As we approach the new year, it's essential to stay informed about the financial changes that could impact your retirement planning. The latest episode of the Caffeine and Cash Flow podcast will provide you with updates for 2025, focusing on pension and retirement plan contribution limits.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

• The maximum amounts you can put into different types of IRAs.
• Should you be maxing out the catch-up contributions?
• Something that’s brand new for 2025.
• Social Security COLA increase and other changes to benefits.
• The gift tax exclusion is going up as well.

Get in touch with Michael-

Web: https://www.westpacwealth.com/team/michael-schulte

Email: michael.schulte@westpacwealth.com

Phone: 702-767-4897

We’ll continue with part two of our conversation on how the economy has grown under previous presidential administrations. In the previous episode, we discussed some of the more recent administrations, but this time we’ll go back deeper into history and take a good look at older data.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

• How inflation factors into growth for certain asset classes.
• How WWII tied into the economic recovery out of the Great Depression.
• Stock markets generally stayed strong during the Depression and through the war.
• Building a portfolio that’s resistant to politics.

Learn more: https://caffeinecashflow.com/

Get in touch with Michael-

Web: https://www.westpacwealth.com/team/michael-schulte

Email: michael.schulte@westpacwealth.com

Phone: 702-767-4897

With the election behind us, we now know that former President Trump will have another four years in the White House. While that could mean policy shifts in all sorts of areas, we want to focus on how it may impact the economy so Michael will take a deep dive into the data on different economic growth factors, and what the numbers have looked like under both Republican and Democratic administrations over the years.

In part one of this two-part conversation, we’ll break down how the stock market and the economy are not necessarily the same thing, and how they don’t always go hand in hand. We’ll also discuss how the stock market has grown substantially over the last 97 years across many administrations of both parties. Then, we’ll get into specific growth numbers and what exactly they mean.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

• The stock market and the economy are not the same thing, and they’re not always hand in hand.
• The shocking growth of the stock market over the last 97 years.
• The role of risk and how it can impact expected returns.
• How different growth metrics have done across different Presidential administrations.
• Even when the market is a whole is doing well or poorly, there will still be differences in different sectors.

Learn more: https://caffeinecashflow.com/

Get in touch with Michael-

Web: https://www.westpacwealth.com/team/michael-schulte

Email: michael.schulte@westpacwealth.com

Phone: 702-767-4897