Radio Shows

If you haven’t heard already, the second stimulus passed, and it has quite a few implications for business owners. Jon Sluis shares details of the package in this video, and we will discuss it LIVE on the air today. SPOILER ALERT: Forgiveness of the PPP loan could possibly save business owners 30% and meals are 100% deductible in 2021. Those are two great surprises!

Dennis will also weigh in on economists’ projections for the New Year, which include rumors of inflation based on historical trends.

It’s good to be back in the studio after a wonderful holiday break!

This week I continue my “Real Retirement Stories” series by interviewing my friend Paul. He began his career at GM the week after graduating high school. He attended what is now called Kettering University, a GM co-op program that was highly competitive. Less than half of his class made it through. As an engineer, he started in operations, moved to assembly, and then landed his dream job with the team that built the Corvette. He loved every minute of his 40-year career and felt thankful to have found it. My uncle Burt used to say, “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Paul agrees!

Paul and I both love cars and finding wisdom in the unexpected places. Tune in to hear how his career, view of money and retirement evolved as life played out in unexpected ways.

It’s always good to end on a good note, and Paul is someone that did just that!

We hope this Christmas season finds you tucked into your home with family nearby as you all huddle by the radio. Today’s show is unlike any we have done before. Dennis will read a short Christmas story by O. Henry called, “The Gift of the Magi,” which was published in 1905. In addition to the story, you’ll also hear many of Dennis’ favorite Christmas songs sprinkled between segments.

In the age of DIY, should you manage your own portfolio? That’s a great question! And we’d like to weigh in. According to the financial experts at The Balance, one of the world’s largest investment companies, Vanguard, has been examining this question for 15 years. Based on research, analysis and testing, Vanguard has concluded that there is, in fact, a quantifiable increase in return from working with a financial advisor. Vanguard calls this advantage the “Advisor’s Alpha.” When certain best practices are followed, the result can be an Alpha in the 3 percent per year range. Read more about this topic HERE.

Beyond the math, there are plenty more reasons to get an advisor on your team. On today’s show, Dennis and Heidi will give you a few good ones when considering an advisor in 2021.

Not sure about you, but we’re getting a little excited thinking about 2020 coming to an end. When we joked about 20/20 vision and getting more clarity – we never imagined a pandemic as the impetus to get us there. For a lot of you, the disruption has caused you to reevaluate your careers, goals and travel plans. We no longer take for granted our health, seeing family on a regular basis or even having enough toilet paper.

Join us today for the checklist to end all checklists! We will cover the changes in 2020, milestone ages, life events and, of course, how to talk to your beneficiaries about your plans.

Bring your list. Check it twice. This year was naughty. Not nice.

My hope is that the real retirement stories we’ve been featuring this fall have inspired you to consider what retirement could look like for you. It’s one thing to imagine a life after work and it’s another to realize that dream. Speaking of which, have you taken the time to dream? Most pre-retirees who meet with us have only a vague vision of what they will do … not because they lack imagination but, simply, because life itself has been so demanding. We get it.

Perhaps you can take time today and start by joining Heidi and Dennis as they share some of the realities (both good and bad) of retirement, including doubling your budget for things like … BOOKS!

There are two kinds of people in this world: dreamers and doers. Then, there are those who do BOTH! Meet our guest, Sally Manke. During her career as a teacher, she managed to raise two children while also running a seasonal hotel in Manistee with her husband. It wasn’t until retirement that she found her dream job as a fiber artist.

As an artist, Sally’s work has been featured at juried quilt shows throughout the U.S., including the American Quilter’s Society events and International Quilt Festival. Her innumerable awards include a blue ribbon at QuiltWeek in Paducah, Kentucky – ostensibly the Red Carpet of quilt guild shows – and a Red Hot Best nod as Northern Michigan’s Best Visual Artist in 2016. She enjoys sharing her expertise through trunk shows, classes, and workshops at quilt shops and guilds.

President-elect Joe Biden has proposed a tax plan that will increase taxes on corporations and the wealthy with no increase for individuals earning less than $400K annually. This is just one of several key takeaways that you can read about here, or you can join our special guest, CPA Jon Sluis, LIVE today to learn more. He’s also going to help dispel some of the rumors swirling around in the media and give prudent tax guidance as we head into 2021. And with only six weeks until the end of the year, there are still things you can do for own tax planning.

There’s never a dull moment when we have Jon on the air! Tune in and get the details. In fact, you might want to take some notes.

I (Shea) have a very vivid memory as a child riding around in my grandfather’s vintage truck and snacking on prunes. He said they were “dessert.” My grandfather did push-ups every morning, took his supplements and didn’t eat much sugar. He also saved his pennies. I wonder what he would think about today’s health care stat:

According to Fidelity research, the cost for health care post-age 65 is $295,000 per couple, excluding long-term care.

Health care is one of the largest expenses that people face in retirement. But don’t despair because there are ways to strategize and fill in the gaps.

Today we have guest expert, Laverna Witkop, from Ford Insurance. She specializes in working with retirees who are navigating the complex world of health insurance. Join us!

Ed Slott might have summarized it best when he said, “Look, there will be a president for the next four years and another one after that. Everything changes. You must focus on your own plan.” We couldn’t agree more! But we all know it’s easier said than done. What happens on a large scale affects us. And it’s not realistic to ignore the bigger picture even if we don’t have control over it. However, it is easier to execute on our own plans.

Today, Dennis and Heidi will give you practical tips on how to take advantage of the good things. There will always be a reason to be negative. Stay positive by managing your own plan.