Welcome! Bridget Sullivan Mermel and John Scherer talk introduce themselves and talk about why they started the channel, Friends Talk Financial Planning.

Here's a link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7Zc86yeY-A Join Dennis Stearns and me talk about his last book, Fourth Quarter Fumbles, and his work understanding the Future. Fourth Quarter Fumbles: How Successful People Avoid Critical Mistakes Later in Life , was the culmination of 2 years of intensive research working with aging experts around the country, along with decades of experience as a professional planner working with clients. We talk specifically abo

Too often, buying an annuity is a mistake. It doesn't have to be. Watching for 5 simple, easy to identify red flags can help you avoid a costly mistake. People buy annuities looking for a steady income stream and reduced risk. Unfortunately, too often, they get substandard products. Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA and John Scherer CFP(R) talk about how to sort it out. One of the big things is that—when you look at them, look at the number of moving parts. All annui

If you're thinking about loaning money to a friend or family member, there are many things to keep in mind. Or, if you're thinking of borrowing money from a friend or family member, you want to make sure you're doing it effectively. You can protect yourself and your friendship or relationship while helping each other out and saving money. Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA and John Scherer CFP(R) talk through their (at least 4) tips for how to loan money to friends and fa

Millions of people around the world will watch the Super Bowl but few will think about lessons they can take from the game to apply to their money and financial planning. But if you think about it, the planning that the teams do for the Super Bowl can give some valuable lessons for handling your money and financial planning. Here's Bridget's firm website: www.sullivanmermel.com John's firm website: www.trinfin.com For advisors around the US: www.acplanners.org Tha

Thought leader on retirement and money, farmgirl, artist, teacher, professor, fundraiser, financial planner, then public speaker, Kathleen Rehl is an expert on change. She’s an inspiration to me because she combines so many forms of wealth and prosperity in her thinking and by example. And she uses her life experience to try to help others—after her prior husband died, she wrote the book-- Moving Forward on Your Own—A Guidebook for Widows. We’ll be talking about reframing

There is never a shortage of stock market predictions, but have any of those actually given insight into what is going to happen in any given investment market in the coming year? We take a look at how investment market predictions from the beginning of 2021 actually turned out in this episode of Friends Talk Financial Planning and also take a look at the reliability of market predictions over time. Here's Bridget's firm website: www.sullivanmermel.com John's firm webs

There are a lot of things for a new parent to think about when a baby is on the way, and financial planning is one of the big ones. In this episode we discuss why a new parent shouldn't worrying about some of the most common financial planning concerns and what really IS important to focus on when it comes to being financially prepared for a new baby. In addition to information for new parents we also include financial planning ideas for grandparents as well! Here's Br

When getting a Valentine's Day gift, most of us just want to Avoid Valentine Gift Disasters. We talk through strategies backed by research to get your sweetie something they really enjoy. Here's Bridget Sullivan Mermel's firm website: www.sullivanmermel.com John Scherer's firm website: www.trinfin.com For advisors around the US: www.acplanners.org Thanks for watching and please subscribe! TRANSCRIPT: Bridget: Valentine's Day is coming up. It's a great time to add

Invest, gamble, or speculate. John's going to Vegas. Is that to gamble? Invest? something in between? In this episode of Friends Talk Financial Planning, we talk about the key differences between gambling and speculating. These include evaluating: John evaluates: What are your odds? Who is the "house?" How random is the outcome? Bridget thinks more in terms of a continuum with investing on one end and gambling on the other. John may invest in an index fund, speculate

There is a lot of news about stock market predictions for 2022, find out our outlook for 2022 and learn market predictions are worth your attention on this episode of Friends Talk Financial Planning. Here's Bridget's firm website: www.sullivanmermel.com John's firm website: www.trinfin.com For advisors around the US: www.acplanners.org Thanks for watching and please subscribe! TRANSCRIPT: John: This is the time of the year when predictions come out for what's g

How do you start a small business? Is it worth it? How do you get into it, anyway? In this episode I’m joined by two Chicago-area business owners. Michael Cameron owns an ever-evolving restaurant group, Uncommon Ground . Michael Ginsberg owns a computer hardware online business, the 5G Store . We delve into how and why they started their businesses, what it takes to run a business, their best advice, and how they handle issues like hiring, firing, and COVID. Michael Gins

Socially Responsible Investing means lower returns to some people. It doesn't have to. In this video, we explain how to get market returns with ESG investing. When socially responsible investing (also often called Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) factor investing and sustainable investing) started, investment returns weren't as good as other mutual funds. That reputation for lower returns has stuck in the minds of many people. But it doesn't have to. In this

There's a lot speculation that taxes are going up in the future. People wonder--what should I do? Fear is the underpinning of a lot of tax speculation. People don't like to pay for things they don't control. Our country was founded by people who didn't want to pay taxes. People fear that because of taxes, they'll run out of money. Or they fear the government will waste their hard earned tax dollars. We challenge the accepted thinking on the topic--that rates are goin

People are talking a rare opportunity to help lift the student loan burden. Plus, they’re on pause until January. Is there any hope...

The Omicron variant is coming. Should you change your financial planning to adjust for the latest variant? Are you worried about your investment portfolio because of the latest news? The stock market seems to be worried about Omicron, should you be worried about your money now? Look. It’s not a matter of if the market is going down. At some point, the stock market will take a big dip—10, 20 or 30%. Something will happen. It could be Omicron or something else. You nee

Finding a financial planner can be difficult. They all sound the same when they say they care about their clients. How can a normal person make a smart choice when hiring a financial advisor? Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA and John Scherer CFP(R) share four key mistake to avoid that will help you make a smart decision: 1 Hiring someone who does not have any legitimate credentials o The CFP™ is the gold standard when it comes to getting comprehensive financial advic

If you want to make more in donations and pay less in tax, picking the right way to give to charity is crucial. In this video, we'll explain the four different ways most people can make donations and save on tax. Because of a recent tax law change, many people no longer "itemize" their taxes. When you itemize, you can deduct all of your donations. "Itemizing," for most people means that they have mortgage interest, state & property taxes and gifts to charity that combin

Inflation is high; we discuss the strategy we both use to help clients understand and plan for it. We haven't seen inflation figures like this in 30 years. Before figuring out your investment strategy, the first step is to look at the underlying emotions evoked by talk of inflation. The #1 question to ask yourself is: what is it that I’m ACTUALLY afraid of? a. …of being dumb with my money? b. …of not being able to afford things in the future? c. …of running out of money

What's the difference between a Fee-only or fee-based financial advisor? It turns out, the difference is significant. We’ve talked in past episodes about how the financial industry using confusing language and half-truths; making if hard for real people to make informed decisions. On today’s episode of Friends Talk Financial Planning, we dig into another of these confusing topics: fee-only vs. fee-based. Listen to Bridget & John discuss how one word makes a huge differe

Medicare and the Marketplace have had big changes this year. It’s open enrollment time, so now you or someone you love might be able to...

Confused about which employee benefits are right for you during open enrollment? You're not alone. This video helps you be smart and avoid mistakes when picking your benefits. John Scherer is away hunting in Wisconsin this week, so we're joined by Matthew Barnard, CFP(R). We start with talking through health insurance. Matthew suggests that you start by thinking about your major medical conditions that might require special coverage. Next, we consider—do you have Cadillac

When you look for a financial advisor, there are three questions you absolutely must ask. Finding a financial advisor can be difficult. They all sound the same. They care about their clients and about helping people achieve their goals by making smart investments. How can a normal person make a smart choice when hiring financial planner? Bridget and John share three key questions to ask to put you in the driver’s seat: 1 - Are you a fiduciary? Fiduciary is legal jarg

Minority families’ net worth is about 15% of white families, and Blacks and Latinx with bachelor’s degrees typically earn $12,000 a year...

Series I Bonds savings bonds are currently paying more interest than other safe investments. That means a lot of people are paying attention. In this, our third episode about I Bonds, we talk with Linda Stratton CFP(R) about how to give I Bonds as gifts, and talk about I Bonds versus 529 college savings plans, and the real life pros and cons of I Bonds. Bridget Sullivan Mermel CFP(R) CPA and John Scherer CFP(R) go beyond what the Treasury Direct site says—what do people wh