I had a thirty year old client make a comment to me recently about retirement. She said it was too far off to think clearly about it and made a point to say it is 30 years from now. Why do people believe that retirement is at 62 or 65? I think it is simply because it is the status quo. It doesn't have to be this way!

You will be surprised to learn who the world's greatest investors actually are. The way that they manage money is entirely different than the way the typical person manages money. They're not going online and using a computer to just answer 10 questions and have it produce a risk tolerance that they plug into an automatic portfolio for a few. The wealthy are doing it differently.

2018 marks Brian's 25th year in business and with that comes a lot of experience working with other financial advisors. Some of those experiences are good while some of them, well, not as good. The truth is that there are many people in the financial services business that are truly helping people. They are sincere and put their best foot forward trying to help. However, not all financial advisors are alike.

In this episode of the Common Sense Financial Podcast, Brian discusses one of most frequently asked questions, how Financial Advisors are paid.In this podcast, Brian discusses some of the biggest challenges people face today as they venture into the unknown of saving for retirement. Specifically, the question of 'how much to save' for retirement.

In this podcast, I interview one of our tax resources, Kathy Ayres. We discuss some tax strategies and some of the confusion around important tax decisions. Hopefully this will equip you to make informed decisions when the time comes. There are so many things to consider when it comes to planning how you are going to save your money, how you are going to use your money and how you will handle your tax liabilities.

There is so much information in circulation about what to do and what not to do with your money that it is causing many people to get confused about their options. You hear one thing from one person and then an entirely different thing from someone else and none of it seems to make sense after a while. In this podcast Brian explains what a mindset is and how you can use them when making financial decisions. Information provided is for illustrative purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax or legal advice. Information has been obtained from sources that are deemed to be reliable but its accuracy and completeness are not guaranteed. Neither NPC nor the hosts of this show or Skrobonja Financial Group LLC accept any liability for the use of the information discussed. Consult with a qualified financial, legal or tax professional prior to taking any action. Securities and advisory services offered through NATIONAL PLANNING CORPORATION (NPC), Member FINRA/SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. Skrobonja Financial Group, LLC and NPC are separate and unrelated companies.

Mortgages is an area that many people seem confused about and often ask a lot of questions. Today the goal is to reduce the mystery around mortgages and to do this I have Brandon Smith with us who has a been a great resource for me over the years to help clients with their mortgage needs. Brandon is the branch manager and senior loan officer for New American Funding in Clayton, Missouri.

Attorney Andy Weinhaus, an estate planning lawyer, discusses the importance of estate planning and the role of wills and trusts. He also explores the limitations of POD and TOD designations, the importance of special needs planning and trusts, and debunks misconceptions about estate planning.

In this podcast, we had the opportunity to interview Business and Relationship Coach, Mike Lindstrom. Mike earned his JD from California Western School of Law and worked right out of college as a consultant with Tony Robbins Organization. He has been interviewed on FOX, CNN and HLN and speaks regularly at corporate events on behavioral skills for success in leadership. Throughout my blogs, podcasts and videos you hear me talk a lot about mindsets. I touch on this a lof because mindsets are a way of thinking that drives our decisions, our behavior and our relationships. To learn more about Mike, visit his website: http://bit.ly/2vWZQ3X

As with most things, many of us want a quick fix or quick answer to our questions. What I have learned is that not everything can be answered with a quick cookie cutter answer. For Instance, I am often asked 'What should I be investing in?'. Well, if I was simply trying to sell books or give a simple cookie cutter approach to investing, then this would be easy to respond to because I would say the same thing to everybody who asks. Every investor operates with varying degrees of knowledge and experience with investing. In this podcast, I talk about some of the different investment philosophies that people have.