Secure Your Retirement

Latest Episodes:

Episode 392 - Turning Market Dips into Tax Savings: Direct Indexing with Tax Loss Harvesting Nov 09, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement Podcast, Murs and Nick Hymanson discuss direct indexing with tax loss harvesting, a tax-efficient way to manage a taxable brokerage account. They explain how investing went from individual stocks to mutual funds and ETFs, and why it is now coming back to individual stocks. Then they break the strategy into its two parts: owning 50 to 100 stocks that track an index like the S&P 500, and selling the ones that dip to bank losses that offset future gains.

Listen in to learn how harvested losses can make a retirement withdrawal nearly tax-free, and how they help unwind a concentrated stock position without one large capital gains bill. They also cover how donating appreciated stock to a donor-advised fund and banking losses before a real estate sale fit into the strategy, along with its honest trade-offs.

In this episode, find out:

The difference between owning an index fund and owning the individual stocks inside it
Why not every stock in the S&P 500 goes up in a strong year, and how those losers create tax opportunities
How tax loss harvesting offsets capital gains and can reduce your ordinary income
How banked losses helped a client take a $20,000 withdrawal with little to no tax
How to diversify out of a concentrated stock position like Apple or NVIDIA, with help from a donor-advised fund
Why banking losses in the years before a real estate sale can save tens of thousands in taxes
The trade-offs: no downside protection, taxable accounts only, and a minimum of about $250,000

Tweetable Quotes:

"We're not trying to get losses, but we know that they will happen. And so, because they're going to happen, we might as well benefit from that." Nick Hymanson

"There are no perfect investment strategies. There's only tradeoffs." Murs Tariq

Audio check needed before publishing. Both quotes need verifying against the recording. The Murs line is lightly cleaned of filler words from the transcript.

Resources:

If you are in or nearing retirement and you want to gain clarity on what questions you should be asking, learn what the biggest retirement myths are, and identify what you can do to achieve peace of mind for your retirement, get started today by requesting our complimentary phone conversation with Secure Your Retirement!

Episode 391 - Is Your Inheritance Taxable? IRAs, Stocks, and Real Estate Explained Nov 02, 2026

Show notes

In this Episode of the Secure Your Retirement Podcast, Murs and Taylor Wolverton, Director of Financial Planning and Tax Strategy, discuss how the most common assets are taxed when they pass to your heirs. They separate federal estate tax and state taxes from the income tax most heirs face. Then they work through cash, brokerage accounts, IRAs, Roth IRAs and real estate one account at a time.

Listen in to learn about how step-up in basis can erase decades of capital gains, and why the 10-year rule makes an inherited IRA a planning project. They also explain how small Roth conversions today can grow into a meaningful tax-free inheritance for your kids.

In this episode, find out:

The difference between estate tax, inheritance tax and the income tax most heirs pay
Why inherited cash carries no income tax, and how a payable-on-death designation keeps it out of probate
How step-up in basis works on inherited stocks and real estate, and what changes if you keep holding
How the 10-year rule and yearly required distributions apply to inherited traditional and Roth IRAs
The two-year home-sale window for a surviving spouse, and why an appraisal at death matters

Tweetable Quotes:

"Your estate is really everything you leave behind." Taylor Wolverton

"We're not here to try to sell anyone on anything. We enjoy planning, we like solving the puzzles." Murs Tariq

Audio check needed before publishing. Both quotes need verifying against the recording. The Murs line is lightly cleaned of filler words from the transcript.

Resources:

Episode 390 - The Domino Effect - Why One Smart Retirement Move Can Undo Another Oct 25, 2026

Show notes

In this Episode of the Secure Your Retirement Podcast, Radon and Murs discuss the domino effect in retirement tax planning, where one smart move quietly knocks over another part of your plan. They walk through four cases from recent tax strategy meetings, including a guaranteed income annuity that would have cancelled a charitable tax break, a 0% capital gains sale that raised a couple's tax on Social Security, and a high earner working out how to exit a variable annuity without stacking taxes on top of deferred compensation.

Listen in to learn about how Roth conversions, Social Security timing and Medicare IRMAA surcharges affect each other, why picking one dominant goal makes these decisions easier, and the seven year-end items to settle before December 31.

In this episode, find out:

How a lifetime income annuity can cancel the tax benefit of a qualified charitable distribution
Why a stock sale in the 0% capital gains bracket can still raise the tax on your Social Security
How starting Social Security early can shrink the room you have for Roth conversions and move you closer to IRMAA
What "valley years" are and how to use them before required minimum distributions begin
The seven-item year-end checklist, from RMDs and QCDs to inherited IRAs and estimated taxes

Tweetable quotes (verify speaker and wording against the audio before publishing)

"For good savers, it's not about how do I maximize Social Security anymore. It's way more about how does Social Security complement my plan the best." Murs Tariq, (lightly trimmed from the transcript)
"A tax strategy is where I'm going to talk to someone prior to December 31st, and I'm going to have a clear strategy so I understand exactly what's going to happen." Radon Stancil

Resources:

Episode 389 - Living Your Best Retirement - Meet Jerry Coates Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

In this Episode of the Secure Your Retirement Podcast, Radon and Murs discuss what life after retirement looks like with longtime client Jerry Coats. Jerry spent his career in engineering and risk management at GlaxoSmithKline, and he and his wife Gardenia have been retired for about two and a half years. He shares the savings habits they set when they first married, how they knew when the time was right to walk away from two successful careers, and why the biggest adjustment had more to do with filling their days than with the money.

Listen in to learn about the money routine Jerry and Gardenia built in their first six months of retirement, what Jerry calls “scope creep,” and the guiding principles they use to shape what they call chapter three.

In this episode, find out:

The three savings rules Jerry and Gardenia set early in their marriage and kept for decades.
Why defining what retirement looks like for you comes before deciding whether you have enough.
How scope creep, the “one more year” trap, can cost you time you can’t get back.
The monthly, quarterly, and annual meetings that keep both spouses on the same page about their finances.
What surprised Jerry most about retirement, and his advice for anyone five years out.

Tweetable quotes:

“You have to define what retirement looks like for you.” Jerry Coats

“Once you set your goal and you’ve crystallized what you want it to look like, you’ve hit the mark in terms of the numbers, go with it.” Jerry Coats

Resources:

Episode 388 - When Should a Business Owner Start Planning to Exit Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

In this Episode of the Secure Your Retirement Podcast, Radon and Murs discuss when a business owner should start planning to exit with Van, a Raleigh-based business broker who helps owners across the Carolinas and Virginia sell and transition their companies. For many owners the business is the largest piece of their retirement, and selling it well starts years before a buyer ever sees the books.

Listen in to learn about the steps that get a business ready to sell, what the process looks like once it goes to market, and how taxes and deal structure shape what an owner keeps after the sale.

In this episode, find out:

Why Van says exit planning starts the day you buy or start your business
The two kinds of readiness, business and owner, and why you need both for the best result
What buyers look for, including three years of clean financials and a valuation based on comparable sales
How a sale unfolds, from the Confidential Information Memorandum to closing, and why it takes months
Why the sale price isn't what you keep, and the two-to-three-year minimum runway Van recommends

Tweetable quotes:

"From the moment that you buy a business or start a business, you should prepare for the future to exit that business." Van [last name to confirm]

"It's taken you 10, 20, 30 years to wind up your business...it will be difficult to unwind it or transition it in 30 days." Van [last name to confirm]

Resources:

Episode 387 - Quarterly Market and Economic Update What Retirees Should Watch Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

In this Episode of the Secure Your Retirement Podcast, Radon and Murs discuss this quarter's market and economic update with Tom Siomades, from the Federal Reserve's latest rate increase to the oil prices that have kept inflation elevated for about seven months. Tom explains why a quarter-point hike won't make a dent in energy-driven inflation, what the Iran conflict means for shipping and fuel costs, and why he sees the rest of the economy in better shape than the headlines suggest.

Listen in to learn about how interest rates, inflation, and oil prices affect retirement investing, why AI stocks are still helping lead the stock market while small caps keep pace, and why fixed income has become a meaningful part of retirement portfolios again. Tom closes with his market outlook for the end of 2026, and Radon connects it to what matters most for your retirement income planning and your peace of mind in retirement.

In this episode, find out:

Why Tom sees the Fed's 25 basis point rate hike as more of a signal than a solution
How elevated oil prices get built into the cost of everyday goods, and why those costs are slow to come back out
What the broader economy looks like when you set the rate hike and the conflict aside
How AI stocks, small caps, and higher yields on fixed income are shaping the stock market this year
Tom's year-end market call, and why planning for a down year belongs in every retirement plan

Tweetable quotes

"You go to the gas station and they seem to raise the price of gas literally by the minute, and then it takes them weeks and weeks and weeks to lower it." (Tom Siomades)

"Fixed income is actually meaningful again for people's portfolios." (Tom Siomades)

Resources:

Episode 386- Living Your Best Retirement - Meet Vid and Nupam Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

In this Episode of the Secure Your Retirement Podcast, Radon and Murs discuss the emotional side of the transition into retirement with clients Vid and Nupam Desai. Vid recently took early retirement after six years as chief information officer at the FDA, capping a 40-year career in pharmaceuticals, clinical research and medical devices. Nupam is still leading her team at Lenovo and planning her own retirement over the next couple of years. The four of them talk about learning to live together again, getting comfortable spending money you spent decades saving, and the travel, hobbies and giving back the Desais are planning for the years ahead.

Listen in to learn about why even the most capable do-it-yourself planners reach a point where handing off taxes and investments brings relief, how seeing a plan on paper helps the logical and emotional sides of retirement catch up with each other, and what couples can expect when one spouse retires first.

In this episode, find out:

Why Vid calls holding on to his own finances and taxes for too long one of his biggest retirement lessons.
How seeing their plan on paper helped the Desais start feeling confident about spending.
What changes at home when one spouse retires and the other keeps working.
Why Nupam is staying at Lenovo long enough to set her team up to succeed.
How the Desais picture their first five to ten years of retirement, from six-week stays abroad to community service and the Peace Corps.

Tweetable Quotes:

"While we are financial advisors in this wealth management space, a lot of times what we are is a thought partner."

Murs Tariq

"A lot of times when people come to us, it's emotional. It's an emotional hurdle."

Radon Stancil

Resources:

To access the course, simply visit POMWealth.net/podcast.

Episode 385 - Retiring Before Your Spouse — Health Insurance, Income, and Timing Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

In this Episode of the Secure Your Retirement Podcast, Radon and Murs discuss retiring before your spouse, walking through the specific decisions couples face with early retirement planning when one partner is ready to stop working and the other isn't. This episode covers retirement planning for couples navigating that in-between stretch, including health insurance before Medicare, retirement income planning, and the retirement tax planning tradeoffs that come with a staggered retirement timing decision.

Listen in to learn about the three paths for health insurance before Medicare, why a written retirement income plan protects your future flexibility around Roth conversions in retirement, how Medicare and retirement timing intersect with Social Security planning, and the practical retirement checklist to work through once one spouse decides to retire, including what a 401K to IRA rollover actually involves.

In this episode, find out:

The three health insurance before Medicare options when one spouse retires early and the other keeps working, and why the obvious choice isn't always the cheapest one
Why retirement income planning starts with a written plan, and how pulling from the wrong account today can limit your ability to do Roth conversions in retirement later
How a drop in household income opens a retirement tax planning window, and why you have to pick a priority between Roth conversions, Social Security planning, and health insurance subsidies rather than optimizing all three at once
What a 401K to IRA rollover really means once you retire. It's a tax-free move, not a taxable event, and it opens up investment options beyond what most 401k plans offer, often with the chance to reduce the fees tied to those plans
Why planning retirement isn't only about retirement cash flow and taxes, and how thinking through the non-financial side helps you retire comfortably instead of just affordably

Tweetable Quotes:

"Can you put a dollar value to not having to worry about this stuff when you're getting close to retirement?" — Radon Stancil

"The idea is before one of the two retire, understand what the impact of that's going to be and how you're going to play it out so that it's really clear in mind." — Murs Tariq

Resources:

To access the course, simply visit POMWealth.net/podcast.

Episode 384 - You Have $1 Million in Your 401K - Now What? Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

In this Episode of the Secure Your Retirement Podcast, Radon and Murs discuss what actually happens once a household crosses the $1 million mark in their 401k, and why hitting that number raises new questions instead of settling old ones. They walk through why the balance on your statement isn't the number you actually get to spend, how required minimum distributions can sneak up on even careful savers, and why the investment strategy that built your nest egg isn't the one that should carry you through retirement.

Listen in to learn about the tax traps that catch people off guard when withdrawing from a 401k, why Roth conversions deserve a serious look before required distributions kick in, how the three-bucket strategy protects your income from a bad market at exactly the wrong time, and what changes financially (and it's not what you'd expect) when one spouse passes away.

In this episode, find out:

Why a $1 million 401k balance is really closer to $650,000 to $700,000 after taxes, and how that mistake trips people up when withdrawing for big expenses
How required minimum distributions work, and why waiting too long to touch a 401k can create a bigger tax problem later
Why a Roth conversion strategy, done while both spouses are alive and filing jointly, can meaningfully reduce lifetime taxes
What sequence of returns risk is, and how the three-bucket strategy (cash, safety and income, growth) protects retirement income from market downturns
Why moving from a joint tax return to a single filer after a spouse passes away often raises your tax rate, even if your income barely changes

Tweetable Quotes:

"While you see the million on paper, really only about 650 to 700,000 of that's actually yours." — Murs Tariq

"How I take money out of a 401k has some things I've got to think through. So, I've got to think through my taxation. I've got to think through potential problems with IRMAA." — Radon Stancil

Resources:

To access the course, simply visit POMWealth.net/podcast.

Episode 383 - Do You Need an Annuity in Retirement - What You Need to Know Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of the Secure Your Retirement Podcast, Radon and Murs discuss whether you can truly be a fiduciary and still talk about annuities and walk through exactly when an annuity earns a place in a retirement plan versus when it doesn't.

Listen in to learn about the three-bucket strategy for organizing retirement money, why an income safety bucket targets a specific historical return range instead of chasing the market, how sequence of returns risk can quietly damage a retirement plan, and the honest, no-spin answer to the fee concerns you've probably come across online.

In this episode, find out:

Why being a fiduciary doesn't rule out recommending an annuity, and why fit matters more than the product category itself
The three layers of retirement spending (essential needs, wants, and wishes) and how covering the first two changes your relationship with market volatility
How the three-bucket strategy, cash, growth, and income safety, is designed to prevent the emotional roller coaster of panic selling during a downturn
Where the high annuity fee reputation actually comes from, and why it's mostly confined to one specific category
Why sequence of returns risk changes the entire calculation once you're retired and withdrawing income, not just saving

Tweetable Quotes:

"We're not trying to sell the concept, we're saying we like the concept." — Radon Stancil

"This strategy is really there for predictability and reliability in your retirement income." — Murs Tariq

Resources:

To access the course, simply visit POMWealth.net/podcast.

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