All Episodes

244. 8 Retirement Mistakes That Could Leave You Broke (And How to Avoid Them)

243: You Have a Million-Dollar IRA. Is a Roth Conversion Worth It?

242. You Have More Control Over Your Retirement Tax Bill Than You Think

241. The Key Financial Decisions That Come With Each Decade of Retirement.

240. Annuities Explained: Pros, Cons, and How to Know If One Belongs in Your Retirement Plan

239. The Retirement Blueprint: How to Plan for Inflation, Taxes, and 30 Years of Income at the Same Time

238. You Have an Estate Plan. Here’s Why It May Not Work the Way You Think

237. The Three-Legged Retirement Stool Is Gone: How to Create a Personal Pension With Income Buckets, Tax Diversification, and Social Security Timing

236. The Great Wealth Transfer Is Happening: How to Start the Family Inheritance Conversation and The Tax Trap Retirees Need to Know About

235. The Biggest Mistakes People Make When Claiming Social Security

234. 7 Steps to Retire Before 65. Even If You Think You Can't Afford To

233. What If the Market Crashes in Your First Year of Retirement?

232 Laid Off After 55? What to Do About Health Care, Taxes, and Your 401(k)

231. Three Retirement Planning Strategies for Large IRAs ($2 Million Example)

230. Retirement Taxes Explained: Pre-Tax Accounts, Roth Strategies, RMDs, and Social Security

229. The Hidden Crisis: Loneliness in Retirement, Loss of Purpose, and How to Reconnect

228. Do Roth Conversions Still Make Sense in 2026?

227. The 6 Components of a Retirement Plan (And Why It's Not Just Your 401(k))

226. We Stress Test a $1 Million Retirement Plan

225. How Long Does $1 Million Last in Retirement?

224. How New Tax Laws Actually Affect Your Retirement Plan

223. The Retirement Ready Checklist: 9 Moves to Make Before You Retire

222. The One Big Beautiful Bill Explained for Retirees

221. How The One Big Beautiful Bill Affects Retirement Taxes | Explaining the New $6,000 Senior Deduction

220. Retirement Milestones By Decade | Decisions to Make In Your 50s, 60s, and 70s

219. What You Need to Know Before Enrolling in Medicare (Fact or Fiction)

218. How to Start Planning for Retirement (Halloween Pt. 2)

217. How to Know If You're Retirement-Ready at Age 55 | Halloween Part 1

216. What You Should Know About Inheriting Money

215. The Top 10 Retirement Wake-Up Calls

214. 4 Types of Investors—and the Mistakes They Make in Retirement

213. Debunking 8 Retirement Myths About Investments

212. 7 Questions Your Financial Advisor Should Be Asking—But Probably Isn’t

211. How Do I Stack Up? A Look at National Averages and What a 25-Year Retirement Could Cost.

210. Why Staying Invested Matters

209. Long Term Care Costs, Options, and Planning

208. Debunking Common Retirement Tax Myths

207. Avoid These 5 Traps When Estate Planning in Retirement

206. Avoid These 4 Lifestyle Traps as You Plan for Retirement

205. The Basics of Legacy Planning with Estate Planning Attorney Charlie Bottenburg

204. 5 Retirement Income Traps in Retirement

203. How Market Volatility Can Create Opportunities

202. Three Health Care Traps In Retirement

201. 4 Retirement Tax Traps (And How to Avoid Them)

200. Three Retirement Investment Traps (And How To Avoid Them)

198. Three Ways to Lower Taxes in Retirement

197. The Retirement Planning Checklist

196. What To Do With Your 401(k) When You Retire

195. What You Need to Know About RMDs in 2025

194. Why You Should Plan For a Longer Retirement

193. Retire Earlier Than Expected

192. The Roth IRA 5-Year Rule

191. Test Driving Retirement

189. Debunking Social Security Myths

188. The Complete Guide to Medicare in 2025

187. 5 Strategies for Year-End Tax Planning

186. What is an IRA?

185. The Ultimate Checklist to Help Beat Inflation

184. The 6 Pillars of a Comprehensive Retirement Plan

183. There's No Place Like Retirement (Halloween Part 2)

182. We're Off To Plan Retirement! (Halloween Part 1)

181. Medicare Changes For 2025

180. 64 and Dreaming Of Retirement?

179. Retirement Planning At Age 62

178. Celebrate 59.5 with Smart Retirement Strategies

177. Crucial Retirement Decisions at Age 57

176. The Presidential Election and Your Retirement | Part 1: Markets

175. 8 Reasons to Retire Early

174. Tax Strategies Made Simple

RECAP 173. Preparing for Rising Costs: Inflation and Your Retirement

RECAP 173. How to Combat Inflation in Retirement: Investment and Income Strategies

173. How to Plan for Rising Costs in Retirement

RECAP 172. Wrap Your Mind Around $650 Billion and Why You Should Care

RECAP 172. $650 Billion Left On the Table in Tax Savings: What Can You Do?

