Financial Planning Explained

On this week's episode of Financial Planning: Explained", host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Nick DeVito, CFP. Nick is a financial planner at Menninger & Associates. This is the first of a three-part series on the upcoming tax law changes in 2025. In this episode, Mike and Nick discuss a broad overview of the different types of taxes, with a focus on federal taxes. The two also discuss taxation based on investment types, and the history of tax brackets. This is a great episode for all, no matter what age. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning, visit https://maaplanning.com

This week on “Financial Planning: Explained”, host Michael Menninger, CFP and Kyle Ryan, CFP welcome Andy Gurkzak. Andy is the President and Manager at Allcity Adjusting, which is a licensed public adjusting firm in Indiana. In this episode, Andy and Mike discuss the process of an adjuster evaluating property damage, negotiating an insurance claim with the insurance company, and insurance coverage. Public adjusting has financial planning implications as risk management is one of the six areas of financial planning. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning, visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of “Financial Planning: Explained”, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Nick DeVito. Nick is a financial planner at Menninger & Associates Financial Planning. In this episode, Mike and Nick discuss unexpected planning needs that people often overlook. Topics in this episode include: paying off debt, utilizing the benefits of a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit), maximizing employer match, and the importance of estate planning. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning, visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of “Financial Planning: Explained”, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined again by Nick DeVito. Nick is a financial planner at Menninger & Associates Financial Planning. This episode is the second of a two-part series discussing year-end tax planning. In this episode, Mike and Nick review further considerations for year-end taxes. Topics in this episode include: tax loss harvesting, Roth IRA conversions, and business deductions. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning, visit https://maaplanning.com

This week on “Financial Planning: Explained”, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes back Nick DeVito. Nick is a financial planner at Menninger & Associates Financial Planning. This episode is the first of a two-part series on year-end tax planning. As we reach the end of the calendar year, it is important to review certain considerations for tax planning. In this episode, Mike and Nick discuss options to maximize retirement plan contributions and proper tax withholding. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning, visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of “Financial Planning: Explained”, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined again by Nick DeVito. Nick is a financial planner at Menninger & Associates Financial Planning. This is the second episode of a two-part series on employee benefits. In this episode, the guys continue their discussion on employee benefits. Mike and Nick go into detail about topics such as disability insurance and 401(k) programs. When discussing 401(k)s the two touch on the basics, vesting, and loan options. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning, visit https://maaplanning.com

This week on “Financial Planning: Explained”, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes Nick DeVito. Nick is a financial planner at Menninger & Associates Financial Planning. This episode is the first of a two-part series on employee benefits. In this episode, Mike and Nick discuss what exactly employee benefits are. After a broad overview, they cover in detail topics like open enrollment, health insurance, and life insurance. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning, visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of “Financial Planning: Explained”, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined again by Kyle Ryan, CFP, ChFC. Kyle is a financial planner at Menninger & Associates Financial Planning. This episode is the second of a two-part series on PSERS (Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System). In this episode, the show an example of a PSERS statement and all that is involved with it. This episode also reviews the portion of the pensions that can be distributed as a lump sum and how it impacts the pension. They also go into detail about the various payout options and how they affect your monthly payout. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning, visit https://maaplanning.com *Menninger & Associates is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by PSERS

This week on “Financial Planning: Explained”, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes back Kyle Ryan, CFP, ChFC. Kyle is a financial planner at Menninger & Associates Financial Planning. This episode is the first of a two-part series on PSERS (Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System). In this episode, the guys discuss exactly what PSERS is, how the pension is calculated, the differences between older and newer versions of the pension plan, and the parameters around it compared to other pensions. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com *Menninger & Associates is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by PSERS

