The Power Of Zero Show Podcast Por David McKnight arte de portada

The Power Of Zero Show

The Power Of Zero Show

De: David McKnight
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Tax rates 10 years from now are likely to be much higher than they are today. Is your retirement plan ready? Learn how to avoid the coming tax freight train and maximize your retirement dollars.The Power Of Zero Economía Finanzas Personales
Episodios
  • Two Experts Debate When You Should Take Social Security—But here's the TRUTH!

    Two Experts Debate When You Should Take Social Security—But here's the TRUTH!
    Nov 19 2025
    Today's episode revolves around one of the biggest financial debates among pre-retirees and retirees: When should you take Social Security? Host David McKnight touches upon the recent debate of two of the smartest voices in the field – Dr. Laurence "Larry" Kotlikoff and Dr. Derek Tharp – on this exact question. Dr. Tharp, out of the University of Southern Maine, notes that economists commonly recommend delaying social security benefits until age 70. Boston University's Dr. Kotlikoff agrees and explains that delaying can give you a 76% higher monthly benefit compared to taking it at age 62. Since Social Security is inflation-adjusted and guaranteed for life, it acts as longevity insurance. Hence, Dr. Kotlikoff thinks that waiting doesn't only help you but your loved ones too. Dr. Tharp isn't convinced: he points out that only about 10% of workers actually wait until age 70 to claim benefits. Overall, he sees studies that recommend delaying rely on overly conservative assumptions – they assume that retirees earn returns similar to Treasury inflation-protected securities. With this line of thinking, if your portfolio is earning 5% real returns instead of 2%, then delaying your benefits might not look as attractive mathematically… Dr. Kotlikoff cites Menahem Yaari's 1965 paper, which suggests looking at delaying social security like buying insurance. It protects you from the catastrophic risk of living too long and running out of money. The debate continues with Dr. Tharp talking about the sequence of return risk. If the market drops early in retirement and you're forced to withdraw more from your investments to delay Social Security, you can permanently damage your "nest egg". Even though he acknowledges Dr. Tharp's point, Dr. Kotlikoff points out that most retirees have options, such as continuing to work longer, cutting spending, downsizing, or borrowing temporarily instead of taking benefits early. Plus, he adds, the people most affected by sequence of returns risk are, generally, wealthier households… Dr. Tharp concludes the debate by citing a study showing that retirees tend to spend about 80% of predictable income streams like Social Security or pensions, but only about 50% of portfolio income. He also brings up Bill Perkins' book Die With Zero into the conversation. Perkins believes that Americans often focus too much on lifespan and not enough on health span. Dr. Kotlikoff responds by stressing that some people underspend, while others overspend… and that's exactly why there's a need for good planning software. For David, both Dr. Kotlikoff and Dr. Tharp make valid points, and it all boils down to a key question: how long are you going to live? If you're likely to die at 63, then you should probably take Social Security at 62. If you're going to live to age 100, it makes sense to wait until you're 70. While there's no accurate way to determine that, there's currently a group of people who are in the business of figuring that out: life insurance actuaries. David shares two reasons why you may want to consider the additional benefits of life insurance, especially Indexed Universal Life (IUL). Mentioned in this episode: David's new book, available now for pre-order: The Secret Order of Millionaires David's national bestselling book: The Guru Gap: How America's Financial Gurus Are Leading You Astray, and How to Get Back on Track Tax-Free Income for Life: A Step-by-Step Plan for a Secure Retirement by David McKnight DavidMcKnight.com DavidMcKnightBooks.com PowerOfZero.com (free video series) @mcknightandco on Twitter @davidcmcknight on Instagram David McKnight on YouTube Get David's Tax-free Tool Kit at taxfreetoolkit.com
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    11 m
  • What REALLY Happened with Kyle Busch's $8 Million Lawsuit against Pacific Life

    What REALLY Happened with Kyle Busch's $8 Million Lawsuit against Pacific Life
    Nov 12 2025

    David McKnight looks at what happened when NASCAR legend Kyle Busch reportedly lost $8+ million in what was supposed to be a tax-free retirement plan.

    The plan Busch relied on was built around an indexed universal life insurance policy.

    According to Kyle and Samantha Busch's lawsuit, they paid more than $10.4M into several IUL policies issued by Pacific Life Insurance between 2018 and 2022.

    While these policies were pitched as a safe, self-funding, tax-free retirement plan, things didn't go as promised…

    Poor design, unrealistic expectations, a delayed 1035 exchange, and poor oversight are the key reasons why the Busch's retirement plan ended up belly up.

    "If you're going to do a 1035 exchange, make sure you do it at the start of the policy, not years into it", warns David.

