2025 The Final Drive Podcast

Ed Slott's Tips for The Tax Time Bomb

In this episode, David shares insights from his recent trip to the Ed Slott Elite IRA Advisor Conference in California. Ed Slott - considered America's IRA Expert - released his latest book in June. The Retirement Savings Time Bomb Ticks Louder gives readers important information about the Secure Act 2.0, Charitable Gifting, Required Minimum Distributions and more... and David will highlight some of those strategies and more for listeners.

The Election's Over – What Comes Next?

On November 7, 2024, American's voted to elect Republican Donald Trump back to the White House for a second, nonconsecutive term - the first President to do so since Grover Cleveland in 1893. In this latest episode, David is joined by Rod Holloway, Equity Portfolio Manager for CFCI, to discuss the the election and how the markets reacted to Trump's election. David and Rod also address government spending, debt and strategies to address inefficiencies, Federal Reserve rate cuts and their implications on the economy and consider different scenarios of what may happen in Trump's second term of office. The economic landscape may be evolving in 2025 - make sure you keep listening to the podcast!

The Rothification of Retirement Accounts

In 2001, Congress approved the 402A rule to the US tax code, allowing employees to designate a portion or all of their elective deferrals as Roth contributions within employer-sponsored retirement plans like 401(k) and 403(b) plans. This designation means that employees pay income taxes on contributions upfront rather than when they withdraw the funds... or, in essence, paying tax on the seed instead of the harvest. In this episode David dives into the "Rothification" of retirement accounts... why it's important to understand the math behind this process from both the individual perspective and the federal government viewpoint. David will also share about how savers can use other ways to boost Roth IRA and 401(k) balances ahead of the 2025 tax deadline

Control – Now or Later?

With the Presidential election just days away, it's important to look at where the candidates stand on Social Security, the national debt and more. In this episode, David Hays and guest Doug Hughes talk about financial control by Americans and by the US government. With the 2025 tax cuts up in the air, a lot is on the line for millions of people – David and Doug talk about the financial needs of Baby Boomers and their children and the value of diversification. There is a lot to consider when listening to this episode – enjoy!

Bond Vigilantes and US Debt

We're back with a new season of 2025: The Final Drive! In this episode, David discusses the idea of "Bond Vigilantes" – when are countries going to stop buying American debt? The US is nearing the point where it will spend more money on debt than defense spending. Listen to David talk about how the US got out of debt after World War II and what the next President will need to do about the national deficit. What does that mean for Americans? You'll have to listen to the full episode to find out.