An award-winning retirement podcast dedicated to helping you lower taxes, invest smarter, and make work optional. Do you want to avoid overpaying the IRS in retirement? Or learn how to prepare for the next stock market crash? How about when to take Social Security and how to turn your investments into reliable retirement income? Hey there! I'm CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Taylor Schulte, and I was recently named the #2 Independent Financial Advisor in the U.S. by Investopedia. Each week on t ...
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Most of my marketing experiments have failed. But, some have succeeded. From spending tens of thousands of dollars on print ads to hiring a Harvard data nerd to run Facebook campaigns, it’s quite possible I’ve experimented more in the last five years than the average advisor has in their entire career. And this is just the beginning. Join me as I explore the world of marketing in the financial planning industry. Follow along as I experiment with different ideas, share my successes and failur ...
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Steph Douglas - Founder and CEO of Don’t Buy Her Flowers - chats frankly with a guest about LIFE and staring down the ‘rush hour’ that many of us feel we’re living in. The day to day overwhelm, juggling careers, relationships and families, parenthood, not looking like a dog’s dinner, the expectations and the big, tough bits that come with being a grown up. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Welcome to the audio archive of the First Unitarian Society of Madison, Wisconsin.
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Marriage, Equality & The Mental Load - A Candid Chat with Steph & Doug
1:02:07
1:02:07
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1:02:07Steph sits down with her husband of 17 years, Mark (Doug) Douglas, for an unfiltered and often hilarious deep dive into marriage, equality at home, and the invisible workload that often falls on women. From their whirlwind romance and early parenting struggles to resentment, gender roles, and the reality of balancing careers and family, no topic is…
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ESG Investing: The Hidden Costs, Real Impact, and How to Avoid the Hype
35:35
35:35
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35:35ESG investing is exploding in popularity—but it's also a giant, confusing mess. Over $35 trillion in global assets now follow ESG guidelines. 🤯 But despite the rapid growth, most retirement investors still don't fully understand ESG investing... ...or how to spot legitimate ESG strategies from clever marketing hype. To help break through the confus…
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Motherhood, Comedy & Wrinkles: Ageing Disgracefully with Genevieve Turley
43:41
43:41
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43:41Steph sits down with the hilarious and incredibly talented makeup artist Genevieve Turley. Known for her candid takes on beauty, motherhood, and life in general, Gen shares her journey from being a nurse in the Air Force to becoming a sought-after bridal makeup artist and an Instagram star with over 400k followers. Gen is a freelance makeup artist …
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Morningstar recently published its annual "State of Retirement Income" research report. This year’s report finds the highest 30-year safe withdrawal rate for retirees is... 3.7% 🤯 In this episode, you'll learn: ► How researchers arrive at different recommended withdrawal rates ► Why popular withdrawal strategies are (likely) too conservative ► 3 pr…
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The Biggest Retirement Investment Risk: How to Protect Your Portfolio
13:54
13:54
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13:54Today I'm discussing the biggest retirement investment risk. As Morgan Housel put it, "It's the hardest risk for people to understand... ...and it's the only one that really matters." In this episode, you'll learn: ► What the three sides of risk are ► Why tail risk is all that matters ► How to mitigate this risk in your retirement plan You'll also …
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3 Ways to Reduce Medicare IRMAA (Now and in the Future!)
21:20
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21:20Worried about Medicare IRMAA eating into your retirement savings? Whether you're 10+ years away from Medicare or already enrolled, this episode will help you navigate this pesky surcharge and protect your retirement savings. Key topics covered: ► Updated 2025 IRMAA brackets ► Answers to common planning questions ► 3 strategies to minimize (or avoid…
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2025 Market Outlook: Planning for Uncertainty
16:07
16:07
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16:07Markets tend to operate in cycles—yesterday's winners often become tomorrow's losers (and vice versa). The most unloved asset classes can quietly become the best performers, while the most popular ones frequently disappoint. Yet, many investors fall into the trap of assuming recent trends will continue indefinitely. But markets don’t work that way.…
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How to Evaluate Financial Advisors: A Step-by-Step Guide
23:56
23:56
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23:56Looking to hire a financial planner with retirement & tax planning expertise? My team and I have availability for 25 Discovery Meetings over the next 8 weeks. If you're seeking professional retirement planning help, we would love to have a conversation! 👉 Learn more about our process and grab one of the 25 meeting slots. We intentionally limit the …
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12 Insightful (and Unbelievable!) Statistics About Markets & Investing
17:51
17:51
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17:51Grab your Tax Planning Cheatsheet (updated for 2025!) by clicking here. The 2-page PDF guide includes every important number you'll need for your retirement & tax planning next year. Updated federal income tax brackets, AMT annual limits, standard deductions, Social Security taxation summary, estate and gift tax annual limits…and more. 👉 Download i…
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Fixing the Housing Market, Trump's Tariffs, What's Next for Our Economy (and More!)
