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Money On Tap

Money On Tap

Written by: Ben Brayshaw & Seth Krussman
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Why do Americans fear running out of money more than death? A recent Allianz survey found that 61% of Americans fear running out of money in retirement more than they fear death itself. The shift reflects structural changes: pensions have largely disappeared, 401(k)s placed the risk of retirement success on individuals, life expectancy has stretched, inflation has accelerated, healthcare costs are rising, and Social Security is on track for a benefit cut. The fear is rational — and the planning response is to build a multi-source income plan rather than to hope a portfolio alone is enough.Money On Tap Economics Personal Finance
Episodes
  • Retirement Anxiety: Why So Many Americans Feel Unprepared

    Retirement Anxiety: Why So Many Americans Feel Unprepared
    May 29 2026
    61% of Americans now fear running out of money in retirement more than they fear death itself. Half of all U.S. households approaching retirement are at risk of falling short of their current standard of living.This week on Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon sit with the topic that shows up in the conference room more than any other these days: retirement anxiety — and why so many Americans feel unprepared.What you'll learn:
    • The five fears inside retirement anxiety — and which one most plans don't address
    • Why retirement is structurally more anxious today than a generation ago
    • The Honeymoon, the Shock, and the Reframe — the three phases of every retirement
    • Why men, executives, military, and first responders are hit hardest by the identity loss
    • The new 100% income rule (the old 60–70% rule of thumb is dead)
    • The six-part income plan that actually reduces anxiety
    • Sequence-of-returns risk — and why the first five years of retirement determine everything
    • Social Security in 2026: 77% benefit, $1.5T bipartisan proposal, what it means for you
    • Why phased / consulting retirement is the underrated soft landing
    • The emotional plan nobody writes down — hobbies, friendships, purpose, marriage
    Plus Money In The News:
    • Can the stock market save Social Security? A $1.5T bipartisan proposal from Cassidy and Kaine
    • Ford stock surges on a $2B (becoming $10B) pivot to stationary energy storage with CATL
    • Student loan changes hit July 1 — payments rising $300–$350/month under IBR and RAP plans
    Free resource: Email us with "Retirement Anxiety white paper" in the subject and we'll send the companion document.Read the companion blog: brayshawfinancial.com/blog
    Schedule a free consultation: app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta
    Full Money On Tap episode library: brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us
    Phone: 855-226-8551
    Email: info@yourmoneyontap.com
    Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110
    Web: brayshawfinancial.com

    • Why do Americans fear running out of money more than death? A recent Allianz survey found that 61% of Americans fear running out of money in retirement more than they fear death itself. The shift reflects structural changes: pensions have largely disappeared, 401(k)s placed the risk of retirement success on individuals, life expectancy has stretched, inflation has accelerated, healthcare costs are rising, and Social Security is on track for a benefit cut. The fear is rational — and the planning response is to build a multi-source income plan rather than to hope a portfolio alone is enough.
    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
  • The Science of Retirement Income, Creating Income Alpha (Encore)

    The Science of Retirement Income, Creating Income Alpha (Encore)
    May 22 2026
    Two retirees with the same balance can take wildly different incomes home — it's not about returns, it's about taxes.This week on Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon unpack The Science of Retirement Income — How to Create Income Alpha: the practice of beating the market not by picking better stocks, but by keeping more of what you already have through tax-aware planning.What you'll learn:
    • What "Income Alpha" actually means — and why it's worth 15–30% more retirement income, year after year
    • How Social Security gets taxed at 0%, 50%, or 85% — and how to control which one applies to you
    • The Roth IRA conversion ladder: filling the 22% bracket today to avoid the 30%+ bracket later
    • The lesser-known after-tax account strategy — converting future ordinary-income tax into capital-gains tax
    • Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) — the single highest-leverage move for charitable retirees
    • Donor-Advised Funds and Charitable Trusts — stacking giving with Roth conversion years
    • The hidden IRMAA Medicare tax — and the income thresholds that can cost you $1,000–$3,000 a year
    • The Widow Tax Trap — the most damaging tax in retirement and how to plan around it
    • Why the year of a spouse's passing is the last big planning window — and what to do with it
    • What 1–2 years of tax returns will tell a good planner that your investment statement never will
    Plus Money In The News:
    • Weight-loss drug developers line up to tap a $150B market (Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, the pill-vs-shot race)
    • Nike stock tumbles 13% to an 11-year low on China weakness
    • Average tax refund up 11% from a year ago — IRS data and what it means for inflation
    Free resource: Email us with "Charitable Giving Booklet" in the subject and we'll send our charitable giving guide.Read the companion blog: brayshawfinancial.com/blog
    Schedule a free consultation: app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta
    Full Money On Tap episode library: brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us
    Phone: 855-226-8551
    Email: info@yourmoneyontap.com
    Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110
    Web: brayshawfinancial.com

    • Why do Americans fear running out of money more than death? A recent Allianz survey found that 61% of Americans fear running out of money in retirement more than they fear death itself. The shift reflects structural changes: pensions have largely disappeared, 401(k)s placed the risk of retirement success on individuals, life expectancy has stretched, inflation has accelerated, healthcare costs are rising, and Social Security is on track for a benefit cut. The fear is rational — and the planning response is to build a multi-source income plan rather than to hope a portfolio alone is enough.
    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
  • The Railroads of Quantum Computing: The Next Trillion-Dollar Bet + Milestone Show

    The Railroads of Quantum Computing: The Next Trillion-Dollar Bet + Milestone Show
    May 18 2026
    🎉 Welcome to the 400th episode of Money On Tap. Nine years. Four hundred conversations. To celebrate, the first four callers to 855-226-8551 each get their pick from four pieces of MOT swag. Phone calls only — email won't count.This week, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon close The Railroads of… trilogy with the one that may make all the rest run faster: quantum computing.What you'll learn:
    • What a qubit actually is — and why "both 0 and 1 at once" changes everything
    • The three investable layers: cloud platforms · hardware (semis & cryogenics) · software
    • The four pure-play names: Rigetti (RGTI), IonQ (IONQ), D-Wave (QBTS), Quantum Computing Inc. (QUBT) — and what their +250% to +5,700% trailing moves really mean
    • The four big-tech quantum plays: IBM, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon
    • The four ETFs to research: QTUM, ARKQ, BOTZ, ROBO
    • The barbell approach for taking speculative exposure without betting the farm
    • Why the honest timeline says mid-2030s — and the energy problem nobody's talking about
    • How space, robotics, and quantum intersect — and why the railroads series mattered
    Plus Money In The News:
    • Spotify and Peloton team up on a global fitness content hub
    • The AI splurge is costing big tech its workforce — Oracle plans to cut 40% of its workforce
    • Have software stocks reached the extreme washout yet? (And what the "SaaS-pocalypse" means for the next 12 months)
    Read the companion blog: brayshawfinancial.com/blog
    Schedule a free consultation: app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta
    Full Money On Tap episode library: brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us
    Phone: 855-226-8551
    Email: info@yourmoneyontap.com
    Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110
    Web: brayshawfinancial.com

    • Why do Americans fear running out of money more than death? A recent Allianz survey found that 61% of Americans fear running out of money in retirement more than they fear death itself. The shift reflects structural changes: pensions have largely disappeared, 401(k)s placed the risk of retirement success on individuals, life expectancy has stretched, inflation has accelerated, healthcare costs are rising, and Social Security is on track for a benefit cut. The fear is rational — and the planning response is to build a multi-source income plan rather than to hope a portfolio alone is enough.
    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
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