Month: October 2025

Modern Estate Planning for Modern Retirees with Wendy Goidel (Ep. 186)

Modern Estate Planning for Modern Retirees with Wendy Goidel (Ep. 186)

Planning for the future isn’t just about what you leave behind; it’s also about how you live today. 

Yet far too many retirees assume that a simple will is enough to protect their assets, their wishes, and their loved ones. In reality, effective estate planning involves proactive decisions, coordinated professionals, and a clear vision for both your life and your legacy.

In this episode of Retirement Unlocked, Larry Heller speaks with elder law attorney Wendy Goidel to surface overlooked strategies that can help families navigate the real-life complexity of aging, incapacity, and generational wealth transfer, from durable powers of attorney to personal care instructions and legacy letters.

What you’ll learn:

  • The core legal documents that every retiree should have, and how to make sure they actually work
  • How trust funding, titling, and beneficiary designations often make or break an estate plan
  • Why long-term care costs derail even well-built retirement plans, and how to prepare early
  • The overlooked value of legacy planning tools like ethical wills and caregiver instructions
  • And so much more!

Connect with Wendy Goidel:

Connect with Larry Heller: 

About Our Guest:

Wendy K. Goidel, the founding and managing member of Goidel Law Group PLLC, dedicates her practice to estate planning, elder law, and estate and trust administration.  Wendy helps individuals of all ages and stages to achieve their estate planning goals while protecting themselves, their loved ones, and their hard-earned assets.  She provides services in a compassionate and caring manner while respecting the dignity and promoting the independence of her clients. Recognizing that conversations about disability and death are difficult and emotional, Wendy is committed to diffusing tension and eliminating stress.   She earns her clients’ respect and confidence and creates lasting relationships with them and their family members so that their planning will work for them through all phases of their lives.

An out-of-the-box thinker, Wendy developed and implemented Concierge Care Coordination®, a holistic practice model which seamlessly integrates geriatric social work with legal planning.

Wendy created fellowship programs with two New York universities designed to encourage social work students to enter the field of gerontology and to promote collaboration between law and social work students.  She gives back to the community and sponsors multiple programs for individuals with cognitive impairment and their care partners. Wendy has been honored for her commitment and contributions to several adult day programs on Long Island and was named as one of the Top 50 Women in Business by the Long Island Business News.  For a decade, Wendy served on the Executive Board of Make-A-Wish, Suffolk County, NY.  She is a graduate of the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and Syracuse University.

How to Avoid a Tax Time Bomb in Retirement (Ep. 185)

How to Avoid a Tax Time Bomb in Retirement (Ep. 185)

Roth conversions may be one of the most overlooked tax planning opportunities in retirement, and the cost of waiting could be staggering. 

With recent legislative changes, longer life expectancies, and compressed inheritance timelines for your heirs, it’s never been more important to get this right.

In this episode of Retirement Unlocked, Larry Heller, CFP®, CDFA®, explains how to spot your best conversion window, why many people miss it, and the strategic tools that can make the move pay off. He also reveals how proactive planning can help reduce Medicare surcharges, reduce the tax burden passed on to your family, and give you far more flexibility in retirement.

If you’re between the ages of 60 and 75, or experiencing a few low-income years before required minimum distributions (RMDs) begin, you could be in a prime window to convert pre-tax retirement savings into tax-free Roth dollars, without triggering a future tax time bomb.

Beyond personal savings, this strategy can also help protect the next generation from inheriting a massive tax liability. But timing, income coordination, and strategic use of tools like Social Security deferral and partial conversions all play a role in whether a Roth move will actually benefit you.

What you can expect from this release:

  • Why accountants often overlook this opportunity, and how a CFP® can model your long-term tax impact
  • The ideal timeline to explore Roth conversions, especially in the “donut hole” between retirement and RMDs
  • How Roth IRAs can minimize Medicare surcharges, reduce required withdrawals, and increase future flexibility
  • The multi-generational benefits of converting, including how to shield your heirs from 10-year withdrawal rules
  • And more!

Connect with Larry Heller: