Safe Money Radio with Brad Pistole

Brad Pistole
  • 4.0 (20)
  • Investing

Safe Money Radio host Brad Pistole is a nationally recognized Financial Professional who specializes in planning that protects principal from stock market volatility and creates guaranteed lifetime income. Listen here to receive insights from Brad and hear what he has to say regarding retirement income planning. 

  1. 4d ago

    Retirement Security Changes When You Know The History

    The retirement rules you live under weren’t invented all at once. They were built in layers across wars, market crashes, tax law rewrites, and the slow disappearance of pensions. I’m Brad Pistole, and I’m taking you on a fast, practical timeline from 1913 to 2026 so you can stop guessing about retirement and start understanding why the system works the way it does. We start with the creation of the Federal Reserve, then move through the Great Depression and the birth of the FDIC, when “keeping your money safe” became a national priority. From there, we dig into the Social Security Act of 1935, how the pay-as-you-go structure still drives retirement income today, and why projections around 2033 keep coming up in conversations about taxes, benefits, and retirement ages. If Social Security is 30% to 70% of a household’s income, the details matter, and so does having other income sources ready. Then we hit the big retirement shift: the Golden Age of pensions giving way to ERISA, IRAs, and the 401(k) boom. I explain why IRA really means “individual retirement arrangement,” how that changes the way you should think about control and tax rules, and why so many retirees ended up relying on rules of thumb like the 4% rule. We also cover the Roth IRA, the Roth conversion changes that took off in 2010, and why taxes, Medicare IRMAA, and Social Security taxation can turn “tax-deferred” into a retirement problem if you don’t plan ahead. We close with what market shocks in 2001 and 2008 taught real families, and why guaranteed lifetime income and annuities have grown as a way to build a personal pension when employers no longer provide one. If you want a clearer, calmer retirement plan, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a quick review so more people can find it. Send us Fan Mail To learn more about Brad Pistole and the Ozark Retirement Group, please visit www.ozarksretirement.com

    57 min

  2. Jun 19

    American College of Financial Services (Horizons Conference): Part 4

    Social Security headlines push a lot of smart people into costly snap decisions, and the most common one is racing to claim at 62 out of fear. We sit down at the American College Horizons Conference with Dr. Jason Fichtner, former deputy commissioner at the Social Security Administration and a leading voice on retirement security, to separate rumors from reality. Social Security is not “going bankrupt,” but the trust fund timeline matters and it changes how we should think about claiming, spousal protection, and building a paycheck that can last. From there, we get practical about retirement income planning. If fewer workers have pensions, the burden shifts to your 401(k) and IRA to produce reliable income while also managing market volatility and sequence of returns risk. We talk about why “income is the outcome,” how annuities can be used as a bridge to delay Social Security, and why this is rarely an all-or-nothing choice. The point is to match the tool to the need: essential expenses, flexibility, and peace of mind. Then Dr. Michael Finke challenges the idea that retirement success is only financial, breaking satisfaction into three pillars: money, relationships, and health. Finally, Dr. David Blanchett weighs in on the 4% rule, longevity risk, and a simple baseline approach: cover essentials with lifetime income, then decide how much liquidity and risk you truly need using a “liquidity waterfall” mindset. If you want clearer Social Security strategy, smarter retirement spending, and a more durable retirement plan, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave us a review. What part of your retirement plan needs the biggest upgrade right now? Send us Fan Mail To learn more about Brad Pistole and the Ozark Retirement Group, please visit www.ozarksretirement.com

    54 min

  3. Jun 12

    American College of Financial Services (Horizons Conference): Part 3

    When the market moves, your account balance may swing, but the factor that can quietly rewrite your retirement is taxes. We’re back at the American College of Financial Services Horizons conference with three interviews that zoom in on the decisions that determine how much of your IRA you actually get to keep and how much ends up going to the IRS. First, we sit down with Ed Slott, America’s IRA expert, to unpack why Roth conversions have become so complex and so important. We talk about the SECURE Act as a true game changer, the end of the old stretch IRA for most non-spouse heirs, and how the 10-year inherited IRA rule can create a giant taxable “cliff” for your kids. Ed frames it clearly: Uncle Sam is a special kind of joint owner, and timing your tax payments when rates are low can be a powerful way to reduce future RMD pressure and build more tax-free income. Next, Jeffrey Levine breaks down the difference between tax preparation and tax planning, and why modern financial advice keeps moving toward proactive, forward-looking strategy. We dig into continuing education, the value behind the TPCP designation, and the real goal: the lowest lifetime tax bill. That includes the hidden costs tied to income like IRMAA Medicare premiums, phaseouts, and other triggers that can make your effective rate higher than your bracket suggests. We close with John Manganaro of The Daily Upside on the human side of retirement planning: caregiving, long-term care planning, widowhood, and why empathy and pacing matter when families are under stress. If this helped you think differently, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find smarter retirement planning. Send us Fan Mail To learn more about Brad Pistole and the Ozark Retirement Group, please visit www.ozarksretirement.com

