Paul got a question today from a listener who wants to know how an ex-spouse can take benefits when they did not work and are no longer married to the working spouse. Listen along as Paul uses this question to explain an important aspect of social security that is usually misunderstood: Social Security is not a personal account you build up. It is a benefit earned through work history and tax payments. When you are married and filing jointly, both partners are growing their social security benefits.

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Today, Paul gives a crash course about social security and some of the most common mistakes or misconceptions when taking this benefit. Listen along to learn more about earnings limits, income requirements, taxes on benefits, and the rules around spousal benefits included in the case of being widowed, divorced, and remarried.

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Paul brings an article about an investor who has almost $800,000 in an investment hoping it would turn around his financial situation amid health complications. Today, Paul talks about what happened to this investor, what red flags all investors should be looking out for, and why the best thing you can do is learn from others’ mistakes instead of learning the hard way.

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Many proponents of Bitcoin are very excited about what a Trump presidency may mean for Bitcoin prices. Today, Paul needs investors to know that Bitcoin is driven by supply and demand, still has to compete with other cryptocurrencies, and offers no true return on your investment. It’s always going to be worth what someone is willing to buy for it. So while it may be a high-profile time for the crypto market, it is a dangerous time to try to get in and play the crypto game.

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Most investors who are taking money in retirement have a fear of running out. They are afraid that the market will be too volatile and they’ll have to deplete their portfolio when the market is down. Today, Paul wants investors to know about another very dangerous reality: your money losing its purchasing power. Paul looks into the numbers of how markets fare over longer periods and what may happen if you are too conservative and get priced out of a livable income due to inflation.

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Today Paul and Jeff talk about their first impressions after the Paul-Tyson fight over the weekend and they both have the same reaction: This was always more about the money than it was about the sport. Paul brings a clip from CNBC that talks about rampant sports betting and the negative effect it’s having on families’ emotional and financial well-being. The truth is that the investing industry works very similarly to the sports industry. They want you to focus on the drama and story behind their products so they can make money.

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There are investment companies that will do anything to sell products to investors, even if that means lying about their products. Earlier this month, Invesco was sued and settled for $17.5 million for claiming that over 75% of their investments were ESG during the height of the ESG craze from 2020-2022. The truth was not only was it a lie, but the company had no documented procedures on how to achieve that goal or measure it. Evan talks about how advisors are groomed by the industry to sell products that people want to buy and what you can do to avoid working with them.

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Paul and Evan talk about the unfortunate reality today that nothing on the internet may be as it seems and that professionals go to great lengths to delete bad reviews and engage in pay-to-play opportunities to create fake credibility. Listen along as the advisors talk about a Zweig article that calls out this practice titled, “Financial Guru, TV Star, Bestselling Author? Not So Fast,” and share some questions you can ask to better understand whether someone is credible or not.

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