Category: Retirement

The Risk Factor: Unraveling Investment Pitfalls (Ep. 129)

The Risk Factor: Unraveling Investment Pitfalls (Ep. 129)

The lack of risk assessment in some investment types can lead people to overlook potential risks until a negative outcome occurs. With the current state of several regional banks such as Silicon Valley Bank, it is becoming increasingly important to understand and manage financial risks pertaining to cash and other investments.

In this podcast episode, Larry Heller, CFP®, CDFA® provides insight into the complexities of financial risk management. Join him to gain a deeper understanding of the nuances of cash, bonds and equities and essential insights on mitigating risk in today’s volatile economic landscape. 

Larry discusses: 

  • Risk and how it relates to a number of different asset classes
  • The ins and outs of FDIC Insurance, treasury money markets, and debt limits
  • Solutions to help maintain your confidence in your portfolio 
  • Cash risks you might not have considered before
  • And more

Connect with Larry Heller: 

 

Guiding the Visually Impaired: A Journey of Inclusion in Triathlons and Ironmans with Caroline Gaynor (Ep. 128)

Guiding the Visually Impaired: A Journey of Inclusion in Triathlons and Ironmans with Caroline Gaynor (Ep. 128)

People with disabilities may face challenges when engaging in everyday activities. However, participating in competitive sports can be even more daunting for them. 

What can we do to provide them with the necessary support?

Join us in this release as Larry Heller, CFP®, CDFA®, sits down with Caroline Gaynor, Vice President, Relationship Director & Investment Specialist at Avantis Investors.

During this conversation, Caroline discusses her journey of guiding visually disabled athletes in high-intensity and competitive sports such as triathlons and Ironmans. She shares insights on how she became involved in this field and some of her most remarkable experiences. Furthermore, Caroline provides suggestions on how we can support para-athletes.

Caroline discusses: 

  • How visually impaired athletes can participate with modifications in sports such as triathlons
  • Her most eye-opening experiences while guiding in triathlons and Ironmans
  • The hardest part of helping others in high intensive sports
  • Ways you help para-athletes and where you can volunteer
  • And more!

Resources: 

Connect with Caroline Gaynor:

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About Our Guest:

Caroline Gaynor has a day job working as a regional director for a large asset manager. Outside of her job, Caroline works hard at something that isn’t a job but is more than a hobby: guiding visually-impaired triathletes. A triathlete since her college years, Caroline got into guiding by chance in 2008 and was hooked.

Ready, Set, Retire: Key Steps for Securing Your Financial Future (Ep. 127)

Ready, Set, Retire: Key Steps for Securing Your Financial Future (Ep. 127)

We all dream of those golden years when we can kick back and enjoy our retirement, knowing we have worked extensively for the money now used in retirement. 

But getting to that point requires a series of different checkpoints that will determine if you are truly ready to retire with confidence. 

In this episode, Larry Heller, CFP®, goes through several different considerations you will have to encounter when planning for your retirement. While it is important to be prepared for the worst, planning ahead financially and staying mindful of possible scenarios can help you avoid having to change your lifestyle down the road and allow you to live a life unlimited.

Larry discusses: 

  • The importance of a distribution strategy
  • Ways you can understand where your cash flow is coming from once you hit retirement  
  •  How to know what pension to select 
  • And more

Connect with Larry Heller: 

 

Behind Closed Doors: The World of Investigative Techniques with Philip Segal (Ep. 126)

Behind Closed Doors: The World of Investigative Techniques with Philip Segal (Ep. 126)

From divorces and inheritance disputes, to fraud investigations and business partnerships gone sour, there are a number of reasons you may want to consider hiring an expert financial investigator.  

In this episode, Larry Heller, CFP®, sits down with Philip Segal, author of The Art of Fact Investigation: Creative Thinking in the Age of Information Overload, as he discusses his expertise in the field of financial investigations. From understanding your legal rights if your personal information has been breached to what you can actually gain from suing someone under these circumstances, Philip is here to help you understand your rights. 

Philip discusses: 

  • What information of yours is online for public knowledge 
  • The ins and outs of financial property 
  • The importance of keeping an open mind when investigating and exhausting all of your options 
  • And more

Resources:

Connect with Philip Segal:

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About Our Guest:

Charles Griffin is headed by Philip Segal, a New York attorney with extensive experience in corporate investigations in the U.S. for AmLaw 100 law firms and Fortune 100 companies.

