Episodi

  • Retirement Redzone, The Last Mile

    Retirement Redzone, The Last Mile
    Jun 15 2026
    Ten straight up weeks, then a sharp pullback — and if you’re two to five years on either side of retirement, the fear is real. This is the Retirement Red Zone: the last mile into and out of your retirement date, and the most fragile window in your entire financial life.This week on Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon turn last week’s market-history conversation into a practical playbook for anyone near retirement: how to avoid the paralysis that wrecked so many retirements in 2008–2009, and what to actually do right now.What you’ll learn:
    • Why a 35-year-old and a 65-year-old should do the opposite thing in a pullback
    • The accumulation-to-distribution switch most people don’t know exists
    • What history says: after 40 sharp selloffs since 1980, markets were higher 75% of the time a year later
    • Sequence-of-returns risk — why the first five years decide everything
    • Building a 1–3 year retirement runway with ~4% cash and T-bills
    • Rebalancing a 60/40 that drifted to 75/25
    • Diversifying away from a top-10 that’s now 40% of the S&P (8 of them tech)
    • Buffered ETFs — a 20% buffer with a 12–15% cap, explained
    • Foundational income, annuities, and the tax-aware withdrawal piece most firms skip
    Plus Money In The News:
    • Consumer prices rose 4.2% annually in May — the highest in three years (CNBC, Jeff Cox)
    • Elon Musk poised to become the first trillionaire — and just how much a trillion dollars really is
    • A top JP Morgan strategist’s four ways to prep your portfolio for “considerable danger” (David Kelly)
    Mentioned on air: Our short sequence-of-returns risk video — watch it at brayshawfinancial.com.Read the companion blog: brayshawfinancial.com/blog
    Schedule a free consultation: app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta
    Full Money On Tap episode library: brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us
    Phone: 855-226-8551
    Email: info@yourmoneyontap.com
    Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110
    Web: brayshawfinancial.com

    • Why does so much inherited wealth disappear?
      About 70% of family wealth is gone by the second generation, and roughly 90% by the third. The cause is overwhelmingly behavioral — poor communication, weak stewardship, and heirs who were never prepared — not bad investments. Families who beat the odds talk openly about values and prepare their heirs long before any money changes hands.
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    56 min
  • Risk, Reward, & Record Highs

    Risk, Reward, & Record Highs
    Jun 11 2026
    Nearly every major index is at a record high — and everyone’s asking the same question: is this the beginning of something great, or the end of something that’s gone too far?This week on Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon take that question apart with 75 years of market history, a few statistics that genuinely surprised them, and a clear look at what a record high means for you — whether you’re decades from retirement or already drawing income.What you’ll learn:
    • The Fidelity data showing investing at an all-time high beats investing on a random day
    • Why a record high is usually a signal of a healthy economy, not a top
    • A walk through 1982, 1987, 1995–1999, 2000, 2009, and 2020
    • Why today’s AI market looks more like 1995 than the 2000 dot-com bubble
    • Why timing the market is a loser’s game — and why taking profits isn’t fear
    • Sequence-of-returns risk — why the first years of retirement decide everything
    • Buffered ETFs — staying in the market with downside guardrails
    • Annuities with lifetime income and long-term-care riders
    Plus Money In The News:
    • American financial literacy hits a 10-year low — U.S. adults answered just 47% of the TIAA Institute’s 2026 questions correctly (Yahoo Finance, Kerry Hannon)
    • America’s data-center build-out falls behind schedule — Google’s $80B equity raise and what it signals about AI’s real cost (WSJ, Katherine Blunt)
    • Exxon chief warns oil could spike to $160–$170 a barrel as strategic reserves run thin (Fox Business, Robert McGreevy)
    Mentioned on air: Our short sequence-of-returns risk video — watch it at brayshawfinancial.com.Read the companion blog: brayshawfinancial.com/blog
    Schedule a free consultation: app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta
    Full Money On Tap episode library: brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us
    Phone: 855-226-8551
    Email: info@yourmoneyontap.com
    Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110
    Web: brayshawfinancial.com

    • Why does so much inherited wealth disappear?
      About 70% of family wealth is gone by the second generation, and roughly 90% by the third. The cause is overwhelmingly behavioral — poor communication, weak stewardship, and heirs who were never prepared — not bad investments. Families who beat the odds talk openly about values and prepare their heirs long before any money changes hands.
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    56 min
  • Retirement Anxiety: Why So Many Americans Feel Unprepared

    Retirement Anxiety: Why So Many Americans Feel Unprepared
    May 29 2026
    61% of Americans now fear running out of money in retirement more than they fear death itself. Half of all U.S. households approaching retirement are at risk of falling short of their current standard of living.This week on Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon sit with the topic that shows up in the conference room more than any other these days: retirement anxiety — and why so many Americans feel unprepared.What you'll learn:
    • The five fears inside retirement anxiety — and which one most plans don't address
    • Why retirement is structurally more anxious today than a generation ago
    • The Honeymoon, the Shock, and the Reframe — the three phases of every retirement
    • Why men, executives, military, and first responders are hit hardest by the identity loss
    • The new 100% income rule (the old 60–70% rule of thumb is dead)
    • The six-part income plan that actually reduces anxiety
    • Sequence-of-returns risk — and why the first five years of retirement determine everything
    • Social Security in 2026: 77% benefit, $1.5T bipartisan proposal, what it means for you
    • Why phased / consulting retirement is the underrated soft landing
    • The emotional plan nobody writes down — hobbies, friendships, purpose, marriage
    Plus Money In The News:
    • Can the stock market save Social Security? A $1.5T bipartisan proposal from Cassidy and Kaine
    • Ford stock surges on a $2B (becoming $10B) pivot to stationary energy storage with CATL
    • Student loan changes hit July 1 — payments rising $300–$350/month under IBR and RAP plans
    Free resource: Email us with "Retirement Anxiety white paper" in the subject and we'll send the companion document.Read the companion blog: brayshawfinancial.com/blog
    Schedule a free consultation: app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta
    Full Money On Tap episode library: brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us
    Phone: 855-226-8551
    Email: info@yourmoneyontap.com
    Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110
    Web: brayshawfinancial.com

    • Why does so much inherited wealth disappear?
      About 70% of family wealth is gone by the second generation, and roughly 90% by the third. The cause is overwhelmingly behavioral — poor communication, weak stewardship, and heirs who were never prepared — not bad investments. Families who beat the odds talk openly about values and prepare their heirs long before any money changes hands.
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    56 min
  • The Science of Retirement Income, Creating Income Alpha (Encore)

    The Science of Retirement Income, Creating Income Alpha (Encore)
    May 22 2026
    Two retirees with the same balance can take wildly different incomes home — it's not about returns, it's about taxes.This week on Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon unpack The Science of Retirement Income — How to Create Income Alpha: the practice of beating the market not by picking better stocks, but by keeping more of what you already have through tax-aware planning.What you'll learn:
    • What "Income Alpha" actually means — and why it's worth 15–30% more retirement income, year after year
    • How Social Security gets taxed at 0%, 50%, or 85% — and how to control which one applies to you
    • The Roth IRA conversion ladder: filling the 22% bracket today to avoid the 30%+ bracket later
    • The lesser-known after-tax account strategy — converting future ordinary-income tax into capital-gains tax
    • Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) — the single highest-leverage move for charitable retirees
    • Donor-Advised Funds and Charitable Trusts — stacking giving with Roth conversion years
    • The hidden IRMAA Medicare tax — and the income thresholds that can cost you $1,000–$3,000 a year
    • The Widow Tax Trap — the most damaging tax in retirement and how to plan around it
    • Why the year of a spouse's passing is the last big planning window — and what to do with it
    • What 1–2 years of tax returns will tell a good planner that your investment statement never will
    Plus Money In The News:
    • Weight-loss drug developers line up to tap a $150B market (Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, the pill-vs-shot race)
    • Nike stock tumbles 13% to an 11-year low on China weakness
    • Average tax refund up 11% from a year ago — IRS data and what it means for inflation
    Free resource: Email us with "Charitable Giving Booklet" in the subject and we'll send our charitable giving guide.Read the companion blog: brayshawfinancial.com/blog
    Schedule a free consultation: app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta
    Full Money On Tap episode library: brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us
    Phone: 855-226-8551
    Email: info@yourmoneyontap.com
    Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110
    Web: brayshawfinancial.com

    • Why does so much inherited wealth disappear?
      About 70% of family wealth is gone by the second generation, and roughly 90% by the third. The cause is overwhelmingly behavioral — poor communication, weak stewardship, and heirs who were never prepared — not bad investments. Families who beat the odds talk openly about values and prepare their heirs long before any money changes hands.
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    56 min
  • The Railroads of Quantum Computing: The Next Trillion-Dollar Bet + Milestone Show

    The Railroads of Quantum Computing: The Next Trillion-Dollar Bet + Milestone Show
    May 18 2026
    🎉 Welcome to the 400th episode of Money On Tap. Nine years. Four hundred conversations. To celebrate, the first four callers to 855-226-8551 each get their pick from four pieces of MOT swag. Phone calls only — email won't count.This week, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon close The Railroads of… trilogy with the one that may make all the rest run faster: quantum computing.What you'll learn:
    • What a qubit actually is — and why "both 0 and 1 at once" changes everything
    • The three investable layers: cloud platforms · hardware (semis & cryogenics) · software
    • The four pure-play names: Rigetti (RGTI), IonQ (IONQ), D-Wave (QBTS), Quantum Computing Inc. (QUBT) — and what their +250% to +5,700% trailing moves really mean
    • The four big-tech quantum plays: IBM, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon
    • The four ETFs to research: QTUM, ARKQ, BOTZ, ROBO
    • The barbell approach for taking speculative exposure without betting the farm
    • Why the honest timeline says mid-2030s — and the energy problem nobody's talking about
    • How space, robotics, and quantum intersect — and why the railroads series mattered
    Plus Money In The News:
    • Spotify and Peloton team up on a global fitness content hub
    • The AI splurge is costing big tech its workforce — Oracle plans to cut 40% of its workforce
    • Have software stocks reached the extreme washout yet? (And what the "SaaS-pocalypse" means for the next 12 months)
    Read the companion blog: brayshawfinancial.com/blog
    Schedule a free consultation: app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta
    Full Money On Tap episode library: brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us
    Phone: 855-226-8551
    Email: info@yourmoneyontap.com
    Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110
    Web: brayshawfinancial.com

    • Why does so much inherited wealth disappear?
      About 70% of family wealth is gone by the second generation, and roughly 90% by the third. The cause is overwhelmingly behavioral — poor communication, weak stewardship, and heirs who were never prepared — not bad investments. Families who beat the odds talk openly about values and prepare their heirs long before any money changes hands.
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    56 min
  • The Railroads of Robotics: Investing in Physical AI, Cobots, and the Reshoring Boom

    The Railroads of Robotics: Investing in Physical AI, Cobots, and the Reshoring Boom
    May 12 2026
    4.3 million industrial robots are already deployed globally. Robot costs have dropped 50% in 30 years. Payback periods are now 1 to 3 years. The reshoring of American manufacturing isn't a forecast — it's a buy order.This week on Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon continue the series with The Railroads of Robotics — the picks-and-shovels playbook for physical AI and the next great industrial build-out.What you'll learn:
    • Why three forces — reshoring, labor shortage, and 1–3 year robot payback — make automation inevitable
    • The four investable layers: robots · AI systems · software · hardware
    • A walk-through of the public names: Rockwell Automation, Teradyne, Emerson Electric, NVIDIA, Tesla (Optimus), AeroVironment, Applied Materials, Autodesk
    • How cobots are reshaping skilled-trades work — and what the NVIDIA CEO's "three-day work week" prediction really means
    • Five robotics-themed ETFs walked through: ROBO, BOTZ, IBOT, ARKQ, ROBT
    • What to tell the kids and grandkids about which jobs will actually exist in 10 years
    • The geopolitical risk that could shelve this entire build-out overnight
    Plus Money In The News:
    • United Airlines hikes fares up to 20% — CEO admits passing 100% of jet-fuel cost to consumers
    • Musk vs. Altman: a $134B suit heading to court while SpaceX ($1.25T) and OpenAI ($850B) IPOs loom
    • Adobe announces a $25B buyback (25% of market cap) while Big Tech keeps laying off — and the buyback nuance most investors miss
    Read the companion blog: brayshawfinancial.com/blog
    Schedule a free consultation: app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta
    Full Money On Tap episode library: brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us
    Phone: 855-226-8551
    Email: info@yourmoneyontap.com
    Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110
    Web: brayshawfinancial.com

    • Why does so much inherited wealth disappear?
      About 70% of family wealth is gone by the second generation, and roughly 90% by the third. The cause is overwhelmingly behavioral — poor communication, weak stewardship, and heirs who were never prepared — not bad investments. Families who beat the odds talk openly about values and prepare their heirs long before any money changes hands.
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    56 min
  • The Railroads of Space: SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and How to Invest the New Space Economy

    The Railroads of Space: SpaceX, Rocket Lab, and How to Invest the New Space Economy
    May 3 2026
    Space just became an asset class. Q1 2026 alone saw $36 billion deployed — and the SpaceX IPO could be the first trillion-dollar offering in history.This week on Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon walk through what they're calling the railroads of space — the picks-and-shovels companies quietly building the rails that everything else will ride on.What you'll learn:
    • Why the SpaceX IPO is the single biggest catalyst hanging over the entire sector
    • The three investable layers: access · infrastructure · application & data
    • A walk-through of the public names already in motion — RKLB, ASTS, IRDM, PL, RDW
    • Where robotics fits — and why Honeybee Robotics and Redwire matter more than people think
    • The four real risks: capital intensity, government dependence, boom-bust speculation, and SpaceX disruption
    • Why an actively managed space-themed ETF may be the most prudent way for retail investors to participate
    Plus Money In The News:
    • Active ETFs cross $1 trillion — and why the cost trade-off is worth it for many investors
    • Round Hill's DRAM ETF pulls $1B in 10 days, giving U.S. investors backdoor access to Samsung and SK Hynix
    • $4 gas drives consumer confidence to a record-low 47.6% — lower than 2008 — and inflation expectations climb toward 4.8%
    Read the companion blog: brayshawfinancial.com/blog
    Schedule a free consultation: app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta
    Full Money On Tap episode library: brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us
    Phone: 855-226-8551
    Email: info@yourmoneyontap.com
    Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110
    Web: brayshawfinancial.com

    • Why does so much inherited wealth disappear?
      About 70% of family wealth is gone by the second generation, and roughly 90% by the third. The cause is overwhelmingly behavioral — poor communication, weak stewardship, and heirs who were never prepared — not bad investments. Families who beat the odds talk openly about values and prepare their heirs long before any money changes hands.
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    56 min
  • Tax Filing Is History, Tax Planning Is Control: How to Stop Overpaying the IRS Every April

    Tax Filing Is History, Tax Planning Is Control: How to Stop Overpaying the IRS Every April
    Apr 24 2026
    Tax filing reports what already happened. Tax planning is what puts you back in control.If you just finished paying your 2025 taxes and you're wondering how the bill got that big, this week's Money On Tap is for you.Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon walk through the year-round tax strategies most investors — and most financial advisors — are quietly missing. From bracket management and income engineering to real estate depreciation, solo 401(k) contributions, charitable trusts, and the often-overlooked Augusta Rule, this is a working playbook for keeping more of what you earn.What you'll learn:
    • Why tax planning beats tax filing every year — and what most advisors skip
    • How to engineer your income to stay in a lower bracket without changing your lifestyle
    • The difference between one-off Roth conversions and a real 10-year Roth strategy
    • Real estate deductions, cost segregation, and the Augusta Rule explained
    • Solo 401(k) vs SEP IRA — and why business owners routinely leave $30K+ on the table
    • Charitable remainder trusts: the tax strategy almost nobody talks about
    • Why today's 37% top federal bracket is historically low — and what that means for your retirement plan
    Plus Money In The News:
    • Google's $10M commitment to train American manufacturing workers on AI
    • The cost to raise a child in the US now tops $300,000
    • South Hadley, MA rejects a 50% property tax hike by a 2-to-1 vote
    Read the companion blog: brayshawfinancial.com/blog
    Schedule a free consultation: app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta
    Full Money On Tap episode library: brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us
    Phone: 855-226-8551
    Email: info@yourmoneyontap.com
    Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110
    Web: brayshawfinancial.com

    • Why does so much inherited wealth disappear?
      About 70% of family wealth is gone by the second generation, and roughly 90% by the third. The cause is overwhelmingly behavioral — poor communication, weak stewardship, and heirs who were never prepared — not bad investments. Families who beat the odds talk openly about values and prepare their heirs long before any money changes hands.
    Mostra di più Mostra meno
    56 min