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B
days up until Labor Day.
A
Okay, fine. I'll do it then. So until Labor Day, I'm going to blast this. So we have our a new second show. It's called Money Moves, and it is both audio and video. If you'd like to check out the video, you can go to YouTube and it's very exciting. And you can just go to the Jill on money page on YouTube and we have a Money Moves channel, and you can check that out. But I think we get more credit, Mark, when people subscribe on the Money Moves channel, right?
B
Correct.
A
Okay, so just search Money Moves with Jill Schlesinger. It's a lot. Just say Money Moves with Jill and then it'll pop up and it has the cutest little logo with a little piggy bank. I love it. So go to the Money Moves channel and subscribe and promote. I think if, like, you're watching on a device and you promote it, it gets some extra love. I don't know. I'm learning, too. I don't know. Or you just go to the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts and make sure you subscribe. Subscribe to both. That would be good. So check that out. Shameless plug until at least Labor Day. And if you make it really successful, then I'll shut up about it. So there's that, too. So make sure you pass it along. If you know people who are younger who are just very focused on their financial lives or feel like they don't want to get lectured at or anything like that, tell them to come to Money Moves. We'd love to help them out.
B
And if you don't make it very successful, we may just shut up about it as well.
A
But we'll incorporate all the best practices. The overlords at CBS are very funny about it. Mark and I have, like, you know, we have a split personality. This show is our first love always. I think they know that, Mark. Don't you think so?
B
I don't know if they know it. I mean, you're right. This is definitely the first love. And the true priority for me is this show.
C
Yes.
A
Yeah, I know, I know. And we're just. We're giving it a shot because when someone greenlights a show out of nowhere, you say in a consolidating, terrible market, you say, yes, of course. Thank you so much, Overlord. We'll do it. So far, the Overlords have kind of stayed out of most of our hair. But as soon as I get Mark to figure out how to learn how to edit video, which someone in the television division at CBS said, oh, Mark will be Able to do that in five seconds. So I have very good confidence in Mark's ability to learn new things. So I can't wait. And maybe Mark, you'll teach me how to do it, and I'll never do it. Mark does not like when I edit my own audio. He's like, yeah, that was a little clunky.
B
It is true. It's always better if you don't edit.
A
I have to take some of the worst parts out, Mark. It's too embarrassing. All right, today let's talk to Mary, who joins us from the Mid Atlantic. Mid Atlantic. Mary, how are you? What can we do for you?
C
I am doing well. I would like to see what my focus should be in the next three years. I figure I've got about three more years of working. That would kind of be another question. You think that's enough? And I would like to really focus on paying down my HELOC and building up my emergency fund.
A
Okay, you're like, this is interesting to me. So let's take a step back. How old are you, Mary?
C
56.
A
And are you working full time?
C
I am now. I retired from the federal government and because I was a senior executive, had to take a year off and I just started back in February.
A
Okay, and so do you also have a pension?
C
I do.
A
What's that amount?
C
It's 8170amonth.
A
Okay. And your full time employment, how much is that?
C
So it's, Let me see, 225,000 a year.
A
Nice.
C
However that breaks down.
A
Noice, are you married, single, partnered?
C
Single.
A
Okay. Kids or no kids?
C
No kids. I have four babies and that's about all.
A
Fantastic. Okay, so you got plenty of income, obviously, unless you're spending gobs of money. Is it? So cash flow is good?
C
Cash flow is good. It's better now that I have the pension and my job. Although, sure, I'm looking to kind of step. Not step back, but step aside a little bit and only work four days a week. So that'll decrease my income probably starting in the fall.
A
And okay, so when you go from. Let's just do it at that number then. Okay, so let's pretend you're working four days a week. Am I just taking 80% of 225 or is there a different formula for you?
C
I think Yeah, I think 80% would be good.
A
All right, so we're at 180. That'll be 180. Okay, good. This is not a pension job. This is a no. Okay, got it. So what have you saved in Addition to receiving this pension.
C
Okay, so I have a rollover IRA that I do have a financial advisor that is managing that for me, and that's 1,210,000.
A
Okay. Okay, Mary Rocket. Okay, what else you got?