Segal worked previously as a case manager for the James Mintz Group in New York and as North American Partner and General Counsel for GPW, a British business intelligence firm.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Segal was the Finance Editor of the Asian Wall Street Journal and worked as a journalist in five countries over 19 years with a specialization in finance. Segal has also been a guest speaker at Columbia University on investigating complex international financing structures. He is the author of the book, The Art of Fact Investigation: Creative Thinking in the Age of Information Overload (Ignaz Press, 2016).

He lectures on fact investigation and ethics to bar associations and other professional groups across the United States.

RMDs & The Age Increase: What This Means For Your Portfolio (Ep.125)

RMDs & The Age Increase: What This Means For Your Portfolio (Ep.125)

With the emergence of the new SECURE (Setting Every Community Up For Retirement Enhancement) Act 2.0, there are upwards of 100 different changes made that will affect the onset and process of your retirement. The one in the hot seat today is the RMD (Required Minimum Distribution) age change. 

In this episode, Larry Heller, CFP®, discusses one of the most important changes for those nearing RMD age and explains how this change might impact your investment strategy moving forward, as well as ways to implement tax savings strategies.

Larry discusses: 

  • How your investment strategy might change with the requirement age of RMDs being pushed back 
  • How you can juggle different accounts in this process with a longer time horizon
  • The increased time you have to pull out your RMDs and how this may impact your portfolio and retirement
  • The importance of tax planning for your IRA
  • And more

Connect with Larry Heller: 

QDROs & Divorce: Understanding the Settlement of Retirement Assets with Derrick A. Rubin, Esq. (Ep. 124)

QDROs & Divorce: Understanding the Settlement of Retirement Assets with Derrick A. Rubin, Esq. (Ep. 124)

Most people don’t prepare for a divorce before they get married. In most divorces, property that was acquired during the marriage is subject to division between the spouses depending on a number of factors. 

Dividing assets and understanding how they are calculated post-separation is a crucial step in the divorce process. A QDRO can be used to divide retirement assets between the two spouses as a part of the property settlement. 

In this episode, Larry Heller, CFP®, is joined by Derrick A. Rubin, partner at Wisselman, Harounian & Associates to discuss how you can navigate a divorce when it comes to using a QDRO to split assets.

Derrick focuses on: 

  • What a QDRO (Qualified Domestic Relations Order) is, and how it works 
  • How various retirement plans differ in divorce settlements
  • The process of equitable distribution
  • And more

Connect with Derrick Rubin:

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About Our Guest:

Derrick A. Rubin, Esq. is a Partner at Wisselman, Harounian & Associates, P.C. and has been with the firm since 1997. He has been recognized by Newsday as an expert in matrimonial law and has been named a New York Metro Super Lawyer for 7 consecutive years. In addition to matrimonial law, he has extensive experience in residential and commercial real estate, estate planning, civil litigation and criminal and business law.

 

The Importance of Instilling Financial Literacy in Children with Karen Tenenbaum, co-creator of Walter the Vault (Ep. 123)

The Importance of Instilling Financial Literacy in Children with Karen Tenenbaum, co-creator of Walter the Vault (Ep. 123)

When today’s guest witnessed her 5-year-old daughter squeal with delight by inserting a quarter into a vending machine, she knew she had to instill proper financial habits, and fast.

Did you know that by the age of seven, most children have built their foundation for how they view, and spend money? To help ward off life-long implications from poor spending decisions, Karen Tenenbaum, Esq, CPA, co-founder of Commerce Plaza Inc., and Walter the Vault, made it her mission to bring financial literacy to the schools of New York.

Join Larry Heller, CFP® as he chats with Karen about her efforts in providing financial literacy education to children through working with school districts, obtaining grants, and giving life to a character that uses rhyme to teach money skills. 

Listen as Karen discusses: 

  • Why learning about money at a young age is essential to building life-long skills 
  • How she’s helped 75,000 children take part in a 6-week financial literacy curriculum
  • Why Walter the Vault was created and how he makes learning fun and interactive
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect with Karen Tenenbaum:

Connect with Larry Heller: 

About Our Guest:

Karen Tenenbaum, Esq, LL.M., CPA, has been an attorney for over 35 years and founded her firm, Tenenbaum Law, P.C. which helps individuals and businesses facing IRS and New York State tax problems. Karen is a frequent speaker on IRS and NYS Tax issues for numerous professional groups and serves as a committee member and chairwoman of several local organizations.  Karen is the co-creator of Walter the Vault and co-founder of Commerce Plaza, Inc. both of which promote financial literacy.

