What The Wealth Retirement Podcast

Jonathan Bednar II, CFP
  • 4.8 (15)
  • Investing
  • Updated Semimonthly

When it comes to financial planning and investing, many of us have more questions than answers. The “What the Wealth?!” Retirement Podcast offers sound financial information and guidance on numerous concerns to help Gen X and Y families and professionals as well as 50-Forward individuals create the lives they love. Jonathan P. Bednar, II, CFP, joined Paradigm Wealth Partners in January 2010, where he is in partnership with his father, Jon P. Bednar. As a Wealth Advisor, Jonathan enjoys guiding his clients to make informed financial decisions and planning as a means to solve their investment and retirement concerns.Securities offered through LPL Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advice offered through Paradigm Wealth Partners, a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial.

  1. 1d ago

    Retire Before Time Runs Out – What Are You Waiting For? (128)

    Retiring at 65 sounds safe until you look at one overlooked number: Healthy life expectancy.  If the average American starts facing meaningful health limitations around the same age most people leave work, the biggest risk to your retirement might not be the market or your savings rate, it might be the shrinking window of time when you can actually do the things you dreamed about. That’s the wake-up call we dig into, along with what to do before “later” turns into “too late.” We talk through the difference between being alive and truly living, using real retirement planning experience and global data to show why the United States lags other countries in healthy years. Then we get practical: how to treat health like a retirement account with simple, repeatable habits that protect mobility, independence, and confidence. Because a perfect financial plan on paper is meaningless if you can’t travel, carry luggage, play with grandkids, or enjoy everyday freedom. On the money side, we challenge the drift of status quo planning and ask a question that changes everything: what would it take to retire at 55? That mindset exposes the levers that build financial independence, including spending less than you earn, avoiding lifestyle creep, protecting relationships, and building a portfolio that matches your real risk tolerance. We also unpack why asset allocation matters more than stock picking and how a written plan and steady guidance can keep you from panic decisions during market crashes. If you want more healthy years with real choices, hit subscribe, share this with someone who keeps saying “someday,” and leave a review so more people can find it. 🗓️ Meet with me: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/begin-your-journey/#calendly ↔️ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbednarii/ 🌐 Paradigm Wealth Partners (website) – Financial planning for career professionals who want to retire and stay retired: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/ 🌐 What the Wealth (website) – Adding clarity to difficult financial topics: https://whatthewealth.com/ ▶️ YouTube: Paradigm Wealth Partners If you or someone you care about could use the help of a financial advisor and sees the value in establishing a financial plan, please reach out to me.  Thanks for Listening!  Jonathan

    21 min

  2. Jun 11

    Why Americans Are Lacking Retirement Confidence Despite Larger Nest Eggs (127)

    Retirement confidence is at its lowest level since 2017, and the twist is that many people are doing “fine” on paper. So why are folks hesitant to stop working? I walk through what I see after helping hundreds of retirees: Confidence is not built by a bigger portfolio. It is built by a clear plan you can follow when inflation spikes, the market drops, or health care costs surprise you. We start with the data behind the 2026 Retirement Confidence Survey and the real drivers of anxiety: Inflation, rising medical costs, Social Security and Medicare uncertainty, market volatility, and the fear of outliving your money. Then I break down the five building blocks of retirement confidence: Reliable income, cash reserves (including the five-year “war chest” to manage sequence of returns risk), a retirement tax strategy that considers RMDs, Social Security taxation, and IRMAA, thoughtful health care and long-term care planning, and most importantly a written retirement plan that ties it all together. 🗓️ Meet with me: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/begin-your-journey/#calendly ↔️ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbednarii/ 🌐 Paradigm Wealth Partners (website) – Financial planning for career professionals who want to retire and stay retired: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/ 🌐 What the Wealth (website) – Adding clarity to difficult financial topics: https://whatthewealth.com/ ▶️ YouTube: Paradigm Wealth Partners If you or someone you care about could use the help of a financial advisor and sees the value in establishing a financial plan, please reach out to me.  Thanks for Listening!  Jonathan