    David goes over the lessons that can be drawn from the Busch's case.

    For instance, you should never enter into a contract that you don't understand, nor should you do an IUL if you can't overfund it from day one.

    David believes that you shouldn't rely on the IUL alone…

    In his opinion, the Busch case is a cautionary tale about what happens when one strategy is positioned as a silver bullet retirement solution.

    In a balanced, comprehensive approach to tax-free retirement, which includes Roth IRAs, Roth 401(k)s, and Roth conversions, the IUL's purpose is not to carry the whole load, but rather to act as a shock absorber.

    A recent Ernst & Young study demonstrated that a retirement income strategy that incorporates IUL provides far more income than a strategy that calls for investments alone.

    David shares a few tips on how to avoid the IUL trap that the Busches unfortunately fell into.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    David's new book, available now for pre-order: The Secret Order of Millionaires

    David's national bestselling book: The Guru Gap: How America's Financial Gurus Are Leading You Astray, and How to Get Back on Track

    Tax-Free Income for Life: A Step-by-Step Plan for a Secure Retirement by David McKnight

    DavidMcKnight.com

    DavidMcKnightBooks.com

    PowerOfZero.com (free video series)

    @mcknightandco on Twitter

    @davidcmcknight on Instagram

    David McKnight on YouTube

    Get David's Tax-free Tool Kit at taxfreetoolkit.com

    NASCAR

    Kyle Busch

    Samantha Busch

    Pacific Life Insurance

    Ernst & Young
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    11 m
  • The Financial Guru Hall of Shame--Who's Leading You Off a Cliff?

    The Financial Guru Hall of Shame--Who's Leading You Off a Cliff?
    Nov 5 2025
    David McKnight focuses on three of the biggest names in personal finance – Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman, and Ken Fisher – and why you should be careful with following their advice. David emphasizes that anyone trying to wring the most efficiency out of their retirement savings should focus on advice that's backed by math… not soundbites. While David Ramsey is the right person for people who are making less than they are spending, the same can't be said for his retirement planning advice. For instance, he claims that 100% of cash value life insurance sucks 100% of the time. For David, whenever someone gives you advice that claims it should be applied 100% of the time, you should run the other way! Remember: there's no financial strategy that works for everyone all the time. According to an Ernst & Young study, by contributing 30% of your retirement savings to an IUL, you'll dramatically increase your income in retirement over a stock market investing alone. Citing E&Y, David explains an approach that shields you from the sequence of returns risk and that has a 95% chance of your money lasting as long as you do. David points out that most Americans don't have thousands of dollars lying around in savings accounts just to pay the taxes on a Roth conversion… David sees Dave Ramsey as someone who gives basic advice for people with basic problems and whose advice could potentially be catastrophic if you want to shield your retirement from higher taxes. When it comes to Suze Orman, David looks at her recent advice of keeping 3-5 years worth of living expenses in an emergency fund in retirement. While Orman is trying to safeguard against sequence of returns risk, she seems to be forgetting about inflation eating away at your purchasing power. As David shares his dislike of Orman's advice, he touches upon a resource that can double your sustainable withdrawal rate from 4 to as high as 8%. Ken Fisher, on the other hand, has become the face of the "anti-annuity crusade". The problem with Fisher's approach? He's primarily referring to variable annuities, completely disregarding fixed indexed annuities (which are a totally different animal). David discusses how replacing bonds with fixed annuities "can increase your returns, lower your risks, and give you a better outcome over time." Beware of financial gurus saying "I hate annuities", "100% of life insurance sucks 100% of the time", or "never pay taxes from your IRA"! In his latest book The Guru Gap, David takes a deep dive into the flawed logic of financial gurus, and gives the full story with the math, the context, and the strategies they conveniently leave out in their content and speeches. Mentioned in this episode: David's new book, available now for pre-order: The Secret Order of Millionaires David's national bestselling book: The Guru Gap: How America's Financial Gurus Are Leading You Astray, and How to Get Back on Track Tax-Free Income for Life: A Step-by-Step Plan for a Secure Retirement by David McKnight DavidMcKnight.com DavidMcKnightBooks.com PowerOfZero.com (free video series) @mcknightandco on Twitter @davidcmcknight on Instagram David McKnight on YouTube Get David's Tax-free Tool Kit at taxfreetoolkit.com Dave Ramsey Suze Orman Ken Fisher Ernst & Young
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    11 m
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Wonderful episodes with right examples and importance of changing economy. Time for people to know more about right products.

Real time examples and explanations about current economics

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David speaks clearly and is very helpful and entertaining. Small facts and helpful hints on retirement planning.

Clear communication amd knowledge

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Thank you so much for making this podcast available to listen to on Audible.

Excellent!

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