Best Trent DeBruin Podcasts (2024)

1
Higher Interest Rates - Opportunities and Implications, Episode #65 18:39

8M ago18:39

18:39

Over the past two years, there has been a dramatic increase in interest rates from historically low levels, the impact of which has been felt by everyone, regardless of stage of life. In this episode, we take a closer look at this dynamic. We start by explaining what an interest rate is, provide some historical context for how the current environme…

1
Why We Love Health Savings Accounts, Episode #64 15:44

9M ago15:44

15:44

As we head toward open enrollment season, this episode is dedicated to a deeper dive into Health Savings Accounts (or HSAs). As the title implies, this is one of our favorite financial accounts, and in this episode, we explain why. We start by outlining exactly what an HSA is, talk about the triple tax benefit of it, discuss the investment componen…

1
5 Common Investment Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them), Episode #63 28:17

11M ago28:17

28:17

In this episode of the podcast, we discuss five of the most common investment mistakes people make: 1) Waiting for the “right” time to invest, 2) Anticipatory selling, 3) Buying into (or buying more of) the latest “hot” stock or investment trend, 4) Concentrating in one stock or one area of the investment universe, and 5) Chasing income, yield, or …

1
Breaking Down Health Insurance, Episode #62 21:39

1y ago21:39

21:39

In this episode of the podcast, we do a deep dive into the topic of health insurance. We start out by reviewing some of the key definitions and terminology related to health insurance. We then transition into discussing how to think about your health insurance coverage and how that thought process changes over time. From there, we move on to a brea…

1
Life Insurance - How Your Need Evolves Over Time, Episode #61 19:08

1y ago19:08

19:08

In this episode of the podcast, we dive into the always-fun topic of life insurance. We start out by sharing an overview of life insurance and discussing the purpose of it. We then transition into the three general life stages (early-career, mid-career, and late-career/retirement), explaining how your life insurance need changes at each stage and s…

1
Where to Save Once You’ve Maxed Out Your Retirement Accounts, Episode #60 26:01

1+ y ago26:01

26:01

When it comes to saving and investing for retirement, we all have a certain amount of tax-advantaged saving space available to us through a combination of employer retirement accounts and personal retirement accounts. However, for many physicians there comes a point where you’re maxing out all of these retirement accounts and still have money left …

1
7 Ways to Save Over $7,000, Episode #59 26:03

1+ y ago26:03

26:03

When it comes to financial planning, there’s often a fair amount of “low-hanging fruit” in terms of easy ways to save money. In this episode, we discuss seven of these items. Whether it’s parking your cash in a high-yield savings account, shopping around home & auto insurance, harvesting losses in a taxable account, revisiting your life & disabilit…

1
10 Things to Do if You’re Within 10 Years of Retirement, Episode #58 33:13

1+ y ago33:13

33:13

In this episode, we share our list of ten things to do if you’re within ten years of retirement. The list includes taking inventory of your financial situation, reflecting on your current vision of retirement, projecting your future expenses in retirement, understanding your healthcare options, running retirement projections to see where you stand,…

1
How to View Investment Performance, Episode #57 20:18

1+ y ago20:18

20:18

While it might not seem like it, understanding and contextualizing investment performance can be surprisingly difficult. In this episode, we share our framework for doing just that. We explain what makes up investment performance, how to have proper context around investing, the different ways to calculate investment returns, how to understand whet…

1
Should I Buy or Lease My Car?, Episode #56 22:28

1+ y ago22:28

22:28

In this episode, we tackle the question of whether it’s better to buy or lease when looking to get a new car. We start with a high-level overview, walk through some of the pros and cons of leasing, explain the pros and cons of buying, and based on that discussion tie it all together by sharing our overall thoughts on which option is best for which …

1
Year-End Financial Planning Checklist, Episode #55 29:18

1+ y ago29:18

29:18

In this episode, we share our checklist of financial planning items we’ve found helpful to address (or revisit) as you approach the end of the year when managing your finances and looking to optimize the many moving parts. While it’s not an exhaustive list, we cover things such as confirming employer retirement account contributions, making backdoo…

1
A Four-Step Process to Save for Any Goal, Episode #54 19:17

2y ago19:17

19:17

Whether it’s a new car in a year, college for the kids in five years, or retirement in 10 years, we all have goals that are important to us. And while being aware of our goals is an important first step, there’s much more that goes into actually planning for and achieving a goal. In this episode, we share a four-step process for saving for any goal…

