Should You Still Buy a Home? + 5 Financial Planning Essentials You Can’t Ignore
Is owning a home still a good investment? What are the 5 most important topics to cover when meeting with someone for financial guidance? Wes and Christa cut through the noise to explore these issues and answer listener questions, including:
• Explore the pros and cons of that homeownership question, housing as a long-term investment, and why it still matters. Learn why housing may serve as forced savings, inflation protection, and a path to mortgage-free retirement.
• Analyze the impact of housing market volatility and interest rates. Understand current trends in housing prices and mortgage rates, and what they could mean for your financial decisions.
• Decode the use of leverage in real estate to help build wealth. Discover how a modest down payment on a home might lead to a significant long-term return compared to methods constricted by contribution limits.
• Evaluate the 4% Rule of thumb. Is it still relevant? How can folks adjust withdrawal rates based on their retirement horizon? Get clarity on how long your money may last if your retirement timeline is 20 or 25 years instead of 30.
• Unpack static vs. inflation-adjusted retirement withdrawals. Hear Wes explain the real-world math behind lower-risk withdrawal strategies in retirement.
• Contrast investing in ETFs vs. individual stocks in a brokerage account. Weigh the pros and cons regarding diversification, tax-loss harvesting, and ease of rebalancing.
• Where can you keep your down payment more protected until you're ready to buy? Learn some productive options for short-term savings, including money market funds vs. CDs, and the risks of flying too close to the sun.
• What are the 5 questions you must ask any financial planner when meeting with them? Discover Wes’s Five P’s Framework: Planning, Portfolio, Protection, Passing It On, and Paying Yourself (and your taxes).
• Why are core pursuits essential for a happy retirement? Understand how personal passions contribute to a fulfilling life after work—and how to fund them.
• Is it worth moving funds from a 457(b) plan to an IRA? Explore the trade-offs between investment flexibility and creditor protection in retirement plans.
• Should you sell your home before moving overseas in retirement? Delve into guidance for retirees considering international living.
• Examine the most effective S&P 500 funds for your goals. Understand cost differences, tax structures, and platform integration for index fund investing.
• Why do convenience, safety, and cost matter when picking a financial platform? Break down final thoughts on choosing where to house your investments and manage charitable giving.
🎧 Tune in now to hear stories, stats, and effective financial planning that could reshape your future. Subscribe, share it with a friend, and take one step closer to your happy retirement.
Call 800-805-6301 to leave a voicemail or contact us HERE for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.
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44:57
Fear, the VIX, And The Bungee Market Of 2025: Why Staying Invested Still Wins
Explore ways fear can sometimes subside in financial markets. Examine how missing the worst days, not just the best ones, can lead to less productive gains over time.
Wes and Christa analyze:
• Why 2025’s market feels more like a “bungee cord” than a rollercoaster.
• How to use the VIX (fear index) to gauge investor sentiment—and what it could mean for your investments.
• What historical spikes in fear (dot-com crash, 9/11, the 2008 financial crisis, COVID-19, inflation shock) might teach us about recovery patterns.
• Why most fear-filled crises eventually subside—and how to spot the turning point in hindsight.
• How central bank interventions, Fed rate changes, and global economic actions can sometimes calm markets over time.
They answer listener questions about families, retirement, and catch-up plans, including:
• How to save for retirement on one income with kids.
• If you have to take RMDs at 72 while still working. (Hint: You might not have to!).
• Why it’s okay for some to tap into their Roth IRA at age 80—and how to optimize account usage.
• How much a married couple need to cover basic expenses in retirement.
• How ETF providers profit when fees are so low.
• Revenue streams, plus the Costco hot dog strategy (yep, that’s a thing!).
• Elder Care and Safe Spending Tools.
Overall, Wes reminds folks that discipline usually means staying the course, because fear doesn’t last forever, and markets typically recover.
Don’t just listen—act! Subscribe to the Retire Sooner Podcast, share it with a friend, and take one step closer to your happy retirement. Call 800-805-6301 to leave a voicemail or contact us HERE for a chance to have your question featured in an upcoming episode.
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Make informed decisions about your retirement plans, even in a bear market. Learn whether to cancel your vacation plans due to stock market concerns and discover how to manage your investments effectively.
Explore strategies like layering for early retirement and understand the implications of drawing down your TSP defined contribution plan. Examine rebalancing your taxable brokerage account, including ETFs and mutual funds, and learn the rules for rebalancing your Roth IRA.
Fine-tune your Roth IRA allocation for long-term growth, considering factors like pension plans and risk tolerance. Understand investment benchmarks and how to accurately assess your portfolio's performance. Zooming out to view a longer time horizon typically provides more perspective than comparing everything to your own market high watermark.
Compare maximizing your Social Security savings for short-term growth and with the benefits of optimizing based on your specific needs and stress points. Evaluate the role of home equity in your retirement planning and its impact on withdrawal strategies. Does equity count? The answer may be both yes and no.
Strategize about moving funds from a 457B to a Roth IRA as you approach retirement, and carefully consider the tax implications. It’s usually about taxes today vs. taxes tomorrow.
Tune in to the Retire Sooner podcast with Wes Moss and Christa DiBiase for essential insights on these and other crucial retirement topics and send us your questions at https://www.yourwealth.com/contact/schedule-appointment/
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38:18
Don't Miss The Market Rebound: Invest Through Tariff Volatility, Absorb The Mappiness Project, and Answer Listener Questions
Explore the latest developments in the tariff tumult, including how a lack of clarity may have led to both market meltdowns and a melt-ups: a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Learn the key takeaways from a complicated situation and discover how to potentially navigate your path to financial independence in retirement.
Headlines are temporary, but your financial plan shouldn't be. Analyze the essential balance of diverse portfolios and dry powder. Accept that investing comes with the risk of down days, but realize the damage caused by missing the market rebounds.
Listen to Wes and Christa answer listener questions. Is it best to eradicate debt before retirement, even if that means tapping into reserve funds? Is a HELOC ever an effective strategy? Should you take Social Security early if given the opportunity, or maximize the impact by waiting?
Examine the Mappiness Project, where a team of data scientists from the London School of Economics used an iPhone application to measure happiness, anxiety, and emotions tied to geolocation. Find out what helps human beings cut through the superficial into deeper contentment, and where they tend to be when accomplishing that goal. Wes probes his interview with former Google data scientist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz to illuminate the unvarnished truth and surprising conclusions.
All this and a savvy Warren Buffett quote about haircuts on today’s episode of the Retire Sooner Podcast.
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42:12
Retire with Confidence: Tackle Inflation, Family Planning, and Staying Calm in a Noisy Market
Max out your financial insight with real-world retirement strategies and listener Q&A. Learn how to respond to shifting interest rates and weigh the pros and cons of working part-time during retirement. Explore ways to manage Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), understand Social Security’s 35-year formula, and decide when to tap into pensions.
Get strategic about funding early retirement for your parents with trusts,
tax-smart giving, and family financial planning—plus, a warning on why joint
accounts sometimes backfire. Hear insightful thoughts on dollar-cost averaging
frequency and why investing when you have cash may often beat spreading it out.
Unpack the tension between inflation and early retirement, and why transparency
can be essential when families share financial responsibilities.
Discover why market turbulence doesn’t have to shake your strategy. Hear how George
Clooney’s character in O Brother, Where Art Thou? becomes a
metaphor for staying the course—a reminder to tune out noise and resist letting
uncertainty derail your retirement journey.
Submit your question at RETIRESOONER QUESTIONS and catch this episode of The Retire Sooner Podcast, hosted by Wes Moss and Christa DiBiase.
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Wes Moss is on a mission: help at least 1 million Americans of any age retire sooner and find joy along the way. A seasoned finance professional, best-selling author, broadcaster, and teacher, Wes has done extensive research on the habits of the happiest retirees. On this podcast, Wes shares key lifestyle and money habits you can implement now to prepare for a secure future while not depriving yourself of happiness in the present. In addition to leveraging his 20+ years of knowledge as an investment advisor, Wes brings in guests and specialists to teach you how to set and work towards your financial and lifestyle objectives. Refreshingly-free of mind-numbing financial jargon and unrealistic money goals, Retire Sooner with Wes Moss gives listeners the tools on how to retire sooner in the real world.
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