How much of your retirement savings should be exposed to market risk—and how much should be positioned for greater stability?

In this episode of Ray Brown’s Wealth Strategies, Ray introduces one of his favorite retirement planning visuals: the “coffee can.” The concept represents a portion of a retiree’s money placed in fixed or guaranteed insurance-based products designed to protect principal while still offering the potential for interest growth.

Ray explains how this approach can work alongside a separate market-based investment “bucket,” giving retirees different sources of money to draw from depending on market conditions, income needs, and individual tolerance for risk.

He also discusses fixed annuities, tax-deferred growth, required minimum distributions, the importance of regularly reviewing your retirement strategy, and why a plan that made sense ten years ago may no longer reflect your circumstances today.

Throughout the episode, Ray emphasizes safety, security, diversification, and understanding your options before market volatility forces you to react.

Plus, in Ray’s Mailbox, he answers questions about client references and explains why he continues to encourage retirees and pre-retirees to approach their financial planning with a greater sense of urgency.

Every financial situation is different, but Ray’s message is consistent: understand your risk, know what you own, and make sure your retirement strategy still fits the life you are planning for.

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Taxes can have a major impact on retirement, but good planning can help reduce surprises and give you more options.

In this episode of Ray Brown’s Wealth Strategies, Ray is joined by Andrew Lazzaro, an enrolled agent with D’Arcangelo & Company, to discuss the role tax professionals can play before, during, and after retirement. Andrew explains how proactive tax planning, projections, and trial tax returns can help clients understand potential tax obligations before April arrives—and why making major financial decisions without considering the tax consequences can be costly. Ray and Andrew also explore some of the biggest tax-related decisions retirees face, including when to begin taking Social Security, the pros and cons of Roth conversions, required minimum distributions, and the value of having financial and tax professionals working together as part of the same team. Andrew also explains how enrolled agents can represent taxpayers before the IRS, respond to tax notices, assist during audits, and help take some of the stress out of dealing with complicated tax issues.

The takeaway: retirement planning is about more than simply accumulating money. Understanding the tax consequences of your decisions—and planning for them before they happen—can help you move forward with greater clarity and confidence.

Your financial strategy should reflect your personal circumstances, not a cookie-cutter formula. In this episode, Ray discusses how spouses can have very different attitudes toward risk and why age, health, retirement income, and individual goals should all influence the way a portfolio is structured.

Ray examines underperforming accounts, ongoing advisory fees, and the importance of understanding whether the service you receive justifies what you are paying. He also explains why diversification may involve more than simply owning different stocks or mutual funds, introducing a two-bucket approach that combines market-based investments with insured or guaranteed assets.

The episode highlights one of the biggest risks facing recent retirees: withdrawing income from investments while the market is down. Ray explains why regularly reassessing your strategy may help ensure your investments continue to match your comfort level and retirement needs.

In Ray’s Mailbox, Ray answers questions about investment management fees and explains the value of conducting a meaningful annual financial review.

Financial planning is rarely a one-time transaction. It changes as your career, family, health, and retirement needs evolve.

In this episode, Ray is joined by longtime client and friend Mike Shusda, who shares how their financial planning relationship began in the 1980s. What started with protecting Mike’s wife and young son through life insurance eventually grew to include pension decisions, retirement income, market investments, long-term care coverage, required minimum distributions, and planning for future generations.

Mike explains how he selected a pension option designed to continue supporting his wife, why he maintains both guaranteed and market-based assets, and how early long-term care planning gave his family additional peace of mind. He also discusses purchasing life insurance for his son and grandchildren, creating financial protection that may continue long into the future.

Their conversation demonstrates the difference between making a single financial purchase and developing a long-term planning relationship that adapts as life changes.

Retirement planning has become increasingly complicated, but uncertainty does not have to control your financial future. In this episode, Ray explains why many retirees are more afraid of running out of money than they are of dying and how professional planning may help ease that fear.

Ray discusses the role of guaranteed lifetime income, including how certain income strategies may be used as a bridge while delaying Social Security benefits. He also introduces an analytical retirement planning tool that evaluates income, spending, inflation, taxes, Social Security, pensions, required distributions, and other financial factors to help determine the likelihood of meeting retirement goals.

The episode also explores rising healthcare costs, the effects of inflation, planning for travel during the early years of retirement, and why securing your own financial wellbeing often comes before leaving an inheritance.

In Ray’s Mailbox, Ray explains how lifetime income options are compared, how planning can support widows and widowers, and how his team is compensated when clients choose to move money.

After several strong years in the stock market, many retirees may be taking on more risk than they realize. In the premiere episode of Ray Brown’s Wealth Strategies, Ray explains why recent market gains can create a false sense of security and why your current portfolio may no longer reflect your true comfort level.

Ray introduces his one-to-ten risk tolerance scale and explains how retirees can balance growth potential with financial guarantees through a two-bucket retirement strategy. He also discusses the dangers of withdrawing income during a market decline, why time becomes increasingly important near retirement, and how guaranteed assets may give other investments time to recover.

In Ray’s Mailbox, Ray answers two important questions: How can you determine whether you have enough money to retire safely, and can a personalized financial analysis account for your future income needs and goals?

The message is simple: You do not have to guess your way through retirement.