    16 min

  3. May 29

    Turning $1 Million into Steady Retirement Income (126)

    A million dollars for retirement sounds like the finish line, until you try to live on it and realize there is no paycheck attached. I’m Jonathan Bedner, a Certified Financial Planner with Paradigm Wealth Partners, and in this episode I'll walk you through a simple, practical way to turn a retirement nest egg into monthly income you can actually rely on. The goal is building a system that feels steady even when the market does not.  We start with the familiar 4% rule and why it can be a helpful guide but an incomplete retirement withdrawal strategy on its own. Then we get specific about the real threats retirees face: Taxes, inflation, sequence of returns risk, longevity, and the behavior traps that lead to panic selling or overspending.  I break down the three-bucket strategy: A cash “paycheck bucket” for near-term spending, a conservative bond war chest often built with bond ladders, and a long-term growth engine in equities designed to fight inflation over decades. We run a clear example using Social Security plus $3,000 per month from an investment portfolio, including how to refill each bucket in up markets and down markets so you are not forced to sell stocks when they are down.  🗓️ Meet with me: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/begin-your-journey/#calendly ↔️ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbednarii/ 🌐 Paradigm Wealth Partners (website) – Financial planning for career professionals who want to retire and stay retired: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/ 🌐 What the Wealth (website) – Adding clarity to difficult financial topics: https://whatthewealth.com/ ▶️ YouTube: Paradigm Wealth Partners If you or someone you care about could use the help of a financial advisor and sees the value in establishing a financial plan, please reach out to me.  Thanks for Listening!  Jonathan

    8 min

  4. May 20

    How To Evaluate An Early Retirement Package (Company Buyout) Without Regret (125)

    A buyout offer can feel like a gift, but it can also quietly wreck a retirement plan if you treat the severance cheque like a finish line. Let's walk through the real-world decisions behind Microsoft’s recent reported voluntary retirement style separation package and why moves like this matter to anyone working at a large company. When one major employer offers early exits, the idea spreads fast, and the next offer could land on your desk with a deadline and a surge of emotion. The five biggest mistakes I see when people accept an early retirement package:  Overvaluing the payout instead of building a durable retirement income plan, underestimating healthcare costs and the Medicare gap, claiming Social Security too early out of fear, forgetting how brutal taxes can be in a package year (salary, PTO, bonus, RSUs, and severance piling up at once), and retiring from something without a clear purpose to retire to.  We also talk through why companies do this, from payroll reduction and reshaping the workforce to freeing capital for priorities like AI and infrastructure. To help you decide without panic, I share three grounding questions:  Are you financially independent already, does the offer truly improve your position, and what is your best alternative if you stay or work longer?  If you’re within five years of retirement and want clarity on income, taxes, Social Security timing, and healthcare, subscribe, share this with someone weighing a buyout, and leave a review so more people can find it. 🗓️ Meet with me: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/begin-your-journey/#calendly ↔️ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbednarii/ 🌐 Paradigm Wealth Partners (website) – Financial planning for career professionals who want to retire and stay retired: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/ 🌐 What the Wealth (website) – Adding clarity to difficult financial topics: https://whatthewealth.com/ ▶️ YouTube: Paradigm Wealth Partners If you or someone you care about could use the help of a financial advisor and sees the value in establishing a financial plan, please reach out to me.  Thanks for Listening!  Jonathan

    11 min

  5. May 8

    Why So Many Are Retiring to Tennessee — What You Should Know (124)

    Retiring to Tennessee sounds simple until you start adding up the real numbers. We hear the same line again and again: “Tennessee is tax-friendly.” That’s true, but it’s also the fastest path to a bad decision if taxes are the only thing you consider. In this episode I walk through what “no state income tax” actually means for retirees and what it doesn’t mean. Tennessee doesn’t tax IRA and retirement account withdrawals, pension income, or Social Security at the state level, which can be a meaningful benefit for people moving from high income tax states. But federal taxes still apply, and the biggest win is often better tax planning flexibility, especially if you’re considering Roth conversions early in retirement. Let's also pressure-test the assumption that Tennessee is always “lower cost.” Housing has climbed fast in places like Nashville, and even historically affordable areas like Chattanooga and Knoxville are changing as more people move in. The trade-offs people miss on the highlight reels: High combined sales tax that can approach 9% to 10%, healthcare access that varies a lot by location, and weather realities like hot humidity, storm risk, and brutal seasonal allergies. We also talk about growth and infrastructure, including traffic congestion and rising demand that can reshape the day-to-day experience of retirement. If you’re thinking about relocating for retirement, use this conversation as a checklist for evaluating taxes, cost of living, lifestyle fit, and your full income strategy. Subscribe, share this with someone considering a move, and leave a review with your biggest question about retiring to Tennessee. 🗓️ Meet with me: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/begin-your-journey/#calendly ↔️ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbednarii/ 🌐 Paradigm Wealth Partners (website) – Financial planning for career professionals who want to retire and stay retired: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/ 🌐 What the Wealth (website) – Adding clarity to difficult financial topics: https://whatthewealth.com/ ▶️ YouTube: Paradigm Wealth Partners If you or someone you care about could use the help of a financial advisor and sees the value in establishing a financial plan, please reach out to me.  Thanks for Listening!  Jonathan

    24 min

  6. Apr 27

    Retirement Episode: Biggest Risks, Options at Age 58, All Things Social Security, the $1.9 Portfolio (123)

    There’s a retirement risk almost nobody models, and it has nothing to do with the stock market. It’s the quiet trade you make when you keep working past the point where your healthiest years are already slipping away. We stitched together several of my most important retirement planning clips into one focused compilation. First, I explain why age 58 can be a real turning point: health, energy, and mobility start to change while the “compounding magic” of your savings matters less than you think. We unpack the difference between time on paper, usable time, and high quality time and why the decade from about 58 to 68 often holds the best shot at travel, freedom, and doing life on your terms. If market headlines keep you waiting for perfect conditions, I’ll show you why those conditions never arrive and why a stress tested plan is what actually creates confidence. Next, we get practical on Social Security strategy. I walk through five reasons claiming Social Security at 62 can be smart, including cash flow needs, health, reducing pressure on your investment portfolio, reinvesting benefits, and the break even math. Then I lay out four straightforward ways to increase Social Security benefits, from the 35 year earnings rule to spousal and survivor benefits, plus why claiming decisions must coordinate with taxes, Medicare IRMAA, and required minimum distributions. Finally, I cover why a ~$1.9 million portfolio changes the questions you should be asking. The focus shifts from “will I have enough” to tax planning, withdrawal strategy, risk alignment, simplicity, and legacy planning so the wealth you built actually supports the life you want. 🗓️ Meet with me: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/begin-your-journey/#calendly ↔️ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbednarii/ 🌐 Paradigm Wealth Partners (website) – Financial planning for career professionals who want to retire and stay retired: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/ 🌐 What the Wealth (website) – Adding clarity to difficult financial topics: https://whatthewealth.com/ ▶️ YouTube: Paradigm Wealth Partners If you or someone you care about could use the help of a financial advisor and sees the value in establishing a financial plan, please reach out to me.  Thanks for Listening!  Jonathan

    49 min

  7. Mar 3

    Six Retirement Regrets (122)

    The hard truth: Most retirements don’t fail on spreadsheets. They fail in real life when emotions, freedom, and spending collide. After decades of doing everything right, it’s easy to feel like you’ve earned the luxury car, the bigger house, the nonstop trips, the generous gifts, the open tab for adult kids, or even the dream vacation home.  I break down why those “deserved” purchases often carry long tails of cost—depreciation, insurance, utilities, maintenance, taxes, and expectations—that quietly outgrow the portfolio meant to fund the next 30 years. Six retirement regrets I see again and again: The luxury car trap, upsizing the house, travel without limits, pricey gifts that become norms, ongoing support for adult children, and the vacation home illusion. For each one, we dig into the hidden math, the emotional triggers that make smart people overspend, and practical alternatives that protect comfort and joy. 🗓️ Meet with me: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/begin-your-journey/#calendly ↔️ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbednarii/ 🌐 Paradigm Wealth Partners (website) – Financial planning for career professionals who want to retire and stay retired: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/ 🌐 What the Wealth (website) – Adding clarity to difficult financial topics: https://whatthewealth.com/ ▶️ YouTube: Paradigm Wealth Partners If you or someone you care about could use the help of a financial advisor and sees the value in establishing a financial plan, please reach out to me.  Thanks for Listening!  Jonathan

    14 min

  8. Jan 29

    Retiring in the US with a Pension? How to Make it Fit with Social Security and Savings? (121)

    Too many retirees make one pension decision they can’t undo and it reshapes their entire financial future. We break down the real trade-offs hiding behind payout options, survivor benefits, and the lure of a lump sum, then show you how to weave your pension together with Social Security and investments to build a calm, resilient retirement plan. We start by reframing the pension as a supercharged bond; steady, predictable income that can cover the must-haves and free your portfolio to fund the fun stuff. You’ll learn a simple two-column method to map fixed expenses against guaranteed income, why 80 to 100 percent coverage is a powerful target, and how that floor helps you sleep at night when markets get rough. From there, we unpack the key payout choices: single life for maximum income, joint-and-survivor to protect both lives, and variations with different survivor percentages. We explain how to stress test each option against age, health, tax implications, and timing your Social Security benefits. A candid case study shows the cost of chasing the biggest monthly number and leaving a spouse with too little income. We also walk through when a lump sum can work; low fixed expenses, solid guaranteed coverage, strong legacy goals, and the discipline to manage market risk after rolling to an IRA. To keep you out of trouble, we highlight common mistakes like ignoring inflation, misreading the pension’s bond-like role, and making decisions in silos instead of as a system. By the end, you’ll have a clear framework: cover essentials with guarantees, fund goals with growth, and choose a payout that protects the person you love most. If this helped you think more clearly about your pension, subscribe, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a quick review. Your support helps others find the show and make smarter, safer retirement choices. 🗓️ Meet with me: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/begin-your-journey/#calendly ↔️ Connect with me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jbednarii/ 🌐 Paradigm Wealth Partners (website) – Financial planning for career professionals who want to retire and stay retired: https://paradigmwealthpartners.com/ 🌐 What the Wealth (website) – Adding clarity to difficult financial topics: https://whatthewealth.com/ ▶️ YouTube: Paradigm Wealth Partners If you or someone you care about could use the help of a financial advisor and sees the value in establishing a financial plan, please reach out to me.  Thanks for Listening!  Jonathan

    16 min
See All (128)

4.8
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

When it comes to financial planning and investing, many of us have more questions than answers. The “What the Wealth?!” Retirement Podcast offers sound financial information and guidance on numerous concerns to help Gen X and Y families and professionals as well as 50-Forward individuals create the lives they love. Jonathan P. Bednar, II, CFP, joined Paradigm Wealth Partners in January 2010, where he is in partnership with his father, Jon P. Bednar. As a Wealth Advisor, Jonathan enjoys guiding his clients to make informed financial decisions and planning as a means to solve their investment and retirement concerns.Securities offered through LPL Financial. Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advice offered through Paradigm Wealth Partners, a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial.

Information

  • Creator
    Jonathan Bednar II, CFP
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    128
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 What The Wealth Retirement Podcast
  • Show Website
    What The Wealth Retirement Podcast

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