Drowning in paperwork and unsure how long to keep important documents? Don't let the clutter consume you! Learn the secrets to organizing your financial life and gain peace of mind. In this episode, Erika Bell, owner of Organize with E, shares her expertise on how to effectively manage paperwork, digitize documents, and communicate crucial informat…

Are you truly ready for retirement, or are you headed for a retirement disaster? In this episode, April Schoen and Matthew Wallat share their insights on creating a comprehensive retirement plan to avoid common pitfalls and ensure a worry-free retirement. In this episode, you'll discover… The surprising similarity between an adventurous trip and re…

Retirement planning can feel like a daunting jigsaw puzzle—where do you even begin? Discover the secrets to securing your financial future and achieving a lifestyle of freedom and fulfillment! In this episode, John Curry and April Schoen unravel the complexities of retirement planning for FRS members and beyond. Get insights into making informed an…

Are you making the right moves to secure your financial future? In this episode, April Schoen delves deep into how to construct a bulletproof retirement framework aimed at ensuring you won't outlive your money. In this episode, you’ll discover… The critical element you might be missing in your retirement spending plan. How to identify potential inc…

In this episode, April Schoen and John Curry dive deep into one of the crucial components of retirement planning: Social Security. They explore the significance of timing your Social Security benefits and how it impacts lifelong income, offering expert insights into making the most informed decisions. They’ll cover: Why the decision of when to take…

Welcome to another episode of "Ask April" on The Secure Retirement podcast. Today's episode is essential for anyone with questions about life insurance, its benefits beyond death benefits, and its role in ensuring financial security for you and your family. We'll be discussing real-life applications of life insurance at different stages of life, de…

In this episode, April and John dive into the critical financial risks that individuals face as they approach or navigate through retirement, and share valuable strategies to avoid these pitfalls and enjoy a secure retirement. Listen to learn: The top five financial risks individuals face in retirement The problem with traditional retirement planni…

Navigate through retirement with confidence as April Schoen addresses the silent thief, inflation, revealing strategies to protect your financial future. In this episode, we’ll dive deep into understanding inflation and its impact on your retirement dreams. Unpack the essentials of inflation and its direct impact on your retirement savings. Discove…

Feeling overwhelmed by Social Security decisions for your retirement? Unravel the complexities of this critical component of retirement planning in today's episode. Join me, your guide in the maze of retirement planning, as I illuminate the often puzzling world of Social Security. From timing your benefits to understanding the system's history and …

How do you weather the storm during a financial crisis?—and not just weather the storm, but come out stronger? In this podcast, we show you how to prepare for a financial crisis, with actionable steps that allow you to face whatever comes your way. We’ll cover: The essential elements of financial resilience The early warning signs of a financial cr…

It’s the New Year Financial Kickoff… In this edition of Ask April, I will help you launch your financial year and set you on a path toward your goals. I’ll cover: Setting your financial aspirations for 2024 Building this year’s spending plan Debt paydown strategies Why your investments should align with your dreams And more…

What can you do at the end of the year to set yourself up for financial success in 2024? In this edition of Ask April, I share a year-end checklist to help you start the new year on track toward your financial goals. I’ll cover: Why is an end-of-year financial review important? Setting goals for the next 3 years Assessing your spending plan Evaluat…

“How much should I save for retirement?” “When should I go into DROP?” “What about inflation?” If you’re preparing for retirement, chances are these questions have been swirling around your head… In this episode, guest host Steve Gordon asks us the most common questions about the Florida Retirement System. With decades of combined expertise, we hav…

We’ve been getting a lot of questions about what’s going on with the economy… Many people are wondering if we’re headed for a recession—and what they can do to prepare if we are. The good news is that even if we face economic uncertainty, it won’t be anything new… In this episode, we cover what past economic crises can teach us about how to weather…

“How much should I be saving for retirement?” We get this question all the time… In this episode, April will cover the basics of saving for retirement, including: Savings goals for different stages of life A helpful rule of thumb Saving in the right places How to make saving systematic And more This episode marks the first edition of “Ask April,” a…

How can you deal with adversity? In this episode, we feature a recording of John’s inspiring Rotary talk, “Sweetheart, It’s Just Your Leg, Not Your Life.” John tells his incredible story of overcoming adversity after his amputation and shares his wisdom on: How to plan for unplanned life events Building support groups Creating an unbeatable mindset…

In this episode, I interview John about his fifty-year career helping clients and what he’s learned throughout his journey. It turns out that not much has changed in fifty years—people then and now share the desire to build a secure financial future for themselves and their families. John has seen thousands of clients’ stories unfold, and today he’…