172. Retirement Tax Planning Mistakes You Can Easily Avoid

171. Recap: Will Your Social Security Last? A Benefit Outlook

171. Recap: Maximizing Your Social Security: Strategies for a Smart Election

171. When You Should Elect Social Security

170. Recap: How You Can Keep Your Retirement Savings Safe

170. Recap: Ask Your Advisor These Questions as You Get Closer to Retirement | Episode Recap

170. How You Can Protect Your Nest Egg & Retire With Confidence

169. Recap: The 6 Pillars of a Retirement Plan

169. Recap: Don't Set Your Retirement Plan and Forget It

169. Don't Set Your Retirement Plan & Forget It

168. Recap: Ask Your Financial Advisor These Important Questions

168. Recap: Ask Tough Questions to Protect Your Retirement

168. What To Do When Your Advisor Is Retiring

167. Recap: The Probate Process Explained

167 Recap: Take Control of Your Future: Getting Started with Your Legacy Plan

167. Getting Started with Legacy Planning

166 Recap: The 59 1/2 Decision - 401k vs. IRA?

166 Recap: 401(k) Investment Risk in Real Numbers

166. Understanding Your 401(k) Account

165. How Much Money You Need to Retire

164. Retire Before 65 by Rethinking Your Health Care Options

163. How to Build Your Investment Portfolio for Retirement

162. Understanding Taxes in Retirement

161. 3 Ways to Overcome the Fear of Running Out of Money in Retirement

160. Rethink Retirement at 65

159. The Importance of Planning Your Funeral in Advance

158. Rethink Retirement: Legacy

157. Medicare: You Can’t Set it and Forget It (Rebroadcast)

156. Three Ways to Overcome Fear of Running Out of Money in Retirement

155. Your Medicare Questions Answered (Rebroadcast)

154. People Fear Retirement More Than Death (Rebroadcast)

153. Rethink Retirement: Taxes

152. What They Don't Tell You About Electing Social Security (Rebroadcast)

151. Rethink Retirement: Income

150. Retirement Mysteries Solved Part 2

149. Retirement Mysteries Solved Part 1

148. Why Investment Aren't Enough (Rebroadcast)

147. 10 Questions to Help You Find The Right Retirement Planner (Rebroadcast)

