Benetas Briefing: New Podcast Episode: Interest Rates, Reality, and Retirement Planning
This week’s episode of Wisdom for Your Wisdom Years challenges a familiar assumption — that interest rates are something the Federal Reserve simply “sets.” Over long periods of time, markets do that work.Supply and demand for capital.Inflation expectations.Risk.Human behavior. Policy can influence rates, but it cannot override those forces indefinitely without creating distortions. That matters for retirees, because distortions don’t disappear quietly.They show up later — in income
Benetas Briefing: New Podcast Episode: Miniseries Part 3 of 3: How to Get Started Investing
Smart Strategies and Common Mistakes to AvoidWhy Discipline Matters More Than PrecisionIn this final installment of our three-part investing series, we turn to the mistakes that quietly derail long-term plans — and the disciplines that help investors avoid them.Most investing errors don’t come from lack of knowledge. They come from impatience, overconfidence, and the temptation to take shortcuts. The Hidden Cost of Market TimingOne of the most persistent myths in investing is that success comes from
New Podcast Miniseries Part 2 of 3: How to Get Started Investing
Understanding Risk Starts With StructureWhen most people think about investing, they think in terms of picks—which stock, which fund, which idea.But long-term results are driven far less by individual selections and far more by how a portfolio is structured from the start. Stocks vs. Bonds: Two Very Different RolesAt its core, investing comes down to two primary building blocks:· Stocks represent ownership in companies. They tend to fluctuate more in the short term but offer higher long-term growth
Investing for Younger People: Part 1 — Laying the Groundwork
Most people begin their financial lives focused on saving—and that’s appropriate. But long-term goals require a different way of thinking.This edition of the Benetas Briefing accompanies Episode 1 of a 3-part miniseries on investing and planning for younger people, featuring Matt Murphy and Matt Reynolds on Wisdom for Your Wisdom Years. The First Shift: From Saving to InvestingSaving emphasizes stability and accessibility.Investing emphasizes time, patience, and long-term growth.When retirement is 30–40
Benetas Briefing: Estate Planning and Trusts: What Actually Makes a Plan Work
Estate planning often looks complete on paper—but too often fails in practice.In this episode, Matt and Jodi focus on what actually makes an estate plan work: understanding trusts, funding them properly, and coordinating legal documents with real-world accounts.Trusts, Explained SimplyJodi describes a trust as a basket that holds your assets, along with written instructions for how those assets should be managed and distributed.The discussion centers on two common trust types:· Revocable trusts offer
