More for Your Money

Episode 16: Volatility and Vision: Understanding Market Moves and the Path to Financial, Time, and Purpose Freedom - 04/12/2025

April 12th, 2025  |  52 mins 54 secs

bear market, bond market, conflicting signals, dow jones, economic situation, financial freedom, freedom of purpose, interest rates, investment strategy, john berkeley, life insurance, market correction, market outlook, market review, market volatility, nasdaq, oversold market, pe multiple, retirement, russell 2000, s&p 500, sheena hanson, ski bum, stock market, three freedoms, time freedom, uncommon sense investing

Join John Berkley of Uncommon Cents Investing as they share practical financial insights and strategies to help you get more for your money.

Episode 5: Roth IRA Conversions: The Why, the Why Not, and the Rest of the Story - 01/25/2025

January 25th, 2025  |  52 mins 54 secs

estate planning, irmaa, janesville wi, john berkley, market timing, medical deductions, personal finance, qualified charitable distributions, retirement planning, roth conversion, roth ira, roth vs traditional ira, savers credit, tax strategies, uncommon sense investing

This week on More for Your Money, John Berkley and Kit Carson dive deep into a topic that generates more questions than answers: Roth IRA conversions. Should you convert? When does it make sense—and when does it not? With John's decades of experience and Carson's sharp curiosity, the duo takes listeners through a thoughtful, nuanced look at one of the most misunderstood moves in retirement planning.

Using the classic Paul Harvey style—“the rest of the story”—John highlights the lesser-known risks and hidden pitfalls of converting, like the impact of future tax law changes, state residency, IRMAA brackets, medical expense deductions, charitable giving strategies, and even market timing. And yes, he also shares smart, strategic situations where a Roth conversion does make good sense.

Episode 4: The Debt, Inflation, and Your Future: How to Stay Grounded in a Shaky Economy - 1/18/25

January 18th, 2025  |  52 mins 54 secs

debt-to-gdp, economic policy, federal reserve, financial literacy, inflation, inflation history, investing in inflation, janesville wi, john berkley, kit carson, market performance, monetizing debt, national debt, personal finance, u.s. deficits, uncommon sense investing

In this week’s More for Your Money, John Berkley and Kit Carson tackle a topic that’s often in the headlines—but rarely explained in a way that makes sense: national debt and inflation. With warmth, wisdom, and a little Wisconsin winter humor, John breaks down what 36+ trillion dollars of federal debt actually means for us as investors, taxpayers, and future retirees.

They walk through the history of U.S. debt levels—from post-WWII to today—and how inflation, interest rates, and government spending have played a role in shaping the economy. What does this mean for your money? How should individuals prepare in a world of structural inflation, slow-moving tax reform, and the possibility of higher interest rates?

John gets practical with a key takeaway: We can’t fix the national debt ourselves, but we can make smart decisions to protect our own finances.