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Author: Kevin Lao

Ep. 73: When The VIX Is High, It’s Time To Buy

The VIX (Wall Street’s fear index) topped out at 57 as I write this on 4/9/25.  Which for perspective, 15 is a normal level.  In 2020, the VIX topped out at 66, and in 2008 it topped out at 88!  So, this means there is a lot of fear in the markets.

We just wrapped up our Q1 reviews, and our clients are also in that camp feeling uncertainty.  However, the market rallied today (4/9/25) with the S&P 500 gaining 8.5%!  

This is just a friendly reminder that you never want to bail on your strategy during periods of volatility.

We’ll break down the VIX, we’ll also talk about the winners and losers in the market from the first quarter.

I’ll share some questions that are on my mind related to economic uncertainty.  

And finally, I’ll talk about 4 tactical strategies for you to implement during this time of market volatility.  

I hope you find it helpful!

~ Kevin

⁠⁠⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click this link to fill out our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire

Connect with me here:

Or, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠visit my website

This is for general education purposes only and should not be considered as tax, legal or investment advice.

Ep. 72: My Top 20 Golf Courses

Shoutout to my wife, Jess, for this podcast idea!  I started my list with 5, then went to 10…but I had to put 20 down for this list!  But, there are several more that SHOULD have made this list!

We talk about purpose in retirement, and what better purpose than to have some amazing golf courses that you want to play in retirement!?  

My hope is to provide some inspiration as you all plan for retirement and begin to hit some of your bucket list golf courses!

Enjoy this one and let me know what you think of my list.  And let me know what courses I should be targeting as I continue to explore the amazing world of courses out there!  

Thank you!

-Kevin

⁠⁠⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click this link to fill out our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire

Connect with me here:

Or, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠visit my website

This is for general education purposes only and should not be considered as tax, legal or investment advice.

Ep. 71: Bullish on Bonds!?

The Federal Reserve elected to hold steady on rate cuts for now.  The market did react positively to this news, but ultimately volatility has ensued since then in response to tariff concerns and their impact on inflation.  So naturally, we are fielding more and more questions about the markets and the impact on their retirement portfolio.  

As a result, I wanted to dig into past economic cycles where interest rates had peaked (like they did in 2024) and ultimately rate cuts began (like in September of 2024).  I looked at the results for the S&P 500 returns vs. the Bond Index returns for each cycle from when rate cuts began to when they bottomed out, and there were 5 of them since 1980 (Hyperinflation).

I think you’ll be interested in the results!    

Of course, this is in no way solicitation to buy or sell ANY securities, as this is for general education only.  

Hope it helps.

-Kevin 

⁠⁠⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click this link to fill out our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire

Connect with me here:

Or, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠visit my website

This is for general education purposes only and should not be considered as tax, legal or investment advice.

Ep. 70: Celebrating 4 Years of Independence

Our retirement planning firm, Imagine Financial Security, turned 4 in February and I have been wanting to do a podcast celebration for this one! 

To celebrate, I thought I would do an episode about some of my initial experiences of going independent as a financial advisor.

  • I’ll touch on 4 things I miss about working for a larger financial institution.
  • Then, I will touch on 4 of the things I LOVE about being an independent financial advisor.

I hope you guys enjoy it.

Happy 4th Anniversary to IFS!

And, congratulations to Roberto Fortuna on his official promotion!

~ Kevin

⁠⁠⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click this link to fill out our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire

Connect with me here:

Or, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠visit my website

This is for general education purposes only and should not be considered as tax, legal or investment advice.

Ep. 69: 14 Ways to Protect Your Retirement from a Bear Market

No, I’m not saying a Bear Market is certain.  Nobody has a crystal ball.  However, the markets are volatile right now, and it’s a great reminder that the market doesn’t operate on a straight line upwards.  It has bumps along the road.  And that is a GOOD thing!  If there was no risk, there would be no opportunity for gains!

However, it’s important to begin preparing before you enter a bear market, or worse, a recession.  

In this episode, I’ll discuss 14 Retirement Planning moves to help you prepare for the NEXT bear market.  Because it’s not a function of “if,” but “when.”  

As always, everyone’s situation is unique, so please consult with your own advisors before making any changes!  This is for educational purposes only.

I hope you find it helpful.

-Kevin

Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click this link to fill out our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire

Connect with me here:

Or, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠visit my website

This is for general education purposes only and should not be considered as tax, legal or investment advice.

Ep. 68: 9 Reasons to Claim Social Security Early

The default assumption for many online social security calculators, financial planning tools and expert advice tells you to DELAY Social Security as long as possible!  After all, that does yield the highest monthly benefit, assuming you wait until age 70.

Well, that may not be the best strategy for you!  

In this episode, I am going to break down 9 reasons why you may want to claim Social Security early!   

As always, everyone’s situation is unique, so please consult with your own advisors before making any changes!  This is for educational purposes only.

I hope you find it helpful.

-Kevin

Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click this link to fill out our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire

Connect with me here:

Or, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠visit my website

This is for general education purposes only and should not be considered as tax, legal or investment advice.

Ep. 67: Retire at 62/61 with $1million IRA, Optimize Social Security, Managing IRA Withdrawals, Optimize Taxes

Today, we will be looking at a client example of a 62/61 year old couple with $1mm inside of a Traditional IRA, about $50k in cash savings, and a $450k home that is paid off.  

In this episode, we’re going to dive into the timing of their Social Security income, IRA distribution strategy, Roth Conversions, as well as their investment strategy.  We’ll also discuss some of the key risks they’ll face throughout retirement.  

I hope you enjoy this 4th edition of the “Whiteboard Retirement Plan.”

-Kevin

⁠⁠⁠⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click this link to fill out our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire

Connect with me here:

Or, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠visit my website

This is for general education purposes only and should not be considered as tax, legal or investment advice.

Ep. 66: 7 Reasons Not To Convert Your IRA to Roth

One of the top concerns for the clients we serve is related to taxes in retirement.  They’ve worked hard to get to this point where they could even think about retiring, but then realize that the more they pay in taxes, the less money in their pocket to enjoy life and ultimately leave to their kids or beneficiaries.  
After all, the federal government has shown that they have been a pretty poor money manager, leading us to a $36T deficit and counting.

Naturally, deciding on whether or not to convert funds from a tax deferred IRA or 401k to a ROTH IRA is a big deal.  

In this episode, we’ll talk about 7 reasons you may want to delay, reduce, or even avoid Roth conversions altogether.  

As always, everyone’s situation is unique, so please consult with your own tax professionals before making any changes!  This is for educational purposes only.

I hope you find it helpful.
~ Kevin

Resources Mentioned:

Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click this link to fill out our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire

Connect with me here:

Or, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠visit my website

This is for general education purposes only and should not be considered as tax, legal or investment advice.

Ep. 65: Tax Preparation is Not Tax Planning (w/ Roberto Fortuna)

Most people start to think about taxes right about now around the tax filing deadline.

They gather a bunch of documents, send them to their tax preparer, and mistakenly believe their tax preparer is going to come up with this MAGIC way to save a bunch of money on taxes.

Then they get ticked off because there is not much you can do in April to lower your tax bill.  

Finally, they get frustrated by the complexity of the tax code and call it a day…until next year, rinse and repeat.

So what they are failing to comprehend is that “TAX PREPARATION” is NOT “TAX PLANNING!”  

Tax Planning is ongoing, it doesn’t start and stop at the tax filing deadline.  And it’s about reducing your LIFETIME tax bill, not simply looking for a maximum tax refund year to year.  

 In this episode, we are going to talk about this concept of “Tax Planning” and what can you, PFR Nation, do to reframe your way of thinking about your taxes in your retirement journey.  

Then, we’re going to talk through some action items you still can take advantage of before tax time, as well as a few common misconceptions about our tax code.

And finally, we are going to talk about TAX PLANNING strategies for YOU, PFR Nation!

But first, I had to go on a brief rant about what is rattling the markets right now.  I’ll give you a hint: it has to do with DOGE.

Thanks for listening!
Kevin

⁠⁠⁠⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click this link to fill out our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire


Connect with me here:

Or, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠visit my website

This is for general education purposes only and should not be considered as tax, legal or investment advice.

Ep. 64: Warren Buffett Says To Do ‘This’ With Your Will

“Legacy is not about leaving something for people, it’s about leaving something behind IN people.”

— Peter Strople

Many retirees create estate plans with their attorneys.  They get a big binder with their documents, hopefully they update their beneficiaries,
retitle their assets to their trust, and then they throw that big binder in a safe and “tell their kids where it is.”

But they ignore the fact that some day those documents will be read by their beneficiaries, or, perhaps an ‘ex-beneficiary.’  

Warren Buffet has a different take on estate planning that we will dive into today.  

So, we’re going to dive into Warren Buffett’s annual ‘Thanksgiving Letter.’

Then, I’ll also discuss 3 potential reasons this might be hard for you.

And as a result, I’ll give you 5 tips to make it easier to at least get the ball rolling.

I hope you all find this episode helpful.  Make sure to follow along and share this with a friend/family member who would also find it useful.  

-Kevin

Resources Mentioned:

  • Warren Buffet advised on reviewing your will with adult children

Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click this link to fill out our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire

Connect with me here:

Or, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠visit my website

This is for general education purposes only and should not be considered as tax, legal or investment advice.

[email protected]
(904) 323-2069

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