Tag: Retirement
Discovering Your Purpose in Retirement – Planning for Happiness in the Next Chapter of Your Life with Sue Mintz (Ep.17)

Discovering Your Purpose in Retirement – Planning for Happiness in the Next Chapter of Your Life with Sue Mintz (Ep.17)

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While it’s widely acknowledged that retirement involves careful financial planning, its essence extends far beyond mere numbers – a facet often overlooked. 

Today, Sue Mintz, a certified retirement transition coach, unravels the intricacies of crafting a comprehensive retirement strategy that embraces the full spectrum of considerations. Sue highlights that retirement should be viewed as a process, not just an event, with different phases like the “honeymoon,” “messy middle,” and “new normal”. She emphasizes the need for a holistic retirement plan, focusing on mental and physical health, time management, and financial stability. 

Tune in to gain insight into common misconceptions about retirement as well as:

  • Addressing non-financial aspects of retirement like social connections, purpose, and structure
  • The concept of “unretiring” due to increased life expectancy and evolving priorities
  • How to redefine your retirement based on your preferences and goals
  • The value of retirement transition coaching
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Michelle Gessner: 

Connect with Sue Mintz:

About Sue Mintz: 

During Sue Mintz’s career at a Fortune 500 company, she excelled in leadership development training and career coaching. Since retiring, she became the founder of Retirementhood™.  She is a Certified Retirement Transition Coach, speaker, writer, and workshop facilitator, focused on educating and guiding soon-to-be, or recent retirees on the importance of planning for the non-financial side of retirement. Sue offers a structured process for planning a lifestyle that is purposeful, healthy, enjoyable, and fulfills long-awaited goals. She is not a financial adviser.  

She received her retirement coaching certification through Retirement Options, a division of Career Partners Intl, LLC., and she has also been certified as an Authorized “Now What®” Coach/Facilitator. Additionally, she remains an active member of the Retirement Coaches Association.  For more information about Sue, the services she offers, and her publications, visit https://www.retirementhood.com/ or contact her at suemintz@retirementhood.com.

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Master Your Tax Planning For Retirement with Sarah Brenner (Ep. 8)

Master Your Tax Planning For Retirement with Sarah Brenner (Ep. 8)

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Join Michelle Gessner, CFP ® as she chats with tax attorney and educator Sarah Brenner from Ed Slott and Company, LLC. With over 20 years of experience, Sarah has become a trusted resource for financial advisors and their clients across the nation. Listen as she shares her insights on how you can navigate through the complexities of retirement and tax regulations. 

In this episode, you will:

  • Learn about common tax planning mistakes and traps that individuals often overlook
  • Hear real-life examples of how advisors can help you avoid costly tax implications
  • Get a glimpse into the key provisions of the recent Secure Act 2.0 and how they may impact your retirement planning
  • Why Sarah feels Roth IRAs and Roth Conversions are here to stay
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Sarah Brenner: 

Connect with Michelle Gessner:

About Sarah Brenner:

Sarah has worked for almost twenty years helping clients solve complex technical IRA questions.  She has been a contributing writer for many IRA texts, articles, and training manuals and has been quoted in national financial and tax publications such as CCH IRA Guide.  

She is an experienced speaker who has educated thousands of professionals in the financial industry including attorneys, CPAs, bankers, financial advisors, and brokers on retirement plan rules.  Sarah has won praise for her ability to communicate complex laws in an easy-to-understand way and provide practical strategies for clients.

Sarah is a contributing writer and editor for Ed Slott’s IRA Advisor newsletter, distributed to thousands of financial advisors nationwide, and writes for several areas of the company’s website, www.irahelp.com. Sarah also serves as a valuable resource for the members of Ed Slott’s Elite IRA Advisor Group™, a 400+ member organization of some of the country’s top financial advisors who are dedicated to becoming experts in IRA distribution planning. She consults with firm clients and creates IRA course manuals and training programs for financial advisors.

Sarah is a graduate of Smith College and Villanova School of Law.  She is a member of the Pennsylvania Bar.  She practiced law with a concentration in elder law for several years and for fifteen years was a senior consultant with PMC, Pension Management Company, an independent IRA consulting firm for financial organizations nationwide.