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Kyle Ryan, CFP. Kyle is a financial planner at Menninger & Associates Financial Planning. This episode is a case study on retirement planning, which is one of the six major areas of financial planning. In this episode, Mike and Kyle discuss a case study for a married couple nearing retirement. It’s an interesting case study because it covers topics such as: inheritance, pensions, and 401(k)s. They also discuss possible solutions to the couple’s situation. This is a great episode for anyone that is nearing retirement. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes back Marty Greenbaum, CFE. Marty is the Founder and Senior Franchise Consultant at Smart Franchise Investing. This is the final episode in the three-part series on business franchising. This episode focuses on the process of purchasing a franchise. Topics include: financing the purchase, marketing ventures, and the importance of speaking to a consultant before committing to purchasing a franchise. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined again by Marty Greenbaum, CFE. Marty is the Founder and Senior Franchise Consultant at Smart Franchise Investing. This is part two of a three-part series on business franchising. This episode focuses on the factors to consider when deciding on purchasing a franchise and which franchisor. Topics include: the vetting process of franchisees, territory stipulations, gauging success, and exit strategies. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes Marty Greenbaum, CFE. Marty is the Founder and Senior Franchise Consultant at Smart Franchise Investing. This is the first episode in a three-part series discussing business franchising. This episode provides an overview of business franchising, how it works, and many of the advantages of franchising. Topics include: franchising vs. owning a business, franchise flexibility and freedoms, prior experience needed, and financing a franchise. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit http://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined again by Ryan Keefe and Kyle Ryan, CFP for the final segment of this series. Ryan and Kyle are financial advisors at Menninger & Associates Financial Planning. This episode is the final episode of a five-part series that reviews various common topics regarding financial planning. This episode also concludes the discussion of retirement planning. Topics include: tax efficient retirement withdrawal strategies, annuity & pension distribution options, and understanding pensions. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Ryan Keefe and Kyle Ryan, CFP. Ryan and Kyle are financial advisors at Menninger & Associates Financial Planning. This is the fourth episode in a five-part series on common topics of financial planning. We continue to focus on retirement planning in this episode as it is such a vast and important piece of financial planning. Topics include: forecasting retirement expenses, understanding your cost of living and sequence of return risk. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined again by Ryan Keefe and Kyle Ryan, CFP. Ryan and Kyle are financial advisors at Menninger & Associates Financial Planning. This is the third episode in a five-part series reviewing common financial planning topics. This episode focuses on the area of retirement planning. Topics Include: funding retirement goals, pre-59½ distribution strategies, and understanding your cost of living. These topics all reference the importance to successful retirement planning. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes back Ryan Keefe and Kyle Ryan, CFP. Ryan and Kyle are financial advisors at Menninger & Associates Financial Planning. This is the second episode in a five-part series discussing common topics of financial planning. This episode focuses on the investment planning area of financial planning. Topics include: passive index vs. actively managed funds, what to do with a wage increase, harvesting gains/losses, and backdoor Roth IRAs. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Ryan Keefe and Kyle Ryan, CFP. Ryan and Kyle are financial advisors at Menninger & Associates Financial Planning. This episode is the first episode of a five-part series that reviews various common topics regarding financial planning. This episode focuses on the cash management area of financial planning. Topics include: the importance of good credit, HSAs & FSAs, saving programs for children, and ways to give to charities. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined again by Brad Sorensen, CFA. Brad is a Portfolio Manager and Chief Investment Officer at Cornerstone Portfolio Research. Cornerstone is the team that Mike’s firm uses as their outsourced Chief Investment Officers, as they serve in the role of assisting Mike’s team in making investment decisions for their client’s managed portfolios. This is the final episode in this four-part series on the current state of the economy. In this episode, Brad and Mike discuss the long-term movement of the US dollar and its impact on international investments, which represent 40% of the global stock market. They also end the episode with a graph showing the projected interest rate cuts and discuss the impacts of rate curs on the stock market and bond markets. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes back Brad Sorensen, CFA. Brad is a Portfolio Manager and Chief Investment Officer at Cornerstone Portfolio Research. Cornerstone is the team that Mike’s firm uses as their outsourced Chief Investment Officers, as they serve in the role of assisting Mike’s team in making investment decisions for their client’s managed portfolios. This is the third episode in a four-part series on the current state of the economy. In this episode, Brad and Mike discuss the markets from a broad perspective. This episode shows the behavior of the S&P 500 over the past year, and then discusses the disparity between growth and value stocks. Brad & Mike also review PE ratios and compare them to their historical averages. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down again with Brad Sorensen, CFA. Brad is a Portfolio Manager and Chief Investment Officer at Cornerstone Portfolio Research. Cornerstone is the team that Mike’s firm uses as their outsourced Chief Investment Officers, as they serve in the role of assisting Mike’s team in making investment decisions for their client’s managed portfolios. This episode is the second episode of a 4-part series that reviews various components of the economy and the resulting behavior of the stock and bond markets. In this second part, Brad and Mike talk about the cases for and against a recession. They discuss the indicators of a recession and how we can determine what to expect moving forward. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Brad Sorensen, CFA. Brad is a Portfolio Manager and Chief Investment Officer at Cornerstone Portfolio Research. Cornerstone is the team that Mike’s firm uses as their outsourced Chief Investment Officers, as they serve in the role of assisting Mike’s team in making investment decisions for their client’s managed portfolios. This episode is the first of a 4-part series that reviews various components of the economy and the resulting behavior of the stock and bond markets. In this first part, Brad and Mike discuss the two Fed mandates – price stability (inflation) and the labor markets. These two mandates serve as the basis for the Fed raising interest rates, which has a significant impact on the financial markets. In addition, Brad and Mike also touched upon two current hot topics – the debt ceiling and recent bank failures. This first episode also marks the 100th episode of Financial Planning: Explained. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com Meet Mike Menninger, CFP the host of Financial Planning: Explained https://maaplanning.com/who-we-are/ourteam

