Mr. Stillman's Opus

Jonie & Meme Neddo were a young, interracial couple in rural Tennessee at a time when interracial dating in rural Tennessee wasn't exactly encouraged. This is their story about how they parted ways in 1980 and found their way back to each other more than 25 years later.

Kathy Pittman lost her husband to a brain tumor when her daughters were just 6 and 4. In this episode, she shares her story--dealing with her grief, trying to make ends meet financially, and raising two girls alone.

Jay Campbell is a client of Rosewood Wealth Management who--back in 2003--argued a case before the Supreme Court, representing a group of West Virginia coal miners in the case Doe v. Chao. At a time when the Supreme Court is getting lots of attention from lots of folks, Jay shares his behind-the-scenes story of how the Court really works.

Larry Falivena is a client of Rosewood Wealth Management who has been battling ALS for the last several years. He joins John Stillman in studio to discuss the disease, the emotional and financial effects on his family, and the nationwide tour of all 30 Major League ballparks that he went on last year in an effort to raise funds and awareness.

Almost everyone will feel the some effects from the new SECURE Act. Some more immediately than others, but in the grand scheme almost everyone will be affected. Ron and I will help you tackle the new rules as we discuss the two most important components: the changes in stretch IRAs and the new RMD age. The most important thing to keep in mind is communicating with your family about the changes from an estate planning standpoint. Don’t fret, we’re gonna break it all down for you and help you get started!  Check out the full show notes for this episode by clicking here. 

There are actually a lot of principles from the personal training and fitness world that we can apply to retirement planning. Let's explore some similarities and learn how to increase our level of financial fitness.  Get the full show notes for this episode at http://mrstillmansopus.com On This Episode:  1:53 - Coaches and Trainers 5:28 - Specific Goals and Training Plans 7:57 - Good Habits and Crunches in the Kitchen 10:52 - The Process Brings You To Your Destination

If you're heading out on a road trip, there's a long checklist of items that you want to be sure you haven't forgotten. And in retirement planning, some of those exact same items need to be addressed. Let's look at some of the items that should appear on both your road trip checklist and your retirement planning checklist.  Get the full show notes by visiting http://mrstillmansopus.com

If you take a close look at most folks' financial situations, you'll find that it's almost scandalous how badly their financial matters have been handled. Let's talk about  the steps people should take to create a scandal-free retirement.  On this episode:  1:41 - Impeach Consumer Debt 3:51 - Stop the Leaks in your Budget 6:03 - Obstruct Your Catastrophic Market Losses 8:39 - Collude with a Good Advisor Get the full show notes for this episode at http://mrstillmansopus.com. 

What does tennis have to do with retirement? Probably more than you would think. We pulled three aspects to tennis that relate to retirement planning to help you understand the strategy a little better.  1. The court is different for singles versus doubles. 2. Certain players excel on a particular playing surface. 3. Holding serve is important.  So sit back and let us serve up some retirement analogies so you can ace your investing decisions. Check out the full show notes for this episode by clicking here.

We all have one. You can usually find it in the kitchen in one of the bottom drawers. It's that place where we toss rubber bands, paper clips, batteries, chip clips, and any other random item we don't have any other place for. It's our junk drawer and we'd rather avoid it then trying to get it organized. Believe it or not, our financial portfolio has a junk drawer filled with old 401(k) plans, old life insurance plans, and other products we bought years ago but haven't done anything with since.  In this episode, we'll look at some of those items you'll find in your financial junk drawer and give you some options for where to move the investments to better fit your needs.  You can read more about this show by clicking here.

There are many similarities between planning for retirement and a game of chess. In this episode, John makes the comparison by explaining which investment option is each chess piece on the board and how they can be used to maneuver you through the game of retirement. 

Remember your senior yearbook that included superlatives like 'Most Popular' and 'Class Clown'? Well, we're taking that idea and applying it to the financial world by picking out the investment options that are 'Most Overrated', 'Most Underrated', 'Most Popular', and 'Most Likely to Disappoint.'  Check out the show notes by clicking here.  Today's rundown: [1:03] – Class Superlatives at the School of Financial Strategies [1:33] Most Underrated: Roth IRA  [3:05] Most Overrated: Expensive Cars  [5:24] Most Likely to Disappoint: Whole Life Insurance Policies [7:05] Most Popular: 401(k), 403(b), TSP (Thrift Savings Plan) [9:20] – Possible Winner Overthrow? Could the Roth take over as Most Popular?  [10:10] – Teachers Pet: The Variable Annuity

Most people have a basic knowledge of Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) but few understand how they pertain to IRAs and 401ks, as well as the intricate timing details that are essential to preparing to withdrawal for tax payments. For a better understanding of the best times to withdrawal as well as avoiding penalties, join John and Ron as they discuss a letter Ron recently received shortly after a big birthday. Check out the show notes here: https://mrstillmansopus.com/retirement/getting-your-rmd-ducks-in-a-row/ 0:45 - RMDs for 401(k)s 2:45 – RMDs for IRAs 4:35 – Here’s an example: 5:34 – When do you have to make a withdrawal? 7:00 - In what scenarios would I carry it over? 7:58 - Avoid a loss in penalties! 9:04 – Another Octave 

If you think about it, planning for retirement is a bit like going to the grocery store. You need to know what you need, you need to know what you're paying, and at times, you need to purchase the more expensive product. These are just a few of the similarities. Join us as we unpack this analogy and help you shop for a meaningful retirement. Click the link for more in-depth reading in a recent blog post: https://mrstillmansopus.com/investing-strategy/the-retirement-grocery-store/

We often see people justifying their poor financial decisions by making excuses. We'll identify these excuses and explain why they lead to poor judgement. Click the link for more in-depth reading in a recent blog post: https://mrstillmansopus.com/retirement/four-dangerous-excuses/

March Madness is upon us, and everyone's excited for the upsets, buzzer beaters, and Cinderella stories. As a fan, it's an emotional time of year, and believe it or not, March Madness can teach us a thing or two about retirement. Click the link for more in-depth reading in a recent blog post: https://mrstillmansopus.com/lifestyle/lessons-from-march-madness/

Our clients often ask us whether they should accelerate their house payments in order to pay off their house early. Join us as we explore the pros and cons of this strategy. Click the link for more in-depth reading in a recent blog post: https://mrstillmansopus.com/real-estate/this-ones-on-the-house/