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Category: Podcast

111: 6 Things To Watch For In The Market For 2026 (Retirement Edition)

2025 reminded us of something important: markets don’t move based on headlines or how we “feel” about the economy — they move based on earnings, inflation, interest rates, and policy.

And if you’re close to retirement, the goal isn’t to predict the market perfectly.

The goal is to know what actually matters and build a plan that works whether markets are great, average, or ugly.

In today’s episode of the Planning for Retirement Podcast, I start by recapping what we said to watch in 2025, what actually played out… and then I walk through six key themes that could drive markets in 2026.

✅ We’ll cover:

• How tax policy could act as a tailwind (or a temporary sugar high)

• Why the labor market matters more than the unemployment rate

• What the Fed is likely to do next — and why Powell’s replacement could be a big deal

• Why AI is fueling earnings growth and margin expansion (and what that means for markets)

• Why bonds are back — and why fixed income matters even more for retirees

• Why international stocks outperformed in 2025, and the danger of recency bias

By the end, you’ll have a clear framework for what to watch in 2026 — and how to stay focused as a long-term retirement investor.

I hope you enjoy it!

-Kevin

⁠⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can start with our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire linked on our website so we can learn more about how we can help in your journey to and through retirement.

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. 110: The Tax Trap of Traditional 401ks and IRAs (Rewind)

PFR Nation,

We are rewinding the tape ALL the way back to the very beginning! Here, I’ll break down the common Tax Traps of traditional 401ks and IRAs. This was episode #2, so there’s a good chance you haven’t heard this one! I hope you find it useful and drop a comment with your thoughts. How do you navigate these tax traps in retirement?

Happy New Year!

-Kevin

⁠⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can start with our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire linked on our website so we can learn more about how we can help in your journey to and through retirement.

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. 109: 50 Truths Retirees Wish They Knew Before Firing Their Boss (Rewind)

Do you ever wish you could get inside the minds of existing retirees to ask them what their experience has been?  Or, ask them what they wish they would have known before they quit their day job?  This episode is for you!

In this episode of the Planning for Retirement podcast, I’ll share 50 truths that retirees wish they knew before they quit their day jobs.  Some of these are straight from the horse’s mouth, some are my observations in serving retirees for more than a decade, and some are research-based that I uncovered during this process.  I’ll cover a range of topics including finding purpose in retirement, the misconception of retirement expenses going down, the importance of exercise and brain stimulation, the high costs of healthcare in retirement, tax traps, and much more. 

Thanks for tuning in! 

~Kevin  

Links Referenced in Episode:

  • ⁠⁠50 Truths Retirees Wish They Knew Before They Quit Their Day Job⁠
  • ⁠⁠Purpose and Successful Retirement Transition Questionnaire⁠⁠
  • ⁠Shocks and the Unexpected:  An Important Factor in Retirement⁠ 
  • ⁠The life expectancy of older couples and surviving spouses⁠ 
  • ⁠How to plan for rising healthcare costs⁠

⁠⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can start with our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire linked on our website so we can learn more about how we can help in your journey to and through retirement.

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. 108: Underspending in Retirement, How to Position an Annuity, Pre-Tax vs. Roth Debate (Q+A Session)

Hi PFR Nation!

This week I’ve got a Q&A session focused on current hot topics and debates including:
~ Underspending in Retirement
~ How to Position an Annuity
~ Pre-Tax vs. Roth Debate

I hope you enjoy this episode and find some nuggets of information that you can use. 

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year!

– Kevin

⁠⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can start with our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire linked on our website so we can learn more about how we can help in your journey to and through retirement.

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. 107: 6 Paths to Health Insurance for Early Retirees

If you are retiring before you turn 65, the healthcare gap is probably top of mind. In today’s episode, I’ll talk about 6 paths to healthcare coverage to bridge the gap until you are eligible for Medicare. I hope it helps.

FYI, I am NOT a health insurance expert! This episode was made possible because my current premium was skyrocketing 70% next year, so I decided to shop it. However, each state will have its own complexities and nuances. Nonetheless, I hope this gets you started in the right direction.

Kevin

Resources:

• Roth Conversion Trap on ACA Premium Tax Credits (video)

• Don’t fall off the cliff. Explaining the cliff for ACA premium tax credits in 2026 and beyond (video)

Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can start with our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire linked on our website so we can learn more about how we can help in your journey to and through retirement.

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. 106: Can You Quantify the Value of a Financial Advisor?

Advisor’s Alpha is Wrong!

Vanguard, the King of NO fees, puts out an annual study where they attempt to quantify the value of a comprehensive financial advisor. I can attest to many of the services mentioned, but it is very difficult, if not impossible, to determine the exact % of additional value added those services can provide. In any event, I think Vanguard actually misses the mark on a few of these, particularly because of WHO you are (PFR Nation).

I also believe Vanguard fails to include one of the MOST important factors when considering the value of a financial advisor. And yes, I acknowledge that I am a VERY biased source on this topic. However, you might find it surprising where I land on some of the points Vanguard makes.

I hope you find it useful!

Kevin

Resources:

  • Vanguard Advisor’s Alpha

Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can start with our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire linked on our website so we can learn more about how we can help in your journey to and through retirement.

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. 105: Whiteboard Retirement Plan (Retire with $2.3 million AND Die with $2.3 million)

PFR Nation,

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! It’s been a while since we did a Whiteboard Retirement Plan breakdown, so lets get this back in the rotation!

In this scenario, we are looking at a baseline scenario for Jack and Barbara, who have saved $2.3million for retirement, mostly in tax-deferred accounts. They would like to retire at 61 (2026), but they are very concerned about financial legacy for their two adult children. In fact, not only do they want to protect and preserve their assets, but they also want to do so on an inflation-adjusted basis! Let’s see how they are tracking with the baseline plan, and let’s see what levers they need to pull in order to achieve their retirement AND legacy objectives.

And I’d love to hear from you all. What levers would YOU pull if you were Jack and Barbara?

Thanks for tuning in and please make sure to leave us a nice review if you are finding value in the content!

-Kevin

⁠⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can start with our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire linked on our website so we can learn more about how we can help in your journey to and through retirement.

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. 104: 8 Roth Conversion Tax Traps

PFR Nation,

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…

You guessed it…it’s ROTH CONVERSION time! 😊

In all seriousness, Happy Thanksgiving all of you! Wishing you a wonderful start to the holiday season.

Roth Conversions are a hot topic in our business at the end of the year, so I thought I’d do a video about some common tax traps every day retirees run in to as they are converting assets to Roth. I hope you find it useful!

Let me know if there are any other tax traps you can think of.

Also, drop a comment…do you plan to convert your IRA to Roth during your Roth Conversion window?! I would love to hear from you.

-Kevin

Resources mentioned:

  • The ACA Premium Tax Credits Are Changing in 2026 (video)
  • 7 Reasons NOT to convert your IRA to Roth (episode)

Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can start with our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire linked on our website, so we can learn more about how we can help in your journey to and through retirement.

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. 103: 100 Episodes, 100 Lessons (Part 4)

Welcome to PART 4 of 100 Episodes, 100 Lessons (for retirees and pre-retirees).

In this episode, we’ll walk through episodes 76-99 and bring home some key takeaways for you as you plan for and execute a successful retirement. I hope you enjoy this one!

If you are over 50, you’ve saved north of $1million for retirement, and you want to maximize retirement income, minimize your lifetime tax bill, and worry less about money…hit the FOLLOW button so you don’t miss out on the next 100 episodes!

-Kevin

⁠⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can start with our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire linked on our website so we can learn more about how we can help in your journey to and through retirement.

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. 102: 100 Episodes, 100 Lessons (Part 3)

PFR Nation,

Welcome to PART 3 of 100 Episodes, 100 Lessons (for retirees and pre-retirees).

In this episode, we’ll walk through episodes 51-75 and bring home some key takeaways for you as you plan for and execute a successful retirement. I hope you enjoy this one! 

If you are over 50, you’ve saved north of $1 million for retirement, and you want to maximize retirement income, minimize your lifetime tax bill, and worry less about money…hit the FOLLOW button so you don’t miss out on the next 100 episodes! 

-Kevin

⁠⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You can start with our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire linked on our website so we can learn more about how we can help in your journey to and through retirement.

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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