The Confident Retirement

Latest Episodes:

Ep 051: Contested Wills, Trusts and Estates-Oh my! Apr 21, 2022

Show notes

Taso Milonas is a Florida Bar Board Certified Tax Lawyer where fewer than five percent of all attorneys admitted to practice in Florida are Board Certified. Taso also holds a Master of Laws in Taxation. His practice today is primarily in trust and estate litigation.

Along with his practice, Taso is passionate about giving back to the community. He is currently serving on the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Foundation Planned Giving Committee and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, North Florida, Central Florida and Southwest Florida Chapters as a Board Member, Executive Board Member, and Co-Chair of the Planned Giving Committee.

For anyone who doesn’t understand the complexity of trust and estate litigation, Taso helps his clients understand with straightforward explanations.

In our conversation, we discuss:

The challenge as an estate planner and the need for knowing who to add to the team for knowledge of other areas of the law.

What the probate process really entails and how it’s a more public process than before.

When one contests a Will or Trust, you’re challenging a document.

An explanation of what is undue influence.

A discussion on tortious interference.

A case study of when someone takes advantage of a person with dementia.

The importance of clients organizing their paperwork and critical documents.

One of the biggest obstacles facing the industry in Florida.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Taso:

Website: https://www.wealthlawgroup.com/

Connect with Kris:

Website: https://www.lpfadvisors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopher-flammang-lpfadv/

Twitter:@kflammang

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Ep 050: Solving the Retirement Income Conundrum Apr 14, 2022

Show notes

Episode 050 Solving the retirement income conundrum. Featuring David Macchia, Tech Entrepreneur

David Macchia is an entrepreneur, a thought leader, and a public speaker focused on communication and tech solutions for retirement income distribution planning. David writes frequently on the retirement income for consumers and financial professionals, and is the author of Lucky Retiree, how to keep your retirement income and create it using the Income for Life Model.

In 2004, David realized that there were 76 million baby boomers approaching retirement who didn’t know how to turn accumulated savings into retirement income. In the US, we don’t educate people how to turn a nest egg into retirement income.

David likes to focus on American women through his Women and Income™ program developed for female investors who are approaching retirement or recently retired.

David makes this complicated subject easy to understand. We discuss:

The difference between financial planning and retirement income planning.

The problem with the commonly used traditional approach called the total return strategy.

The three labels of retirees-under-funded, over-funded and the constraint strained.

How to mitigate risks.

A balanced strategy includes safe investments and paychecks, ongoing exposure to equities and stock market participation.

Nobel Prize winner Robert C. Merton’s quote, “In retirement, it’s your income, not your wealth, that creates a standard of living.”

The bucket strategy.

How men and women think differently about investing.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with David:

Website: https://davidmacchia.com/about/

Website: https://wealthpop.com/retirementinvestor

Connect with Kris:

Website: https://www.lpfadvisors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopher-flammang-lpfadv/

Twitter:@kflammang

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Ep 049: Careful Planning for Special Needs and Medicaid Apr 07, 2022

Show notes

Stuart Schoenfeld is a Partner with Capell, Barnett, Matalon and Schoenfeld, with offices in NY City, Long Island and Florida. Stuart specializes in elder law, estate planning, asset preservation, Medicaid, and property transactions. He’s also a published author and frequent speaker on planning for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Stuart enjoys giving back to the community and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Rehabilitation Institute, which provides vocational, educational, and therapeutic services to individuals with disabilities. He previously served as President of the Association for Children with Down syndrome.

Part of the inspiration for serving in these aspects of the law comes from having a daughter with special needs and watching her needs change throughout the years and the importance of dealing with the legal issues.

Highlights of our conversation include:

People need to plan better to make their finances work in their later years.

Not every elder care attorney does estate planning.

The unique challenges when you are assisting someone who’s chronically ill or developmentally delayed.

Understanding the supplemental needs trust and the ABLE account.

The difference between a supplemental needs trust and a third-party supplemental needs trust.

The difference between Medicare and Medicaid.

Clients need to seek help long before they run out of money.

Business advice including considerations in a Buy Sell agreement.

Don’t choose an attorney on price alone.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Stuart:

Website: https://cbmslaw.com/team/stuart-h-schoenfeld/

Connect with Kris:

Website: https://www.lpfadvisors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopher-flammang-lpfadv/

Twitter:@kflammang

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Ep 048: Benefits abound! One Administrator’s take on what's Trending Mar 31, 2022

Show notes

Naomi Wood

– The Confident Retirement Podcast with Kris Flammang

Episode 048 Benefits abound! One administrator’s take on what's trending. Featuring Naomi Wood, Benefits Specialist at Abt Associates.

