Retirement DNA

Aaron Johnson

Duane and Aaron Johnson are co-founders of Bridger Financial Services.

  1. Episode 40: A Conversation about Tax

    01/21/2025

    Episode 40: A Conversation about Tax

    Takeaways: 1.      No major changes for 2025 so far 2.      IRA contributions remain the same, 401(k) and SEP IRA have had increases. 3.      Most likely taxes on Social Security benefits will remain. Hopefully they will inflate the brackets to more current levels. They haven't been inflated since the 1980's. 4.      If you own rental properties, be sure to deduct depreciation and recapture it when you sell. 5.      Tax planning strategies. Tax loss harvesting on non-IRA accounts and Roth conversions to help lower taxes for the future.

    16 min
  2. Episode 39: The Debt Ceiling and What It Means for Americans

    10/13/2023

    Episode 39: The Debt Ceiling and What It Means for Americans

    1.      There are 3 potential ways to balance the US Budget and start to pay off debt. 2.      2. Soon the U.S. will be spending more on interest on our than we will spend on any other program. 3.      3. The math doesn't work out to only raise taxes on the wealthy. 4.      4. Taxes will increase for everyone. 5.      5. Tax-Free accounts will become more important in the future.

    17 min
  3. Episode 38: How to Stop Stressing Over Money and Start Enjoying Retirement

    09/29/2023

    Episode 38: How to Stop Stressing Over Money and Start Enjoying Retirement

    Take intermittent steps into retirement. Go part-time, then retire. Work with a financial planner that will look holistically at your income and assets. If you don't have a pension, be sure you have a strategy for taking Social Security. That may include taking it early or waiting until after FRA. Have your adviser run different scenarios so you can see the difference with taxes, income and how your assets are used.

    10 min
  4. Episode 37: Why You Should Separate Income and Growth

    05/26/2023

    Episode 37: Why You Should Separate Income and Growth

    The traditional way of investing doesn't work. Research proves it It only works in up markets. Your income bucket should last 12+ years. It's important to keep your income bucket away from your growth bucket. You can't have your safe bucket going negative due to the market.

    18 min
  5. Episode 36: How to Increase Your Confidence through Retirement

    05/05/2023

    Episode 36: How to Increase Your Confidence through Retirement

    Only about 25% of Americans have been able to reach this goal. A traditional balanced portfolio no longer works according to JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs studies. Add in some guaranteed products, like annuities. Even the big Wall Street firms like Goldman Sachs, Fidelity, and Morgan Stanley are starting to see the value in them. Make sure you are talking to an adviser who specializes in retirement income planning and has the freedom to pick and choose products that are right fit for you.

    10 min
  6. Episode 35: How to Retire and Aim for The Same Standard of Living

    03/31/2023

    Episode 35: How to Retire and Aim for The Same Standard of Living

    1.      Only about 25% of Americans are able to reach this goal. 2.      A traditional balanced portfolio no longer works according to JPMorgan and Goldman Sachs studies. 3.      If you add in guarantees to your portfolio, you can still take the 4% or more and have your money last your retirement. 4.      The adviser you speak with matters. Some big firms limit what their advisors can do because they don't make money off certain products.

    12 min
  7. Episode 34: The Secure Act 2.0

    01/18/2023

    Episode 34: The Secure Act 2.0

    Required Minimum Distribution changes to age 73 and will move to age 75 in 2033. The Required Minimum Distribution penalty of 50% decreased to 25% and possibly down to 10%. Catch-Up contributions have increased and will increase even further for those 60-63 in 2024. 529's that have remaining balances can now be rolled to a Roth IRA for the beneficiary. There is still clarification on some things coming down the pike.

    15 min
  8. Episode 33: Three Opportunities In Today's Market

    12/30/2022

    Episode 33: Three Opportunities In Today's Market

    Remember the 3 – legged stool? The pension leg has gone away. Maybe you can create your own now. Safe money on the sidelines has been earning nothing. Now might be a good time for the next few years for a CD Alternative or a short-term, high quality fixed income portfolio. Are you taking advantage of tax harvesting? If not, you should be. Has your advisor talked to you about your non-IRA account? Roth IRA Conversions. We talk about this a lot I know. But the market is down, when it comes back all those gains could be tax free. This year it's too late, but the market will still be down early 2023.

    20 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Duane and Aaron Johnson are co-founders of Bridger Financial Services.

Information

  • Creator
    Aaron Johnson
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Aaron Johnson
  • Show Website
    Retirement DNA