    54 min

  4. Jun 8

    American College of Financial Services (Horizons Conference) 2026: Part 2

    The most expensive retirement mistakes are rarely about picking the wrong stock. They usually come from blind spots: taxes you did not see coming, income tools you never learned, and assets you forgot to count. From the sold-out Horizons 2026 conference, I’m sharing Part 2 of a special interview series with four nationally known retirement planning voices: Jamie Hopkins, Dr. Wade Pfau, David McKnight, and Don Graves. Jamie Hopkins explains why most people are visual learners and how clearer visuals can make retirement planning simpler and more actionable. We also dig into “pay yourself first” as a foundation for retirement income security, plus a surprisingly powerful idea for the next chapter of life: retirement as your chance to rebuild community on purpose instead of living inside the “accidental communities” created by school and work. He also shares practical ways he teaches his kids real money skills using modern tools and hands-on experiences. Dr. Wade Pfau brings the conversation into advanced retirement tax planning, including how to think about Roth conversions through the lens of current income, spending needs, and lifetime tax rates. We talk about real-world “cliffs” like IRMAA Medicare premium surcharges and why paying the lowest lifetime tax can matter more than avoiding taxes today. David McKnight then walks through tax-free wealth planning concepts, including how an index universal life insurance policy may serve as a volatility buffer to help manage sequence-of-returns risk and provide additional long-term care options. Finally, Don Graves makes the case for housing wealth and reverse mortgages as a legitimate fourth bucket that can strengthen cash flow and create more tax-smart withdrawal choices. Subscribe to the podcast, share this with someone nearing retirement, and leave a review with your biggest retirement tax question so we can address it next. Send us Fan Mail To learn more about Brad Pistole and the Ozark Retirement Group, please visit www.ozarksretirement.com

    54 min

  5. May 29

    American College of Financial Services (Horizons Conference) 2026: Part 1

    Retirement plans don’t usually fail because of a bad spreadsheet. They fail because of a life event. From the sold-out Horizons 2026 conference at The American College of Financial Services, we bring you three powerful conversations that hit the real pressure points in retirement planning: widowhood, longevity risk, taxes, Social Security, Medicare costs, and the emotional weight of major transitions. First, we sit down with Gene Chatsky of HerMoney.com and the Her Money Podcast to talk about why so many women end up managing money alone later in life. One statistic says it all: 80% of men die married, and 80% of women die single. We unpack what that means for financial independence, getting organized, and making sure both spouses understand where the money is and how the plan works before it’s urgent. Next, Lindsay Lewis (CFP, ChFC) shares what she’s seeing with widows and why the average widow is far younger than most people assume. We dig into the “three G’s” framework (grief, growth, grace), the need for a structured 30/60/90-day game plan, and the guardrails that can prevent rushed decisions. We also cover the wealth transfer to women, the advisor talent gap, and why AI can’t replace the empathy and trust people want from a real financial advisor. Finally, Heather Schreiber connects Social Security claiming strategy to coordinated retirement income planning. We talk about the temptation to file at 62, how permanent benefit reductions work, and how Medicare premiums and IRMAA surcharges can change your net income for life. If you want a tax-smart retirement paycheck that lasts, this conversation brings the pieces together. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review so more families can find help planning a safer, smarter retirement. Send us Fan Mail To learn more about Brad Pistole and the Ozark Retirement Group, please visit www.ozarksretirement.com