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Jon Groth. Jon is a proven Wisconsin Personal Injury and Litigation Attorney at Groth Law Firm, S.C. and Samster, Konkel & Safran Law Offices, a division of Groth Law Firm, S.C. This is a great episode that nearly everyone can relate to, whether you’ve had a neglectful injury occur or know a friend of family member who has been hurt in a car accident. Jon and Mike go into detail about a variety of topics including personal injury law, elder abuse, vaccine injuries and even suing your own insurance company! For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Anca Trofin. Anca is the owner of Aim High Wellness and Travel, where she blends being a massage therapist, spin instructor, and travel guide. In this episode, Anca and Mike discuss the importance of traveling efficiently and more specifically, the importance of a travel agent and just the value that they bring to a trip. Anca also discusses her specialty of being the leader and tour host for groups of people taking vacations, especially to Europe. This is a great episode if you plan on taking an extended trip and don’t want to be bothered with figuring out an itinerary of a place you’ve never been to. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined by Rachael Packer and Kyle Ryan, CFP. Rachael is a senior living specialist at Senior Living Specialists Philly. Kyle is one of the financial advisors on staff at Menninger & Associates. This is a great episode on senior living and long-term senior care that many households can relate to. Rachael goes into detail about how families transition loved ones into facilities, as well as the financial process of how to do so. Mike and Kyle provide the planning side of that as well. This is a must watch for anyone considering moving an elderly family member into a long-term care facility. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes Kyle Ryan, CFP, one of the financial advisors on staff at Menninger & Associates. In Part Two of this series on company stock plans, Mike and Kyle go into detail about Employee Stock Options and Employee Stock Purchase Plans (ESPP). This is a great episode if your company offers these types of stock plans and provides examples on how to maximize use of them. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Kyle Ryan, CFP, one of the financial advisors on staff at Menninger & Associates. Of the six areas of financial planning, today's episode focuses on investment planning. Specifically, Mike and Kyle discuss company stock plans. This is a two-part series that covers everything from: stock in a 401k, stock options, RSUs, and employee stock purchase plans. This is a great episode if your company offers stock options and how to maximize them. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes Kyle Ryan, CFP, one of the financial advisors on staff at Menninger & Associates. This episode is the final leg of a three-part series on Life Insurance Planning. This episode goes into detail about the different uses of life insurance (term vs. permanent), and the design of a life insurance program for an individual or family. As part of the design, the hosts discuss methods for calculating the amount of life insurance you may need and for how long you should have it. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP is again joined by Kyle Ryan, CFP, one of the financial advisors on staff at Menninger & Associates. This is part two of a three-part series on Life Insurance Planning. This episode discusses the different options when designing a life insurance policy, as well as level vs. increasing death benefits. The hosts also explain the various types of permanent/universal life insurance. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Kyle Ryan, CFP, one of the financial advisors on staff at Menninger & Associates. This is the first of a three-part series on a new topic for this show, Life Insurance Planning. This episode explains the different types of insurances, but really details life insurance and just how important it is. The episode details the different types (term and permanent) of life insurance as well and insurance premiums/ratings. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP discusses a topic long overdue on the show, the Taxation of Trusts. Trusts are used as a very important tool for estate planning, and are commonly used to help effectively transfer wealth to the next generation. In this episode, Mike details Revocable vs. Irrevocable trusts and investing in a trust. He also gives illustrative examples of taxable income estimates via the different tax brackets, and explains the importance of tax planning strategies when investing trust assets. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined by Kyle Ryan, CFP, one of the financial advisors on staff at Menninger & Associates. This is a timely and important episode that discusses the new SECURE 2.0 Act of 2022. The SECURE 2.0 Act provides extraordinary incentives for small business owners to establish retirement plans for their employees. Kyle and Mike go into detail about the changes from the Secure Act of 2019 to the new 2022 Act. The pair then discusses topics including: RMD’s, Auto Enrollment, as well as Employer Match. This is a great episode for small business owners. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Ryan Keefe and Kyle Ryan, CFP. Ryan and Kyle are two of the financial advisors at Menninger & Associates. This episode touches on a broad scope of topics ranging from asset distribution, paying yourself as a small business owner, and borrowing from a retirement account. This is a very descriptive and informative episode.

