Question Time with Tom & Roxy

Talking Real Money - Investing Talk

Don McDonald

Business, Education, Investing, How To

4.2 • 680 Ratings

🗓️ 27 June 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Tom welcomes Roxy Butner back to field listener questions on retirement income, Roth vs. traditional 401(k) choices, car financing math, leftover 529 rollovers, and bond price confusion. Listeners hear sharp, practical advice on optimizing savings and withdrawals—without slipping into tax traps. Plus, a shoutout to the record 401(k) savings rate and a surprising mini-lesson on estate planning trends. 0:05 401(k) savings rates hit a new high—why 20% total savings should be your goal 2:40 Roth vs. Traditional 401(k) for younger investors—Roxy makes the case 3:57 Listener Q: Early retirees managing withdrawals across brokerage, Roth, and IRA accounts 6:36 Tax bracket management vs. withdrawal strategy—how to stay in the 24% 8:38 Roth conversions and RMD prep—why to think now about later taxes 9:41 Why DIY retirees still need a second set of eyes on their plan 10:25 Listener Q: What to do with $16K left in a 529 plan 11:24 529-to-Roth rollover rules and strategy 12:31 Listener Q: Pay cash for a car or finance at 1.9%? 13:58 Emotional vs. mathematical car finance decision-making 15:11 Listener Q: Got 6/7 on FINRA quiz—why do bond prices fall when rates rise? 17:36 Bond basics: duration, rate risk, and quality 17:53 Roxy’s real-world client trend: surge in estate planning questions 18:54 Free portfolio analysis plug and Roxy’s parting thoughts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	The five pound meal deal from McDonald's.
0:02.0	Get a cheeseburger or mayo chicken, medium fries, four McNuggets and a medium soft drink for guess what?
0:08.0	That's right, five pounds.
0:10.0	It's not called the five pound meal deal for nothing.
0:14.0	From 11 AM, not available on delivery.
0:16.0	Carbonated soft drink upgrade fees apply.
0:18.0	Participating restaurants, subjects availability.
0:27.7	Reality Radio for a really great future.
0:29.7	We're talking real money.
0:32.9	Well, you have questions, so we have answers.
0:36.5	That's our job each and every day here at Talking Real Money.
0:37.1	Hi, everyone.
0:38.6	I'm Tom Cock, and just a moment taking some more of those questions, which have been pouring in to Talking RealMoney.com, and we
0:44.0	are glad to take them, glad to help you any way we can. But before we start with Roxy Butner,
0:48.5	I want to say congratulations to, well, not all of you, but most of you. This is really great
0:53.9	news read recently that the
0:56.2	average savings rate in 401K plans rose to a record high of 14.3% of income in the first
1:04.3	three months of the year. That is actually pretty doggone good. That's a little less,
1:10.1	at least according to this article in the
1:11.5	Wall Street Journal, than the 15% annual savings rate that financial advisors often recommend
1:17.7	over a four-decade career. God, it's painful when you think about it. But, because I only have a few
1:23.7	years left. So the average savings rate has risen, by the way, from 13 and a half percent
	...

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