33:02
33:02
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33:02How do we fix the housing affordability problem in the U.S.? Will lower interest rates really improve the real estate market? How have Zillow and Airbnb contributed to the current housing challenges? What are tariffs (+ benefits and drawbacks)? What's next for the U.S. economy? These are just a few of the questions I'm exploring in this episode wit…
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5 Steps to Overcome Retirement Spending Challenges
31:59
31:59
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31:59Today, I’m discussing the challenges of spending money in retirement. To help, Brian Portnoy, one of the world’s leading experts on the psychology of money, joins us to discuss three big things: ➤ Why it’s so difficult for retirement savers to transition from saving to spending ➤ What you can do to prepare for the (well-documented!) challenges of r…
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Emerging Markets are the world’s primary drivers of global growth (and wealth accumulation). Just over 50% of the world's economic output comes from these countries. 🤯 They play a crucial role in shaping global economic trends... ...but most retirement investors don't fully understand this asset class. To help break it down for us, Emerging Markets…
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Why You Are (Probably) Planning for the Wrong Things in Retirement
32:53
32:53
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32:53Why are most people planning for the wrong things in retirement? What should they be planning for that they’re not? To help answer these important questions, Psychologist & Behavioral Finance Expert Dr. Daniel Crosby stops by to discuss: ➤ What our happiness is determined by ➤ Why (contrary to popular research) more money can ACTUALLY make us happi…
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4 Ways to (Tax-Efficiently) Diversify Concentrated Investments
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33:37
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33:37Today, I'm talking about navigating the risks of concentrated investments. Specifically, Peter Lazaroff, CIO of Plancorp, joins me to answer three BIG questions: ➤ How do you know if you have a "concentrated investment?" ➤ What are some little-known risks investors aren't considering? ➤How do you (tax-efficiently) diversify concentrated investments…
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Small Cap Value (Part 3): How to Choose the Right Fund and Take Action
16:47
16:47
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16:47Today, I'm sharing how retirement investors can take action in this final episode of our Small Cap Value series. Specifically, I’m discussing three things: ➤ Why paying MORE for an investment can pay off ➤ How to easily and properly evaluate different funds ➤ What small-cap value funds to consider I’m also sharing two important reminders before tak…
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Small Cap Value (Part 2): How to Reduce Risk + Improve Returns
15:53
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15:53Today, I’m diving into part two of our Small Cap Value investing series. Specifically, I’m addressing three big questions: ➤ How do small-cap value stocks reduce risk + improve returns ➤ What criteria does an investment need to meet to be included in a portfolio ➤ Why value investing is still alive and well While there is no shortage of research in…
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Small Cap Value (Part 1): Is This Popular Strategy Dead?
18:08
18:08
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18:08Today I’m kicking off a two-part series on Small Cap Value investing. Specifically, I’m addressing three big questions: ➤ What exactly are small-cap value stocks? ➤ Why have small-cap value stocks, historically, outperformed most major asset classes? ➤ Does the recent 20-year underperformance suggest that the strategy is dead and won’t work in the …
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Retirement, Taxes, and Investment Underperformance
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28:13Today, I'm sharing key takeaways from three of the BEST retirement articles I read this month. 1️⃣ The first article is about the future of taxes in this country and specifically makes a strong case for why they will be higher. 2️⃣ The second reveals why investors missed out on 15% of investment returns over the last decade. 😳 3️⃣ Lastly, the third…
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5 Surprising Investing Facts That You've (Probably) Never Heard
21:47
21:47
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21:47Today, I’m sharing FIVE surprising statistics about the economy, markets, and retirement. For example, one stat highlights a "stock market indicator" that has a 100% success rate 😳 Another emphasizes a growing insurance risk that everyone needs to protect against. Along with being entertaining, these stats bring important investing and planning top…
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Roth Conversions for Kids, Home Equity in Retirement, Pension vs. Lump-Sum (And More!)
