While you're tidying up the garage and carrying on your traditional spring cleaning tasks, tune into this episode of Make The Dough Rise where we focus on "spring cleaning" your finances, covering essential topics such as tax preparation, the importance of beneficiary reviews, and strategic updates to your investment portfolio. Could Small Cap Value be the most undervalued segment in the market right now? We'll also provide insights into effective planning tools and the implications of upcoming tax law changes.

Dive into the evolving global landscape in our latest episode of Make The Dough Rise, where we explore the seismic shifts challenging the post-WWII status quo. This "New World Order" could change how we think and approach personal and macro-finance conversations for decades to come. From the end of America's role as the global maritime protector to the pressing realities of de-globalization and the unprecedented energy shifts, we dissect how these changes are reshaping economies and geopolitics. Tune in as we seek to understand a new era defined by industrial upheaval, energy revolutions, and the critical need for innovation in facing the future's uncertain tides.

It’s time to turn our attention to 2024 and unravel the potential twists and turns ahead in the financial world. With the "Recession is coming" mantra entering its third year, we explore the diminishing shadows of inflation and emerging signs of industrial deflation. And as we step into an election year, we demystify the impact of political shifts on the market, and we don't shy away from addressing the elephant in the room: Federal actions. Will there be a shift from rate raising to cutting? Finally, we wrap up with a crucial segment on strategic goal setting. Join us for this episode as we equip you with the knowledge and strategies to make 2024 not just another year, but a milestone in your financial journey.

With 2024 almost here, this episode seeks to take a positive reflection on 2023. We'll highlight some personal and professional achievements from the year and give you some tips on how to make the most out of your remaining days this year. We'll also reflect on an issue that has gained more national attention, Social Security overpayments. Brian brought this to light on the last episode and shares additional insights with us today. We'll conclude with some money moves you can consider in the final few weeks of the year like tax optimization, charitable giving strategies, end-of-year contributions, and more...

Explore the tangled web of healthcare economics on this episode of Make The Dough Rise. We're tackling the sky high rise of health insurance costs, the historical roots of current policies, and the entangled systems that drive these soaring prices. Brian will also provide an update on his recent story about navigating the rigid structures of Social Security and what the migration of thousands of millionaires to new countries means for the global financial climate (BRICS).

In this episode, we dive into the numbers and explore wealth percentiles. Where do you rank? Are you on par with everyone else? What does it mean to be financially comfortable? Find out how your net worth compares to different age groups and wealth percentiles across the United States. We’ll also expose the flaws in the standard 60/40 portfolio and look at the pandemic’s impact on our attitudes about what it means to “be wealthy”.

Is Mexico the new China? Brian takes a close look at the reasons China might be in serious economic trouble and contrasts it with Mexico's rise as the #1 trading partner with the United States. What will be the impact of China dropping to third place in that metric? We'll also spend a little time circling back to our conversation about ESG and break down some popular investor personalities. How does your personality impact how you prepare for retirement? We'll touch on that and more on this episode of Make the Dough Rise!

We'll revisit our prior conversations about ESG, DEI, and Woke Capitalism on today's episode. Have Brian's warnings about blindly following these investing fads found merit? We'll hit a few other topics as well, touching base on upcoming tax rate changes and breaking down some problematic financial advisor personalities and strategies. And is Taylor Swift stealing business from Disney? Tune in to learn about all of this and more on today's episode.

Being bored in retirement doesn't sound realistic. But, unfortunately, it's what's happening to a lot of people who enter this phase of their life unprepared. In this episode, Brian will underscore the importance of knowing what you're retiring "from" and "to.” We'll define the Freedom Factor and how it plays into your post-working life. Plus, for some of our new listeners, we'll spend a little time getting to know Brian a little bit better with some unique personality questions.

Let's take a close look at a recent Social Security quiz that tested the knowledge of pre-retirees on some of the basics and nuances of this important element of retirement planning. Incredibly, 69% of those tested did NOT get a passing grade. Brian will help us work through all 13 questions of the quiz to try to help clear up some of the confusion and to make sure you're not sabotaging your retirement future with bad Social Security decisions.