Retirement Made Simple is a retirement podcast for frugal savers who've done the hard work — and now want permission to actually enjoy it. Host Kevin Lum, CFP®, cuts through the noise of the financial world to give you straight answers on the stuff that actually matters: when you can really retire, how to draw down your portfolio without running out (or leaving too much on the table), Social Security timing, Roth conversions, IRMAA, tax-smart withdrawals, and the dozens of decisions no one prepared you for. No jargon. No fear-mongering. No products to sell you.
They Almost Paid $3 Million in Taxes. One Change Saved $2 Million.
If you have $3 million saved for retirement, you also have a silent partner: the IRS. Most people assume their tax bill in retirement is fixed. It isn't. In this episode, Kevin walks through a real client scenario using retirement planning software to show exactly how retirement taxes work, and why they behave so differently from the taxes you paid while working. Here's what most retirees don't realize: not all retirement income is taxed the same way. Withdrawals from a traditional IRA are taxed as ordinary income. Roth distributions are generally tax-free. Gains from a taxable brokerage account often qualify for lower long-term capital gains rates. And Social Security? Up to 85% of your benefit can become taxable, depending on your other income. Those four income streams don't just sit side by side. They interact. There's also a window, sometimes called the "retirement tax window," that opens between the day you stop working and the day RMDs begin. Kevin shows how one couple with $3 million saved was projected to pay nearly $3 million in lifetime taxes, and how a proactive Roth conversion strategy reduced that figure to under $900,000.
12 Sept 2026
Why a Pension Changes Everything in Retirement
If you have a pension, you may be sitting on far more retirement firepower than you realize. Most people think about retirement wealth in terms of account balances. But a pension doesn't show up on a brokerage statement, and that causes a lot of people to underestimate what they actually have. In this episode, Foundry Financial planner Mike Zarelli breaks down four retirement reframes for pension holders that could change when you retire, how much you spend, and how you invest: 1. You may be able to retire sooner and spend more than you think. A pension creates an income floor that can take pressure off your portfolio and free it up for larger, intentional purchases. 2. Your pension changes how your portfolio should be allocated. When you factor in the pension as a bond-like income source, you may have room to tilt toward more equities than you'd expect. 3. Your pension can influence when you claim Social Security. With the right coordination, you can potentially delay Social Security to maximize your benefit and build a stronger inflation-protected income floor. 4. Your pension survivor options should never be chosen in isolation. The right survivor benefit depends heavily on how you've structured Social Security for the higher earner. These decisions are deeply connected, and getting them right could mean the difference between a retirement that just works and one that truly gives you confidence.
31 Aug 2026
5 Questions to Ask Before Trusting a Financial Advisor With Your Money
Selecting a Financial Advisor Guide ✅ https://foundryfinancial.net/guide-to-selecting-a-financial-advisorMost people have no idea what to ask when evaluating a financial advisor, and that gap could be costing them more than they realize.Zach Holcomb from the Foundry team has had hundreds of conversations with people who are exploring their options, and he's distilled it all into five essential questions that reveal whether your advisor is actually equipped for retirement, not just accumulation.Here's what most people don't consider: the advisor who helped you build wealth may not be the right person to help you spend it strategically. Growing a portfolio and managing retirement income are fundamentally different jobs, and many advisors haven't made that shift.In this video, Zach walks through a complete scorecard you can use on any advisor, including the Foundry team. The five questions cover how your advisor leads meetings, how they get paid, whether tax planning is handled in-house or passed off, how you feel walking out of every meeting, and whether they're willing to tell you things you don't want to hear.That last one? Almost nobody thinks to ask it, and it might be the most revealing question of all.
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