and Janice asked what would happen if a big custodian were to fail?

Here's last week's segment from CBS This Morning, where I discussed how to navigate benefits enrollment.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#187 Fin Planning Week with CFP Board CEO Kevin Keller

What better way to celebrate Financial Planning Week than to have special guest Kevin Keller, the CEO of the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards join the show! Kevin discussed why working with a CFP professional is so important and noted that while there are over 200 financial designations out there, very few are as rigorous as the gold standard CFP -- only 18 percent of current financial advice-givers have passed the test and completed the necessary requirements -- and the CFP Board is one of the few bodies that actually enforces its standards.

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The CFP Board recently conducted a survey to determine how parents are coping with college education. Two-thirds haven’t saved anything – maybe that’s because one-third of respondents are still repaying their own student loans! In the category of magical thinking, 13 percent think their kids will nab athletic scholarships!

In addition to Kevin’s great guest spot, your questions were awesome this week. Wayne from KY has done a great job of saving for retirement, but now has to be careful that long-term care doesn’t undo all of his great work! Here’s more on LTC: Is 90 the new 70?

Because Aaron: asked about it, here’s a Life Insurance Primer and for Dale, here the post “Drowning in Documents: What to Shred, What to Keep”.

Finally, thanks to Julie from Edina, MN, who wrote eloquently about her struggles to survive the recession and her ability to maintain her savings and dignity in the process!

Here's last week's segment from CBS This Morning, where I discussed how to beat rising bank fees.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#186 Earn More on Cash

If you don't consider cash an asset class, you should! Our guest Gary Zimmerman of MaxMyInterest.com explains his cool new service is like "Uber for cash" and how it can help you boost your returns with NO RISK!  .

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Kevin has 10 houses, six of which are cash flow positive rentals and wants our take on his retirement plan; Nora asked about claiming an ex-spouse's Social Security benefit; and Sharon asked when annuities are advisable.

Here's last week's segment from CBS This Morning, where I discussed "Financial Tips for Women"...yes, men can also feel free to incorporate them into their lives!

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#185 Scottish Independence, Annuities, SS

Scotland voted NO on independence, which helped boost global stock prices.  To celebrate, I made Mark the happiest producer around...of course, he waited until AFTER the show...  

Happy Producer

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We started the show with a great question from Rita in MN, who owns a number of annuity contracts and is wondering whether or nor she should reallocate and/or consolidate them. Marsha from SC is finally done with her annuity, but now wants to know what to do with the money.

Mark and Paul asked about Target Date funds, which are definitely easy, but may have a bit more risk than you realize.

Finally, I tried to answer a bunch of Social Security questions from Chris, Joe, Georgette, Pete and Frank & Patricia.

Here are a few FREE Social Security resources:

SSAhttp://www.ssa.gov/oact/anypia/anypia.html

AARPhttp://www.aarp.org/work/social-security/social-security-benefits-calculator.html

T.Rowe Pricehttp://individual.troweprice.com/public/Retail/Retirement/Social-Security-Tool

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#184 The Jackpot of Financial Shows

Get ready for a "Jill on Money" first: A lottery winner, who needs financial advice. Joins us as we live vicariously through Pat's $65 million jackpot and walk him through some options for how to manage his lump sum.

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Sure the odds are against you, but just in case you too have come into a fortune, check out this article I wrote a couple of years ago. For the rest of us, it's back to the core concepts, like the Big Financial 3:

  1. Pay down consumer debt
  2. Establish emergency reserve funds (6-12 mos. living expenses)
  3. Maximize retirement accounts.

You can check out this segment on CBS This Morning, where I highlighted the Big 3 and a few more "back to school" topics!

Thanks to Juan from FL, who prompted a good conversation about balancing 401K contributions with a desire to start a business and Frank and DeCosta, who are both weighing a 401K vs. a Roth.

Merlene is seeking an opinion on preferred stock, but that may not be her real issue!

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#183 Mortgage Pay Down, Student Loans

When is it preferable to pay down a mortgage on a rental property? Should newly-married couples pay off each other's student loans? These and other pressing issues are on tap for this week's show!

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Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE 
#182 Labor Day Show: Kids and Money

  Labor Day means barbecues, picnics and of course, back to school! That makes it a perfect time to talk to Judith Ward, CFP, senior financial planner and vice president of T. Rowe Price, who joined us to discuss the sixth annual Parents, Kids & Money Survey. The results revealed that parents are freaked out about saving for college and boys and girls are not equally prepared when it comes to learning about money matters.

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In addition to the spirited conversation with Judith, we also discussed life insurance with Jane, and helped Paul and JR get on the right financial path.

Thanks to everyone who participated and to Mark, the BEST producer in the world. Check out Mark's first-producing credit for this CBS Evening News segment that aired recently. If you have a financial question, there are lots of ways to contact us:

  • Call 855-411-JILL and we'll schedule time to get you on the show LIVE