    51 min

  6. May 22

    Why More Retirees Choose Safety Over Big Returns

    You can be a thrill seeker and still buckle your seatbelt, and that simple truth is the best metaphor for retirement planning I know. With Peak 65 here, more families are reaching the “now what?” moment at the same time, and the questions are getting sharper: How do we protect the nest egg we built, create reliable income, and avoid getting forced into the wrong move when the market is down? We walk through a Kiplinger report that says the definition of investment success is changing. Returns still matter, but retirees are increasingly measuring success by durability, flexibility, and confidence. That shift impacts how we think about safe money strategies, asset allocation, and asset location. When every goal sits inside one market-driven bucket, sequence of returns risk can turn a normal downturn into a permanent problem, especially if you are withdrawing for income and paying taxes at the same time. From there, we tackle annuities head-on using research from Dr. Kevin Lynch, including the core problem annuities are designed to solve: you cannot guarantee a finite portfolio lasts an infinite number of years. We break down the five major retirement risks, explain mortality credits in plain English, and show why guaranteed lifetime income can function like a personal pension. We also lay out who tends to benefit most, from retirees without pensions to people who want an income floor that reduces panic selling and supports better spending decisions. If you want a plan that’s built to hold up in real life, listen now, then subscribe, share the episode with a friend nearing retirement, and leave a review. What part of retirement feels most uncertain to you right now? Send us Fan Mail To learn more about Brad Pistole and the Ozark Retirement Group, please visit www.ozarksretirement.com

    55 min

  7. May 15

    Social Security Timing with Expert Heather Schreiber

    If you’ve been told “just take Social Security at 62” because the system is running out of money, pause. We sit down with Heather Schreiber, our go to Social Security and retirement income planning expert, to unpack what insolvency actually means, what it doesn’t mean, and why fear based claiming can permanently shrink your paycheck. The core message is simple: Social Security is not a stand alone decision, it’s a lever that affects taxes, Medicare premiums, and the surviving spouse’s income. We also go deep on why women in finance and women in retirement planning deserve special attention. Gray divorce is rising after age 50, women often carry more caregiving breaks in their work history, and they typically live longer than men. Heather explains “Social Security autonomy” and why building your own benefit matters, especially if a marriage ends before the 10 year mark for ex spousal eligibility. We talk survivor benefits in plain terms and why the higher earner’s claiming age can shape the household’s income for decades. Then we connect the dots to tax planning: traditional 401(k) and IRA balances, required minimum distributions (RMDs), Social Security taxation, and IRMAA Medicare surcharges. If you claim early and delay withdrawals from pre tax accounts, you can accidentally create a future tax torpedo that raises your taxes and premiums when you can least afford it. Coordinated income planning, Roth strategy, and early retirement “gap years” planning can change the outcome dramatically. If you want a clearer plan for when to claim and how to structure retirement income, subscribe, share this with someone who’s close to retirement, and leave us a review so more families can find it. Send us Fan Mail To learn more about Brad Pistole and the Ozark Retirement Group, please visit www.ozarksretirement.com

    56 min

  8. May 8

    How A Finance Professor Built A Retirement That Lets Him Sleep Well At Night

    You can know all the rules of money and still get blindsided by retirement. Brad sits down with Dr. Kevin Lynch, a former CFP program instructor with 20 professional designations, to talk about what happens when the paycheck stops and the decision becomes real. Kevin explains why he didn’t “need” an advisor, but absolutely wanted one, because managing your own money brings emotions to the surface in a way textbooks never can. We unpack the planning framework that helped him sleep well at night: coordinating Social Security with annuities to create guaranteed income that covers the household basics, so the investment portfolio can stay invested even when the market turns ugly. Kevin shares what it felt like living through major drawdowns, why “don’t just do something, stand there” can be the most profitable move, and how building income guardrails changes your relationship with risk, news, and uncertainty. Then the conversation widens into the part most retirement planning misses. After 90 days of doing almost nothing, Kevin discovers that “every day is Saturday” is only fun for a while. He tells the story of returning to faith, becoming a licensed chaplain, earning a Doctor of Ministry at 75, and building a nonprofit mission to teach practical personal finance in a church setting. We close with one piece of marriage advice that hits hard: plan retirement with your spouse, not just for your spouse. Subscribe for more real retirement stories, share this with someone nearing retirement, and leave a review if it helped you think differently. What are you retiring to, and what would help you sleep well at night? Send us Fan Mail To learn more about Brad Pistole and the Ozark Retirement Group, please visit www.ozarksretirement.com

    54 min
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About

Safe Money Radio host Brad Pistole is a nationally recognized Financial Professional who specializes in planning that protects principal from stock market volatility and creates guaranteed lifetime income. Listen here to receive insights from Brad and hear what he has to say regarding retirement income planning. 

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