Our 2 Cents – Episode #050 50th Episode Special & 5 Financial No-No’s On our special 50th episode-anniversary, we want to send a big THANK YOU to all our loyal listeners for staying by our side. We truly enjoy your questions, comments, and continuous feedback of our show, and we look forward to the next 50 episodes together! ON THIS EXTRA-AWESOME 50th EPISODE: Today we start off with some FUN retirement quotes and some clarifications of our last show based […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #049 October “Deep Dive” – 401(k) FAQ’s and Your Retirement There are many questions surrounding the inner workings of a 401(k) and the best approach to the “do’s and don’ts” during your working and retirement years. On this month’s “Deep Dive” we answer questions such as: What is dollar cost averaging? How much can one contribute on an annual basis? What is a target date fund and how can it benefit your retirement? Should one […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #048 Illinois Fair Tax Act & The Markets Reaction to the Election On today’s show, we kick it off with the new tax act you’ve been hearing all about. The new Illinois Governor, J.B. Pritzker (D), has proposed sweeping changes to Illinois’ tax code, advocating a constitutional amendment to permit a graduated-rate income tax and proposing a new rate and bracket structure. After we discuss the details and inner workings of these proposed changes, we […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #047 Love It or List It – Fitting Your Home Into Your Retirement Plan We get a lot of questions about how the house (or houses) fit into retirement plans. From downsizing, to rental properties, to interest rates, today we explore some of the top retirement questions as it relates to all things housing. Should I pay off the house as soon as possible or pay it off slowly? Is it wise to downsize to […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #046 5 Financial Rules of Thumb Debunked! Just like your iPhone or computer can become obsolete and need to be replaced, sometimes the way people think about retirement planning and investing is obsolete and needs to be replaced. On today’s show we talk about some outdated financial rules of thumb that people still cling to, and more current, modern alternatives to use instead. The 4% Rule The 10-5-3 Rule Moving stocks to bonds when you […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #045 7 Steps to a Secure Retirement On today’s episode we feature another one of our popular “Deep-Dives,” where we spend more time digging through a singular topic on the show! Today, that topic is 7 Steps to a Secure Retirement. What’s the real power of having a plan? Peace of mind, financial security, and creating a future for you and your family that you can count on. But to accomplish that, you don’t want […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #044 What’s in a Mid-Year Plan Review? And What’s the Big Deal With Longevity Risk? Life happens, things change, goals shift, and as a result, so should your financial plan. On today’s episode we expand on our topic from last week about why it’s so important to have your Mid-Year Plan Review and precisely what you should be including in that review. After that we dive into a detailed discussion of Longevity Risk, or what’s […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #043 Better Cash Alternatives & Protecting Yourself from Financial Scams Should you be stuffing the ole’ mattress with cash? Whether in the mattress or in your checking account, today we give some insight on alternatives to keeping your money in cash—where it earns 0%… zip, zero, nada. Additionally, we dive into some headlines and Gabriel & Steve give advice on how to avoid being a victim to scams such as “Hackers seize popular Celebrity Twitter […]

Our 2 Cents – Episode #042 Overcoming Sticker Shock – Paying for Financial Advice & Capital Gains On today’s episode we discuss the value and benefits of having a financial advisor and, if you’re unused to paying a fee for advice, overcoming what may feel like fee “sticker shock” when hiring a financial advisor (and why it’s still very much worth it!). We’ll also discuss whether to pay those pesky capital gains in your portfolio and diversify, or just keep […]