Naomi G. Wood is a Benefits Specialist at Abt Associates, where she counsels employees and Abt’s HR Staff on the various benefit plans offered at her organization.

Prior to her current role, Naomi spent 15 years working in various roles, ranging from Retirement Support Specialist, Customer Service Representative, Senior Financial Processor, Account Manager, Benefits Administrator, and Retirement Benefits Specialist.

Naomi earned a B.S. in Business Management and Human Resource/IT Management from Carlow University and an MBA in Human Resource Management from Strayer University. She is enrolled in the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist course to earn her designation.

Naomi has a talent for taking complex employee benefit issues, turning them into easy-to-understand language.

We discuss:

Comparing salary to what benefits are available to an employee.

The complexity of the Affordable Cares Act.

Doing extensive research to find the correct information for employees.

Understanding Roth accounts.

Get into the habit of saving for retirement and using automatic withdrawals from a paycheck.

How FSA and HSA dollars work.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Naomi:

Website: https://www.abtassociates.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naomi-wood-mba-3b291443/

Connect with Kris:

Website: https://www.lpfadvisors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopher-flammang-lpfadv/

Twitter:@kflammang

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Ep 047: Solving the "Medicare wordle" in one episode? Done! Mar 24, 2022

Show notes

Danielle Roberts

– The Confident Retirement Podcast with Kris Flammang

Episode 047 Solving the "Medicare wordle" in one episode? Done! Featuring Danielle Roberts, Founding Partner, Boomer Benefits

Danielle Roberts always knew she wanted to work with the elderly, but she didn’t know how. Now she serves that group exclusively. It started when her insurance clients kept asking if she could help their parents with the Medicare maze of options and complexities.

Danielle is a founding partner at Boomer Benefits, a national insurance agency specializing in Medicare since 2005. She is also the author of the best-selling book 10 Costly Medicare Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make and is often a featured guest for CNBC, FOX, Yahoo Finance, Kiplinger, and MarketWatch.

Danielle also serves on the NAHU Medicare Advisory Group, where she advocates for Medicare beneficiaries at a national level to government organizations, including CMS.

Highlights of our conversation include:

The challenge of working in the insurance industry and lessons learned.

The joy of handholding clients through the Medicare journey.

Research Medicare at least six months before you turn 65 when enrollment is mandatory.

Understand Election Periods when you can or can’t get insurance.

What to know about the “supplementals.”

Catastrophic limits set by Medicare each year.

Understanding the ACA, Affordable Care Act, and the health insurance exchange.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Danielle:

Website: https://boomerbenefits.com/

Connect with Kris:

Website: https://www.lpfadvisors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopher-flammang-lpfadv/

Twitter:https://twitter.com/kflammang?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep 046: A Calm Voice in the face of an Unpredictable Mortgage Sky Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

Marci Walker

– The Confident Retirement Podcast with Kris Flammang

Episode 046 A calm voice in the face of an unpredictable mortgage sky with Marci Walker, a Co-Founder, Blue Skye Lending

Marci Walker changed her career from auto finance to joining the mortgage industry. She enjoyed the career switch and with colleagues, co-founded Blue Skye Lending almost 20 years ago.

Marci and her partners have a firm belief that if they put clients first, the business will take care of itself. She loves assisting first-time homebuyers achieve their goals of homeownership and saving money for someone refinancing their home.

There’s so much to learn from our conversation. Highlights include:

The misconception of thinking all loan officers work in the same way.

Why one should avoid online lenders.

The advantages of working with a lending team.

The complications of underwriting and what it means.

The difficulties of getting a loan when self-employed.

How a down payment should be calculated or considered.

Refinancing considerations.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Marci:

Website: https://www.blueskyeloans.com/marci-walker/

Connect with Kris:

Website: https://www.lpfadvisors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopher-flammang-lpfadv/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kflammang?

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Ep 045: A CPA Turning the Industry on its Head - Really! Mar 10, 2022

Show notes

Marie Torossian

– The Confident Retirement Podcast with Kris Flammang

Episode 045 A CPA Turning the Industry on its Head - Really! with Marie Torossian, CPA

Marie Torossian, a Chartered Global Management Accountant, auditor, CFO, and author, has the passion to help clients succeed in their business, increase their business value, and live the life they want. She firmly believes in living in God’s grace to help those in need and to make a difference in people’s lives.

She has authored two books, A Business Owner’s Guide to Operational Accounting and The Complete Guide to Business Growth. She actively promotes accounting education through her social media channels and her weekly live show, Coffee Time with Marie Torossian CPA.

Marie is a progressive accountant who builds her practice in an advisory model and uses the value-pricing model for her services. She also actively creates CPE classes for the FICPA North Dade/South Broward chapter.

Highlights of our conversation include:

In the private sector, there’s an opportunity to be involved in every part of the business.

62 percent of all businesses fail in the first two years.

The importance of being a lifelong learner.

Scaling up a business and finding the extra value adds.

The challenge of finding the clients that are a right fit to work with.

The business model of how she works and educating clients on how CPAs work.

Understanding the options for retirement investments.

Take Marie up on her offer for a free strategy session and enjoy the show!

Connect with Marie:

Website: https://www.marietorossiancpa.com/

LinkedIn: https://www. linkedin.com/in/marietorossiancpacgma

Connect with Kris:

Website: https://www.lpfadvisors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopher-flammang-lpfadv/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kflammang?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep 044: Protection planning. Lead with a WHY Mar 03, 2022

Show notes

Mark Fontanella

– The Confident Retirement Podcast with Kris Flammang

Episode 044 Protection planning. Lead with a WHY

with Mark Fontanella, Health Insurance Professional, Hanson and Ryan

Mark Fontanella is a health insurance professional at Hanson and Ryan, a family-owned insurance company operating for over 140 years. Based in New Jersey, the company works to identify and simplify the insurance process for individuals and businesses.

Mark is a firm believer in honing his craft every day and enjoys the personal satisfaction he gets when he can present clients with options to best suit their needs.

Our conversation covers several issues and challenges that a client needs to learn and think about when getting proper coverage for their health and personal needs.

We discuss:

Explanations of the term open enrollment.

What happens when people hear the Joe Namath donut hole commercial?

The Medicare scam cards.

A case study of an employer giving improper Medicare information.

The misconceptions of life insurance.

Understanding the various types of personal insurance.

The future of private health insurance.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Mark:

Website: https://www.hansonryan.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-fontanella-54066483/

Connect with Kris:

Website: https://www.lpfadvisors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopher-flammang-lpfadv/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kflammang?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep 043: Helping Clients Diversify Self-directed IRA investments Feb 24, 2022

Show notes

Brandon Hall

– The Confident Retirement Podcast with Kris Flammang

Episode 043 Helping clients diversify self-directed IRA investments with Brandon Hall, President Midland IRA

Brandon Hall started at Midland Trust 19 years ago with the purpose of starting an IRA side of the accounting business. Today, Brandon is the President and COO of the company that only operates on IRAs and 1031s as the firm’s primary practice.

Brandon knows every aspect of IRAs, helping clients diversify investments portfolios with self-direction on alternative assets. Brandon has a Certified IRA Service Provider designation, and has degrees from the University of Alabama, Florida Gulf Coast University and an Executive Leadership Certificate from Cornell University.

Brandon generously shares his wealth of knowledge to explain the complex world of IRAs. Highlights include:

The responsibilities of a custodian.

The four types of IRAs.

An explanation of what is an alternative asset.

Midland does not work as a fiduciary or advisor.

What to know if you have a self-directed IRA that holds alternative assets.

The 1031 section of the tax code explained and misconceptions.

The company’s goals for scalable growth and continuing great customer service.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Brandon:

Website: https://www.midlandtrust.com/

Connect with Kris:

Website: https://www.lpfadvisors.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristopher-flammang-lpfadv/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/kflammang?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ep 042: Finding A Calling to Help Others Leave their Legacy Feb 17, 2022

Show notes

Alisa Heedy

– The Confident Retirement Podcast with Kris Flammang

Episode 042 Finding A Calling to Help Others Leave their Legacy with Alisa Heedy

Alisa Heedy is a Trusts and Estates Attorney at Williams Parker in Sarasota, Florida. After graduating from the University of Florida, she studied law at Stetson University. She also has a LL.M degree in Taxation from the University of Florida, which she believes gives her the advantage of knowing how to prepare and work with tax preparation in the realm of estate planning.

Alisa’s entry into this area was partially influenced by her own experience of learning about estates when her grandfather passed away.

Highlights of our conversation include:

The mistake of having more than one person acting as executor.

The perfect trustee or representative just needs to know where to get help.

The challenge of balancing the psychology of the law and family dynamics.

Good lawyers are advisors who guide clients away from litigious viewpoints.

The importance of having empathy for the family after a loved one passes away.

The core documents every family should have.

Enjoy the show!

Connect with Alisa:

Website: https://www.williamsparker.com/attorneys/alisa-m-heedy/

Connect with Kris: