Social Security isn't just a filing decision. It's a lifetime income strategy.

In this episode of the Providence Financial Retirement Show, we break down how Social Security decisions affect not only your monthly check, but your taxes, your spouse's income, and your long-term financial security.

You'll learn:

- Why filing too early can permanently reduce lifetime household income
- How survivor benefits really work (and why many widows lose a check)
- What spousal benefits mean for couples (and why they're not automatic)
- How recent rule changes may increase benefits for some retirees
- Why up to 85% of your Social Security can become taxable
- The most common mistakes retirees make, simply because no one explained the system clearly

We also share real-life examples of retirees who unknowingly missed benefits for years - not because of bad investing, but because of overlooked planning details.

Social Security has more moving parts than most people realize. When coordinated properly with your investments, withdrawals, and taxes, it can become a powerful foundation for retirement income. When it's not, it can quietly cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars over time.

Listen in.

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LET'S CONNECT

Show website:

https://www.providencefinancialpodcast.com

Find us at:

https://www.providencefinancialinc.com

Get to know Anthony:

https://anthonysaccaro.com

Anthony's book:

https://morelifethanmoneybook.com

Amazon Author Page:

https://amazon/author/anthonysaccaro

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AnthonySaccaro/featured

Radio:

https://www.providencefinancialradio.com

Yelp:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/providence-financial-and-insurance-services-inc-woodland-hills

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https://www.facebook.com/Providence.FinancialInc/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AnthonySaccaro

LinkedIN:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonysaccaro/

Most retirement stress doesn't come from bad decisions. It comes from bad assumptions. In this week's episode of the podcast, we explain why these common beliefs can quietly put pressure on your retirement:

• that spending will automatically go down
• that markets will always average out
• that Social Security will fill the gaps

What works during your working years doesn't always work once income depends on withdrawals. Learn why structure - not prediction - is the key to a more confident, less stressful retirement.

Listen now and rethink the assumptions shaping your plan.

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LET'S CONNECT

Show website:

https://www.providencefinancialpodcast.com

Find us at:

https://www.providencefinancialinc.com

Get to know Anthony:

https://anthonysaccaro.com

Anthony's book:

https://morelifethanmoneybook.com

Amazon Author Page:

https://amazon/author/anthonysaccaro

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AnthonySaccaro/featured

Radio:

https://www.providencefinancialradio.com

Yelp:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/providence-financial-and-insurance-services-inc-woodland-hills

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Providence.FinancialInc/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AnthonySaccaro

LinkedIN:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonysaccaro/

Why do you believe what you believe about retirement? Spoiler: it's probably not because it's true; but because you've heard it repeated over and over.

In this week's show, we challenge the most repeated (and most dangerous) retirement assumptions. The 4% rule, "taxes go down" in retirement, "we'll adjust later," and the idea that markets always come back all sound comforting… until real life shows up. We'll break down why these beliefs deserve a closer look, what actually holds up under pressure, and answer listener questions along the way. Expect a few surprises.

Listen in.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

LET'S CONNECT

Show website:

https://www.providencefinancialpodcast.com

Find us at:

https://www.providencefinancialinc.com

Get to know Anthony:

https://anthonysaccaro.com

Anthony's book:

https://morelifethanmoneybook.com

Amazon Author Page:

https://amazon/author/anthonysaccaro

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AnthonySaccaro/featured

Radio:

https://www.providencefinancialradio.com

Yelp:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/providence-financial-and-insurance-services-inc-woodland-hills

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Providence.FinancialInc/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AnthonySaccaro

LinkedIN:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonysaccaro/

Many retirement plans are built with a "set it and forget it" mindset. As long as account balances look steady, it's easy to assume everything is working. But retirement doesn't work that way.

In this episode, we talk about why the biggest risk in retirement isn't always a market drop. It's the false sense of security that comes from calm markets and stable-looking statements. Real stability isn't tested when things are quiet. It's tested when income is needed, expenses continue, and markets don't cooperate.

We explain why retirement planning can't be passive, why income matters more than balance, and why a plan that isn't reviewed and adjusted can quietly create uncertainty instead of freedom. Because in retirement, "set it and forget it" can be one of the most expensive assumptions you make. Listen in.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

LET'S CONNECT

Show website:

https://www.providencefinancialpodcast.com

Find us at:

https://www.providencefinancialinc.com

Get to know Anthony:

https://anthonysaccaro.com

Anthony's book:

https://morelifethanmoneybook.com

Amazon Author Page:

https://amazon/author/anthonysaccaro

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AnthonySaccaro/featured

Radio:

https://www.providencefinancialradio.com

Yelp:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/providence-financial-and-insurance-services-inc-woodland-hills

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Providence.FinancialInc/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AnthonySaccaro

LinkedIN:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonysaccaro/

The "3-bucket strategy" is one of the most commonly used frameworks in retirement planning. Growth, conservative, and cash buckets may sound simple, but the rules governing how they work change dramatically once you retire.

Most traditional 3-bucket strategies are built around one core assumption: that retirement income will be generated by selling assets. The cash bucket is meant to be spent down, the conservative bucket tapped next, and the growth bucket left untouched until markets recover and refill the others. The problem? Retirement doesn't always give you the luxury of waiting for markets to cooperate. When volatility hits, investors may be forced to sell assets at the worst possible time.

