Straight talk about retirement, investments and your money. The Get Ready for the Future Show is Arkansas’ longest running and most listened to financial talk show.
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Losing a spouse changes everything — including one of the most important, and least forgiving, financial decisions you'll ever make. This week on The Get Ready for the Future Show, we help a recent widow figure out how survivor Social Security benefits actually work, and why the "wait until 70" advice you've heard doesn't apply the same way here. Plus three more questions from listeners: Turning 73 next year — can charitable giving help offset the tax hit from your RMD? Just started making real money in your business — SEP-IRA or defined benefit plan, what's actually the right fit? $8,000 in c
The U.S. national debt just hit $40 trillion — here's what that means for your money. Call us at 866-643-PLAN or book a time at getreadyforthefuture.com to talk through your own situation. The debt crossed $40 trillion on August 18, 2026 — up from $30 trillion just four and a half years earlier, and $20 trillion less than nine years ago. LPL data shows the government hasn't run a budget surplus in 25 years. The number economists watch most closely is debt-to-GDP, which is sitting at 123%, near an all-time high. History shows stocks and bonds have generally held up through periods of rising deb
What happens if the person who's always handled the money suddenly can't anymore? This week on The Get Ready for the Future Show, we tackle a question a lot of couples are afraid to ask out loud: what if I have to take over? Plus three more questions from listeners: • How much cash should you actually keep once you're living off your portfolio in retirement? • A $50,000 bonus: should it go to your 401(k), your mortgage, or a brokerage account? • Just started your first job with a 401(k) match? Here's how to pick your investments without overthinking it. Real questions, answered in plain Englis
Stocks have been on a historic 4-year run, but that could be about to change. Since 1990, the S&P 500 has dropped an average of 5.1% between August 18 and October 11 in every midterm election year, with the Nasdaq down nearly 7% and the Russell 2000 down almost 8% over that same stretch. Here's the good news: 12 months after the last 18 mid-term elections, the S&P 500 has been positive every single time. In this episode, we break down what the charts actually show, why uncertainty around Congress drives the pullback, and why the fundamentals still point higher long-term.
Miss one required withdrawal on an inherited IRA and the IRS can now hit you with a 25% penalty on top of the tax you already owe. On this episode: • The 10-year inherited IRA rule, finalized for 2025 — and exactly when annual withdrawals are required vs. optional • Why a Roth conversion can quietly double your Medicare premium two years later (IRMAA explained) • The life insurance gap costing 1 in 4 high-income households up to $400,000 in missing coverage • What to do with extra cash the month after your last debt payment — savings first, or invest? Have a money question? Email show@getready
The S&P 500 just hit a record high of 7,758 — up 13% this year. So is it too expensive to buy now? Here's what 37 years of data actually says happens after the market hits a new high, why Warren Buffett has never cared about the S&P's record, and the one dot-com era example that shows why abandoning your plan over a headline can cost you more than the "expensive" market ever would. In this episode: - What history shows about buying at record highs (1988–2024) - Why the S&P's P/E ratio has investors watching valuations - The $10,000 investment from the 2000 peak — and what it's worth today - Th
Waiting until RMDs force your hand could cost you a tax bracket you'll never see again. 💰 On this episode of The Get Ready for the Future Show, the GenWealth team tackles these four listener questions: • Should you do Roth conversions before RMDs kick in — even in a "low" bracket? • Why the first 5 years of retirement matter more than your average return • Is 60% of your net worth in one company stock too risky? • Do you need life insurance in your 20s with no kids or mortgage yet? Straight answers, no jargon. Got a money question? Email show@getreadyforthefuture.com — you could be our Questi
Retirees fear running out of money more than they fear death. That's not an exaggeration — it's what's driving a massive gap between what retirees have saved and what they're actually willing to spend. A married 65-year-old couple withdraws just 2.1% of their retirement savings a year. A single retiree: 1.9%. Meanwhile, 71% of workers say they'd be reluctant to touch their savings at all in retirement. There are two reasons for this "Just in Case" retirement mindset — and only one in five retirees have the one document that fixes it: a written retirement income plan. Scott Inman breaks down wh
When should you and your spouse claim Social Security — and could getting it wrong cost you six figures over your lifetime? In this episode of The Get Ready for the Future Show, we answer two listener questions: 🔹 A couple heading into retirement can't agree on when each of them should start claiming Social Security — and why coordinating as a household (not two separate filings) can be worth well over $100,000 over a lifetime. 🔹 A couple weighing whether long-term care insurance is worth the cost — and why waiting to decide can end up costing far more than the coverage itself. Plus: a previ
For two years, AI stocks meant one thing: who's spending the most to build it. That's changing. Wall Street's asking a new question — who can actually turn AI into revenue? Alec breaks down the shift from AI infrastructure to AI monetization, and why it matters for the next phase of this market theme.
