In this second presentation, my colleague Matt Wilson helps us understand what’s happening with interest rates, with wages and inflation, and with Trump’s policies. Are we heading into trade wars? What will happen to healthcare? What’s going on in the financial markets?

Matt does a terrific job of putting all these things into perspective in an informative and entertaining way. On top of that, he helps us understand what we should do with all this information. Because as I like to say, we can talk all we want about the headlines, but it’s what we do in the trenches that really makes a difference for our clients.

In this first of two presentations, I spend about 20 minutes and introduce several new Keen Wealth Advisors team members and share our business philosophy. I think it’s important for our clients to know how we operate our firm and understand the culture that we purposely create.

Most of us have put together a jigsaw puzzle at some point in our life. But if I asked you, "What is the most important piece of the puzzle?" how would you answer?

Well, my co-host Steve hit me cold with that question and it led to a great discussion about the importance of vision and clarity in building a successful financial plan and living a fulfilling life.

In today's episode, we also share a few of our favorite quotes and discuss some of the lessons learned behind them. We even got a few chuckles from sharing some "funny" quotes about money.

As we near the end of the year, I want to thank you for being part of the Keen on Retirement community and taking the time to listen to our podcasts and read our blog posts. We are truly grateful for the opportunity to work with you and we look forward to an amazing 2017.

At Keen Wealth Advisors, we spend a lot of time helping you build financial security. Yet all that financial security could become secondary when you feel a lump in the breast, the car behind you on the freeway doesn’t stop in time, or you slip on the ice in the winter and your whole world becomes directed to your immediate health care needs. If that happens, your focus turns to trying to get the best medical care possible.

In today's episode, we discuss how to get the best medical care possible and share simple things you can do to make better healthcare choices. Our guest is Leslie Michelson. For several decades, Leslie has been at the forefront of helping people get the best healthcare possible.

Leslie is the author of The Patient's Playbook and host of The No-Mistake Zone Podcast. I highly recommend both.

I think you'll appreciate this show as we touch on the importance of having a primary care physician, how to ensure you are on top of the right medications and treatment options, and how to rally a team of physicians so that you have the best folks talking of you when the situation arises.

One lesson that was driven home again during the recent 24-hour news cycle surrounding the election was, "Don't believe everything you read and hear."

Regardless of your political persuasion, what you hear on the campaign trail often differs markedly from what happens after the election. It's similar in the financial markets. Scary headlines one day could turn into "the markets are on their way to new highs" the next day.

The recent election night is a great example of how things can turn on a dime. When it became clear that Donald Trump was performing much better than the polls had suggested, the financial futures market, which trades pretty much 24 hours a day, started dropping rapidly. The markets were not expecting Mr. Trump to win. But then before the regular trading markets opened up on Wednesday morning, the numbers had completely turned around and the markets opened higher.

The initial knee-jerk reaction to the election in the financial markets was negative, but less than 12 hours later, it had turned positive.

I always stress to our clients not to make snap judgments when it comes to your investing and your financial plan. The 24-hour news cycle encourages people to make snap judgments because it's designed to create scary headlines that drive viewers and increase advertising. We do our best at Keen Wealth Advisors to be a voice of reason during these headline-driven times.

In today's episode, we take a look at how to deal with the 24-hour news cycle and discuss how Donald Trump's presidency may affect your financial future.

Thanks to the aging Baby Boomer generation, about one in every seven Americans is 65 years or older. That number is expected to continue rising for decades to come, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

As we age, it's important to make sure we have a plan in place. And not just a financial plan. Having a will, of course, is important. But we also need to have a plan to take care of ourselves and our loved ones in case we get sick or begin to experience diminished cognitive ability.  These issues can occur slowly over time and difficult to assess.

These are not fun questions to address, but it's best to address them while you can and not wait until you have to. In today's episode, we tackle some tough questions so you can be prepared if the need arises.

As you know, the name of our podcast is Keen On Retirement. Normally, we talk about things like Social Security and retirement income. But today we're going to talk about the fun part of retirement.

Our guest today is Mark Wolf. Mark is a close personal friend of mine for nearly 20 years. I'm very fortunate to call him a friend. He also has a long history in the travel industry, and he is an expert on cruising.

