Castuner

Align Your Retirement

Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA®

Align Your Retirement is the retirement podcast for women in their 40s and 50s who've done a lot right with their money and know retirement is too important to wing.

If you're the CFO of your household, whether you're married, single, divorced, or widowed, you already know the voices:

"I'll run the real numbers after Q4." "My 401(k) is fine. I check it." "I'll handle Social Security timing when I'm closer." "The inherited IRA can sit in cash until I figure out the 10-year rule."

Every one of those voices is quietly moving your retirement date. Each episode covers one retirement decision that costs more than it needs to when you carry it alone, like Social Security timing, Roth conversion windows, sequence of returns risk, tax-efficient withdrawals, pension elections, asset location, the inherited IRA, and health care before Medicare.

Hosted by Hazel Secco, CFP®, CDFA®, founder of Align Financial Solutions, a fee-on

Podcast website

Listen in your app

Episodes

36 episodes

  1. Delaying Social Security to 70 Cost This Couple $137,000. One Change Made It Worth $1.5 Million. 15:47
  2. Retiring Before 65? Why Your 401(k) Could Cost You $9,500 a Year in Health Insurance 10:25
  3. I Tested 4 Roth Conversion Strategies on a $2M IRA for a Single Woman 22:20
  4. $2 Million vs. $5 Million: Why 2.5x the Savings Buys Only 1.7x the Income 20:59
  5. Why a $3M Nest Egg Can Mean Higher Taxes in Retirement 11:54
  6. You Have Two Social Security Checks. Only One Should Wait Until 70 10:37
  7. Health Insurance Before Medicare: How Your Income Sets Your Premium 12:13
  8. The Medicare Surcharge That Ambushes You Two Years Late (IRMAA, Explained) 10:35
  9. Laid Off After 50? Five Clocks Are Already Running 13:10
  10. Same $200,000 a Year in Retirement, One Woman Pays About $1,000 in Tax 11:58
  11. The New Roth Catch-Up Rule: Earning $150K+? Your 401(k) Just Changed 11:58
  12. Can You Retire at 55 With $2 Million? (Single, No Pension) 12:30
  13. Why "Just Max Your 401(k)" Stops Being Good Advice in Your 50s 12:02
  14. The RSU Tax Trap: Why You'll Owe the IRS Five Figures Next April (and How to Fix It Before December) 9:57
  15. The Cheapest Tax Years of Your Life: Roth Conversions Before Social Security Starts 6:07
  16. The Widow’s Penalty: Why Taxes Rise After a Spouse Dies and How Roth Conversions Can Help 6:57
  17. Inheriting an IRA? The 10-Year Rule That Can Quietly Cost Your Kids Six Figures 15:11
  18. Where You Hold Investments Changes What You Keep (Asset Location) 14:47
  19. Sequence of Returns Risk: Same $2 Million, One Runs Out at 82 17:45
  20. When to Claim Social Security: Why the Math Is Different for Women 14:37
  21. Roth Conversions With $1.5 Million in Pre-Tax Accounts: When the Window Opens and Closes 14:59
  22. When Should You Hire a Financial Advisor? A 3-Part Test 15:07
  23. You Know What to Do With Your Money. Why Aren't You Doing It? 18:32
  24. Fee-Only vs. Fee-Based Financial Advisor: What's the Difference? 17:05
  25. Why Financial Plans Fail When They're Built on Someone Else's Values 16:58
  26. Why You Still Worry About Money When You Earn Plenty 15:55
  27. How Much Is Enough to Retire? Finding Your Enough Number 14:53
  28. What Your Money Is Really For: Building a Life With Options 7:27
  29. Her journey to becoming a mission-driven financial advisor 36:03
  30. EP 06. Finding Your Financial Wellness: Tips for Choosing the Right Financial Planner 25:31
  31. Her Honest Money Talk with Hazel Secco Trailer 1:01
  32. EP 05. Barbie Unboxed: Financial Advocate and Feminist Views 21:37
  33. EP 04. Financial Advisor vs. Financial Planner 9:17
  34. EP 3: Emotions and Financial Decisions 4:33
  35. EP 2: Financial Advisor Compensation Demystified 3:52
  36. EP 1. Navigating Market Realities: Unveiling the Unspoken Truths 3:24