Your will might not decide as much as you think. This week on The Get Ready for the Future Show: a remarried caller learns his old 401(k) still names his ex-wife as beneficiary — and his will can't override it. We break down why beneficiary forms win every time, and what a five-minute account check could save your family from a costly mistake. Also this episode: a couple weighing whether to help their adult son with a house down payment without derailing their own retirement, a job-changer deciding what to do with an old 401(k), and a newlywed figuring out joint vs. separate accounts for the f
Governments are quietly deciding who controls the resources within their own borders — and it's already moving markets. It's called resource nationalism, and according to LPL's Head of Macro Strategy Kristian Kerr, it rarely stops with the commodity itself. It reshapes trade policy, capital flows, and the broader macro landscape. Since COVID, export bans have surged as countries abandoned decades of globalization to protect their own supply chains. In this episode of The Fastest Four Minutes in Finance, Scott Inman breaks down: • What resource nationalism actually means • Why commodity prices
Growing your income without adjusting your tax strategy can cost you tens of thousands of dollars you didn't have to lose — plus three more retirement questions from our listeners this week. This week on Get Ready for the Future: ✅ RMDs at 73 or 75? Why the "right" age depends on your birth year, not a flat rule ✅ Does the month you retire actually matter? (Yes — here's why) ✅ S-corp vs. cash balance plan: the tax strategy combo growing businesses miss ✅ Why a Roth IRA is the smartest move in your first "real" job Have a money question? Email show@getreadyforthefuture.com — you could be next w
Governments are quietly deciding who controls the resources within their own borders — and it's already moving markets. It's called resource nationalism, and according to LPL's Head of Macro Strategy Kristian Kerr, it rarely stops with the commodity itself. It reshapes trade policy, capital flows, and the broader macro landscape. Since COVID, export bans have surged as countries abandoned decades of globalization to protect their own supply chains. In this episode of The Fastest Four Minutes in Finance, Scott Inman breaks down: • What resource nationalism actually means • Why commodity prices
Will your Medicare premium jump because of what you withdrew two years ago? 😳 This week's mailbag tackles the IRMAA surcharge trap, plus three more real questions from our listeners. In this episode: ✅ The Medicare premium increase most retirees don't see coming — and how IRMAA can add hundreds a month for high earners ✅ Should you claim Social Security at 62? The math married couples can't afford to skip ✅ The backdoor Roth pro-rata rule that can quietly wipe out your tax savings ✅ Building an emergency fund AND investing at the same time — yes, you can do both Got a question for the show? E
Could the AI trade be entering a riskier new phase? LPL Research's 2026 Mid-Year Outlook keeps the bull case for stocks — but flags a real shift in the AI buildout. The five hyperscalers are set to spend $750 billion this year, and for the first time, they're not just paying with cash. Bond issuance from the group could hit $300 billion in 2026, up from $110 billion in 2025. LPL says that means the AI trade's next act won't be built on promise — it'll be judged on results. Scott Inman breaks it down.
With no pension in sight, millions of Americans are making a costly annuity mistake — and most don't know it until it's too late. This week we answer four listener questions: ✅ No pension? When an annuity actually makes sense — and when it doesn't. ✅ Your parents have a will from the 1980s. Here's why that could cost your family everything. ✅ One spouse is a spender. One is a saver. How do you retire together? ✅ What if you can afford to retire — but you're afraid you'll get bored? Real questions. Honest answers.