About Michelle Gessner: 

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, Michelle is passionate about building a life plan for her clients and helping them see that they have choices, which often comes to them as a pleasant surprise. She is an independent thinker and a huge advocate of her clients’ interests. Her greatest joy is working to do what is right for them and be their voice.

Michelle has a B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an M.S. in Management from Boston University, Brussels. Growing up in Montana and moving to Colorado for college, she took out student loans and worked her way through all four years. After graduating in 1987 with honors, she accepted a job at Shell Oil in Houston, and worked her way up the corporate ladder to a management position before leaving in 1992 for Brussels, Belgium, where she lived for 4 years. In Brussels, she learned about different cultures and basic conversational French as well as pursuing and earning a graduate degree in management. 

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional,  she is held to the highest standards set forth in the industry. She surrounds herself with a back office of experts in tax and investment research so that her clients have the best of both worlds – the resources of a large firm with the caring, dedication, and personal service of a small firm.

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Planning Beyond Today: A Look at Long-Term Care Planning (Ep. 7)

Planning Beyond Today: A Look at Long-Term Care Planning (Ep. 7)

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Don’t wait for tomorrow, next week, or next month to figure out your long-term care plan. Now is the time to equip yourself with knowledge so you can properly plan for your future. 

In this thought-provoking episode, Michelle Gessner, CFP® and host of the Retire To A Life You Love® podcast walks listeners through long-term care options and possible scenarios that could affect you and your family.

If planning for long-term care frightens you, or you think you’re simply not old enough to plan, you need a reality check. Every day, we are all getting older, and the fact of the matter is most people are not financially ready for what could possibly happen as they age.

Join Michelle as she tackles common questions regarding long-term care, provides invaluable insight from the perspective of a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, and shares some startling statistics about our aging population.

Gain information for yourself or to share with your family about:

  • The various types of long-term care available; assisted living, nursing homes, adult daycare, and at-home nursing care. 
  • Startling statistics that will propel you to take long-term care planning seriously
  • The expenses associated with long-term care, including discussions around Medicare and Health Insurance
  • What is long-term care, and how to know if you or a loved one requires assistance
  • How the latest insurance policies work that may be less expensive than you thought
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Michelle Gessner: 

About Michelle Gessner: 

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, Michelle is passionate about building a life plan for her clients and helping them see that they have choices, which often comes to them as a pleasant surprise. She is an independent thinker and a huge advocate of her client’s interests. Her greatest joy is working to do what is right for them and be their voice.

Michelle has a B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an M.S. in Management from Boston University, Brussels. Growing up in Montana and moving to Colorado for college, she took out student loans and worked her way through all four years. After graduating in 1987 with honors, she accepted a job at Shell Oil in Houston, and worked her way up the corporate ladder to a management position before leaving in 1992 for Brussels, Belgium, where she lived for 4 years. In Brussels, she learned about different cultures and basic conversational French as well as pursuing and earning a graduate degree in management. 

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional,  she is held to the highest standards set forth in the industry. She surrounds herself with a back office of experts in tax and investment research so that her clients have the best of both worlds – the resources of a large firm with the caring, dedication, and personal service of a small firm. 

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Understanding Medicare: A Guide for Beginners (Ep. 4)

Understanding Medicare: A Guide for Beginners (Ep. 4)

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In this informative episode, Joanne Giardini-Russell, owner of Giardini Medicare, delivers a simple and understandable guide to understanding Medicare.

While it may not be the most thrilling topic, gaining a solid grasp of Medicare is critical for individuals seeking reliable health insurance. 

Joanne’s message emphasizes the importance of being informed, the benefits of being proactive in securing health insurance coverage, and whether or not you should enroll in Medicare as soon as you are eligible. 

This episode touches on: 

  • What Medicare is, and an overview of the enrollment process
  • How to decide which supplement option for Medicare is best for you
  • Understanding the “still working” rule for individuals approaching age 65 and whether and when you should apply. 
  • And so much more!