We’re excited to announce that we’re relaunching the podcast… It’s our intention to share our knowledge on the world of financial planning so we can help others, and this next phase of the podcast will be focused on doing just that. In this episode, we’ll let you know what to expect from the show going forward and get new listeners up to speed on w…

Last week, the SECURE Act 2.0 was signed into law. What does this mean for you and your retirement? In this episode, we cover the most important changes from the SECURE Act 2.0 that you need to be aware of. These changes include: Age for required minimum distributions Effects on retirement accounts Automatic enrollment Treatment of student loan pay…

What are the 5 financial risks you will face in retirement (& how do you avoid them)? With the right planning, you can create your own secure retirement… That means having the money for the life you want… But traditional planning doesn’t work for retirement… Wealth distribution is very different from wealth accumulation… In this podcast, we show yo…

Medicare is a complicated topic with a lot of moving parts… But as you reach retirement age, you’ll need to make decisions about Medicare. We all need to cover healthcare costs as we get older—there’s no avoiding it. In this webinar, we’ll cover everything you need to know to get started with Medicare planning so you can prepare for a secure retire…

Many people make decisions about taxes in a vacuum… But taxes have a significant impact on your finances in retirement. The good news is that there are proven strategies to optimize your income so you can minimize your taxes. In this podcast, we’ll show you how tax diversification can help you build a secure retirement. Listen to learn: How tax rat…

Planning when you’ll take Social Security might be the most important decision you make for your retirement… It impacts your income for the rest of your life (and your spouse’s income, too)… The decision you make determines your destiny… You need to make the decision that leads to your secure retirement—you’ll have the money to do the things you wa…

When it comes to planning for retirement, the decisions you make today determine your destiny tomorrow. And no matter what stage of life you’re at, making a plan now will ensure that you can retire with maximum freedom, security, and enjoyment. If you wait any longer, your time and money are on the line. In this webinar, we answer the most common q…

What’s the most important thing you can do today for yourself and your family? Plan for life insurance--before it’s too late. But what type of life insurance should you buy? When should you buy it? And who should you buy it from? How can you create wealth for yourself today AND leave a legacy behind when you die? This podcast episode breaks down li…

In today’s episode, I sit down with my friend Steve Gordon to talk about overcoming adversity, or how to deal with life's ambushes. You may already know my story, but if you haven’t listened lately, we’ll catch you up on one of those life changing ambushes I faced earlier this year. What I went through was by far the most difficult, life changing, …

On this week’s episode of The Secure Retirement Podcast, April and I walk through the options for keeping more of your retirement income by paying less taxes—yes, we’re talking tax diversification and the strategies you can employ so your retirement income doesn’t get clobbered by taxes. As I say, “It’s not what you get, it's what you keep.” Listen…

On this week’s episode of The Secure Retirement Podcast, April and I break down my new book, “The Secure Retirement Method for Members of The Florida Retirement System.” This episode will benefit anyone who has a job or is looking to retire one day (even if you aren’t from Florida). As mentioned in this episode, “What we bring to the table is the a…

On this week’s episode of The Secure Retirement Podcast, Ken Armstrong joins us. Ken is a lifetime learner who is passionate about seeking new horizons. Ken says, “I challenge my friends to seek new horizons every day whether retired or not… if we’re not seeking new horizons we’re standing in one place... not moving.” At 73, Ken is preparing to emb…

Welcome to John H. Curry's Secure Retirement Podcast. In the last two episodes, Steve Gordon and I have talked about my health crisis, my mindset, and my journey back to work. Steve has nicknamed me “the most productive man in rehab,” but “...there is no “S” on my chest and no blue underwear. There were a couple of moments when I had some tough rea…

On today’s episode of the Secure Retirement Podcast, I sit down with Steve Gordon for part two of our conversation. Steve and I discuss how I kept both my business and my personal life moving forward from rehab, when complications occurred during my recovery that kept me mostly isolated for 49 days. How’d I do it? Listen as I share the mindset tool…

I’m Back! As you know, I’ve been out of pocket for four months. Today, in my first episode since returning to work, I sit down for a personal interview with my friend Steve Gordon to discuss the shocking health crisis that both sidelined me and required me to make a life-changing decision with no time to weigh my options. Steve and I go deep into f…

On this week’s episode of The Secure Retirement Podcast, April Schoen talks about the importance of tax diversification in retirement. April discusses the three different types of retirement investments, offering examples of each type of account, how you can contribute to them, and their tax implications. Listen as she explains: Tax-deferred accoun…

On this week’s episode of The Secure Retirement Podcast, April Schoen joins us to take a deep dive into the five financial risks you will face in retirement and how to overcome them. Additionally, April discusses retirement planning and what balance looks like in retirement. Listen in to learn more about the retirement red zone as well as: Mitigati…

On this week’s episode of The Secure Retirement Podcast, April Schoen joins us to discuss the best ways to pay for health care in retirement. We detail the key considerations you need to remember when it comes to Medicare, and go over how to create your detailed plan for what is usually the number one concern for anyone approaching retirement. We h…

This week, I’m joined by fellow North Florida Financial advisor, April Schoen, for a live seminar on Social Security. Over the course of the seminar, we're going to be talking about how social security works, what you need to know around the program, different payment scenarios, and also issues that surround the program. April and I have over 50 ye…

On this week’s episode of the Secure Retirement Podcast, we speak with Bonnie Bevis, a retiree with 35 years of work with Highway Safety under her belt. She began her career as a license examiner, and shares with us how she spent her years in public service while raising three children, as well as how she occupies her retirement time now. We chat w…

Our special guest on this week’s episode of the Secure Retirement Podcast is Helen Livingston. Helen was a teacher, a high school counselor, and a principal in Alabama, and earned both her Master’s and PhD, all while raising four children. She was also an integral part of opening the Medical School at Florida State University. Helen has had an exte…

In our ninth and final episode of our series for members of the Florida Retirement System, Steve Gordon once again hosts our very own John Curry. We discuss an aspect of retirement that is necessary for absolutely everyone approaching this stage of their life to consider, mindset, and dive into how to successfully execute John’s Secure Retirement M…

On this week’s episode of The Secure Retirement Podcast, we approach the end of our Florida Retirement System series. The information in this episode will be valuable to our viewers nationally, even if you are not a member of the Florida Retirement System, as these laws apply across the country. We address the universal Required Minimum Distributio…

On this week’s episode of The Secure Retirement Podcast, we focus on healthcare coverage, particularly Medicare Parts A - D, as we continue to address the key issues that affect members of the Florida Retirement System. With Medicare available from coast to coast, the information in this episode will be valuable to our listeners nationally, even fo…

On this week’s episode of The Secure Retirement Podcast, we continue addressing the key issues that affect members of the Florida Retirement System with a special focus on Social Security. Even if you are not a member of the Florida Retirement System, this episode will be particularly useful because Social Security touches everyone nationally. John…

On this week’s episode of The Secure Retirement Podcast, we continue our special series focused on the specific concerns of members of the Florida Retirement System. “Some people say they have the ability financially to retire, but they don't have the ability mentally to retire. And I call that part of the mindset,” says John. “When it comes to the…

On this week’s episode of the Secure Retirement Podcast, we continue our series on the concerns of members of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), focusing this week on the mindset of retirement and what that means for your planning process. And, if you’re not a member of the FRS, stay tuned because the information provided in this series is still …

On this week’s episode of the Secure Retirement Podcast, we dive into the third episode in our series on the Florida Retirement System. Today we talk about an important topic that many people choose to avoid— factors to consider while thinking about tax deferral. We also ask the important questions you need answers to before making your final decis…

On this week's episode, we speak about properly planning your secure retirement based on your personal financial situation. John explains the four FRS options, what they mean, and how each is designed to suit a specific situation.The discussion, while aimed specifically at members of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), gives valuable insights to a…

This week’s episode of The Secure Retirement Podcast marks the beginning of a special series focused on the specific concerns of members of the Florida Retirement System. However, the key topics covered in this series will still relate, in principle, to any retiree, regardless of whether they are a member of the FRS. “I have clients from across all…

We don’t know with any kind of certainty what tax rates will be in the future, which means that planning your finances into retirement can be both stressful and intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. This week, John and April discuss tax diversification and how a wide range of investments now will afford you more choices later in life. April says…

Retirement can come with an amount of financial uncertainty attached, even for people who have taken the time to plan. This week, John and April aim to alleviate some of the stress that comes along with retirement planning by discussing the five biggest financial risks in retirement and how best to avoid them. Together, they have over 50 years of c…

On this week’s episode of the Secure Retirement Podcast, we speak with my good friend, Bill Landing, a retired professor from Florida State University who is currently studying environmental chemistry and chemical oceanography. Bill has over 50 years of experience as a scientist and joins us to talk about the facts and fictions surrounding the pand…