1
How to Manage Your Retirement Paycheck During a Market Decline, Episode #53 28:14

2y ago28:14

28:14

As much as we all like to see the stock market go up, periodic pullbacks and bear markets are inevitable. And while these periods don’t feel great for any type of investor, they can be especially stressful if you’re retired and are withdrawing from your investments to fund your lifestyle (what we call your “retirement paycheck”). With that in mind,…

1
The Pros and Cons of Target Date Funds, Episode #52 21:46

2y ago21:46

21:46

Target date investment funds are an increasingly common option in many employer retirement savings plans (such as 401ks and 403bs). Yet despite their prevalence, not everyone understands exactly what they are and how they work, so this episode is dedicated to a deeper dive. We start out by explaining what target date funds are, switch gears to disc…

1
Making Sense of Your Retirement Projections, Episode #51 25:44

2y ago25:44

25:44

While retirement (or financial independence) projections are a cornerstone of any comprehensive financial plan, not everyone understands what goes into them, the different ways to run them, or how to interpret and make sense of the output. In this episode, we start by providing a high-level explanation of retirement projections, then proceed to do …

1
Having a Plan for Long-Term Care, Episode #50 24:21

2y ago24:21

24:21

While it’s not the most exciting topic to discuss, long-term care is an important one given how common long-term care events are and their ability to impact a retirement plan due to their potential cost. In this episode, we start out by providing some background and overview of long-term care and some of the numbers around frequency and cost. Based…

1
5 Ways to Have a Better Relationship With Money, Episode #49 20:38

2y ago20:38

20:38

Whether we like it or not, money tends to be an emotional topic and each of us has our own relationship with money based on our personal life experiences. When managing your finances, one of the best things you can do is to minimize the amount of stress that money adds to your life. With that in mind, this episode is dedicated to sharing tips and s…

1
Lump Sum of Cash to Invest – All at Once or Gradually?, Episode #48 20:59

2y ago20:59

20:59

It’s not uncommon to find yourself in a situation where you have a lump sum of cash (from selling a home, an inheritance, savings having built up in the bank, etc.) that you want to invest but are having trouble deciding whether to do it all at once or in a gradual manner. It can be easy to get hung up on this decision, especially if you don’t full…

1
Estate Planning 101, Episode #47 21:18

2y ago21:18

21:18

While it’s not always the most exciting topic, estate planning is certainly one of the key areas of financial planning. However, despite its importance, not everyone understands the value of estate planning or its relevance for people beyond just the ultra-wealthy. In this episode, we provide an introduction to estate planning. We cover the basics …

1
A Checklist for Reviewing Your Tax Return, Episode #46 26:59

2y ago26:59

26:59

Your tax return contains a ton of valuable information that can be quite helpful with it comes to tax planning and managing your finances. The problem is it’s not the most intuitive document and extracting that valuable information can be difficult to do. In this episode, we walk you through a checklist for reviewing your tax return. We go line by …

1
A Deeper Dive on Roth IRA Conversions, Episode #45 22:00

2+ y ago22:00

22:00

Roth IRA conversions can be one of the most valuable tax planning strategies in retirement. While we’ve touched on Roth IRA conversions during previous episodes of the podcast, in this episode we do a deeper dive. We explain what a Roth IRA conversion is, why you would want to consider making one in the first place, what to be aware of from a tax p…

1
How to View Your Home Within Your Financial Plan, Episode #44 19:59

2+ y ago19:59

19:59

For most people, your home is the single biggest purchase you’ll ever make and is one of your most valuable assets. However, despite it being so important, not everyone knows how to look at it within the context of their overall financial life and plan. In this episode, we start out by explaining how your home works as an investment and a source of…

1
Asset Location – A Way to Improve Your Investment Return, Episode #43 20:54

2+ y ago20:54

20:54

When it comes to investing, there are very few “free lunches.” Asset location is one of them. In basic terms, it’s a way to improve your after-tax investment return (the one that matters) without taking on more risk, by simply being strategic about which investments you hold within which accounts, based on their unique tax treatment. In this episod…

1
5 Key Things to Address if Retiring in Your 50’s, Episode #42 21:19

2+ y ago21:19

21:19

Retiring earlier than the “traditional” retirement age brings with it a number of unique factors and considerations. In this episode, we dive into five of the most important areas to address if you’re planning to retire early, and what’s unique about these compared to someone who’s retiring a decade or more later. Specifically, we cover health insu…

1
Tax Planning Versus Tax Preparation, Episode #41 16:05

2+ y ago16:05

16:05

When it comes to taxes, a key distinction to make is the difference between tax planning and tax preparation. Tax preparation is a reactive process that primarily consists of reporting what has already happened in the prior tax year to understand your tax liability and whether you’ll receive a refund or owe taxes when you file your return. Tax plan…

