Ep #47: Mailbag! What Grant is Doing With His Kids' 529 Plans, Spousal vs. Survivor Social Security Benefits, and Whether Value is Dead

Oct 21, 2020

This week on the Grow Money Business podcast we have another mailbag episode. Grant covers four questions from our listeners about Social Security benefits, the future of value investing, distribution strategies for retirement, and saving for your kids' higher education.

If you have more questions you'd like us to cover, visit growmoneybusiness.com, and drop your questions in the Mailbag section. Grant will answer your questions in a future episode.

 

Question 01 - Social Security claiming rules with regard to spousal versus survivor benefits.

[01:56] Eligibility & Monthly Benefit – Grant reviews the eligibility criteria for claiming Social Security benefits and the process of calculating your monthly benefit.

[06:10] Filing for Benefits – How the age of retirement affects your monthly benefit and things you should keep in mind when deciding the optimal time to file for Social Security benefits.

[08:44] Spousal Benefits – How a couple with different income levels could plan their retirement in a way that gets them the maximum benefits.

Question 02 – "Do you think value investing is dead?"

[15:32] Performance of Value Stocks – Grant shares his take on how value stocks performed compared to growth stocks over the years and why value investing is not dead.

Question 03 - "What is the optimal distribution strategy if you're retiring at 65?"

[25:48] Building Your Strategy – Grant shares several factors you should consider when building your distribution strategy and how to communicate with your spouse about planning your retirement.

Question 04 – "How are you playing the 529 game for your kids?"

[30:37] 529 Plan – How the 529 plan works, how tax laws in different states affect 529 plans, and things to keep in mind when setting up 529 plans for multiple kids.

[36:12] Grant's Strategy – Grant shares how he optimizes his strategy to match his specific requirements and how you can prepare for future changes in the education system.

 

Resources:

Episode #46: A Beginner's Guide to Factor Investing:
growmoneybusiness.com/podcast/x9ykf9576e352jd-xs3l5-l355n-pc3nj-4l3tz-fsye7-g9gha-tdcyt-b7r9a-wja6y-ksbz4-9nlgl

Episode #44: Using Asset Location to Improve Investment Returns:
growmoneybusiness.com/podcast/x9ykf9576e352jd-xs3l5-l355n-pc3nj-4l3tz-fsye7-g9gha-tdcyt-b7r9a-wja6y-ksbz4-9nlgl