In this episode of Retire with Style, Alex Murguia and Wade Pfau explore the key elements of comprehensive retirement planning. They discuss the importance of understanding your financial goals, working with a financial advisor, and managing risks like health insurance and long-term care costs. Drawing on listener questions and case studies, they examine strategies for transitioning from business ownership to retirement income, optimizing Social Security, and addressing funding gaps. The conversation highlights how personalized planning and thoughtful asset allocation can lead to better financial outcomes in retirement. Listen now to learn more!

Takeaways

• The quality of your questions shapes the quality of your financial plan.
• Clear retirement goals are the foundation of effective planning.
• Financial advice must be tailored—there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
• Investment strategies should align with your personal goals and overall asset allocation.
• Health insurance planning is critical before reaching Medicare eligibility.
• Long-term care costs should be factored into your retirement plan.
• Tax planning can significantly increase your after-tax retirement income.
• Transitioning from business income to retirement income requires thoughtful preparation.
• Financial independence involves complex, interconnected decisions.
• Personalized strategies are essential for a successful retirement.
• Understanding your risk capacity and comfort level is vital to planning.
• Social Security claiming strategies can meaningfully affect retirement income.
• Asset location matters just as much as asset allocation.
• A written financial plan helps turn goals into actionable decisions.
• Part-time work can be a useful tool to bridge income gaps in early retirement.
• Fixed index annuities may offer dependable income in retirement.
• A good financial advisor can materially improve your retirement outcomes.
• It's important to assess your confidence and ability to manage your retirement plan.
• Effective planning requires a clear understanding of your assets and liabilities.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Financial Planning and the Webinar 01:57 Understanding Financial Plans and the Role of Advisors 05:53 Analyzing a Financial Independence Case Study 12:06 Exploring Retirement Risks and Goals 17:54 Investment Strategies and Tax Planning for Retirement 19:49 Transitioning from Business Sale to Retirement Income 25:08 Exploring Financial Strategies for Retirement 35:22 Bridging the Retirement Gap 42:32 The Value of Financial Advisors

Links

Upcoming Retirement Researcher Webinar: What’s Involved When Working With an Advisor! Join Jason Rizkallah and Brian Bass from McLean Asset Management on Wednesday, June 25th at 1PM Eastern for a FREE webinar exploring how to evaluate and work with a financial advisor. Register now at retirewithstyle.com/podcast.

Explore the New RetireWithStyle.com! We’ve launched a brand-new home for the podcast! Visit RetireWithStyle.com to catch up on all our latest episodes, explore topics by category, and send us your questions or ideas for future episodes. If there’s something you’ve been wondering about retirement, we want to hear it!

The Retirement Planning Guidebook: 2nd Edition has just been updated for 2025! Visit your preferred book retailer or simply click here to order your copy today: https://www.wadepfau.com/books/

This episode is sponsored by Retirement Researcher https://retirementresearcher.com/. Download their free eBook, 8 Tips to Becoming A Retirement Income Investor at retirementresearcher.com/8tips

In this episode of Retire with Style, Wade Pfau and Alex Murguia explore alternative investments with a focus on natural resources, commodities, and catastrophe bonds. They break down the strategies and risks behind these asset classes and examine how they can fit into a diversified retirement portfolio. The conversation offers insights into the potential advantages and challenges of these investments for retirement planning.

Takeaways

• Natural resources include timberland, farmland, and water rights.
• Commodities can serve as an inflation hedge but are volatile.
• Catastrophe bonds transfer natural disaster risk to investors.
• Investing in companies that use commodities may be more beneficial.
• The correlation of commodities to equities is generally low.
• Catastrophe bonds can provide uncorrelated returns to the market.
• Investors should consider the expected return for each asset class.
• Due diligence is essential when exploring alternative investments.
• Infrastructure investments can offer stable returns through usage fees.
• The role of portfolio managers is to expose investors to asset classes with favorable risk-return profiles.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Alternative Investments 02:22 Exploring Natural Resources and Commodities 11:53 Understanding Catastrophe Bonds 21:18 Evaluating Risks and Returns in Catastrophe Bonds

Links

Explore the New RetireWithStyle.com! We’ve launched a brand-new home for the podcast! Visit RetireWithStyle.com to catch up on all our latest episodes, explore topics by category, and send us your questions or ideas for future episodes. If there’s something you’ve been wondering about retirement, we want to hear it!

The Retirement Planning Guidebook: 2nd Edition has just been updated for 2025! Visit your preferred book retailer or simply click here to order your copy today: https://www.wadepfau.com/books/

This episode is sponsored by McLean Asset Management. Visit https://www.mcleanam.com/retirement-income-planning-llm/ to download McLean’s free eBook, “Retirement Income Planning”

In this episode of Retire with Style, Wade Pfau and Alex Murguia explore real assets- focusing on real estate and infrastructure- and their role in retirement portfolios. They discuss the pros and cons of residential and commercial property ownership, the value of REITs, and the potential of infrastructure investments. The conversation highlights the importance of diversification and understanding the risk-return tradeoffs of these asset classes. Listen now to learn more!

Takeaways

• Real assets—like real estate and infrastructure—can play a valuable role in retirement portfolios.
• These assets can improve portfolio efficiency by enhancing return relative to risk.
• REITs offer accessible exposure to real estate without requiring accredited investor status.
• Owning residential property often requires active management and can feel more like a job than a passive investment.
• Commercial real estate tends to provide more stable income through longer-term leases.
• Infrastructure investments can offer steady cash flows and some protection against inflation.
• Diversification remains key to effectively managing portfolio risk.
• 1031 exchanges allow investors to defer capital gains taxes when selling real estate.
• Water rights represent a niche but growing area of investment opportunity.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Real Assets 02:00 Understanding Real Estate in Portfolios 08:04 The Role of Residential Real Estate 16:01 Exploring Commercial Real Estate 28:05 Infrastructure as an Investment 33:44 Conclusion and Future Topics

Links Explore the New RetireWithStyle.com! We’ve launched a brand-new home for the podcast! Visit RetireWithStyle.com to catch up on all our latest episodes, explore topics by category, and send us your questions or ideas for future episodes. If there’s something you’ve been wondering about retirement, we want to hear it!

The Retirement Planning Guidebook: 2nd Edition has just been updated for 2025! Visit your preferred book retailer or simply click here to order your copy today: https://www.wadepfau.com/books/

This episode is sponsored by Retirement Researcher https://retirementresearcher.com/. Download their free eBook, 8 Tips to Becoming A Retirement Income Investor at retirementresearcher.com/8tips