Financial Symmetry: Balancing Today with Retirement Chad Smith, CFP® and Mike Eklund, CFP®

What can hockey teach us about pursuing your ideal retirement? 
As we watched our Carolina Hurricanes progress in the Stanley Cup playoffs, we were reminded of three hockey strategies that are also vital in fulfilling financial planning outcomes. 
And despite the early exit of the Canes in the Eastern Conference Finals, this hockey-themed episode can still assist you in the pursuit of your ideal retirement.
As Wayne Gretzky reminded us, don’t skate to where the puck is, skate to where the puck is going. Too many investors skate where the puck is currently. This Blackrock graph, mentioned in the show, is a good demonstration of results from people that tend to follow the herd to the hot trends now vs. investing where others are selling.
Now on with this week’s episode.
[2:18] Develop a game plan  [6:50] Taking advantage of power plays [11:23] Winning the face-off *****
🎥 See a video recap & slides referenced here
📬 Tips each month to help you Enhance Your Today and Enrich Your Tomorrow. Download our Pre-Retirement Checklist Ebook today
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📰 See the full show notes here

Are you the type of person who loves surprises? One surprise you probably don’t enjoy is having to pay more taxes than you anticipated. 
Unfortunately, taxes are a necessary part of life. The best thing you can do to ensure that you aren’t caught off guard at the end of the tax year is to prepare throughout the year. 
On this episode of Financial Symmetry, Allison Berger and I review 9 ways to prevent taxes from catching you off guard. Don’t let the next tax season take you by surprise. Listen in to hear how you can improve your tax situation so that you can rest easy come tax time.
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🎥 See a video recap & slides referenced here
📬 Tips each month to help you Enhance Your Today and Enrich Your Tomorrow. Download our Pre-Retirement Checklist Ebook today
🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here
📰 See the full show notes here

Many of our clients ask for financial books and other resources they can share with their loved ones to improve their financial literacy. When young people are armed with financial knowledge they make smarter financial decisions that will ultimately pay off in the long run.
When young adults are just getting started, financial information is best shared in bite-sized pieces which makes a 30-minute podcast the ideal medium for potentially life-changing financial tips. 
If you know of someone who is about to graduate from college and embark on their journey into the adult world, this is the episode for them. They’ll learn how to make the best financial decisions they can with their new paychecks. Please make sure to share this episode with the young people in your life. 
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🎥 See a video recap & slides referenced here
📰 See the full show notes here
📬 Tips each month to help you Enhance Your Today and Enrich Your Tomorrow. Subscribe to the Financial Symmetry newsletter and receive 5 Questions you Should Ask A Financial Advisor.
🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here
Other Resources Mentioned:
BOOK - Happy Money by Elizabeth Dunn How I Invest My Money YouTube video The Humble Dollar blog The College Investor blog BOOK - Saving for Retirement by Ben Carlson BOOK - I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi BOOK - How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie NAPFA - find fee-only financial advisors XY Planning Network - more fee-only financial advisors

As you plan to live your ideal retirement, you may want to share your good fortune with others who are less fortunate.
🎥 See a video recap here
Giving is incentivized through the tax code, so being charitably inclined can also help to reduce your tax liability.
In retirement, there are many ways to map out your charitable giving to take full advantage of the tax benefits. This is why, we discuss ways to capitalize on those opportunities while meeting your charitable goals.
Listen in to learn how to enhance your today and enrich your tomorrow while giving intentionally.
What You'll Learn In This Episode [0:49] Common charitable goals [2:37] Time talent and treasure [5:27] Mikey and Minnie’s case study [11:36] Donald and Daisy’s case study [19:13] Be intentional about your giving [21:10] Today’s progress principle *****
📬 Tips each month to help you reach your Ideal Retirement. Subscribe to the Financial Symmetry newsletter and receive a free Mega-backdoor Roth guide.
📰 See the full show notes here
🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

Have you ever spent hours trying to fix something that, with the right tools, a professional could fix in five minutes?
We’ve all been there. But it's often difficult to fully appreciate the time, effort, and in some circumstances the cost it could save you to enlist help earlier in the process.
In today’s episode, we’ll explore six steps that are available to augment your lifetime savings. Press play to discover if you are missing out on critical savings tools.
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📬 Tips each month to help you reach your Ideal Retirement. Subscribe to the Financial Symmetry newsletter and receive a free Mega-backdoor Roth guide.
📰 See the full show notes here
🎥 See a video recap here
🎯 Subscribe to not miss future episodes here

If you have been watching the news lately you may be wondering if your cash is safe. Watching the country’s 16th largest bank collapse causes people to question whether the banking system is set up to ensure that funds are accessible. 
On this episode of Financial Symmetry, we’ll discuss what happened to Silicon Valley Bank, examine how much cash you really need, and explore options for managing your emergency fund. Listen in to learn how to safely manage your emergency fund. 
Outline of This Episode [1:34] What happened with Silicon Valley Bank [4:40] How much cash do you really need? [7:50] How to manage your emergency fund [15:31] Create your own plan Connect With Chad and Mike https://www.financialsymmetry.com/podcast-archive/  Connect on Twitter @csmithraleigh @TeamFSINC Follow Financial Symmetry on Facebook Subscribe To This Podcast Apple Podcasts > Stitcher > Google Play