1
Investing and the “Lifeboat Drill”, Episode #40 18:33

2+ y ago18:33

18:33

When it comes to investing, one of the principles for success is to avoid letting your emotions creep into your decision-making or behavior. Apart from maintaining a proper perspective about how the stock market has historically behaved, one of the best ways to do this is by proactively engaging in “lifeboat drills.” These involve imagining the nex…

1
Should You Change Your Investments as You Approach Retirement?, Episode #39 17:01

2+ y ago17:01

17:01

One of the common questions we hear is how (or if) you should change your investments over time, especially as you get closer to retirement. Most people know the way they invest in their 50’s and 60’s should probably be different than the way they invested in their 30’s, but aren’t sure what this looks like in practice. In this episode, we tackle t…

1
What to Do With Old Retirement Accounts (401k, 403b, 457b), Episode #38 19:30

2+ y ago19:30

19:30

It’s common to accumulate one or more old retirement accounts throughout your career. Perhaps you have a 403b from residency, another 403b from fellowship, and now a 401k with your current employer where you plan to stay. Regardless of how it happens, having old retirement accounts “floating” out there can be frustrating, not only from a logistical…

1
Making Sense of Your Pension Options, Episode #37 19:21

2+ y ago19:21

19:21

For anyone with a pension benefit through their employer, you know how confusing it can be trying to understand the value of your benefit and comparing the different options for how to collect it when you retire. In this episode, we share some background on pensions, talk about how the pension system has changed over time, and break down the variou…

1
Year-End Tax Planning Checklist, Episode #36 24:44

2+ y ago24:44

24:44

While unfortunately there’s no silver bullet to avoid paying taxes entirely, there are a number of things you can do to reduce the amount of taxes you do have to pay. In this episode, we share our year-end tax planning checklist and walk through some of the different areas to consider and specific strategies you can implement. We cover employer ret…

1
Explaining Social Security and How to Maximize Your Benefit, Episode #35 26:30

2+ y ago26:30

26:30

Social Security can be a confusing topic with a lot of moving parts and options, scary headlines about its future, and generally speaking a great deal of misinformation and misconceptions. In this episode, we provide a comprehensive overview of Social Security. We explain what the system is and how it works, talk about the different claiming option…

1
How Much Cash Should You Keep On Hand?, Episode #34 16:58

2+ y ago16:58

16:58

Managing your cash can be a tricky balancing act. On one hand, you want to make sure you have enough for any potential near-term needs and to help you sleep well at night, while on the other hand, you don’t want to keep too much when you know you could be doing other, more productive, things with it. In this episode, we share our approach for manag…

1
What to Know About Mortgages and Refinancing, Episode #33 24:28

2+ y ago24:28

24:28

When it comes to mortgages and refinancing, there’s no shortage of details and questions that come up. How much should I put down for a down payment? What length of mortgage should I choose? Should I do a variable rate or fixed rate? Is it better to escrow property taxes and insurance or not? How do I know whether or not it makes sense financially …

1
Roth or Pre-Tax Retirement Contributions – Which Should You Make?, Episode #32 21:10

3y ago21:10

21:10

For most employer retirement plans, such as a 401k or 403b, you have the option of making either Roth or pre-tax (also known as traditional) contributions. However, not everyone understands the difference between the two types of contributions, let alone the significant implications for their lifetime tax bill (or that of their heirs). In this epis…

1
It’s Open Enrollment Season!, Episode #31 23:28

3y ago23:28

23:28

Open enrollment can be a confusing process. While employers often provide a lot of information regarding your employee benefits, they don’t always provide as much in the way of guidance or interpretation of that information. In this episode, we share an open enrollment “checklist.” We start by providing some high-level background on open enrollment…

1
How to Manage the Emotions of Investing, Episode #30 19:29

3y ago19:29

19:29

Investing can be an emotional process and successfully managing your emotions is one of the keys to realizing a positive long-term investment experience. In this episode, we dive into the emotional side of investing and share some thoughts and tips for how to win the emotional element of it. From understanding the purpose of investing and knowing w…

1
Mailbag Episode #2, Episode #29 16:27

3y ago16:27

16:27

In this mailbag episode, we answer three different questions: #1) I don’t feel comfortable with investing and don’t check my investment accounts, but I’m worried I might be missing something or not taking advantage of everything. #2) I like to spend a little more money and my spouse is a saver and thinks we aren’t saving enough, and we’re trying to…