Carissa and I returned from a European cruise a few weeks ago. It made me think about how nice it would be to have someone come on the show, especially someone as close as Mark, to talk about spending some time cruising in your retirement.

Mark has 50 years of experience in the travel industry and he shares some tips and pointers on how to get the most our of your cruising experience. Whether you've been on a cruise before or not, Mark has some great ideas and thoughts on how to make your next cruise your best cruise.

Dr. Daniel Crosby is one of the country's leading authorities on behavioral investing. He joins the show today to discuss some of the key learnings from his new book, The Laws of Wealth. We review some of the rules of behavioral self-management and cover some key ideas to remember so we can all make sound financial decisions.

One of the most important things we do at Keen Wealth Advisors is educating and helping our clients and listeners to be engaged in the planning process. I believe in lifetime learning, and that’s why we reached out to Dr. Crosby and asked him to be on the show. We like to collaborate with the best of the best, find out what's working and bring those ideas to our clients through our podcast and our meetings.

As Dr. Crosby said on the podcast, "Behavioral finance tries to account for the messiness of imperfect human decision-making and amend it to make it a little bit closer to perfect."

Should you delay taking social security payments? When you're retired, should you still try to "save" money each month and put it in a bank account just like you did before you retired?

Those are just a couple of the questions we address in today's show that were prompted from what our client's are asking us.

As we meet with our clients, we enjoy learning what questions they have and what issues are concerning them. So today, our episode is devoted to discussing some of the common questions we're hearing right now from our clients.

Do I have enough money to retire comfortably? That's the most common question I get asked. And my answer is always the same--let's go through the financial planing process, put a plan together, and see what the numbers indicate.

In today's show, we take you behind the curtain and discuss our financial planning process. You'll learn what goes into a plan, how numbers are calculated, and how they are personalized for each of our clients.

Chances are you've received a call from the "IRS" saying you owe money and that you have to pay up immediately.

This type of "IRS" scam can be spotted pretty quickly if you are armed with some basic information.

As you'll learn in today's show, there are ways to protect yourself from these frauds. So please listen in as we discuss how you can avoid being the victim of a scammer.

If you died today, would you feel comfortable that all your assets are properly titled, your beneficiary designations are in order, and your assets would go to exactly who you want them to go to?

Many people have worked a lifetime to accumulate assets but then fail to take the final step to ensure they are distributed to the right people after they pass.

In today's show, I'm joined by estate planning attorney Jason Salinardi and we discuss how to make sure your assets and life wishes are handled exactly as you desire in the event of your incapacitation or death.

Estate planning is not just for rich people with $10 million estates. We all need an estate plan because a proper estate plan includes more than just your financial assets.

As you'll learn in today's show, a proper estate plan also covers what happens if you become incapacitated, beneficiary protection planning, and legacy planning. In all, there are seven components of a comprehensive estate plan and we discuss all of them in today's episode.

How will the change to a new president in January affect our economy? Our country? The financial markets?

To help us explore these questions and get an inside look at what’s going on in Washington, we have a special guest on today’s podcast.

Greg Valliere has 40 years of experience following Washington issues for institutional and retail investors. He's widely quoted in the national media on political and current events, federal reserve policy and tax and spending issues. If you've tuned into any of the political news recently, you may have seen him on CNBC, Fox Business, CNN, or CBS Radio to name a few. Greg is currently the Chief Political Strategist at Horizon Investments.

Greg was the keynote speaker at our recent Summer Educational Event and we are excited to share his remarks with you via our podcast and the notes below.

I think we can all agree this presidential campaign has turned into a spectacle that has captivated the nation. Both major political parties have candidates that offer stark contrasts for our nation’s future.

Greg’s remarks are non-partisan in nature and reflect his deep connections to Washington. I think you’ll really enjoy his insider perspective on what is happening…and what may happen come January 2017. Please enjoy!

It's hard to find places to get a decent return on your money. Around the globe, there is now $13 trillion of negative-yielding government debt, according to Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Even in Italy, a country with massive banking problems, more than $1.5 trillion in government debt has a negative interest rate.

