The Rob Berger Show

A viewer asked me to suggest some tools he could use to evaluate his investment portfolio and asset allocation. So in this video we looked at three of my favorite investment tools:1. Empower: https://go.robberger.com/empower/yt-3...2. Kubera: https://go.robberger.com/kubera/yt-3-...3. Google Sheets: https://robberger.com/investment-trac...Join the Newsletter. It's Free:https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

In today's Five Question Friday (FQF) video, we cover the following questions:1. What are the best finance apps for those with a learning disability?2. Is 3% SWR the new 4%?3. How do you model tax-free income in Boldin?4. In what account type should you hold cash you plan to spend in the first few years of retirement?5. What inflation rate should you assume in retirement?ResourcesMonarch Money: https://go.robberger.com/monarch-yt/y... (Use Promo Code ROB50 for 50% off the first year)Simplifi: https://go.robberger.com/simplifi/yt-fqfBoldin: https://go.robberger.com/boldin/yt-fqfFidelity article: https://www.fidelity.com/learning-cen...Shiller PE: https://www.multpl.com/shiller-peKitces article: https://www.kitces.com/blog/the-ratch...Join the Newsletter. It's Free:https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

In today's video, we discuss how Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) payments are calculated and 8 strategies to reduce or even eliminate the payments.Resources from the VideoReddit Forum Post: / strategies_to_reduce_irmaa_costs_medicare  2025 IRMAA Brackets: https://www.humana.com/medicare/medic...IRMAA MAGI Calculation: https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0...SSA-44 Form: https://www.ssa.gov/forms/ssa-44.pdfBoldin: https://go.robberger.com/boldin/yt-irmmaProjectionLab: https://go.robberger.com/projectionla...Join the Newsletter to get a 10% discount code off of ProjectionLab:https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

In today's Five Question Friday (FQF), we cover five great questions and one tax calculator:1. What is the Tax Triangle? (Traditional, Roth, and taxable accounts)2. Is the Withdrawal Amount in FICalc the same as spending?3. When should you sell an investment that's at a loss?4. How far into the future should we plan?5. When and how quickly should you change asset allocation as you near retirement?Tool: Retirement Tax-Friendly States: https://smartasset.com/retirement/ret...ResourcesBlackrock Asset Return Map: https://www.blackrock.com/corporate/i...FICalc: https://ficalc.app/Boldin: https://go.robberger.com/boldin/yt-fqfPerplexity Result: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/what...Perplexity Tax Triangle: https://www.perplexity.ai/search/what...Join the Newsletter. It's Free:https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

A viewer recently asked about bracket filling:"I haven't heard you or other financial advisors say much about "bracket filling" in retirement. Is it reasonable to think that in retirement I should be filling a tax bracket up with pre-tax accounts, then using after-tax accounts for withdrawals that reach into the higher bracket? Is there a way to model this in Bolden?"It's a great question that we cover in this video.Resources Mentioned in VideoBoldin: https://go.robberger.com/boldin/yt-EN...Join the Newsletter. It's Free:https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

The passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act has brought us a number of changes to the tax laws. Some changes are "permanent," meaning it would take an act of Congress and the President to change them. Some are "temporary," meaning they expire at some point in the future. Almost all of them can affect how we plan for retirement, particularly when it comes to Roth conversion strategies, tax-gain harvesting, and even traditional retirement account distributions.In this video, I walk through the key tax provisions of the OBBBA, and then cover how they may affect retirement planning.NOTE: ProjectionLab has updated its software to account for the OBBBA tax changeshttps://robberger.com/tools/projectio...ResourcesAndy Panko's article: https://static.twentyoverten.com/5d25...U.S. Bank Tax Bracket article: https://www.usbank.com/wealth-managem...Join the Newsletter. It's Free:https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

Delve into the debate on whether to stash cash in money market funds or T-bill ETFs, weighing liquidity against yield. Discover the pros and cons of robo-advisors' tax-loss harvesting features. Learn about the Retirement Spending Smile and its phases, essential for future budgeting. Examine what return rate assumptions are best for retirement planning tools. Finally, unpack the nuances of combining various IRA account types for optimal retirement strategy.

In today's Five Question Friday we look at the following questions:1. How should the $6,000 senior deduction affect Roth conversions?2. Are short-term bonds a reasonable alternative to intermediate-term bonds?3. Are tax-managed balanced funds ok in a taxable account?4. How should I invest money I'll use to pay the rent in retirement?5. Boldin vs ProjectionLab for Roth conversion analysis?Join the Newsletter. It's Free:https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

One of the challenges of the 4% Rule is what your initial safe withdrawal rate should be. While the name of the rule suggests one should start with 4%, there are countless reasons why that start point may not be right for you. For example, you may retiree early, you may not use the same asset allocation the rule was based on, you may have concerns about future stock market returns, inflation or both.Enter withdrawal strategies that don't require you to use 4% or any other initial safe withdrawal rate. In this video we'll look at three such strategies:1. Variable Withdrawal Percentage2. Spend Safely in Retirement Strategy3. Chance of Success StrategyResources mentioned in the videoFICalc: https://ficalc.app/Empower: https://go.robberger.com/empower/yt-3...Boldin: https://go.robberger.com/boldin/yt-3-...VWP Article & Spreadsheet: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Varia...Spend Safely in Retirement Article: https://robberger.com/spend-safely-in...Join the Newsletter. It's Free:https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...

In today's Five Question Friday (FQF), we look at the following questions:1. TIPS Funds vs Individual TIPS--which provides the better inflation protection?2. Is a 4% withdrawal each year with no inflation adjustment a reasonable withdrawal strategy?3. Can tax loss harvesting reduce IRMAA payments?4. How can you estimate the annual income of an investment portfolio?5. How do I track my net worth?Join the Newsletter. It's Free:https://robberger.com/newsletter/?utm...