It was a war America wasn't supposed to win. 250 years ago this week, a handful of colonists with no army, no navy, and no real plan took on the most powerful empire on earth — and somehow won. What came after wasn't guaranteed either: limited government, individual liberty, the idea that rights come from God, not rulers. All of it had to be fought for first, and figured out after. Warren Buffett has said America's poor today live better than the richest man in the country did in his own childhood. That's not an accident — it's 250 years of decisions, sacrifice, and freedom compounding. This w
Don't choose your retirement zip code based on weather alone — state taxes, healthcare costs, and Medicaid rules can quietly add $10,000 a year in expenses you didn't plan for. This week on Get Ready For The Future Show: 🔹 Penny's retirement relocation checklist — what to vet financially before you commit to a new state 🔹 Portfolio rebalancing: how years of drift can shift your 70/30 allocation to 85/15 without you noticing 🔹 No heirs? Jeffrey learns how to build a meaningful legacy through smart estate and charitable planning 🔹 Roth vs. Traditional 401(k): what SECURE 2.0 just changed tha
6% of Americans made hardship withdrawals from their 401k in 2025 — a record high, and it's been climbing for 5 straight years. At the same time, participation rates hit 86% and average contributions are up. So why are so many people pulling money out? Scott breaks down the Vanguard 2025 How America Saves report — what the numbers actually mean, and the one question you should stop asking about your retirement savings.
Most people think their In-Plan Roth Rollover is set once the money moves over. It's not — and the 5-year rule works differently than you think. This week on Get Ready For The Future Show, the GenWealth team answers four real viewer questions: 🔹 Why your budgeting app isn't moving the needle — and what behavior change actually does 🔹 In-Plan Roth Rollover rules: does each $25K conversion start its own 5-year clock? (You asked — we answered) 🔹 Paid off your home at 60 — should that freed-up cash go to investments or savings? 🔹 I'm 50 and want to retire at 60. What exactly should I be doing
Will Social Security still be there when you retire — or will it be 22% less than you're counting on? The 2026 Social Security Trustees' Report moved the trust fund depletion date up to 2032 — one year sooner than last year's estimate. A nonpartisan watchdog says it's the worst shape the program has been in since 1983, with the 75-year funding shortfall now at its highest level since 1977. The fixes have been on the table for decades. But the longer Congress waits, the more painful they get — a 34% payroll tax hike today, 40% if they wait until 2034. And the current administration has no speci
Don't let a single accident — in your pool, on your trampoline, or on the road — undo everything you've worked for. This week: four viewer questions every family needs answered. ✅ Does everyone actually need a trust — or is your sister overreacting? ✅ How much home and auto liability do you really need when cars cost $100,000? ✅ You inherited farmland in Arkansas — sell, lease, or hold it? ✅ Remarried with kids from a previous marriage? Here's how to protect them in your estate plan. Plus: umbrella policies, earthquake insurance, and the coverage gap small business owners almost always miss.
Did you know your 401(k) could hold up to $70,000 in annual contributions — not just $23,500? The Mega Backdoor Roth is one of the most powerful retirement tools available inside a workplace plan, and most employees have no idea it exists. This week, Crystal found out her employer just added it — we break down exactly what it is, who it's right for, and what to watch out for. Also this episode: how to simplify an overwhelming investment portfolio without losing performance, how to budget for international travel in retirement, and what adult children need to know when helping aging parents wit
Only 1 in 3 stocks is actually beating the market right now — and history says that's a red flag. The S&P 500 is up 18% in just 39 trading sessions, and Q1 earnings are tracking at a massive 28% year-over-year growth rate. But LPL Chief Equity Strategist Jeff Buchbinder is flagging a warning sign buried inside the rally: stock outperformance levels are approaching historic lows. The last few times this happened, large-cap value and small-cap stocks outperformed over the next 1, 3, and 6 months — meaning the stocks leading today may not be leading tomorrow. If your portfolio is concentrated in
