You're a woman on the cusp of "retirement" naturally feeling some anxiety. We are two financial planners who take this subject seriously (but ourselves less so). We will help you feel more confident about your choices by cutting through the myths and mysteries. Through conversations and interviews with both subject-experts and women who have gone through what you are approaching, you will have the correct information and motivation to be in control of your future.
Take Back Retirement
Claim This Podcastby Stephanie McCullough & Kevin Gaines
4.9(24 reviews)
138 episodes
Updated Weekly
Accepts GuestsHas Sponsors
73
Podcast Authority
BetaGoodBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality96
Social0
YouTube76
Engagement51
Podcast Overview
You're a woman on the cusp of "retirement" naturally feeling some anxiety. We are two financial planners who take this subject seriously (but ourselves less so). We will help you feel more confident about your choices by cutting through the myths and mysteries. Through conversations and interviews with both subject-experts and women who have gone through what you are approaching, you will have the correct information and motivation to be in control of your future.
Language
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Publishing Since
9/30/2020
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73
Podcast Authority
BetaGoodBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
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Social0
YouTube76
Engagement51
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Episode Length
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Recent Episodes
June 11, 2026
137: Rethink Retirement: Taking Charge of Your Next Chapter with Andi Simon
Hosts Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines interview corporate anthropologist Dr. Andi Simon about building agency and purpose in retirement beyond financial planning.
May 23, 2026
136: 10 Things To Do When You're 10 Years Out From Retirement
Hosts Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines discuss ten actionable steps for listeners ten years from retirement, offering insights on financial planning and life preparation.
May 4, 2026
135: Smarter Social Security: Getting What's Yours Without Panicking
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12.0pt 0in 12.0pt 0in;"> <span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">"It's all about these different pieces and how they can fit together. And it's not just how they fit together in good ways, but also how they fit together in bad ways."</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12.0pt 0in 12.0pt 0in;"> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12.0pt 0in 12.0pt 0in;"> <span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, sit down to unpack a letter from a reader of The Retirement Strategy Report who signed off as "Get What's Mine Before It's Gone", ready to claim at 62 just to lock in something before the trust fund runs dry.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12.0pt 0in 12.0pt 0in;"> <span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">That reader is right to be anxious. The Social Security OASI Trust Fund is now projected to deplete by 2033, at which point ongoing tax revenues would cover only about 77% of promised retirement benefits. That's an automatic across-the-board cut of roughly 23%!</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12.0pt 0in 12.0pt 0in;"> <span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">Add frozen income thresholds from 1983 (with an 85% taxation tier added in 1993) that quietly pull more retirees into taxation every year, plus Medicare's IRMAA surcharges that jump off income cliffs, and you've got a retirement income picture that's genuinely complex.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12.0pt 0in 12.0pt 0in;"> <span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">But claiming early doesn't solve any of it. A 23% cut hits whether your monthly benefit is $1,400 or $2,200. The math still favors patience, as 77% of a larger number is always better than 77% of a smaller one.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12.0pt 0in 12.0pt 0in;"> <span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">What does help is projecting your taxable income now and managing it deliberately.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12.0pt 0in 12.0pt 0in;"> <span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">Kevin's core suggestion is to avoid leaving all your money in traditional, pre-tax retirement accounts and wait for RMDs to force a reckoning. Use lower-income years (early retirement, career transitions, entrepreneurship) to draw down those accounts at the 12% bracket instead of the 22% or 24% you might face later. Convert some to Roth. Build out taxable investment accounts alongside tax-deferred and tax-free buckets, so you have flexibility every year.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12.0pt 0in 12.0pt 0in;"> <span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">The goal isn't to predict what Congress will do. It's to build a retirement with enough moving parts that whatever happens, you have room to adjust.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12.0pt 0in 12.0pt 0in;"> <span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 12.0pt 0in 12.0pt 0in;"> <strong><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">Key Topics:</span></strong></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style= "text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; margin: 12.0pt 0in .0001pt .5in;"> <!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;" xml:lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">●<span style= "font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span> <!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">How Social Security Fits Into Our Retirement (02:11)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style= "margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"> <!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;" xml:lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">●<span style= "font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span> <!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">Should You Claim Early to "Get Yours"? (09:38)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style= "margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"> <!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;" xml:lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">●<span style= "font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span> <!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">How Social Security Benefits Get Taxed (11:41)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style= "margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"> <!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;" xml:lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">●<span style= "font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span> <!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">IRMAA and Medicare: The Hidden Hit on Your Net Check (17:46)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style= "margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"> <!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;" xml:lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">●<span style= "font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span> <!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">Roth Conversions and the Case for Acting in Low-Income Years (19:40)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style= "text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; margin: 0in 0in 12.0pt .5in;"> <!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica;" xml:lang="EN"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">●<span style= "font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span> <!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">Tax Diversification: Balancing Your Buckets (29:45)</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;"> <strong><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">Resources:</span></strong></p> <ul> <li class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN" style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';" xml:lang="EN">Take Back Retirement Episode 82: Getting the Most from Social Security: Smart Strategies for Women with Heather Schreiber:</span> <span lang="EN" xml:lang="EN"><a href= "https://takebackretirement.com/podcasts/getting-the-most-from-social-security-smart-strategies-for-women-with-heather-schreiber/"> <span style= "font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Helvetica Neue';"> https://takebackretirement.com/podcasts/getting-the-most-from-social-security-smart-strategies-for-women-with-heather-schreiber/</span></a></span></li> </ul> <p class="MsoListParagraph" style= "margin-bottom: 12.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2;"> </p> <p class="p3">If you like what you<span class="s3">'</span>ve been hearing, we invite you to subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Tell us what you love about this episode! Or better yet, tell us what you want to hear more of in the future. stephanie@sofiafinancial.com</p> <p class="p2"> </p> <p class="p3">You can find the transcript and more information about this episode at <a href= "https://www.takebackretirement.com/"><span class= "s4">www.takebackretirement.com</span></a>.</p> <p class="p2"> </p> <p class="p3">Follow Stephanie on <a href= "https://twitter.com/SofiaFinancial"><span class= "s4">Twitter</span></a>, <a href= "https://facebook.com/SofiaFinancial"><span class= "s4">Facebook</span></a>, <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKUms6lf61kp-5_d3PqcUrw"><span class="s4">YouTube</span></a> and <a href="https://linkedin.com/in/StephanieMcCullough"><span class="s4">LinkedIn</span></a>. </p> <p class="p3">Follow Kevin on <a href= "https://twitter.com/2ndHalfPlan"><span class= "s4">Twitter</span></a>, <a href= "https://www.facebook.com/AFMGPlanning/"><span class= "s4">Facebook</span></a>, <a href= "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr8NYpNUlJIATX504hqKOyQ?view_as=subscriber"><span class="s4">YouTube</span></a> and <a href="https://linkedin.com/in/KevinmGaines"><span class="s4">LinkedIn</span></a>.</p>
138 total episodes available with 18 transcripts
Recent guests on Take Back Retirement
Guests from recent episodes — sign up to see every guest that has ever appeared on this show.
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This podcast updates weekly.
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This podcast is available on 10 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
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