C
I still have. I left some money in my tsp just kind of. Because I don't have a huge emergency fund. So I have a. About 237,000 in my tsp.
A
Great.
C
And then I have a Roth IRA at about 44,000 cash, probably. I've got about 10,000 right now.
A
And brokerage or no brokerage account, I have about.
C
That's very small. It's about 1,700. And then I have about 6,000 in a savings account.
A
Okay.
C
Emergency funds, you know, when an emergency comes up, you've got to use them.
A
You got to deplete it. Okay, so I know you mentioned a house heloc, rather. So there's a house. How much is the house worth?
C
I think it's probably about like 1.5, 1.6.
A
Yowza. Okay, so you have a HELOC. Is there a first mortgage?
C
Yes, that's 800, about 815,000. Oh, I do have one other. With my current job, I do have a 401k there.
A
Okay, how much in there now?
C
10,500.
A
Great. And it's traditional?
C
Yes, it's a traditional. And they do a 6% match. So.
A
Okay, for the next few years.
C
Yep.
A
The $815,000 mortgage, what is the rate on that?
C
2.875, baby.
A
So this is a place you want to be?
C
Yes.
A
Okay, well, tell us about the heloc.
C
It's a large property and I had some things I had to take care of, so I had to take out a HELOC. And it's about 172,000 right now.
A
You have a home equity line of credit. 172,000 is drawn down, right?
C
Yes, correct.
A
Okay, what's the interest rate right now?
C
6.25.
A
Oh, that's a real number. Yeah, Yep. Okay, so let's look at this now. All right, so at this point is that. Have we covered everything, like asset wise and debt wise?
C
Because I've started this new job, I have a little bit of a horrible commute, so I had to get a new car. So I've got about 36,000 on a new car.
A
What's the interest rate on that one?
C
4.89.
A
Not terrible. Okay, if you go, we're going to. I'm pretending that it's the fall. Yeah, you're making your 180,000. Right.
C
Okay.
A
And you are, how much are you putting into your 401k right now?
C
$520 a pay period. And then they match that.
A
I think you may want to just go up to the, whatever the match is, whatever that is, and then no more.
C
Okay.
A
Okay. Because I do think now you have this opportunity with this free cash flow because you're full time and you have the pension. I like your ide. If I look ahead again in the fall, and I presume you're making 180,000 plus your almost 100,000 from your federal pension, how much a month do you think you'll have as free cash flow?
C
I was looking at putting between 4 and $5,000 against the HELOC and like 2,500 in savings.
A
And you can do that? You feel comfortable doing that?
C
I think so, yes.
A
Why don't we start smaller just so we can get it going? Why don't you do four on the, on the HELOC and two into your savings? Okay, why don't we do that? Let's start there. Okay. And that should be a great game plan for a while. I don't know, what's the $1700 in the brokerage account? What is that?
C
That was kind of left over from my grandmother gave me some money when I was younger and my dad put it into Fidelity for me.
A
Okay.
C
And I drawn it down and I just honestly forgot about it.
A
Okay, well, let's just sell that and put it down on the HELOC also.
C
Okay.
A
I think that that's kind of the game plan for me. And the reason why I think it makes sense for you to only contribute up to the match for your 401k is that, you know, you do have, you already have one and a half million bucks that has not been taxed. And in three years, if we have whittled down your heloc, it's not going away unless there's something, some large event that were to occur. But then you can start saying, oh, you know what, I'm gonna take some of the money out of the that hasn't been taxed. Cause I presume you're saying in three years you wanna stop working. Is that right?
C
Yes, that's correct.
A
Okay, so at age 59, let's say we have a million and a half bucks that hasn't been taxed. How much do you think, forgetting about the HELOC for one second, what's your spend right now?
C
I figured it's about 9,500. If I'm not. If I don't have the HELOC or my car payment and all that stuff, it's about 9,500.
A
All right, so it's 10 grand a month, right? I mean, you're going to have the car payment for a bit. I mean, well, maybe not. What is it, a three year or four year loan?
C
I actually think it's a five year, but I've been kind of aggressively paying it down.
A
Don't pay that one down. Pay the HELOC down. Forget about the car loan. Start at 6.25%, which is. Okay, you ready? Big math question for you. What's more, 6.25 or 4.89?
