Episodes

Dec. 20, 2019

The Secure Act: Part II

How will the the Secure Act impact your retirement plan? In this special episode Devin and John discuss the widely-reported basics of this new law and then cover some of the the advanced planning opportunities that will now be available.

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Nov. 13, 2019

The Future of Big Picture Retirement

It’s been a wonderful ride and we want to thank everyone for listening to the Big Picture Retirement Show. The success of John’s business () and Devin’s YouTube channel () have created as shortage of time to record new episodes. If you’d like...

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Sept. 9, 2019

Protecting Rental Property

When it comes to rental property, you have to protect yourself in two ways: Your business from your personal issues, and your personal life from your business issues. This week, Devin and John talk about the ways to protect your real estate interests....

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Aug. 26, 2019

New Laws for Inheriting Property Jointly

Not long ago, Devin and his brothers inherited some property. Thankfully, this deal went pretty smoothly because they all wanted to sell it. However, not all inheritances go as smoothly. Knowing about the Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act should...

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July 8, 2019

Estate Planning for Pets

When you're talking about estate planning, and the care of pets, some interesting things can happen. It's not uncommon for people to want to provide for their pets in their wills, whether designating the person who will care for the pet, or providing...

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June 24, 2019

9 Steps If You Expect Your Will To Be Contested

Is it possible that your heirs might disagree with your will? There are many things you can do to reduce or even eliminate fights after you are gone. In this week's episode, elder lawyer John Ross talks about the dos and don'ts of writing a will when...

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June 3, 2019

5 Things To Know About The Secure Act of 2019

This week's episode includes some reader questions, and a review of the The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (the SECURE Act). The SECURE Act has passed the House of Representatives, and a similar bill is working in...

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May 20, 2019

Will Trump Save Social Security

Current reports show there will only be enough money coming into Social Security to pay about 75% of Social Security Benefits. Even if we have record-setting economic numbers, we're very close to being too little, too late. Can a President make...

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May 6, 2019

The Financial Abusers Playbook: Learn Their Secrets

90% of contested probate cases were between the surviving wife and the children of the deceased man. We received an email from a listener whose widowed father met a new woman and let her into his life. However, the kids have some concerns about the...

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April 1, 2019

Spring Cleaning - the Financial Edition

Spring is here, and it's a great time to do some financial spring cleaning. Devin and John go over a few things you want to do: A fee audit Double-check your beneficiary designations. ...and more For more information, visit the show notes at

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March 18, 2019

Medicare Buy-In at 50

"Medicare for All" has been in the news a lot lately. Senator Bernie Sanders thinks insurance companies should be abolished and everyone should get Medicare. So this week, Devin and John talk about the pros and cons of different ideas about expanding...

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March 4, 2019

Social Security Reform with Congressman John Larson

An exclusive interview with Congressman John Larson about the proposed changes to Social Security in the SS2100 Act. For more information, visit the show notes at

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Feb. 18, 2019

The 5 Types of Trusts (and when they are used)

A trust is a legal entity, just like a corporation or an individual person. All trusts will have an exchange of property and three categories of people: The people who create it, called the grantors, or the settlers, or the trust-makers The people in...

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Feb. 4, 2019

Illegal Immigration and Social Security

Are illegal immigrants going to cause the collapse of the Social Security system? The Social Security trustees reports that more immigration is a benefit to the system. Devin and John of Big Picture Retirement look at both sides and get to the truth...

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Jan. 21, 2019

What You Need To Know About Medicare: Part 2

Danielle Roberts of BoomerBenefits.com is back again this week, talking with Devin about more Medicare issues. Danielle is an expert on Medicare supplements and Medicare Advantage plans, and runs the Boomer Benefits company to help seniors with their...

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Jan. 7, 2019

Understanding the Parts of Medicare with Danielle Roberts

Danielle Roberts explains the different parts of Medicare to us in a way that is easy to understand and follow. This is Part 1 of a 2-part series with Danielle Roberts of BoomerBenefits.com. For more information, visit the show notes at

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Dec. 31, 2018

How Much Are You Paying For Your Investments? [ENCORE]

How do you figure out how much money you're spending on your investments? In this encore presentation, Devin and John talk about the types of fees you might be paying, and how you can figure out what they are. For more information, visit the show...

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Dec. 24, 2018

Talking Trade Wars with David Stein [ENCORE]

David Stein, host of the Money For The Rest of Us podcast, will explain the importance of trade, and how the trade, and trade wars, might impact you and your retirement. For more information, visit the show notes at

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Dec. 17, 2018

Listener Questions: IRAs and Trusts, and Special Social Security Rules

Devin and John continue working their way through some of the listener questions that have been coming in. John has a question about making a trust the beneficiary of an IRA, and then Devin has a question about Social Security benefits for public...

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Dec. 10, 2018

Listener Questions: Medicaid Estate Recovery and Social Security Myths

John received a question from a listener with a blended family. The wife needs long-term care, and the assets to support such an expense! He talks about “Medicaid estate recovery” and other recommendations for power of attorney, etc. Then Devin...

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Dec. 3, 2018

#100: What Rights do Grandparent Have?

What kind of rights do grandparents have? John Ross from the Big Picture Retirement Show deals with a lot of people in retirement, and many of those folks have grandchildren. He shares some harrowing stories and tips you can use to makes sure your...

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Nov. 19, 2018

#099: Understanding Charitable Remainder Trusts

CRUTS are Charitable Remainder Trusts. Any time you are dealing with charitable planning, you must first have the charitable intent. You can find some tax benefits that go along with that charitable intent, but you have to start with the charitable...

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Nov. 12, 2018

#098: Active vs. Passive with Rick Ferri - Part 2

Part 2 of the conversation about active versus passive investing with guest Rick Ferri, author of Smart Money. For more information, visit the show notes at

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Nov. 5, 2018

#097: Active vs. Passive with Rick Ferri - Part 1

This week, Devin welcomes Rick Ferri to the show to talk about active versus passive investing. But before the interview gets started, John and Devin have an entertaining conversation about the recently released 2019 Social Security and Medicare...

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