Superb Economist, Moshe Milevsky, Discusses Mitigating Longevity Risks Via Past, Present, and Future Tontines/AnnuitiesMoshe Milevsky is one of my all-time favorite economists. He's a true expert on personal financial economics and when it comes to longevity risk, there is no greater authority. He's also a joy to learn from. Moshe has an uncanny ability to deliver complex ideas in the simplest possible manner with the help of his secret weapon -- his terrific sense of humor. You are going to thoroughly enjoy this Economics Matters podcast. Here's Moshe's wiki bio.  Moshe Milevsky is a professor of finance at the Schulich School of Business at York University, and a member of the Graduate Faculty in the Department of Mathematics & Statistics, in Toronto, Canada, where he has been based and teaching for over 25 years. He earned a B.A. in mathematics and physics from Yeshiva University in 1990, an M.A. in mathematics and statistics from York University in 1992 and a Ph.D. in business finance from York University in 1996. His area of expertise is in mathematical financial economics, pensions, insurance, actuarial science and history of financial products. He has done extensive research on exotic option pricing, quantitative personal financial planning (focusing on investment strategies for retiring individuals), insurance derivatives, pensions, annuities, tontines and stochastic mortality models.[2] He is also the executive director of the Individual Finance and Insurance Decisions Centre (IFID), a non-profit corporation dedicated to generating advanced research at the intersection of wealth management, personal finance, and insurance.[3] For his contributions to the Fields Institute and to the Canadian mathematical community, Moshe was inducted as a Fields Institute Fellow in 2002.[4] Moshe A. Milevsky is the author of 17 books, including the popular Are You a Stock or a Bond, and The 7 Most Important Equations for Your Retirement and the more advanced The Calculus of Retirement Income, which summarizes much of the research that Milevsky has done on quantitative retirement income planning.[5] His recent books include King William's Tontine: Why the Retirement Annuity of the Future Should Resemble Its Past (Cambridge 2015) and The Day the King Defaulted: Financial Lessons from the Stop of the Exchequer in 1672.

Liz Weston, the Internet's Most Read Personal Finance Columnist Joins Economics Matters -- the Podcast to Share Her Career-Long Trove of Critical Financial Secrets and Advice Liz Weston is the most-read personal finance columnist on the Internet. Her twice-weekly columns for MSN Money generate 10 million page views each month, and millions more read her Q&A columns that appear in newspapers including the Los Angeles Times and the Cleveland Plain Dealer, as well as her regular column for AARP. She is a frequent commentator on American Public Media’s Marketplace Money and contributor to National Public Radio’s Talk of the Nation and All Things Considered. Her television appearances include Dr. Phil, Today Show, NBC Nightly News, Fox Business and CNBC’s Power Lunch.I've known Liz for a long time. She is a wonderful journalist and person. Please listen/view this highly informative podcast covering Liz's career, advice, and thinking on a wide range of personal finance questions. Regardless of your walk in life, this podcast will provide you food for both thought and financial action. 

Jay Abolofia, PhD economist, CFP, and President of Lyon Financial Planning, shares his expertise on optimizing Roth conversions for significant tax savings. He introduces the MaxiFi Roth Conversion Optimizer, a tool designed to strategically manage tax implications during retirement. The conversation delves into the complexities of capital gains taxes and the timing of Social Security benefits. Jay emphasizes personalized strategies over conventional planning methods, illustrating how well-timed conversions can lead to increased discretionary income and long-term financial stability.

A year back, George Kinder joined Economics Matters -- the Podcast, to discuss his life's passion -- integrating Mindfulness, Meditation, and Money. They sound like strange bedfellows, but George is one part Henry Thoreau, one part Zen Master, one part Financial Guru, and ten parts Mensch. George's bio is here. He's a giant in the field of personal finance, based not just on his unique philosophical approach to money, but due to having trained thousands of financial planners -- in person or via his writings, about the path to personal and professional enlightenment. This requires, as George's new book points out, learning how to freeze, release, and expand each of our moments. Our lives are a sequence of moments. We have the freedom to control those moments, to make them longer by making them more productive and meaningful. This carries over to expanding the effective time in our lives, permitting us to have the time of our lives -- for ourselves and others. That's real freedom. 

Medicare Open Enrollment Is Here! And Phil Moeller's Back to Discuss his New Book: Get What's Yours for Medicare: Revised and Updated.  Phil's hot new book, Get What's Yours for Medicare: Maximize Your Coverage and Minimize Your Cost --  is available at Simon & Schuster as well as here, here, and here. Phil's my good friend and co-author with PBS NewsHour's Paul Solman of our NY Times best seller and fully up-to-date, Get What's Yours -- the Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security. This is Phil's second appearance on Economics Matters -- the Podcast. We discuss recent changes to Medicare and how best to decide whether to choose Traditional Medicare or a Medicare Advantage plan during the current open enrollment period. This is a complex decision.  Grab your kids, grab your spouse, grab your friends, and have everyone read Get What's Yours for Medicare: Revised and Updated before helping you make this major decision. 