146. You're Ready to Retire. Now What?

145. Medicare: You Can’t Set it and Forget It

144. Explode Your Tax Savings: Discover 3 Commonly Overlooked Opportunities

143. How 10 Types of Retirement Income are Taxed (Rebroadcast)

142. What Does Customized Really Mean?

141. Your Medicare Questions Answered

140. The Truth About Mutual Funds

139. What They Don’t Tell You About Electing Social Security

138. Breaking Down the Financial Headlines to Find Opportunity in Chaos

137. People Fear Retirement More Than Death

136. Investment Recovery Playbook

135. Retire Your Way: Longevity, Health Care

134. Retire Your Way: The Power Of Planning

133. Should I Consider a Lump Sum Pension Payout?

132. 10 Questions to Help You Find The Right Retirement Planner

131. The Retirement Rule That's (Mostly) Wrong (Rebroadcast)

130. Why Investments Aren't Enough

129. Eight Things Medicare Doesn't Pay For

128. The Importance of Planning Your Funeral in Advance

127. Tax Mindset Makeover: Transform The Way You Think About Taxes

126. Could the Debt Limit Crisis Derail Your Retirement?

125. Finding Joy in Retirement with Joy Connoisseur Lisa Even

124. The Showdown: Plan vs. Decision

123. Are You Ready to Retire? (Rebroadcast)

122. Why Retirement is Different for Women

121. What's The Best Way to Leave Money to Your Children and Grandchildren?

120. How 10 Types of Retirement Income Are Taxed

119. Myths About Social Security: Solved

118. Miserable Markets Could be Good News for you

117. Retiring Through The Decades: 50s

116. Retiring Through The Decades: 70s

115. Retiring Through The Decades: 60s

114. SECURE Act 2.0 Part Three: Catch-Up Contributions and Annuities

113. SECURE Act 2.0 Part Two: 529 Plans and Roth Changes

112. SECURE Act 2.0 Part One: What You Need to Know

A Special Message from Loren Merkle on 2023

111. You Can Thank Inflation for These 2023 Changes

110. Is 2023 The Year You Retire?

109. The Retirement Red Zone

108. Only 11% of Pre-Retirees Plan to Delay Social Security Until 70

A Special Thanksgiving Message

107. Breaking Down 4 Retirement Barriers

106. There's a Recession: Who's Helping You Through It?

105. The Three Stages of Money

104. Preparing for Retirement in 2023

103. Could a Recession Ruin Your Retirement?

102. Eliminating RMD Surprises

101. How to Find the Best Senior Living Option

100. How Retirement has Changed Over the Last 100 Episodes

99. 4 Strategies to Combat Rising Inflation

98. Medicare Law Updates and What They Could Mean for You

97. How to Navigate the Caregiving Path

96. Could Your 401(k) be a Tax Trap?

95. The Importance of a Succession Plan

94. Preparing for Medicare Annual Enrollment

93. The Retirement Rule That's (Mostly) Wrong

92. Roth Conversions are on Sale

91. What is a Stock Market Crash?

90. Women in Retirement

89. Strategies to Utilize in a Bear Market

88. Should I Buy Bonds?

87. Sneaky IRA Rules

86. What to Do During a Market Meltdown

85. Income Tax Changes in Iowa

84. Your Merkle Plan Series: Legacy

83. Your Merkle Plan Series: Health Care

82. Your Merkle Plan Series: Investments

81. Your Merkle Plan Series: Taxes

80. Your Merkle Plan Series: Income

79. Your Merkle Plan Series: Lifestyle

78. What Happens to my 401(k) When I Retire?

77. Are You Ready to Retire?

76. Decoding Inherited IRA Rules

75. The Web's Most Searched Retirement Questions Part 2

74. The Web's Most Searched Retirement Questions Part 1

73. How Do I Get Paid in Retirement

72. Frequently Asked Retirement Questions

71. Market Swings Don't Equal Retirement Swings

70. Stop Procrastinating Your Legacy Plan

69. 2022: A Look Ahead

68. The Great Resignation

67. 5 Retirement Resolutions

66. Legacy Planning 101

65. When to Involve Your Kids In Your Retirement

64. Qualified Charitable Distributions

63. The Price is Right: Inflation Edition

62. Social Security

61. The Retirement Ghostbusters

60. Breaking Up is Hard to Do

59. Should Couples Retire Together?

58. Your Retirement Is More Than A Google Search

57. Medigap vs. Advantage Plans

56. The Power of Compound Interest

55. Required Minimum Distributions

54. Single in Retirement

53. The Retirement Game of Life

52. Organizing Your Retirement Junk Drawer

51. Stock Market Rollercoaster

50. 5 Ways to Boost Your Retirement Savings

49. How will President Biden’s $2.3 trillion dollar infrastructure bill affect your retirement?

48. Making Retirement Dreams Come True

47. Rewriting the Rules of Long-Term Care

46. You're Ready To Retire. Now What?

45. The Dow Jones is NOT Your Retirement

44. What is a Retirement Plan?

43. Don't Be Scared of Your Retirement

Special Day After Election Episode

Special Edition: Trump vs Biden

42. Politics & Retirement

41. Medicare: Mysteries & Misconceptions

40. Year End Tax Planning

39. Sudden Wealth Syndrome

38. Is $3 Million the new $1 Million?

37. Retiring Today vs. Retiring in 1950

36. Superhero Series: Life Insurance

35. Social Security: Myths vs. Reality

34. Required Minimum Distribution Age Change with the SECURE Act

33. Superhero Series: Non-Qualified Account

32. Rethinking the Rules of Retirement

31. Retirement Income: The Foundation of Your Retirement

30. Roth Conversions

29. Superhero Series: The Power of the HSA

28. Employer Plans & Your Retirement

27. Retirement Planner vs. Accumulation Adviser

26. When To Buy? When To Sell?

25. Superhero Series: The Power of the Roth

24. The Continuous Anxiety of the Market

23. Risks in Retirement

22. Coronavirus Stimulus Relief Bill: A Scammers Paradise

21. The Stock Market Meltdown of 2020

20. Welcome to the Bear Market

19. Coronavirus & Your 401(k)

18. Accumulation Investing vs. Retirement Investing

17. The Basics of Social Security

16. Pre-Retirees Most Asked Questions

15. The Retirement Timeline

14. Women in Retirement

13. Retiring in 2020

12. How the SECURE Act is changing retirement

11. Following Your Passions in Retirement

10. Medicare Changes in 2020

9. The Importance of a Financial Designation

8. What really is Cryptocurrency?

7. The In's & Out's of a Health Savings Account

6. Do you need $1 Million to Retire?

5. Year-End Tax Planning Strategies

4. A Recession Resistant Retirement

3. Fighting Scammers with Julie Wagner

2. The Effect of Interest Rates on Your Retirement

1. The Hidden Truths About Mutual Funds

Introducing Retiring Today