In an earlier blog post, we discussed the problems caused by negative interest rates. Yet, since that blog post came out just two months ago, we've added another $3 trillion to the negative-yielding pile.

Fortunately, there are other ways besides government securities to get a return on your invested money. And today we'll explore one of them--owning dividend-paying stocks.

Where do bonds fit within a portfolio? Do they still make sense even though interest rates are near historic lows?

Today's episode is a basic primer on bonds and how they are a key building block in a diversified portfolio.

As a result of the Great Recession a few years ago, the Federal Reserve lowered short-term interest rates to historically low levels. The thought was by lowering rates, it would make it easier for companies to borrow money to reinvest in their business and jumpstart the economy.

Well, the low rates have, to some degree, helped the economy but it created another problem. With low rates it's hard for savers to find places to get a decent return on their savings.

Finding the right financial advisor is not easy because it's a decision that most people only do once or twice in their life. Unlike buying a car, which you might do dozens of times throughout your lifetime, finding the right financial advisor is not something you can get "experienced" at doing.

Today's episode will give you some excellent tools to shorten that learning curve and help you find a financial advisor who is the right fit for you. Even if you are a current client of Keen Wealth Advisors, what you'll learn today may reinforce your decision to work with us and encourage you to refer other people to us.

If you come across people who are trying to find a financial advisor, please refer them to this podcast and show notes page. It may save them a lot of time by arming them with the questions and characteristics they should look for in a financial advisor.

Today, we're going to discuss what we learned by attending the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting in Omaha.

Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger are considered two of the most successful investors of all-time and each year, they answer questions in front of tens of thousands of people at the Berkshire Hathaway annual stockholder's meeting.

At Keen Wealth Advisors, we believe it's critically important to be life long learners. Things change so quickly in our world that as an advisor, we intentionally invest part of our time attending conferences and being around other people from whom we can learn.

Recently, Matt Wilson from our office drove to Omaha to attend the Berkshire Hathaway stockholder's meeting while I was in California meeting with a group of 60 experts in their respective fields sharing best practices.

You, our clients, benefit because we take what we learn and reinvest it right back into our processes to help our clients make smarter decisions about their money and their life.

Are you maximizing your Return on Life? If you could categorize your life satisfaction into 10 dimensions and then start making intentional decisions to become happier and more fulfilled in each area, would that be worth spending some time on?

Last episode we introduced the concept of Return on Life (ROL) and today we’re going to discuss the 10 dimensions of the Return on Life index. By understanding what these 10 components are, rating your satisfaction in each area, then making a decision on what you’ll do to “get happier” in that area, you’ll live a much more fulfilling life.

This is Part II of our conversation with author and retirement expert Mitch Anthony.

Often times people get so busy just keeping up with the day-to-day stuff of life that they let life happen to them as opposed to living their life by design. Today’s conversation is an opportunity for you to consciously think about what’s working and what’s not working in your life so you can make a change for the better and maximize your Return on Life.

At Keen Wealth Advisors we take a “whole person” approach to working with our clients. We view money as a tool to help our clients live life on their terms. Let’s dive in and see how you can use the money tool to get a better Return on Life.

Most financial people talk about return on investment. Today, we’re going to talk about “return on life” with author and retirement expert Mitch Anthony.

Mitch describes return on life in a couple ways. First, it’s about getting the best life you can with the money you have and second, it’s about managing your money in a way that improves your life.

This is Part I of a two-part show on how to significantly increase your “return on life.”

Imagine a picture of a sailboat whose sail is made out of a dollar. Mitch says money is simply a utility that we skillfully manipulate in order to navigate.

As you picture that sailboat, it’s important to realize that money is not the shore we’re headed toward. It’s not the sea we sail upon. And it’s not the vessel upon which we sail. It’s simply a utility we use to help us live our most meaningful life.

Our guest Mitch Anthony is the founder of the Financial Life Planning Institute, the author of multiple books, widely published in financial periodicals, an international speaker, and the host of a syndicated daily radio feature, The Daily Dose.