Famed Washington Post Columnist and Editorial Board Member, Eduardo Porter, Joins Economics Matters --- the Podcast! Eduardo's books, The Price of Everything and American Poison are must reads. But then there's been an endless and ongoing stream of simply outstanding columns. Take this 2018, NY Times article on the Rust Belt. Roughly 800 words later, you have almost all you need to know about why "Make America Great Again" is not about fighting our supposed foreign economic enemies or keeping out rapists immigrants stealing our jobs. Instead, it's about education, city-specific economic initiatives, attracting new business, and capitalizing on the diversity of the available workforce. Listen or watch as Eduardo discusses our terrible, mixed-up, tribal, and also sporadically fantastic country and world. Eduardo has lived everywhere, investigated everything, listened to everyone, and thought out of the box on the entire gamut of economic, political, and social issues. He's a national treasure, not just for what he writes, not just for how he writes, but for showing everyone what journalism at the highest level continues to be.  Here's Eduardo's Washington Post bio page with a treasure trove of his writings. And those are simply articles in the Post. Eduardo spent two decades writing for and serving on the editorial board of the NY Times.  Before that, it was Bloomberg and others. Eduardo speaks five languages. 

One of the World's Top Economists -- MIT's Daron Acemoglu -- Discusses Automation, the Secret to Development, AI, the Origins of Conflict, Networks, the Sustainability of Democracy, and, Well, Your Jaw Will Drop.  Daron's Wiki page is here. The key point in is bio? At 40, Daron received the John Bates Clark Medal for the top economist under 40. He's just turned 57. Were there a prize for the top economist under 57 or, indeed, 100, Daron would be the sure winner. Please listen/watch this terrific episode of Economics Matters -- the Podcast and spend time with, arguably, the world's top economists, who is also the most down-to-earth, humble, and wonderful person.

Everything has changed since September 2022 when I discussed Israel's economy and geopolitics with Eytan and Yuval Steinitz, one of Israel's top security experts and former Finance Minister. Eytan's extraordinary bio, covering his amazing academic, public policy, and private-sector careers, is posted here. Please listen/watch this podcast that provides an up-to-date assessment of the war in Gaza, Israel's escalating confrontation with Iran and its proxies, particularly Hezbollah, and the political situation -- domestic and international. Eytan is a pure, but tough Mensch. You can hear in his voice the agony of this conflict -- for Israel, the hostages and their families, the thousands of innocent Palestinians who have been killed or injured, and for his own grandchildren, several of whom are in the military.  

Kevin Esler is the creator of ⁠⁠tipsladder.com⁠⁠, a free website that helps you purchase TIPS -- Treasury Inflation Protected Bonds. Back on July 18th, Kevin joined Economics Matters - the Podcast to walk everyone though his tremendously valuable tipsladder.com website. Kevin's spent the last few months making the tool far more accessible and versatile. You can now use a slider bar to see how much a ladder will cost that produces a given amount of annual real income over your specified number of years. You can also adjust the cost to determine how much real income will be forthcoming over your specified interval. I think watching / listening to this new podcast, either on its own or in combination with the prior podcast, will leave you an expert on the tool. In particular, you'll see that it's truly no big deal building (by purchasing) a tips ladder that can match up with the withdrawals of regular and retirement account assets needed to sustain your living standard. These withdrawal amounts are calculated by MaxiFi Planner. Just look for the red withdrawal amounts in the saving reports for both regular and retirement accounts.Kevin is a retiree from Australia with an extensive background in software and technology, which he leveraged into a series of top software engineering jobs at a range of leading companies including IBM, HP, and Disney Plus. After moving to the US he settled into a series of roles that saw him specializing in evolving technology and software development. Kevin is uniquely positioned as an authority due to his multifaceted expertise in tech and finance, particularly in understanding and managing investment strategies involving Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS).

Take the guesswork out of financial decisions at every stage of life with Maxifi: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maxifiplanner.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Designed by Economist Laurence Kotlikoff. Andrew Fesiak joins Professor Kotlikoff on Economics Matters for the 3rd time. He is a notable expert in Eastern European military and political affairs, particularly regarding Ukraine and Russia. Andrew’s insights are shaped by his profound connection to Ukraine, having lived there for over 22 years and studied at Kyiv State University. As a member of Black Trident, a U.S. security and defense consulting group, and a frequent commentator on Middle Eastern platforms, Andrew provides a nuanced and authoritative perspective on the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Topics Covered: War and Peace Dynamics Ukrainian Defense Strategies Russia's Economic Struggles Implications of Western Support Time Stamps: 00:00 Arabic press prefers Russia; Middle Eastern interviews frequent. 08:38 Ukraine has reopened Black Sea trade routes successfully. 14:09 First post-WWII invasion and occupation of Russia. 19:37 Ukraine develops missiles independently, bypassing production within Ukraine. 22:04 Ukraine's drones hit Russia, affecting morale notably. 31:08 Ukraine's nuclear threat deters Russian escalation, speculation. 34:53 Biden needs advice from gang leaders, not Sullivan. 41:56 Is peace by conceding eastern Ukraine possible? 47:53 Western support critical for Ukrainian morale and combat. 49:36 Russians poorly equipped; conscripting older soldiers. 55:09 Andrew's insights: Patriotic, optimistic, urging West to support Ukraine. 01:01:36 US can't support Ukraine, can't defeat China. This discussion presents invaluable insights for anyone interested in international relations, military strategy, and the geopolitical intricacies of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Andrew Fesiak's deep-rooted understanding of the situation offers perspectives that are not only academically rich but also grounded in real-world implications. ____________________________________________________ Laurence Kotlikoff is a Boston University Economist, a NY Times Best Selling Author, President of maxifi.com, and Author of Money Magic. Follow Professor Kotlikoff: Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kotlikoff⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@kotlikoff⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ LinkedIn: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠laurencekotlikoff⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Substack: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://larrykotlikoff.substack.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Books: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://kotlikoff.net/books/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  Company: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://maxifiplanner.com/⁠⁠⁠