Stop These Financial Mistakes Before It’s Too Late

What are the biggest financial mistakes that can quietly derail your retirement? In this episode, Josh and I break down some of the most common bad money habits I see—and how you can avoid them before they cost you. We talk about why emotional investing—especially during market downturns—can do more harm than good, and what to do instead. I also walk through key decisions around Social Security, including when it might make sense to delay benefits and how that impacts long-term income, especially for LGBTQ+ couples navigating spousal and survivor benefits. We also dive into the everyday habits that can make or break your financial future—like not saving first, avoiding a budget, carrying high-interest debt, or overspending on housing. And most importantly, we talk about the biggest mistake of all: not having a plan. As always, we bring it back to the unique realities of the LGBTQ+ community—from chosen family dynamics to planning without traditional support systems—and why having a personalized strategy matters more than ever. If you want to build a retirement you can truly take pride in, this episode will help you identify what to fix—and how to move forward with confidence. Schedule your free financial consultation at TakePrideInRetirement.com or call 855-246-9211. -- Request your free RSSA Roadmap for Social Security optimizationWatch full episodes on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/@TakePrideinRetirementShowFollow on BlueSky, Threads, Facebook, Instagram — just search Take Pride in Retirement --  Take Pride in Retirement is proud to be named one of the top Pride podcasts on the internet by FeedSpot. For more, go to https://blog.feedspot.com/pride_podcasts About Take Pride in Retirement:Take Pride in Retirement is a podcast dedicated to retirement planning solutions for the LGBTQ community. Host Matt McClure, a licensed fiduciary financial advisor, shares strategies to protect your hard-earned money while pursuing market-like growth. Matt holds the RSSA® credential as a Registered Social Security Analyst®, helping clients optimize their Social Security filing strategies to potentially increase lifetime income. He’s also a Certified Annuity Specialist® (CAS®), a designation earned through a 135+ hour graduate-level program in fixed-rate and variable annuities from the Institute of Business & Finance. Based in Georgia with his husband and two dogs, Matt spent over a decade in New York City, working with The Wall Street Journal Radio Network, NY1, and WCBS Newsradio 880. A career highlight includes reporting from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.