C
Yeah, that 6.25.
A
Great. Let's focus on that. Every dollar is going to go to. But I want you to have a cash reserve, obviously. Yes, right. That's why I'm saying if you had six grand, four goes to the heloc, two goes to the cash account.
C
Okay.
A
Right. Build up the emergency reserve. What does your Social Security benefit look like in the future? Do you know?
C
Yes, I do. When I'm 67, it's almost 3900 and at 70 it's 4800.
A
But you're probably, it'll be less than that if you're really not going to be working past 59. Is there some reason why? Is there a magic number 59? I mean, do you hate what you do?
C
No, I actually love what I do. I can't do this commute for much longer than three years. It's.
A
I say okay, so, but maybe something else. We'll see. But eventually you'll have 4 or $5,000 in Social Security plus your 8,100amonth from your pension. You'll be okay. Right. And we just need to get you from, you know, 59 and a half to 67 or 70. And to do that you'll just pull money out of your non taxed retirement accounts, the rollover, the thrift savings plan, whatever your 401k is at that time and you'll be good. Do you have to take care of anyone else? Do you have a parent, sibling, anyone like that?
C
No, I do have a sibling and my dad is pretty self sufficient. In fact, I will probably inherit something, but it's not a that I something I want to think about. But.
A
All right, well, I'm going to make you think about it for one second. Is it a significant amount of money? Is it like, oh, I'm going to inherit 100 grand or do you think like, oh, no, Jill, he has a $3 million house and I have a sibling and we're splitting it. Like, is it something of that nature?
C
Yes, it's something of that nature.
A
Okay, so then I'm a little less worried, meaning not worried. I wasn't worried about you. I was sort of like 59 is like, not exactly ideal, but it's. If you're going to have a million bucks coming in at some point over the next 15 years, then you're going to be completely fine.
C
Okay. Okay.
A
Now, you said you have an advisor who manages your rollover ira, right?
C
Yes.
A
What's this person doing for you?
C
So I took most of my TSP and provided it to him, and he has invested it in a number of different places or a number of different funds in Schwab.
A
Okay. And these are mutual funds and exchange traded funds, and it's a balance ish portfolio. Is that kind of what it looks like?
C
Yes, exactly. It's conservative, but frankly, the market has been amazing.
A
I know, right? Yeah. That's why we're all geniuses. Thank God. How much does he charge you?
C
1%.
A
Does he do financial planning for you?
C
Yes, he does.
A
All right. And yet you're calling me.
C
I wanted a second opinion.
A
There you go. That's right. Dr. Schlesinger is here. I'm like Dr. Welby. Mary, I think that you're in great shape, okay? And I think just again, everyone listening. I was being glib with Mary, and she knows why. Because 6.25, that is the priority. And you know you're going to have the mortgage for a long time. That's fine. It's a cheap mortgage. You will slowly pay off the heloc. Once that's paid off. Okay, just let me give do a God forbid moment, God forbid that your father pass away and you get your million dollars. Now. Okay, let's just pretend you had a million dollars right this second. Here's what you would do. First thing, you'd pay off the heloc. Second thing, you'd pay off the car. Third thing, you'd put a bunch of money in your emergency reserve fund. The last thing you would do is then add to your brokerage account. That's it.
C
Okay?
A
That's what you do. All right? So you know what? You. Now you got your focus for three years. Pay off the heloc, pay off the car loan, build up the emergency reserve fund. And again, if at 59, dad's still great, everyone is moving along. It's fine. You're going to be okay. You're just going to have to start spending some of that IRA money, that rollover money down, and you'll work with your advisor and you'll get a chunk of money out. Don't convert. There's no reason for you to convert. Oh, he could just take the money out.
C
He does want me to convert.
A
No, there's no money. What. What are we paying for the. How are we paying for the tax bill?
C
Well, I don't have any. You're right. I don't have anything right now to pay it.
A
Well, it's gonna. I would much rather you pay off that HELOC than convert.
C
Okay?
A
Absolutely. It's gonna take a while.
C
Yes, well, it took a while for me to get to that point, too.