Why women need to be aware of their financial situation with Belinda Tsui (Ep.122)

Why women need to be aware of their financial situation with Belinda Tsui (Ep.122)

Calling all women!! Are you currently in a position where your partner manages your finances and you have no idea what they are? Then it’s time for you to get more involved in these conversations.

Being aware of your assets and investments while truly understanding all of your finances is more important than ever. It allows you to take the burden off your future self in case you are faced with a big life change that may impact the way in which you manage your finances. 

In this episode, Larry Heller, CFP®, is joined by Belinda Tsui, CFP® a Wealth Manager at Heller Wealth Management to discuss what women need to know when it comes to managing their finances, with, or without a partner. 

Belinda and Larry discuss: 

  • Experiences they have had with women clients that were not involved in their financial situation and the impact it had when faced with a life change. 
  • The importance of both spouses being part of the financial meetings and discussions regarding familial financial decisions 
  • How women can get more involved in the financial planning process
  • And more

Connect with Belinda Tsui:

  • (631) 248-3600

Connect with Larry Heller: 

About Our Guest:

As a wealth manager with over 20 years experience, Belinda Tsui, CFP® has been with Heller Wealth Management since 2019. She focuses on advising, counseling, and creating financial resilience for high-net-worth individuals, divorcees/widows and business owners with a concentration of working with women.

Using a Cash Balance Plan to Save Large Pre-Tax Dollars with David Yackel (Ep.121)

Using a Cash Balance Plan to Save Large Pre-Tax Dollars with David Yackel (Ep.121)

A Cash Balance Plan allows you to put away larger amounts than a traditional defined contribution retirement plan. In this episode, Larry Heller, CFP®, is joined by David Yackel from Pension Review Services to talk about all things cash balance planning.

David discusses: 

  • How a cash balance plans differ from your traditional defined contribution retirement accounts
  • Why a cash balance plan is beneficial if you are looking to save large amounts pre-tax
  • Who is a good candidate for a Cash Balance Plan
  • How you can take advantage of a retroactive cash balance plan for 2022
  • And more

Connect With David Yackel:

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About David Yackel:

David Yackel heads up the consulting practice for Pension Review Services. He is responsible for defined benefit plan actuarial valuations and is involved in many aspects of the firm’s Pension and Profit Sharing and Non-qualified Retirement Plan activities. Dave reviews plans for legal and technical actuarial compliance and, when necessary, designs new plans to meet clients’ needs, while providing insight into how their plans are performing and what variables will determine performance long-term. Dave’s expert analysis and recommendations allow clients to make intelligent, informed decisions that move them closer to their financial goals.

Prior to joining Pension Review Services, Dave worked at Chernoff Diamond & Co., LLC, where he served as the Chief Consulting Actuary for over 30 years. David also worked at Kwasha Lipton and William M. Mercer, where he provided actuarial and consulting services to a varied group of corporate employers.

Dave is active in the pension community and has presented before various Society of Actuaries groups and meetings.

Dave commented, “At Pension Review Services, I’m able to surround myself with a team of top notch professionals who keep me inspired and energized—attributes that ultimately benefit my clients as well.”

 

Sage Advice for Simplifying your Life with Financial & Lifestyle Concierge, Judith Heft CMC® (Ep. 120 )

Sage Advice for Simplifying your Life with Financial & Lifestyle Concierge, Judith Heft CMC® (Ep. 120 )

When life feels like it is running faster than you can handle, don’t you wish that you had some sort of manual to keep your life in check? Organizing your finances can help you avoid late fees and missed payments, and help you reduce stress and free up your time to do things you enjoy.

In this episode, Larry Heller, CFP® welcomes the founder and CEO of Judith Heft & Associates, Financial and Lifestyle Concierge. Judy Heft, CMC® joins Larry to talk about money management throughout all stages of life, how important it is to get your finances organized, and how knowing how and where you spend your money can help you feel financially confident.

Judy discusses: 

  • How a hobby of bookkeeping turned into a business 
  • Client success stories that put Judy’s organizational tactics to use
  • Why it’s important to take stock of your automatic, online payments
  • And more!

Resources:

Connect With Judy Heft:

Connect With Larry Heller:

About Our Guest:

Judy Heft, CMC® is the CEO of Judith Heft and Associates Financial and Lifestyle Concierge. Judy Heft and Associates has built its reputation on simplifying the chaos of their clients’ lives to give them more time to do what they want to do. A few of Judy’s many attributes include author, financial organizer and bookkeeper. Judy has a passion for helping people get organized, save money and have more time to enjoy life. Her clients come from all walks of life, including time challenged executives, divorcees and individuals with special needs.