Resources:

Connect with Joanne:

Connect with Michelle: 

About Joanne Giardini-Russell:

Joanne Giardini-Russell is the owner of Giardini Medicare, an independent agency that provides Medicare products to the public. She and her team of Medicare nerds at Giardini Medicare specialize in the “transition” to the Medicare system. Do you need Medicare? If so, how do you get there in a stress-free and logical fashion? Having spent years in the financial and insurance industries, Joanne recognized an enormous and unfilled niche. Namely, the lack of quality education and assistance in “best practices” in getting yourself into the Medicare system.

She and her team of agents have grown a firm that can help assess the “Do I need Medicare,  how do I get it, how does it work” questions and more. They assist in the transition from the  workplace era and into the Medicare years and enroll people into the proper Medicare  products. 

Joanne routinely leads Medicare sessions for financial advisors, CPAs, Credit Unions, and the  public. Additionally, she often writes Medicare content for publications and websites such as  Advisor Perspectives, SixtyandMe.com, and InsuranceNews.Net. She and Cameron Giardini  produce the “Transition to Medicare” Podcast. , He produces the company’s YouTube channel while she handles TikTok. The company website is https://gmedicareteam.com/ 

Joanne resides in Michigan with her husband, Jeff. Three of her adult children work with her at Giardini Medicare; creating what they affectionately refer to as the “First Family of Medicare”.  

About Michelle Gessner: 

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, Michelle is passionate about building a life plan for her clients and helping them see that they have choices, which often comes to them as a pleasant surprise. She is an independent thinker and a huge advocate of her client’s interests. Her greatest joy is working to do what is right for them and be their voice.

Michelle has a B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an M.S. in Management from Boston University, Brussels. Growing up in Montana and moving to Colorado for college, she took out student loans and worked her way through all four years. After graduating in 1987 with honors, she accepted a job at Shell Oil in Houston and worked her way up the corporate ladder to a management position before leaving in 1992 for Brussels, Belgium, where she lived for 4 years. In Brussels, she learned about different cultures and basic conversational French as well as pursuing and earning a graduate degree in management. 

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional,  she is held to the highest standards set forth in the industry. She surrounds herself with a back office of experts in tax and investment research so that her clients have the best of both worlds – the resources of a large firm with the caring, dedication, and personal service of a small firm. 

FEATURE
Reducing Tax Rate Risks for Your Retirement (Ep. 3)

Reducing Tax Rate Risks for Your Retirement (Ep. 3)

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In the world of retirement planning, taxes can be a significant expense that are often overlooked. 

In this informative episode, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ practitioner Michelle Gessner shares her insights, and dispels common myths about taxes and retirement. 

She highlights the prevalence of pre-tax money in retirement accounts and the mandatory Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from IRAs and 401ks – and potential solutions – so you can reduce tax rate risk. 

Michelle discusses:

  • Why taxes are one of the biggest expenses for retirees
  • How pre-tax retirement money is fully taxable
  • The benefits of Roth 401Ks/403Bs for retirees
  • What you can do now to potentially reduce your taxes in retirement
  • And more

Connect with Michelle: 

About Michelle Gessner: 

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, Michelle is passionate about building a life plan for her clients and helping them see that they have choices, which often comes to them as a pleasant surprise. She is an independent thinker and a huge advocate of her clients’ interests. Her greatest joy is working to do what is right for them and be their voice.

Michelle has a B.S. in Finance from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and an M.S. in Management from Boston University, Brussels. Growing up in Montana and moving to Colorado for college, she took out student loans and worked her way through all four years. After graduating in 1987 with honors, she accepted a job at Shell Oil in Houston, and worked her way up the corporate ladder to a management position before leaving in 1992 for Brussels, Belgium, where she lived for 4 years. In Brussels, she learned about different cultures and basic conversational French as well as pursuing and earning a graduate degree in management. 

As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional,  she is held to the highest standards set forth in the industry. She surrounds herself with a back office of experts in tax and investment research so that her clients have the best of both worlds – the resources of a large firm with the caring, dedication, and personal service of a small firm.