📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/

A new year is the perfect time to make sure your financial plan is still working the way it should. In this episode, Eric walks through a simple (yet impactful) checklist to help you reset, refocus, and avoid common mistakes that can sneak up over the course of the year. Miss these now, and they can quietly cost you later.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

🧾 Tax Withholdings – Making sure the right amount is withheld

📜 New Legislation – How recent laws affect your taxes

📆 Estimated Taxes – Quarterly payments versus automatic withholding

💼 Retirement Contributions – Maximizing limits and catch-up options

📁 Tax Prep – Organizing documents before deadlines arrive

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/

Money shows up in our favorite songs for a reason. It captures the emotions, tensions, and tradeoffs we all feel when it comes to finances. In this episode, Eric has some fun pulling financial lessons from iconic lyrics and exploring what they reveal about real-life money decisions. You might never hear these songs the same way again!

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

🎤 Song Lyrics – Financial lessons hidden in familiar music

💵 More Money – Why higher income creates new complications

🧠 Mindset Shift – How wealth changes decisions and emotions

🛣️ Big Decisions – When it makes sense to pull money out

🧾 Taxes – Keeping more of what you’ve earned

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/

In a world full of flashy promises and polished marketing, how do you know what actually matters when choosing a financial professional? In this episode, Eric tackles “shiny object syndrome” in retirement planning- the glossy brochures, impressive projections, testimonials, awards, and alphabet soup of credentials that can distract investors from what really counts. Eric breaks down which tools can be helpful, which deserve skepticism, and why trust, process, and real-world experience ultimately outweigh hype.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

✨ Shiny marketing vs. substance

📊 How to interpret hypothetical projections realistically

🗣️ What testimonials can (and can’t) tell you

🏆 Why advisor awards may be misleading

🎓 Experience vs. professional designations

🤝 The importance of trust and a clear planning process

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/

When it comes to retirement, having enough money doesn’t automatically mean having everything figured out. In this episode, Eric tackles real listener questions that reveal where even confident savers can still go wrong. From deciding whether an advisor adds value when money isn’t an issue, to the risks of relying on stock-picking and “passive income” strategies for early retirement, the conversation centers on one core idea: having options isn’t the same as having a strategy.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

💬 “If I already have more money than I’ll ever need, do I really need an advisor?”

💬 “Can I create reliable passive income by picking the right stocks and retiring early?”

💬 “How do we handle risk when my spouse and I don’t see money the same way?”

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/

We’ve all seen those Christmas ornaments that say things like “Baby’s First Christmas.” It’s a milestone moment worth commemorating. But what about a retiree’s first Christmas? You may not have a specialty ornament to hang on the tree for this one, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a milestone. Let’s break down what might be different about this year’s holiday for your first Christmas in retirement…

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

🎁 How gift-giving changes without holiday bonuses

✈️ Travel freedom- and costs- during the holidays

📊 Why many retirees feel cautious their first year

🫴 The power of giving back to your community

❤️ Creating new traditions, giving back, and building lasting memories

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/

We’re bombarded daily with headlines that spark panic — elections, health insurance changes, Social Security insolvency, market swings, and more. But how much of it really matters for your retirement?

In this episode of the Retirement Ready Podcast, Eric Peterson breaks down three major worries retirees bring up all the time — political elections, ACA subsidy changes, and the Social Security trust fund — and explains which ones deserve your attention and which ones are mostly noise.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

🗳️ Election noise ≠ reality

🛡️ Focus on what you control

💊 ACA subsidies still workable

📉 Social Security needs fixes

🧾 Your plan should absorb changes

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/

Your retirement journey has more in common with The Wizard of Oz than you might think. In this playful but practical episode, Eric uses themes from the classic film — the Yellow Brick Road, the Scarecrow, Glinda the Good Witch, and more — to illustrate some of the most important principles in retirement planning.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

🟨 Stay on the Yellow Brick Road

🏡 There’s No Place Like Home

🧠 “If I Only Had a Brain”

🧙‍♀️ Good Witch or Bad Witch?

🚫 Don’t Follow the Munchkins

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/

📞 Ready to take the next step?

Connect with the Peterson Financial team here 👉 https://petersonfg.com/

Eric explores common money mistakes people often make when planning for retirement, and scenarios that could cost you in the long run. The discussion also covers critical considerations around long-term care and how to avoid financial setbacks. Tune in to learn what you can do now to steer clear of these all-too-common errors and set yourself up for a worry-free retirement.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

💸 Retirement Planning Slip-Ups: the mistakes that sneak up on people

📥 Automating Contributions: how money ends up sitting idle without you noticing

📊 Auto-Enrollment Pitfalls: when “set it and forget it” backfires

🕒 Claiming Too Early: why timing your Social Security matters

🏥 Long-Term Care Blind Spots: the cost people underestimate most

Get in touch with the Peterson Financial team: https://petersonfg.com/