Good morning!

Today's email includes:

*A different type of "ask me anything" episode, coming soon.

*A podcast episode devoted entirely to your Roth conversion questions

*A sequence-of-returns model that you can use and play with.

*And other people's content about ignoring the news, knowledge vs. understanding, and being a unique human.

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.

We want to open it up to...just about anything! It'll be deliberately NOT financial. Ask me anything else.

I'm not slipping down the slope of becoming a self-absorbed influencer. But once every 150 episodes or so, I think it'd be fun to share a little about me, rather than explaining tax rates and expense ratios.

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!

Are You a Good Roth Conversion Candidate?

In this new podcast episode, I answer a wide range of listener questions about Roth conversions, moving beyond the basic mechanics to explore the nuanced trade-offs that determine whether a conversion creates value or simply accelerates taxes unnecessarily.

Stay tuned for the end of the episode, where I review a a comprehensive "Roth conversion checklist" covering tax bracket management, break-even analysis, Social Security taxation, IRMAA surcharges, ACA healthcare subsidies, charitable giving strategies, estate planning considerations, and numerous other interactions that can dramatically alter the value of a conversion.

Tune in below:

Sequence of Returns - A Simple Model You Can Play With

Sequence of returns risk is a great topic for retirement. I've discussed it a few different times.

But the math of sequence risk is not easy to understand.

That's why I wrote this blog post to share a very simple spreadsheet example that illustrates exactly how sequence risk actually works.

Check it out below.

The Top 3...

Other great finance and retirement content from the past week:

1) Most people say, "ignore the news." Sam Ro says different. And I really like his point of view.

2) AI is turning financial planning information into a commodity. But understanding that info? That's still personal.

3) 5 insights on being a unique human - not conforming to the tribe.

What Are *Your* Questions?

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

I'm collecting questions for AMAs 20 and 21. Reply to this email with your question.

Or submit a question directly from my website.

Retirement Planning Can Be Complex...

Retirement is a puzzle. How's yours looking?

I help people solve that puzzle.

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

We help our clients answer the toughest retirement questions:

• 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!!

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