100% S&P 500 and About to Retire - Why's That Wrong?


Good morning!

It might be smoggy outside, but hopefully you're feeling clarity in your financial plans.

Today's email includes:

*A listener who asked, "My retirement portfolio is 100% S&P 500 - and it's done great! Why do you say it's wrong?!"

*A $500K Roth conversion mistake, and a reminder about the clients I prefer to work with.

*Other content about "solo agers," big goals, and Social Security calculators.


Ask Me (Literally) Anything

We're getting ready to record Episode 150.

Many of you know that my normal AMA episodes focus entirely on retirement and financial planning questions.

We want Episode 150 to be different. It'll be deliberately NOT financial. Ask me anything else.

Family. Hobbies. "Would you rather...?" - go ahead, ask away.

My production team will curate the questions they think the audience will enjoy most, and I'll answer them "live" for the first time as we record the episode.

So - ask me anything except financial planning questions!


"I'm 100% S&P 500. Is That Wrong?"

Time for a throwback - to the very first Ask Me Anything episode.

In that episode, a soon-to-be retiree asked me this:

I'm close to 100% large-cap stocks, and it has worked great for me.
As time goes, I've sold my small-cap, mid-cap, and international stocks to go all-in on large-cap stocks.
It's working! It's hard for me to see how this is not a good strategy going forward.
I'm close to retirement, but why should I change?"

Do you feel like you have too much exposure to the S&P 500?

Tune in!


A $500,000 Error (and the Clients I Want to Work With)

I recently saw a cautionary tale on a financial planning forum:

The consequences of this giant mistake help to filter out who is a good fit for my work as a financial planner.


The Top 3...

Other great finance and retirement content from the past week:

1) An important story about the growing cohort of "solo agers"

2) Are "big goals" actually bad for you?

3) This week, I helped a listener answer a Social Security question using the calculator at Open Social Security. If you're unfamiliar, it's a great, free tool.


What Are *Your* Questions?

My most popular podcast episodes are the "ask me anything" episodes. Check them out here:


Retirement Planning Can Be Complex...

Retirement is a puzzle. How's yours looking?

  • Have we saved enough to retire?
  • Is our portfolio invested the right way?
  • How do we minimize taxes?
  • How do we plan for healthcare - especially before Medicare?!
  • ...and the list goes on!!

I'm a Partner at a fee-only fiduciary retirement planning firm. We work with clients all over the USA.

If you're planning for retirement, visit PlanWithJesse.com and let's start a conversation.


Until Next Week

Thank you for reading, listening, and writing back.

People like you send me questions every day.

Reply below. I'd love to hear from you. ​​

Until next week,

Jesse Cramer

Jesse Cramer

Retirement is a different game. You’ve spent decades building wealth. Now comes the harder part - turning it into a paycheck that lasts. I’m Jesse Cramer. I help DIY investors turn their savings into a clear, cohesive retirement plan. Join 4000+ weekly readers and 20,000+ podcast listeners.

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