In this episode, we break down why a retirement plan that depends on asset sales requires a very different bucket structure than one designed to generate income.

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LET'S CONNECT

Show website:

https://www.providencefinancialpodcast.com

Find us at:

https://www.providencefinancialinc.com

Get to know Anthony:

https://anthonysaccaro.com

Anthony's book:

https://morelifethanmoneybook.com

Amazon Author Page:

https://amazon/author/anthonysaccaro

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AnthonySaccaro/featured

Radio:

https://www.providencefinancialradio.com

Yelp:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/providence-financial-and-insurance-services-inc-woodland-hills

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Providence.FinancialInc/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AnthonySaccaro

LinkedIN:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonysaccaro/

January has a way of restoring structure to daily life. The holidays fade, routines return, and expenses begin to arrive with predictable regularity. While working, that structure was anchored by a paycheck which was showing up consistently and making life feel manageable.

Retirement quietly removes that framework. And if you're not careful, it replaces freedom with uncertainty.

In this episode, we explore the critical difference between taking income from a portfolio and simply making withdrawals. We introduce what we call the Paycheck Test: does your retirement strategy deliver income with the same reliability you once depended on from your employer, or are you just hoping balances hold up?

One of the greatest risks in retirement isn't a market downturn. It's the illusion that everything must be fine because account values appear stable. True reliability isn't measured during calm markets; it's revealed when volatility returns and income is still expected to arrive. This conversation reframes how retirement income should be planned, structured, and experienced. Listen in.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

LET'S CONNECT

Show website:

https://www.providencefinancialpodcast.com

Find us at:

https://www.providencefinancialinc.com

Get to know Anthony:

https://anthonysaccaro.com

Anthony's book:

https://morelifethanmoneybook.com

Amazon Author Page:

https://amazon/author/anthonysaccaro

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AnthonySaccaro/featured

Radio:

https://www.providencefinancialradio.com

Yelp:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/providence-financial-and-insurance-services-inc-woodland-hills

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Providence.FinancialInc/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AnthonySaccaro

LinkedIN:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonysaccaro/

Happy New Year to all our followers, and welcome to Season 7 of the podcast!

Every January carries the promise of progress. The calendar flips, routines reset, and we make the assumption that something meaningful has changed - simply because the date has. But time passing is not the same as progress being made. Our first podcast of 2026 explores the dangerous comfort of automatic optimism and why unchanged habits, outdated strategies, and unreviewed plans often produce the same results year after year.

From gym memberships that never turn into daily discipline to financial plans that haven't been stress-tested for volatility or retirement income loss, we examine why forward movement requires more than intention. Like driving across the country using a GPS map from ten years ago, many people are relying on information that no longer reflects reality. Roads have shifted. Conditions have changed. And without deliberate review and adjustment, even well-meaning plans can quietly fail. This show is a call to stop confusing the passage of time with progress, and to start taking the actions that actually move life forward. Listen in.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

LET'S CONNECT

Show website:

https://www.providencefinancialpodcast.com

Find us at:

https://www.providencefinancialinc.com

Get to know Anthony:

https://anthonysaccaro.com

Anthony's book:

https://morelifethanmoneybook.com

Amazon Author Page:

https://amazon/author/anthonysaccaro

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AnthonySaccaro/featured

Radio:

https://www.providencefinancialradio.com

Yelp:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/providence-financial-and-insurance-services-inc-woodland-hills

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Providence.FinancialInc/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AnthonySaccaro

LinkedIN:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonysaccaro/

Most retirement conversations obsess over account balances - how much you've saved, how your portfolio performed, whether you've hit a "number." But retirement doesn't work like a scorecard. It works like a paycheck.

In this episode, we reframe retirement planning around the question that actually matters: How much reliable monthly income can your investments generate, and can you use it confidently? Take too much, and you risk running out of money. Take too little, and you risk living smaller than you need to, postponing joy, and merely enduring retirement instead of enjoying it.

We'll break down why retirement success is driven by income, not assets; how to think about sustainable withdrawal without fear or guesswork; and how strategic spending allows you to experience life now while still protecting the future.

Most importantly, we'll explain why replacing your paycheck with a thoughtful, durable income plan is the foundation of real retirement planning, and the difference between hoping your money lasts and knowing your lifestyle will.

If you want a retirement built around confidence, clarity, and lived experiences (not just preservation) this episode will help you rethink everything you've been told about "how much is enough." Listen in.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

LET'S CONNECT

Show website:

https://www.providencefinancialpodcast.com

Find us at:

https://www.providencefinancialinc.com

Get to know Anthony:

https://anthonysaccaro.com

Anthony's book:

https://morelifethanmoneybook.com

Amazon Author Page:

https://amazon/author/anthonysaccaro

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/c/AnthonySaccaro/featured

Radio:

https://www.providencefinancialradio.com

Yelp:

https://www.yelp.com/biz/providence-financial-and-insurance-services-inc-woodland-hills

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Providence.FinancialInc/

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/AnthonySaccaro

LinkedIN:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonysaccaro/