Secure Your Retirement

New Trump accounts are now open for enrollment, and the question we're hearing from clients isn't whether they're worth considering. It's how they stack up against the accounts families have already been using for years, 529 plans, UTMA and UGMA custodial accounts, brokerage accounts, and Roth or traditional IRAs for kids. This episode is the follow-up to our first Trump accounts conversation, and it's the one to listen to if you're trying to figure out which account, or which combination of accounts, actually fits your family's goals.
Taylor Wolverton, our Director of Financial Planning and Tax Strategy, joins Murs Tariq again to walk through each option side by side. They cover contribution limits, tax treatment, distribution restrictions, and the one detail about Roth IRAs that most social media advice leaves out entirely. There's no single best account here, and that's the point. The right strategy usually combines two or three of these tools, and this episode gives you the framework to figure out which ones belong in yours.
In this episode, find out:
Why Trump accounts don't require your child to have earned income, and how that changes the math compared to a Roth IRA
How the Trump-account-to-Roth conversion works once your child turns 18, and why timing it right could mean decades of tax-free growth
What's changed about 529 plans that makes them far more flexible than the version most parents remember, including the new Roth rollover option
The real trade-off behind UTMA and UGMA custodial accounts, and why control matters more than most families realize until it's gone
The one requirement missing from nearly every "open your kid a Roth IRA" post you see online, and what to do about it if your kids aren't earning yet

Tweetable Quotes:
"There's not one that's just like, quote unquote, best. It really depends on what your goal is with these accounts and what you're trying to accomplish." — Taylor Wolverton
"The Trump account kind of helps you navigate building that wealth without having to worry as much about earned income." — Murs Tariq
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 video course, Four Steps to Secure Your Retirement! To access the course, simply visit POMWealth.net/podcast.

In this Episode of the Secure Your Retirement Podcast, Radon and Murs discuss Trump Accounts with Taylor Wolverton, our Director of Financial Planning and Tax Strategy, breaking down exactly how do Trump Accounts work, who qualifies, and why this new option for Trump Investments is quickly becoming part of the conversation around saving for children and investing for grandchildren. Retirement planning has always started with the accounts you already know, but these works differently, and if you're building a family financial planning strategy or looking for financial gifts for grandchildren, it's worth understanding before you decide whether it belongs in your plan.
Listen in to learn about the eligibility rules, the contribution limits, and the one-time $1,000 government deposit that applies to certain children. Radon and Murs also walk through a Roth conversion strategy hiding inside these accounts, one that turns a simple child investment plan into a genuine tool for building generational wealth. Whether you're deep into your own retirement tax planning or just starting to think about a retirement checklist for your family, this episode connects a brand-new account to the same retirement tax strategies you may already be using in your own retirement financial plan.
In this episode, find out:
What a Trump Account is, who's eligible, and how the application process actually works
The contribution rules, including the $5,000 annual limit and the one-time $1,000 seed deposit for eligible children
How employer contributions work and why they don't add to your taxable income
The Roth conversion strategy that can turn contributions into a tax-free retirement account for your child
When money can be withdrawn, and the penalties to know about before that age

Tweetable Quotes:
"There's zero money to us in setting up a Trump account. We just wanted to talk it through, because there are real benefits people can take advantage of." - Radon Stancil
"There's not many ways you can get a thousand dollars tax-free. If someone was born between 2025 and 2028, it seems like a no-brainer." - Murs Tariq
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 video course, Four Steps to Secure Your Retirement! To access the course, simply visit POMWealth.net/podcast.

In this Episode of the Secure Your Retirement Podcast, Radon and Murs discuss Concentrated Stock Positions and why so many pre-retirees and retirees are sitting on a mountain of Appreciated Stock without a plan for it. Whether it came from Company Stock Options at a long-time employer or from riding a big name higher over the past few years, a single stock that grows into half a portfolio changes the entire risk picture heading into retirement. Radon and Murs break down why Stock Diversification matters more now than it did during your working years, and why Capital Gains Taxes are usually the real obstacle keeping people stuck.
Listen in to learn about the Tax-Efficient Investing strategies Nick Hyman is using with clients to unwind large positions without triggering an unnecessary tax bill. You'll hear how Tax-Loss Harvesting through Direct Indexing can offset gains, how a Donor-Advised Fund can move highly appreciated shares to charity with zero tax on the gain, and how bracket-aware selling fits into a coordinated Retirement Investment Strategy. If you're building a Retirement Financial Plan and Company Stock Options or one big winning stock are part of the picture, this episode lays out exactly where to start.
In this episode, find out:
Why holding a large Concentrated Stock Position is a different risk in retirement than it was while you were working
How Tax-Loss Harvesting and Direct Indexing can help offset gains when you sell Appreciated Stock
Why bracket-aware selling, year by year, is central to smart Retirement Tax Planning
How a Donor-Advised Fund lets charitably inclined retirees give appreciated shares without paying tax on the gain
Why doing nothing about a concentrated position only compounds the problem instead of solving it

Tweetable Quotes:
"When we're working and we have a salary and income coming in, if a stock goes down 20, 30, 40 percent, it's not as big of a deal because there's still income coming in the door." - Murs Tariq
"If you just stay in this place of doing nothing, you only are compounding the problem. It's not getting better." - Radon Stancil
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 video course, Four Steps to Secure Your Retirement! To access the course, simply visit POMWealth.net/podcast.

In this Episode of the Secure Your Retirement Podcast, Radon and Murs discuss what really happens during an evaluation appointment, the first Financial Advisor Meeting most people have when they start exploring what it actually takes to plan for retirement. They break down the five critical areas that determine Retirement Success, known as the ROUTE to Retirement: Retirement Risk Management, Retirement Income Planning, Medicare Planning and Long-Term Care Planning under one unified healthcare umbrella, Retirement Tax Planning, and Estate Planning. If you've ever wondered what separates a real Retirement Financial Plan from a portfolio review with a nice title, this episode lays out exactly where most plans quietly fall short.
Listen in to learn about why a simple one-to-ten risk question reveals more about your Retirement Readiness than any account statement ever could, how a written Retirement Investment Strategy and a real Social Security Planning conversation change decision making for the better, and why Retirement Tax Strategies put in place before the calendar year ends can outweigh almost any other move you make on the road to retiring comfortably.
In this episode, find out:
Why the risk scale used in every evaluation appointment skips the number seven, and what your honest answer reveals about your true Retirement Readiness
How a written retirement income plan and clear Social Security Planning turn a stressful guessing game into a Retirement Financial Plan with actual data behind it
Why Medicare Planning and Long-Term Care Planning are treated as one Unified Healthcare conversation, and what a dedicated Medicare specialist changes about that experience
Why most people's Retirement Tax Planning happens too late to matter, and how proactive Retirement Tax Strategies executed before December 31st can beat any adjustment to an investment strategy
What a five-year-old estate plan gets wrong, and the real story of a client who needed updated documents in a single week before leaving for a cruise

Tweetable Quotes:
"Retirement planning is a bunch of knobs, and if you turn one, you're turning all the others." - Murs Tariq
"It's something people don't want to talk about, and it's easy to procrastinate on it because, hey, I'm good, I'm healthy." - Murs Tariq
Whether you're years from retiring or already retired, this episode doubles as a retirement checklist for anyone planning retirement who wants a second look at whether their plan for retirement actually holds up across all five areas. Retirement isn't one decision; it's five connected ones, and this episode walks through exactly how those five come together to help you secure your retirement with real confidence instead of a guess.
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 video course, Four Steps to Secure Your Retirement!
To access the course, simply visit POMWealth.net/podcast.

In this Episode of the Secure Your Retirement Podcast, Radon and Murs discuss retirement planning 2026 with returning guest Tom Siomades, chief market economist, for a mid-year Economic Check on everything that's shaped the markets so far. From the Iran conflict's effect on oil prices and inflation to a new Kevin Warsh Fed chair trying to find footing amid inflation and interest rates that refuse to cooperate, this Markets update covers the headlines retirees are hearing everywhere and translates them into what actually matters for your plan.
Listen in to learn about why stock market volatility has made 2026 feel like a tale of two markets, with AI stocks 2026 and tech stock names like SpaceX carrying much of the S&P 500 outlook while the rest of the economy absorbs energy prices US pressure and shifting consumer spending trends. Tom shares his honest read on recession risk, why Federal Reserve rate cuts have stalled out, and where the market uncertainty of the SpaceX IPO and the AI rally could go from here.
In this episode, find out:
Why 2026 has followed a strikingly similar path to last year, and what that pattern means for retirement advice going forward
How the Iran conflict pushed oil prices and inflation higher, and why gas prices don't fall as fast as oil does
What Kevin Warsh Fed chair is up against, and why Federal Reserve rate cuts have all but disappeared from this year's forecasts
Why Tom is cautious about chasing AI stocks 2026 and tech stock hype, including his candid take on the SpaceX IPO
What Tom is watching for the rest of the year, and why he still sees a path to retiring comfortably despite the market uncertainty

Tweetable Quotes:
"We sit here in the middle of 2026, and it's amazing how quickly it's gone by, but there's also been a lot of bumps in the road." – Murs Tariq, Secure Your Retirement Podcast
"It's amazing if you think about how important oil is to just making the world go round, not just gas, but manufacturing, shipping, and every cargo carrier out there." – Murs Tariq, Secure Your Retirement Podcast
Whether you're actively working on your retirement checklist or still in the early stages of planning retirement, this Economic Check is a reminder that a real Retirement Planning strategy has to hold up no matter what the headlines say. Retirement isn't about predicting the next SpaceX IPO or timing the next rate cut. It's about building a plan for retirement sturdy enough to absorb inflation and interest rates, tech stock swings, and everything in between.
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 video course, Four Steps to Secure Your Retirement! To access the course, simply visit POMWealth.net/podcast.