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Author: Kevin Lao

Ep. 79: 9 Reasons to Delay Social Security

I hear a lot of financial advice out there to take Social Security as early as possible. But what if I told you that for many high-net-worth retirees, claiming early could cost you several hundreds of thousands of dollars of lost income and even furthermore negatively impact your investment portfolios over time.

Episode 68, 9 Reasons to Claim Social Security Early.  Make sure to check that one out as well.  In this episode, we’ll look at the other side of the coin on why you might want to DELAY Social Security.  I hope it helps!

***Important edit***
I mentioned a reduction in your “Primary Insurance Amount” when you claim benefits before Full Retirement Age. However, I meant to say there is a 30% reduction @ 62 for those who were born in 1960 or later…NOT a 35% reduction! The 35% reduction applies to a “Spousal Benefit” when claiming @ 62.

Thank you, Roberto, for catching this! I will attach a link to the IRS website which has a helpful chart showing the impacts on claiming early below.
https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/agereduction.html

-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. 78: Give Now or Give Later? The Million-Dollar Question (Whiteboard Retirement Plan Volume 6)

There is a lot of focus in the financial advice industry related to the “Accumulation Phase.” 

In the beginning, you’re trying to save as much as possible as you start your careers.  Then you gain some traction and start building up a nice nest egg. As your income increases, maybe you start to think about the tax impact of your savings.  

And finally, you really start to focus in on how much you “need” or “want” before you stop the accumulation phase. The problem is that it continues to be a moving target based on your lifestyle changes, inflation, the markets, or ultimately, the unknown about how long you might live!

But when is enough “enough?”   It’s easy to have the blinders on and just focus on building up as large of a nest egg as possible. As a result, many pre-retirees and retirees fail to think through the distribution phase…or in other words, the decumulation phase.

And many of the folks we serve are surprised to find out they have a SURPLUS in retirement. Meaning, it’s going to be hard for them to spend all their nest egg during their lifetime (not a bad problem to have).

In today’s Whiteboard Retirement Plan breakdown, we’ll look at Bruce and Jennifer Lee, who are 62/61 and looking to retire in January of 2026…

We’ll show you WHY they have a surplus and ultimately discuss some strategies to help them optimize for today, as well as maximize their legacy to their 2 adult children.

I hope you enjoy it.

-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. 77: Should You Sell in May And Go Away?!

The Planning For Retirement Podcast

Ever hear of the “Sell in May and Go Away” catch phrase as it relates to the stock market?  In this episode, we’ll look at the actual data of market returns from May to October vs. November to April and see if there is any merit.

We’ll also touch on the stock market since the “Liberation Day” sell-off, as the market has gained a ton of ground in April and early May.  

I hope you enjoy this episode, and make sure to share the podcast with someone who is PFR Nation caliber!

-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. 76: The Unsung Hero of Retirement Accounts

The Planning For Retirement Podcast

Roth IRAs, 401ks, Health Savings Accounts and Traditional IRAs generally get the most hype when it comes to saving and investing for retirement.  

However, the TAXABLE BROKERAGE ACCOUNT, in my humble opinion, is the unsung hero in the retirement planning puzzle.  This is due to the ultimate flexibility and surprising tax efficiency during the accumulation, distribution, AND legacy phases.  

Check out this episode where I talk about the benefits in each phase, as well as some of the mistakes I see retirees make when using these accounts to plan for and execute a successful retirement.

I hope you enjoy it!

-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. 75: 12 Takeaways From Retirement Planning Reviews in 2025

The first quarter of every year is a great opportunity for us to meet with our clients and discuss things like:

  • Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)
  • Cash Flow Needs
  • Rebalancing opportunities and overall market outlook
  • Tax opportunities before the deadline
  • Tax opportunities to tee up for the year(s) ahead
  • And overall retirement planning landscape for each of our clients

But this past quarter, we have had some significant volatility relative to what we’ve seen since 2022 when inflation topped out at 9.1%!!

There were some great takeaways I wanted to share in hopes that it will HELP YOU in your journey to plan for and execute a successful retirement…

I hope you enjoy this episode, and make sure to share it with a friend who is “PFR Nation” caliber!  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. 74: Don’t Wait To Spend Your Roth Accounts!

The conventional wisdom is to spend down your taxable accounts first, then your tax-deferred accounts, and finally your tax-free accounts.  However, this may not always be the case.  

In this episode, I’ll break down the case of “Rory and Erica” on the whiteboard, which goes against this conventional wisdom.  

We’ll cover max spending strategies, optimal investment strategies, tax-efficient withdrawals, charitable giving, and long-term care planning.

I hope you enjoy this edition of the Whiteboard Retirement Plan!  Make sure to share this with someone who would find it useful.

-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. 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.

info@imaginefinancialsecurity.com
(904) 323-2069

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