Your Retirement Elevated Podcast with Scott Dougan

Latest Updates to Medicare with Cortney Dale

We’re bringing you a special edition of the podcast today as we welcome Cortney Dale, CEO of Sunflower Insurance Solutions, to lead us through the latest updates on Medicare! She’ll discuss what's crucial for you to know as we approach 2024 and answer common questions that will help you make informed decisions about your Medicare elections in the months and years ahead. Listen in as she breaks down its four parts (A,B,C,D) and how they work together, coverage, enrollment periods, and more!
 
Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:
When can I sign up for Medicare, and what's the initial enrollment period?
What Medicare covers and what it doesn’t + The coverage of Medicare Parts A and B and the costs associated with them
What options are available to fill the 20% Medicare coverage gap?
The big difference between Medicare Supplemental Plans and Medicare Advantage Plans
What is Medicare Part D?
Can dental, home health care, and cancer coverage be added to Medicare?
 
Want to connect with us?
https://listentoscott.com/
https://elevatemyretirement.com/our-team/scott-m-dougan/
913-393-4724

Money Mistakes You’ll Regret and How to Avoid Them

Do you ever wish you could foresee financial missteps before they happen? On today’s episode, we’re going to explore some real-life stories of regret and arm you with the do’s and don’ts to ensure that your money is working for you and not against you.
 
Here’s some of what we’ll discuss in this episode:
What it could cost you to pull money out of your IRAs early.
People often fall into the trap of ‘lifestyle creep’ and will increase expenses as they make more money.
What options do you have to cover rising tuition costs so you don’t ruin retirement?
Getting out of the workforce too early can hurt you in a variety of ways.
People will often wish they had utilized Roth accounts more.
 
Want to connect with us?
https://listentoscott.com/
https://elevatemyretirement.com/our-team/scott-m-dougan/
913-393-4724

Retirement Planning’s “Hidden” Questions

In this episode, we’re going to unearth and tackle some of these hidden but essential questions about retirement. We all want to get good answers to our financial questions, but sometimes we have to know the right questions to ask.
 
Here are some of the questions we’ll tackle in this episode:
How much are my tax-deferred savings going to cost me in taxes come retirement?
How much can I withdraw from my savings each year?
Should I still have life insurance when I’m retired?
What kind of medical coverage will I need over and above Medicare?
How much am I really paying in fees and commissions?
 
Want to connect with us?
https://listentoscott.com/
https://elevatemyretirement.com/our-team/scott-m-dougan/
913-393-4724

Building An Estate Plan With No Regrets

There are some people who don’t care at all about leaving a financial legacy, but for those who do, it’s important to eliminate some of the common estate planning mistakes.
In this episode, we cover topics ranging from poor expense planning to outdated beneficiary designations and family conflict triggers. We also shed light on some misconceptions about transferring real estate and explain the impact of tax implications on your estate. If you want to leave a legacy without regret or legal turmoil, this episode is a great starting point.
Here's some of what we discuss in this episode:
• For expenses that are significant but not frequent, we don’t know exactly when we’ll encounter them, but we know that they’ll happen eventually, so we need a plan for them.
• Too many people make the mistake of failing to update beneficiary designations and it can cause some big problems.
• Communication is key for everything we do and estate planning is no different. It’s best to make sure your loved ones know your wishes.
• Why it’s usually best to transfer real estate at death rather than while you’re still living. 
• As always, we need to pay attention to the tax implications of the estate and we’ll share some of those.
 
Want to connect with us? 
https://listentoscott.com/
https://elevatemyretirement.com/our-team/scott-m-dougan/
913-393-4724

Retirement: Ready Or Not, Here It Comes

Are you nearing “retirement age?” If so, let’s explore that pivotal question you’ll soon face: Should you retire or continue working? We’ll unravel the intricacies of this decision, addressing both financial and emotional aspects, and help you find out if you’re truly ready to retire.
 
Here's some of what we discuss in this episode:
The concept of retirement has evolved significantly over time, from a time when people worked until the end of their short lifespans to the modern idea of retirement with longer life expectancies.
The three categories of people looking for retirement advice: those seeking confirmation, those who are confused and those who are concerned.
Retirement planning involves identifying your retirement goals, understanding why those goals matter, and creating an action plan to achieve them.
For those who may not be financially prepared for retirement, a thorough financial plan can help provide clarity on the current situation, realistic possibilities, and potential adjustments to improve retirement readiness.
 
Want to connect with us? 
https://listentoscott.com/
https://elevatemyretirement.com/our-team/scott-m-dougan/
913-393-4724

The 2023 Halftime Report with Mike Sorrentino

Today we have a special edition of the show where Scott recently hosted a webinar for his clients and had Mike Sorrentino on to discuss some financial topics that are top of mind for many people right now.
This conversation comes in the wake of the midpoint of 2023, sort of a mid-year or halftime report, if you will, and the topics that you're going to hear from this webinar include the housing market, inflation, stock market, and a few predictions for the rest of the year.
 
Here's some of what we discuss in this episode:
A look back on Mike’s predictions for early 2023 and how they’ve turned out.
Thoughts on why we aren’t in a recession right now.
Mike explains why the housing market data is positive by looking at supply and equity.Inflation is coming down but what does that mean for spending, interest rates, and wages?
Opportunities in the market moving forward.
Why he thinks there’s a lot to be excited about.
 
Want to connect with us? 
https://listentoscott.com/
https://elevatemyretirement.com/our-team/scott-m-dougan/
913-393-4724

5 Key Areas of Your Financial Life

Our whole practice revolves around helping people develop ways to make sure they have everything in order when it comes to these five areas of financial planning. Today we’re going to dive into these and provide a little more detail so that you’ll have a better understanding of what types of conversations we’re having with clients.
We’ve also put together this PDF for you that gives you a nice breakdown of all five:
https://listentoscott.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/5-Key-Areas-PDF-for-Website.pdf 
 
Here's some of what we discuss in this episode:
Income planning might be the most important because without a paycheck in retirement, it won’t be much of a retirement.
Why we say investments are the servants of the plan.
We want to develop a tax plan because the IRS will do it for us if we don’t.
One of the first ways we help you protect what you’ve built is through healthcare planning.
What we want to make sure you address in your estate and legacy plan.
 
Want to connect with us? 
https://listentoscott.com/
https://elevatemyretirement.com/our-team/scott-m-dougan/
913-393-4724

Mastering Retirement Cash Flow: Understanding Changing Expenses

In this episode, we’ll explore many of the expenses in your life that might drastically change (one way or another) in retirement. We’ll break those expenses down further to see which ones are the top priorities and analyze some of the other factors that impact your cash flow in retirement.
 
Here's some of what we discuss in this episode:
Breaking retirement down into three phases to better understand spending. (4:49)
What are the expenses that change the most in retirement? (8:27)
The essential expenses vs discretionary and how to account for those.  (14:10)
Taxes are often a big factor in cash flow problems in retirement.  (14:10)
How our planning process helps clients manage cash flow. (19:10)
 
Want to connect with us? 
https://listentoscott.com/
https://elevatemyretirement.com/our-team/scott-m-dougan/
913-393-4724

Retirement Rebels: Winning Your Financial Independence

Celebrate the spirit of July 4th with our latest episode as we tackle the concept of Financial Independence. While the American colonists fought for freedom from British rule, we’re here to discuss what you’re striving to be independent from in your retirement. We’ll unveil the common foes you’ll face on the journey. And good news, no muskets are required for these battles.
 
Here's some of what we discuss in this episode:
How to get independence from the government. (4:09)
How to optimize your Social Security benefit. (6:30)
How to get independence from your family and needing their help. (8:47)
 
Want to connect with us? 
https://listentoscott.com/
https://elevatemyretirement.com/our-team/scott-m-dougan/
913-393-4724

Crash Course: The Psychology of Investing in the Wake of Historic Market Crashes

Have you ever wondered why you handle money the way you do? It turns out your financial behaviors can be traced back to your formative memories. In this episode, we explore how historic market crashes have left a lasting impact on our relationship with money. We’ll also contrast them with the way more recent crises have shaped our financial views and decisions in the short term.
 
Here's some of what we discuss in this episode:
Remembering soaring interest rates in the late 70s, early 80s, and right now. (6:55)
Remembering Black Monday in 1987. (9:20)
Remembering the Great Recession of 2008. (13:23)
 
Want to connect with us? 
https://listentoscott.com/
https://elevatemyretirement.com/our-team/scott-m-dougan/
913-393-4724