47:50
47:50
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47:50Are you ready to get answers to some BIG retirement questions? Questions such as: ➤ What role does the equity in my home play in my retirement plan? ➤ Why should I do Roth conversions to help mitigate taxes on my kids' inheritance? ➤ Are closed-end funds a good investment? ➤ How do I properly evaluate pension vs. lump-sum decisions? Today on the sh…
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5 Strategies to Take Control of Your Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)
29:29
29:29
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29:29Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) begin at age 73 for most retirement savers. These forced withdrawals can be a burden for those who don't need (or want) the taxable income. Since they are “required,” many assume that they don't have any control over their RMDs. But that’s not necessarily the case. In fact, one of the 5 strategies I'm sharing w…
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Dividend Investing (Part 4): Answering Top Listener Questions
25:59
25:59
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25:59In the final episode of this series, I'm answering the BEST listener questions I've received about dividend investing. Questions such as: ➤ If dividend investing is NOT a great way to create retirement income, what is? ➤ What dividend-focused funds should investors consider if they insist on investing for yield? ➤ What is the counterargument for st…
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Dividend Investing (Part 3): A More "Flexible" Dividend Strategy
18:29
18:29
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18:29In today's episode, I'm sharing everything you need to know about stock buybacks. Specifically, I'm sharing: ➤ Why stock buybacks are referred to as a "flexible" dividend ➤ What a stock buyback is (and how it works) ➤ How stock buybacks are more tax-friendly than traditional dividends If you want to learn more about this increasingly popular "flexi…
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Festivals and Family with Rob & Josie da Bank
39:11
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39:11Steph chats with Rob and Josie da Bank about what it’s like to run a festival with your partner, and how they make it work alongside having four children. After 32 years together, and many festivals under their belts, they talk about the difficult bits, how they divide and conquer, and how helping people escape real life, screens and make some IRL …
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Dividend Investing (Part 2): Three Reasons Why Dividend Strategies Underperform
19:38
19:38
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19:38Today I'm continuing our multi-part series on Dividend Investing. Specifically, in part two, I’m sharing: ➤ What the long-term performance has been for dividend-focused funds ➤ Why popular dividend investing charts can be incomplete (or misleading) ➤ The 3 primary reasons dividend strategies typically underperform If you want to learn more about di…
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Dividend Investing (Part 1): Making Money While You Sleep
19:21
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19:21Today I'm kicking off a multi-part series on Dividend Investing. While dividends are a normal occurrence in the global markets, their role in a retirement portfolio is often misunderstood. ➤ What is a dividend, and why do some companies pay them? ➤ How do they affect an investor's return? ➤ Where do dividends fit in the portfolio construction proce…
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How to Protect Yourself From Financial Scams (+ New Resources)
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14:02Today I'm sharing a story about a couple who lost $2 million to an investment scam. I'm also sharing (new!) resources to help protect your personal data in 2024. Financial scams are getting more sophisticated and losses are skyrocketing. In fact, last year, Americans lost $10 billion to financial scams. That’s $1 billion more than 2022, and is the …
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The Best Retirement Account, Making Investment Changes, and More!
23:40
23:40
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23:40There is no shortage of questions when it comes to navigating and planning for retirement. ➤ How much do I need to save? ➤ How do I optimize my tax bill and avoid overpaying the IRS? ➤ When do I take Social Security? ➤ What should I invest in? (And what should I avoid?!) The list goes on. And while you’ve likely read (or heard) helpful answers to m…
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Inflation: Why Does Everything (Still) Feel So Expensive?
11:54
11:54
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11:54Inflation hit a 40-year high of 9.1% in June 2022. Today, inflation is hovering around 3%. If inflation is back in line with long-term historical averages, why does everything still feel so expensive? When voters were asked what they would most like to see improved in our economy... ...why did 64% of them say "lower prices?" In this episode, I'm di…
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How To Make It Fair with Eve Rodsky
1:03:01
1:03:01
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1:03:01Feel like you do everything at home, or at least more than is your fair share? This one’s for you. Steph speaks with Eve Rodsky - Harvard-grad lawyer, activist and New York Times Bestselling author of Fair Play. Eve is working to change society one partnership at a time by coming up with a new 21st-century solution to an age-old problem: women shou…
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Roth Conversions and the 5-Year Rule (Explained!)
25:03
25:03
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25:03Want an easy way to learn how the "Roth 5-Year Rule" affects your unique situation? Subscribe to the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter. As a thank you, you'll receive my one-page flowchart (PDF) for navigating this confusing rule. 👉 Click here to join the newsletter! *** TODAY'S EPISODE: The "Trump-era tax cuts" are set to expire in 2026. In other…
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Steph talks with author, journalist and mental health campaigner Bryony Gordon about her new book Mad Woman, an account of her life and challenges over the last few years. With a live audience at Henley Literary Festival, in classic Bryony-style, she brings lots of energy, honesty and humour to the conversation, in which they discuss depression, OC…
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4 (Little-Known) Retirement Planning Misconceptions
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44:21Today I'm talking through four (rarely-discussed) retirement planning misconceptions. In fact, some of these misconceptions might not be misconceptions at all... ...they might be concepts that you've never even considered! For example, is retirement planning a complex problem OR a complicated problem? (And why does it matter?) And, should you devel…
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It's an election year. As a result, many retirement investors believe that the market MUST be in for a wild ride. But is that true? Over the last 100 years, how have markets behaved during election years? What have been the best and worst returns? How has the market performed during every 4-year presidential term since 1929? And is it "different th…
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Why We Need to Stop Talking About “Paying Off the National Debt”
42:51
42:51
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42:51The U.S. national debt recently crossed $34 trillion. Without causing some serious pain, paying off this debt is nearly impossible to do. We would have to dramatically cut spending in some VERY important areas, increase taxes, or both. This debacle has led many to label this situation as catastrophic... ...as a "building that we’re stuck in that wi…
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How to Evaluate (and Choose) a Financial Advisor
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22:40With over 300,000 in the U.S., finding a financial advisor is easy. On the other hand, properly evaluating an advisor AND choosing the right expert to help with your unique needs is a challenging task. To help, I'm providing an actionable framework for evaluating financial advisors in this episode. I'm also sharing 3 critical things everyone should…
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2024 Market Outlook: Why We Should Prepare for a Crash
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16:10Today I'm talking about stock market predictions. Specifically, I'm sharing: ‣ What happened in the markets in 2023 ‣ What may lie ahead for us in 2024 ‣ Why we should prepare for the biggest crash of our lifetime I'm also sharing an exciting announcement that will directly benefit you! 😊 WANT MORE RETIREMENT PLANNING TIPS? Join 5,000+ listeners an…
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4 Retirement and Tax Planning Updates for 2024
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19:54
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19:54Today I’m sharing 4 (important!) retirement and tax planning updates for 2024. I'm also sharing my freshly updated two-page tax cheatsheet 😊 One listener recently said: "This is the best two-page cheat sheet that I've seen! I do a lot of planning around taxes, IRMAA's, etc., and it is very helpful." If you’re wrapping up your year-end planning + st…
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Year-end is a popular time for tax planning strategies. Roth conversions. Charitable gifts. Squeezing in those final tax-deductible contributions. And, of course, the crowd favorite...good ol’ tax-loss harvesting! ‣ Who should consider tax-loss harvesting (and who should stay away from it)? ‣ How can you increase the benefit of tax-loss harvesting?…
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5 (Critical) Improvements We Made to Our Client Meeting Process
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35:26Last chance!!! The Kitces Financial Planning Value Summit (100% virtual) is TOMORROW. 👉 Click here to learn more and join 1,000+ financial advisors at the Summit. No boring PPT presentations. No vendors. No sponsors. Just successful practicing advisors opening their playbook and SHOWING us how they demonstrate their planning value to clients and pr…
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Steph talks with Dr Kirren Schnack, Clinical Psychologist and author of Ten Times Calmer, a book with tools to help beat anxiety. The conversation starts by understanding what anxiety is, what happens when we’re anxious, what are the triggers and what is happening to our nervous system. They discuss the impact having children can have on anxiety, a…
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3 Big Medicare Pitfalls to Avoid (In 2024)
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14:21Navigating the Medicare world is confusing and challenging. As a result, many retirees make Medicare decisions without clearly understanding the long-term implications. Long-term implications that, in worst-case scenarios, can put a retirement plan in jeopardy. To help you avoid making costly Medicare mistakes, I'm sharing three (3) big pitfalls to…
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Mums’ Night Out with Louise Boyce, Gill Sims and Clara Batten at Henley Literary Festival
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1:00:58
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1:00:58Recorded Live at the Henley Literary Festival, Steph interviews Louise Boyce AKA Mama Still Got It, Gill Sims and Clara Batten live from a Town Hall full of women out for a Friday night! Join them as they discuss the rollercoaster of motherhood - the first year of being a mum, identity, holidays with kids, the PTA, and Louise’s gross middle-of-the-…
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Part 2: What the %@#! Is Happening to Bonds
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23:40In part two of my series on bonds, I'm tackling three BIG questions: 1.) With cash yielding 5%, does it make sense to use money market funds (or t-bill) as a bond alternative? 2.) What should investors do if they own the wrong bonds and need to make changes? 3.) Does the current landscape shift how retirement investors should approach bonds going f…
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How Not to Let Having Kids Ruin Your Sex Life with Dr Karen Gurney
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1:00:06Ahead of the release of her new book, Clinical Psychologist Dr Karen Gurney returns to the DBHF podcast after her previous episode about sex in long term relationships became the most downloaded to date, resulting in at least two pregnancies (that we know of!) and Steph received hundreds of messages from women and couples that felt huge relief in w…
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Part 1: What the %@#! Is Happening to Bonds
25:46
25:46
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25:46Bonds are down 20%+ over the past three years. Meanwhile, riskier asset classes (like U.S. stocks) are UP ~30% during the same period. ‣ What the %@#! is happening to bonds right now? ‣ Why are safe asset classes down double digits while risky asset classes scream upward? ‣ Should retirement investors consider changes? ‣ Are money market funds and …
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Midlife Wisdom, Careers and Parenthood with Fi Glover and Jane Garvey
51:31
51:31
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51:31Steph chats with broadcast LEGENDS Fi Glover and Jane Garvey about their move after thirty years (each!) from the BBC to Times Radio, where they host a radio show and the Off Air podcast. Fi and Jane describe how they found juggling a broadcast career with small children, with Fi owning that hers ‘ground to a halt’ for a period, but that she now ha…
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9 Fun (and Useful!) Facts About Investing & Retirement
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18:31Today I'm sharing nine fun facts about the economy, markets, and retirement. Along with being entertaining, these facts bring important planning topics to the surface. They also help to address and answer common questions. For example: ‣ How correlated is the economy to the stock market? ‣ What are the actual odds of a catastrophic long-term care e…
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How to Be Sad with Helen Russell (re-release)
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46:35In this episode we're looking back at a brilliant episode with Helen from January 2022... Steph talks with bestselling author, journalist and speaker Helen Russell about how and why so many of us try to bury sadness, and the harm that causes. After eight years of researching happiness, Helen realised that most of us desperately want to avoid sadnes…
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Credit Freeze: Top 5 (Listener!) Questions Answered
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12:25Everyone should freeze their credit. But most retirement savers I talk to have not tackled this simple (and free!) task. After commenting briefly about credit freezes in an episode last month, I've received dozens of GREAT questions from listeners. Questions like... ‣ Should minor children freeze their credit even if they don't have a credit score?…
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