Retire Sooner with Wes Moss

The Retire Sooner Podcast welcomes Clark Howard alongside Wes Moss and Christa DiBiase for a special episode focused on market history, long-term investing principles, and today’s most talked-about financial transitions. The conversation emphasizes context over commentary and highlights how investors often think through uncertainty, change, and market structure.

• Highlight Clark Howard’s perspective on Warren Buffett stepping down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway at age 95 and the transition to Greg Abel.

• Review Berkshire Hathaway’s long-term role in markets and why its history is frequently referenced alongside the S&P 500.

• Frame why long-term market participation is commonly emphasized during periods of leadership change at iconic companies.

• Discuss why Clark Howard views this transition as the close of a defining chapter in modern investing history.

• Explain how Berkshire Hathaway’s conglomerate structure differs from traditional private equity, including transparency and fee considerations.

• Examine growing market concentration and the shrinking number of U.S. public companies—and why those trends continue to matter.

• Outline how exposure to both public stocks and privately held businesses is often discussed when considering diversification.

• Summarize several big-picture themes shaping 2026 conversations, including artificial intelligence, tax-refund dynamics, and election-cycle uncertainty.

• Clarify what “dry powder” means and how cash, money market funds, and select bonds are commonly described in retirement safety discussions.

• Address listener questions by reviewing general considerations around investing settlement proceeds, tax-advantaged accounts, and dividend-oriented ETFs.

This episode offers a thoughtful conversation featuring Clark Howard with Wes Moss, focused on long-term perspective rather than short-term reaction. Listen and subscribe to the Retire Sooner Podcast for ongoing discussions that bring clarity and context to retirement and investing topics.

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Start the year with structured context around today’s most frequently discussed retirement planning questions on the Retire Sooner Podcast, hosted by Wes Moss and Christa DiBiase. This episode presents an educational review of real listener scenarios, placing retirement, investing, and planning topics within a long-term analytical framework.

• Review current U.S. wealth statistics by discussing commonly cited data on net worth, retirement account balances, and generational financial trends.

• Outline household risk considerations by examining how families often think about emergency savings, retirement contributions, and income stability.

• Discuss real estate planning considerations by evaluating factors involved in purchasing a condo for college-bound children, including cash flow and potential resale dynamics.

• Describe fiduciary planning relationships by outlining services commonly associated with comprehensive retirement planning, tax coordination, and advisory fee structures.

• Explain the “Rule of 55” by clarifying how early access to employer-sponsored retirement plans is typically referenced.

• Summarize shared characteristics of long-term savers by highlighting recurring themes reported by listeners with higher household savings levels.

• Compare buffered ETFs by discussing how downside buffers and capped upside features are typically weighed within diversified portfolios.

• Examine mortgage buyout scenarios by outlining considerations for co-owned property, interest-rate assumptions, and loan structure implications.

• Analyze bond duration risk by discussing how interest-rate changes and yield-curve movements may influence long-duration bond pricing.

If you’re searching for clear, educational discussions around retirement planning, investing considerations, and household financial decision-making, this episode may add perspective. Listen and subscribe to the Retire Sooner Podcast for ongoing conversations that help place financial topics in a long-term context.

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What actually shapes life in retirement—your finances, your relationships, or both? In this episode of the Retire Sooner Podcast, Wes Moss and Christa DiBiase walk through new research on happiness in retirement and unpack several financial and economic topics that often come up in retirement planning conversations.

• Share findings from a 2025 Money and Happiness in America study that looks at how social connection is commonly linked to reported retirement satisfaction.

• Talk through research showing how the number of close personal relationships is often discussed when measuring happiness among retirees.

• Reflect on how American friendships have changed over time and why staying socially connected is frequently part of retirement lifestyle discussions.

• Put into context recent government jobs reports by explaining what unemployment and labor-market numbers generally indicate.

• Walk through estate-planning considerations around life insurance, guardians, and trustees that many families review over time.

• Cover the core factors people often look at when evaluating bond funds, including yield, duration, expenses, and benchmarks.

• Discuss how Roth IRAs, traditional IRAs, brokerage accounts, and HELOCs are commonly weighed when addressing short-term cash needs during real-estate transitions.

• Answer listener questions about Roth IRA contributions, in-plan conversions, account-funding priorities, and retirement-plan considerations when changing jobs.

The episode keeps the focus on education, context, and real-world questions retirees and pre-retirees are already asking. Listen and subscribe to the Retire Sooner Podcast for ongoing conversations that connect money, lifestyle, and long-term planning—without the hype.

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Looking for clear context around today’s most talked-about retirement planning issues? In this episode of the Retire Sooner Podcast, Wes Moss and Christa DiBiase present an educational discussion covering healthcare planning, retirement income considerations, Social Security decisions, and how current economic conditions are commonly framed in retirement conversations.

• Review current healthcare enrollment periods, including Affordable Care Act considerations, and why coverage timing is often discussed by early retirees.

• Illustrate a real-world healthcare planning example that examines estimating and managing medical costs before age 65 using publicly available comparison tools.

• Explain recent healthcare policy changes by outlining how subsidy rules and updated federal poverty thresholds are referenced in retirement healthcare planning.

• Contextualize recent Federal Reserve rate cuts by discussing how interest-rate changes are typically viewed in relation to mortgages, housing activity, and broader economic conditions.

• Address listener questions by outlining commonly discussed considerations around retirement timing, asset allocation approaches, principal-protected notes, and early retirement trade-offs.

• Compare Social Security claiming considerations by reviewing trade-offs associated with different filing ages based on individual circumstances.

• Clarify how taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts are often viewed together when discussing overall portfolio allocation.

• Share perspectives from retirees on aligning lifestyle goals—such as travel, part-time work, or relocating abroad—with sustainable withdrawal planning discussions.

• Reinforce why significant financial and healthcare decisions are commonly reviewed with qualified professionals before implementation.

Interested in an educational retirement podcast focused on context, trade-offs, and long-term planning awareness? Listen to this episode and subscribe to the Retire Sooner Podcast for ongoing conversations designed to inform retirement planning decisions—not predict outcomes.

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Looking for an educational overview of today’s most commonly searched retirement planning topics? In this episode of the Retire Sooner Podcast, Wes Moss and Christa DiBiase provide context around retirement income planning, tax considerations, and widely referenced financial frameworks, helping listeners better understand how these concepts are typically discussed.

• Review how Roth IRA conversions are generally evaluated and why converting an entire retirement account balance in a single tax year can materially affect taxable income calculations.

• Explain how marginal tax brackets apply to large conversions and why simplified terms like “tax bomb” may not fully reflect how tax liability is determined.

• Highlight considerations associated with forgotten or inactive 401(k) accounts and why consolidation is often discussed from an organizational or administrative perspective.

• Examine how withdrawal flexibility prior to Social Security eligibility is commonly framed when discussing early-retirement income planning.

• Outline factors frequently reviewed when evaluating whether life insurance coverage remains appropriate as family and financial circumstances change.

• Clarify how Secure 2.0 legislation outlines limited 529 plan–to–Roth IRA rollovers, including applicable statutory rules, eligibility criteria, and contribution constraints.

• Compare the traditionally cited 4% withdrawal framework with alternative retirement income scenarios that include pensions or guaranteed fixed-rate income sources.

• Discuss how “dry powder” reserves are often described using bond ETFs or money market ladders within retirement planning conversations.

• Evaluate the role small- and mid-capitalization stocks may play alongside large-cap equities within diversified, long-term portfolio discussions.

• Reframe home value benchmarks in an inflationary environment while noting why mortgage status is often considered when assessing retirement readiness.

Listen and subscribe to the Retire Sooner Podcast for ongoing discussions that explore retirement planning concepts, market context, and long-term financial considerations.

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