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined again by Ryan Keefe and Kyle Ryan, CFP. Ryan and Kyle are two of the financial advisors at Menninger & Associates. This is a great episode for young professionals in the workforce. Topics include: establishing initial credit, being prepared for a financial emergency, and the most important component of a financial plan. Please share this episode with anyone that you know that could benefit from it.

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes Ryan Keefe and Kyle Ryan, CFP. Ryan and Kyle are two of the financial advisors at Menninger & Associates. In this episode the guys dive into the topic of “When is a good time to start retirement planning?” This episode covers everything from capital gains, inheritance taxes, even the current homebuying conditions.

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Ryan Keefe and Kyle Ryan, CFP. Ryan and Kyle are two of the financial advisors at Menninger & Associates. Continuing last weeks discussion in Part 2 of a 2-part series, on what exactly is financial planning, the guys cover the remaining three areas of financial planning, including: Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, and Estate Planning Strategies.

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined again by Ryan Keefe and Kyle Ryan, CFP. Ryan and Kyle are two of the financial advisors at Menninger & Associates. Back by popular demand, the trio continues the series of viewer question & answer. This episode discusses in detail, the first three out of the six areas of financial planning including: Cash Management, Tax Planning Strategies, and Risk Management. The guys also discuss when is a good time to start retirement planning.

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes Ashley Downs and Joel LeBendig. Ashley and Joel are the co-founders of Resync Body Works. In this episode, Ashley, Joel, and Mike discuss the many challenges of breaking away from being an employee to starting their own small business. As a new business owners, Ashley and Joel discuss the evolution of how they planned the startup of the new business, how they overcame the challenges and pitfalls, as well as the freedom of working for yourself! For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

Viewer Q&A Part III with Ryan Keefe & Kyle Ryan, CFP This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes Ryan Keefe and Kyle Ryan, CFP. Ryan and Kyle are two of the financial advisors at Menninger & Associates. This three-part series covers questions that clients and viewers have asked us over time. In Part III, the panel discusses questions that we get regularly about financial planning firms, such as: what to expect as a new client, what it means to be a fiduciary, and how to work with a financial advisor through the various stages of your life. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Ryan Keefe and Kyle Ryan, CFP. Ryan and Kyle are two of the financial advisors at Menninger & Associates. This three-part series will cover questions that clients and viewers have asked us over time. In Part II, the panel tackles rebalancing your 401(k), the 60/40 balanced portfolio, and the proper investments (and those to avoid) when entering and coming out of a recession. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined again by Ryan Keefe and Kyle Ryan, CFP. Ryan and Kyle are two of the financial advisors at Menninger & Associates. This three-part series will cover questions that clients and viewers have asked us over time. In Part I, the panel discusses combatting inflation in your retirement portfolio, the Fed raising interest rates, and investing in bonds.