1
Mailbag Episode #1, Episode #28 22:08

3y ago22:08

22:08

This is our first-ever mailbag episode. In it, we answer three different questions we’ve received: #1) I’m not sure if I’m doing everything I can to minimize taxes – is there a way I can check this or what should I be considering? #2) I’ve built up quite a bit of cash in my savings account that I don’t know what to do with and I’m nervous about inv…

1
The Key Questions You Should Ask a Financial Advisor, Episode #27 22:14

3y ago22:14

22:14

The world of financial advice and financial advisors can be confusing. Given the industry jargon and huge variability in types of advisors, the way they work with clients, the quality of the advice they give, their experience and credentials, and what they charge for their services, it can be hard to tell one from the next. In this episode, we shar…

1
Debunking 5 Common Myths About Managing Your Finances, Episode #26 20:53

3y ago20:53

20:53

When it comes to personal finance, there’s no shortage of advice and opinions out there. Along with that, there also are a lot of myths and misinformation about managing your finances. In this episode, we tackle five of the most common myths we come across, including: 1) I need to change my investments based on XYZ headline, 2) Once I have $XYZ por…

1
Planning for Healthcare in Retirement, Episode #25 21:02

3y ago21:02

21:02

Healthcare is a key financial planning item in retirement and one of the many areas that changes dramatically compared to your working years. Specifically, there are two key healthcare planning windows to consider in retirement: 1) prior to Medicare eligibility at age 65 (assuming you retire before then), and 2) from 65-onward once you become eligi…

1
The Annual Financial Plan Checklist, Episode #24 19:28

3y ago19:28

19:28

Financial planning is an always-evolving process as life changes and you receive new information. In this episode, we walk through a blueprint for what to cover in the annual “review” of your financial plan. From revisiting the big picture and your goals to checking in on cash flow and your investments, to keep up with changes to legislation and ta…

1
5 Strategies for Tax-Efficient Charitable Giving, Episode #23 18:30

3y ago18:30

18:30

While we never recommend donating to charity solely for tax purposes, if you’re giving to charity anyway, why not maximize the tax benefit of your donations? In this episode, we share five different strategies for donating to charity in a tax-efficient manner. These include donating appreciated investments rather than cash, “bunching” your gifts, u…

1
The “Reverse Budget” – an Alternative to Budgeting, Episode #22 14:29

3y ago14:29

14:29

For anyone who dislikes budgeting (ourselves included), this episode provides a great alternative – the reverse budget. By switching your focus from tracking monthly expenses to hitting specific savings targets, it makes it easier to stay on track with your financial goals while at the same time reducing the legwork involved along the way. In this …

1
Pursuing Early Financial Independence, Episode #21 17:28

3y ago17:28

17:28

In this episode, we talk about pursuing early financial independence and what all goes into it. We explain what it means to be financially independent, how to calculate how much you need in savings/investments to become financially independent, and how to figure out how much to save and invest each year to reach that number within your desired time…

1
The Waterfall of Retirement Savings by Account, Episode #20 23:29

3y ago23:29

23:29

In this episode, we talk about retirement accounts and how to prioritize which ones to save to and in what order. Each physician has certain retirement accounts they’re eligible to contribute to. However, since different accounts have different features and tax treatment, it can be hard to determine how to order them when allocating your retirement…

1
The “Other 20%” of Successful Investing, Episode #19 27:46

3+ y ago27:46

27:46

This episode is a follow-on to a previous episode we did on the basics of investing (episode #5). In that episode, we explained the foundational principles to focus on first when it comes to investing, using the 80:20 rule (or Pareto principle) as a guide. In this episode, we take it a step further and share some of the additional things you can do…

1
How We Manage Our Own Finances – Part 2, Episode #18 18:17

3+ y ago18:17

18:17

This is a follow-on episode and the second installment of a two-part series on how we manage our own finances. In episode one, we covered organization and tracking, managing debt, and prioritizing/allocating cash flow. In this second episode, we discuss investing, risk management (estate planning & insurance), and the big picture and putting it all…

1
How We Manage Our Own Finances – Part 1, Episode #17 25:30

3+ y ago25:30

25:30

When it comes to managing your finances, there isn’t always a “right” or a “wrong” way, and the exact approach tends to differ depending on the person and their unique circumstances. In this episode, we demonstrate this by walking through how each of us manages our own finances. You’ll see similarities and differences in the way we handle things an…

1
Your Financial Vital Signs, Episode #16 21:54

3+ y ago21:54

21:54

The concept of vital signs is second nature for physicians. When it comes to personal finance, the idea is that these indicators not only provide a snapshot of your current financial life and help identify potential areas of concern, but they also give you a baseline from which you can then assess progress and improvement over time. In this episode…

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Trent DeBruin Podcasts

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