Learm how you can protect yourself from one of America’s fastest growing crimes – identity theft. Plus, what’s it going to cost you to retire? In episode 28 of the YMYW podcast, Joe and Al share three retirement errors that will crush your investment gains. Original publish date May 7, 2016 (hour 2). Note that content may be outdated as rules and regulations have changed. 

00:00 - Intro

1:17 - “Identity theft is a real issue; we talk about it a lot on this show, especially when it comes to taxes and people filing fraudulent tax returns”

2:17 - “We focus on consumer education…educating the public on various issues related to identity crime and how to protect themselves”

4:50 - “Limit the amount of personal identifying documents that you carry with you every day”

5:30 - “Regularly monitor your bank statements and you should be checking your credit report several times a year…also shred your mail”

6:32 - “Get yourself off the list for pre-approved offers”

7:18 - “Secure your phone, tablet, your computer and understand all those pieces of hardware have lots of sensitive information about you”

11:28 - Identity Theft Resource Center contact info

21:42 - “If you’re married, there are certain marital benefits – first of all, if you file a joint tax return and be in a lower tax bracket. For Social Security, if one spouse passes then you get to keep the higher of the benefits”

32:07 - “There are many mistakes you can make as a retirement investor. I want to focus on three retirement errors investors make all the time”

34:27 - “It’s crucial to save for retirement but equally important to enter retirement debt-free”