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined by Ryan Keefe and Kyle Ryan, CFP. Ryan and Kyle are two of the financial advisors at Menninger & Associates. The panel discusses in detail what the investment philosophy is at Menninger & Associates. There are many facets involved in properly choosing investments for clients, and the guys tackle each of those aspects.

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Kyle Ryan, CFA and Nick DeVito. Kyle is a senior advisor at Menninger & Associates and Nick is the newest member of the team. They both have recently dealt with student loan debts, so this topic is very pertinent to the two. With the conversation of student loan forgiveness promised by the White House, millions of students and former students across the country have many questions. In this episode the guys discuss everything that we know so far and provide great advice for anyone with current student loan debt.

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined again by Thomas Balis, CFA. Thomas is the founder and chief investment officer of Cornerstone Portfolio Research. Cornerstone is the team that Mike’s firm uses as their outsourced Chief Investment Officers, as they serve in the role of assisting Mike’s team in making investment decisions for their client’s managed portfolios. In Part II of this series, Thomas and Mike touch on the 800-pound gorilla in the room – inflation. From there, they discuss the causes of record inflationary, and what and why the Fed is raising interest rates to combat inflation. They also discuss the current state of the market and economy, as well as the many issues affecting them. These issues include second quarter earnings reports, the job market, and what to expect moving forward. This is a timely and very informative episode regarding the markets and the economy.

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes Thomas Balis, CFA. Thomas is the founder and chief investment officer of Cornerstone Portfolio Research. Cornerstone is the team that Mike’s firm uses as their outsourced Chief Investment Officers, as they serve in the role of assisting Mike’s team in making investment decisions for their client’s managed portfolios. This two-part series will discuss pertinent issues regarding the stock market and the many factors that are currently affecting it. In Part I, Thomas and Mike discuss the economy and whether or not it is in a recession, which has been a political debate the past couple weeks. This is a timely and very informative episode regarding the markets and the economy.

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Brian McCarthy. Brian is the Founder & President of Open Tier Systems. They are a leading provider of IT, VoIP, and Networking solutions and services for small to medium sized businesses. Brian and Mike touch on cyber security for businesses and how to keep your assets and website safe. This episode discusses the three main factors of cyber security including: multi factor authentication, password management, and backup. This is an informative episode to watch not only as a business owner, but as someone who houses passwords anywhere on the internet.

On this week’s episode of Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP is joined by Randy Crabtree, CPA. Randy is the Co-Founder and Partner at Tri-Merit Specialty Tax Professionals. This is a great episode as it touched very niche parts of tax planning, as Randy’s firm educates other CPAs and industrial clients including R&D and other unique tax credits. Further, Randy and Mike draw the parallels of their true passion for teaching their respective professions of Tax Planning and Financial Planning to other industry professionals. This is a great episode for CPAs who represent Manufacturers, Software Developers, Architects, and Engineers. This episode would also interest business owners / founders who wish to move on from daily management of the business to a different, but active role in the company.

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes back real estate agent, David Cary and his new Co-Founding Partner, Douglas Braun. Dave and Doug recently opened their own real estate agency called Prime Real Estate, which employs 20 agents. This episode touches on all the questions we get asked regularly about the housing market. From the recent increase in interest rates to the justification of landlords increasing rent, this episode is a must see whether you’re a homeowner looking to move, or a first-time home buyer.

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP is excited to welcome Stacy Francis, CFP. Stacy is one of twenty of the nation’s leading wealth managers on CNBC’s Digital Financial Advisor Council, and frequently appears in media outlets such as Forbes, Kiplinger, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today. Stacy and Mike discuss her expertise, which is financial planning for women who are experiencing divorce, or the loss of a loved one. This episode is a must see for anyone you know who is currently experiencing a life changing event that left them financially vulnerable.

On this week's on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP finishes a two-part case study on Planning Considerations. This series touches on all six major aspects of financial planning including: Cash Management, Tax Planning, Risk Management, Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, and Estate Planning. In part two, Mike discusses topics including: widowed spouses, taxes, beneficiaries, and mortgages. If these topics affect you, this is a must see episode.