Should retirees "work" in retirement doing something they love? How does that affect your Social Security income? Is paying off your mortgage before you retire a good idea or are you better off with the extra cash cushion? What should you do when you inherit an IRA from your spouse?

Those are just a few of the questions we'll answer in today's podcast. You asked them and we're answering.

There are two aspects to retirement planning. First--and this is the one that often gets the most attention--is the numbers. It's about how to ensure you have enough money to retire and that you make financially sound money decisions. But the second aspect is what most current and future retirees really want--how to enjoy life without worrying about money.

We cover both topics in today's episode.

As a leadoff, we start the episode talking about a recent book by our friend Steve Moeller titled, Endorphinomics: The Science of Human Flourishing. And Bill gets put on the spot as Steve asks him questions about a concept from the book called the "happiness tipping point." Did Bill rise to the challenge? Listen to find out...

Is retirement a concept that has outlived its usefulness? Does retirement kill more people than hard work ever did? Is retirement a one-way trip to insignificance? Some people think the answer is "yes" to all three of these questions.

Today, we'll explore these questions and a few more as we take a look at what other people are saying about retirement and whether we think they're correct...or just misguided.

I've been a wealth advisor for more than 20 years and I've seen many people absolutely love and thrive during their retirement years. They planned well, they knew what to expect, and even when life threw them a curve ball, they found effective ways to deal with it. But I've also seen folks who for one reason or another, never quite experienced the retirement they hoped for and are failing at retirement in certain areas. And I'm not just talking about money here. Many of the reasons why people experience an unhappy retirement have little to do with the size of their savings.

Failure is not something we like to talk about. However, we know that if people don't plan appropriately for retirement, they are going to fail. As part of our educational program here at KeenOnRetirement, we want to make sure that you are an informed retiree or prospective retiree and that you are aware of the common things that cause people to fail in their final decades.

Do you remember back in the late 1990s when the stock market was soaring and technology stocks reached astronomical valuations? Or how about the mid-2000s when real estate prices soared and people were making money flipping houses? Those are just a couple examples of how emotions and psychology led people to bid up prices way beyond a reasonable value.

In recent years, a new field of study called "behavioral finance" has arisen to study how psychology plays an important role in how we make investment decisions. In an ideal world, we would all make calm, cool, rational decisions about our money. But in reality, our "humanness" sometimes gets the best of us and we make behavioral mistakes.

The best investors are not only good at math, they also understand the "psychology" of investing and are able to manage the emotions and biases that affect all of us.

In today's episode, we talk about several common behavioral biases and discuss how you can overcome them. It's an important conversation that could help you avoid making behavioral mistakes in the heat of the moment.

Thanks to Ibbotson Associates, a Morningstar company, we have reliable data on the historical returns of several major asset classes dating back to 1926.

Going back that far covers the Great Depression as well as numerous bull and bear markets, the stock market crash of 1987, the Great Recession of 2007 - 2009, and the ensuing bull market that is still in place today.

In today's show, we discuss financial market history and the lessons we can learn from studying the historical returns of common types of investments. Even though past performance is no guarantee of future results, having a good understanding of the past helps give us perspective to what's happening today.

And speaking of what's happening today, the stock market is off to a rough start in 2016. Concerns about declines in corporate earnings, slowing growth in China, volatile oil prices, and potential increases in interest rates have all been weighing on the markets. Today's show is particularly timely because we take a long-term perspective and show how short-term noise (like we're experiencing today) is often necessary to set the stage for longer-term growth.

Join us as we learn how to benefit from history so we don't keep repeating costly investment mistakes.

"Fear sells" is perhaps one way to describe why financial media plays upon human emotions to draw more readers.

Unfortunately, investors who are drawn to scary headlines sometimes make bad investment decisions because they let their emotions get in the way. One way to overcome the "noisy headline" problem is to better understand the cyclical nature of the economy and the financial markets.

To help explain the business and stock market cycles, Bill Keen invited his Keen Wealth Advisors associate Matt Wilson to join us on today's show. Matt is a Managing Director of Keen Wealth Advisors, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, and has been with Bill for nearly 15 years.

Join us as we learn how to separate the news from the noise so we can become better investors.