Plan Your Kaiser Retirement | Pension & 401k Planning for California Healthcare Workers

Bereket Kelile
  • 5.0 (4)
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Plan Your Kaiser Retirement is the podcast for Kaiser Permanente employees in California who want clarity and confidence about retiring. Each episode breaks down your Kaiser pension options, 401(k) strategies, Social Security timing, Medicare, and California taxes—in plain English—so you can answer “When can I retire?” and turn your savings into a reliable monthly paycheck. Whether you’re in your 40s planning ahead or in your 50s preparing to exit, you’ll learn how to coordinate pension + Social Security, use the Roth window (59½–70), avoid IRMAA surprises, and choose benefits with confidence. Hosted by Sacramento-based financial advisor Bereket Kelile, with deep family ties to Kaiser, this show is built for healthcare professionals who want a clear plan—not generic advice. Retire with clarity. Retire on purpose.

  1. 5D AGO

    Your Kaiser Retirement at 55–62: The 2026 Playbook

    If you’re a Kaiser healthcare worker in your 50s and asking “When can I retire?”, this episode gives you a clear 2026 roadmap. Bereket walks you through tightening the playbook in your “third quarter”: locking down your foundations, then coordinating Social Security, pension, and 401(k) to create a monthly paycheck you can actually spend—while avoiding tax and healthcare pitfalls. What you’ll learn: Foundation first: wipe consumer debt, fully fund 3–6 months (then 6–12) of cash, and set a target date to kill the mortgage before retirement.Social Security in 6 steps: pull your statement, model 62/FRA/70 benefits, coordinate with pension, and view decisions through a tax lens.The Kaiser Roth window: why age 59½–70 is prime time for systematic Roth conversions to lower lifetime taxes and improve survivor/legacy outcomes.Pension optimization + 401(k) catch-up: how to blend pension timing with pre-tax/Roth buckets to hit your expense target.Building your “paycheck”: stack SS + pension + 401(k) in the right order to smooth taxes and cash flow.Grab the Kaiser 50s Retirement Playbook + 15-minute clarity call: https://deft-producer-2206.kit.com/dd0e025e7d

    25 min

  2. MAR 2

    Stuck Is a Symptom of Unmade Decisions (and How to Fix It)

    Feeling busy but not moving forward? In this episode, Bereket Kelile breaks down why so many healthcare workers feel “stuck”—and how unmade decisions quietly drain mental bandwidth, stall career progress, and slow financial planning. You’ll learn a simple reflective planning tool (past–present–future) to close open loops, regain focus, and set high‑quality goals that fit real life in healthcare. We cover: The real reason you feel stuck: unmade decisions and input overloadWhy most decisions are reversible (and how tiny experiments create momentum)How to clear mental tabs so you can prioritize career, money, and lifeA step-by-step reflective process to set relevant, achievable goalsUsing community/accountability to follow throughIf you work at Kaiser, Dignity, or Sutter and want 2026 to look different—this is your starting point. Want help applying this to your Kaiser benefits and retirement plan? Grab the Kaiser 40s Retirement Playbook and a 10–15 minute clarity call here: https://retirefromkaiser.com/

    12 min

  3. 12/26/2024

    Your 2025 Investment Plan

    You know it's time to start saving and investing for retirement. But, where do you start? And what do you need to do so that you can retire comfortably as early as possible? Unless you do something different, you’re going to end up in 2025 exactly where you’re headed—again.

    20 min

  4. 09/19/2024

    Is Dave Ramsey wrong about Social Security?

    Dave jokingly calls it Social “In-Security,” but it’s the main income for most people. Is Social Security going away? Also, burnout can happen to us even when we’re doing our dream job. How do you re-ignite your love and become excited again after going through the motions? The 5-Part Financial Plan Checklist: http://leavenormalbehind.life/ Check out Kimbra’s Substack article: https://kimbra.substack.com/p/to-no-applause Are you a Dave Ramsey listener with questions about investing? You might be ready to retire but don't know where to start. I specialize in helping people create a plan to spend more money, pay less taxes, and enjoy retirement on their terms. People worry most about whether they have enough money to retire and whether it'll last through their retirement. It doesn't have to be a problem you ignore because you can't find the answers. Instead, take my 10-minute assessment and book a 1-hour call where I'll show you what steps you need to take next. Check out the resources I created for you: https://bereketkelile.com/

    15 min

  5. 08/22/2024

    What if the whole systems crashes?

    When it seems like the system is about to collapse and the markets are going to crash, do you pull your money out? I walk through how I have those conversations with my clients and how we come up with a plan for what to do next--if it's nothing. You'll also hear my tips for taking on a big, hairy, audacious goal with confidence and consistent action.- Are you a Dave Ramsey listener with questions about investing? You might be ready to retire but don't know where to start. I specialize in helping people create a personalized game plan to spend more money, pay less taxes, and enjoy retirement on their terms. People worry most about whether they have enough money to retire and whether it'll last through their retirement. It doesn't have to be a problem you ignore because you can't find the answers. Instead, take my 10-minute assessment and book a 1-hour call where I'll show you what steps you need to take next. Check out the resources I created for you: https://daveramseyadvisor.com/

    17 min

  6. 07/24/2024

    Still chasing the “big number”

    Most people want to retire comfortably, so I get why they focus on the “magic” retirement number they need to hit. But that approach is going to do you more harm than good. Fortunately, there’s a better way to plan: where the numbers serve YOU, not the other way around. You get lots of do-overs IN life, but no do-overs OF life. You worked too hard not to enjoy the retirement of your dreams. Are you a Dave Ramsey listener with questions about investing? You might be ready to retire but don't know where to start. I specialize in helping people create a personalized game plan to spend more money, pay less taxes, and enjoy retirement on their terms. People worry most about whether they have enough money to retire and whether it'll last through their retirement. It doesn't have to be a problem you ignore because you can't find the answers. Instead, take my 10-minute assessment and book a 1-hour call where I'll show you what steps you need to take next. Check out the resources I created for you: http://leavenormalbehind.life/

    9 min

  7. 07/16/2024

    Retirement Fluency

    We fear what we do not understand. According to new research, the more you know about retirement, the more confident you will be about your future plans. Learn more about this new concept called retirement fluency and how you can increase your fluency level.

    16 min

  8. 05/29/2024

    Is buying a rental property a good idea?

    With apps like Vrbo and Airbnb, the opportunities in real estate have never been better. Imagine getting passive income from rental properties, which themselves are growing in value. Is this right investment strategy for you? How can this help or hurt your progress towards retirement? You’ll hear the questions I ask people who are considering buying rental properties as well as those near-retirees who are deciding what to do with their real estate portfolio.  - Are you a Dave Ramsey listener with questions about investing? You might be ready to retire but don't know where to start. I specialize in helping people create a personalized game plan to spend more money, pay less taxes, and enjoy retirement on their terms. People worry most about whether they have enough money to retire and whether it'll last through their retirement. It doesn't have to be a problem you ignore because you can't find the answers. Instead, take my 10-minute assessment and book a 1-hour call where I'll show you what steps you need to take next. Check out the resources I created for you: http://leavenormalbehind.life/

    14 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Plan Your Kaiser Retirement is the podcast for Kaiser Permanente employees in California who want clarity and confidence about retiring. Each episode breaks down your Kaiser pension options, 401(k) strategies, Social Security timing, Medicare, and California taxes—in plain English—so you can answer “When can I retire?” and turn your savings into a reliable monthly paycheck. Whether you’re in your 40s planning ahead or in your 50s preparing to exit, you’ll learn how to coordinate pension + Social Security, use the Roth window (59½–70), avoid IRMAA surprises, and choose benefits with confidence. Hosted by Sacramento-based financial advisor Bereket Kelile, with deep family ties to Kaiser, this show is built for healthcare professionals who want a clear plan—not generic advice. Retire with clarity. Retire on purpose.

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