A
Yeah, of course.
C
Yeah.
A
And then you could convert if, like again, if you had a million dollars that was popped in your lap and you paid off your HELOC and you paid off your car loan and you put money in your retirement and you put money in the emergency reserve and then you had, you know, 4, 5, 600 grand left over. Yeah, you could use that as conversion money, but there's no money right now for conversions.
C
Okay. The one thing I did want to do when I actually retire is take the money, some of the money in my tsp, and upgrade my kitchen and my.
A
Oh, now I got to spend money on the kitchen. I got a million and a half dollar asset and I got to spend.
C
All right, well, I'm slowly replacing the roof and.
A
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's fine. Of course. I mean, I wouldn't, I certainly wouldn't want to do it all at once, but I think you're going to pull money out of either the thrift savings plan or the rollover. You're going to use that money for whatever you need from 59 to 67 or 70. Is your health good?
C
Yes.
A
Okay, so let's just pretend it's 70. So you're going to take that money and you're going to use it to clean things up. But remember, when you pull that money out, it's taxable, right? I mean, kitchens are expensive. And I'm sure if you're in a million and a half dollar house in the middle Mid Atlantic. Mark, what do you want to think? What do you think that. That Mary's going to pay for her new kitchen? I have a number in mind. Let's see. If you, if you guess, I'm going to write it down on a piece of paper. You tell me what you're saying.
B
I will just Guess between I'll say 80 grand.
A
I just wrote down 200. Who wins? Mary? Yeah, 200.
C
I want Mark to win.
A
You think it's 80 or 100?
C
I think I was thinking 100.
A
Okay, so I said 200. All right. I'm gonna say that I'm gonna be with the winner on this, but let's see, maybe you'll. You'll both be thriftier. Mark does a lot of work himself, by the way.
C
I do not.
A
Mary, I think you're in good shape.
C
Okay?
A
It's gonna be good. Let's get rid of that heloc. Enjoy your house. Enjoy your new kitchen. Enjoy your new roof. Isn't it stink to spend money on a new roof, though? It's like, you don't really enjoy that, do you? Thank God I got it done.
B
Well, you enjoy it when there's not water dripping.
A
There's that. That is true. Mark has had a leaky roof issue. Mary, do you have your estate documents done?
C
I do. I had them updated last year, so they're all good.
A
Fantastic. Great. I think you're in good shape. I really do. So give us a holler back if anything else is going on. And we're very happy that you got in touch with us. So I'm sorry about your long commute, but think about how much time you have to listen to the back catalog of our shows.
C
I'm doing that, actually. I've just kind of discovered podcasts, so I'm going back in time with you.
A
Oh, I love that. See if I see if I've gotten better. I hope so. All right, if you are like Mary and you got a long commute and you need a little bit of a way to see yourself towards a brighter future where you're not driving all the time. Get in touch with us. Go to jillonmoney.com. click the contact us button. Write us a note. Hit if you want to join us live. Check the box. Mark will do everything else. Hey, while you're on the website, don't forget to check out all the great stuff that's there. We've got resources, We've got videos, some of my TV appearances, and we've got my book, the Great Money Reset. It's still for sale, folks. Ten bold steps. It'll turn chaos into opportunity. Meaning when you're making a big change in your life, we got to make sure your money is there for you too. All right, do me a favor. Please follow and subscribe to this show on the Odyssey app or wherever you find your favorite podcast. You can also do that with our Money Moves show. Check that out on YouTube. And of course, please do something nice for someone else today. Change your work, Change your wealth. Change your life. Thank you for listening and we'll talk to you tomorrow. Hey there, it's Jill Schlesinger. I'm launching a new show. It's called Money Moves, and your money is going to move. We're going to help you make better financial decisions. We're going to call out the B.S. you're finding all over social media. We're going to give you actionable guidance to make your financial life clearer, less stressful. We're going to answer your financial questions and take the mystery out of your financial life. Follow and listen to Money Moves with Jill Schlesinger. Wherever you get your podcasts.
Episode: Priorities as I Prepare for Retirement
Date: July 21, 2026
Host: Jill Schlesinger, CFP®
Main Theme: Practical strategies for managing debt, building savings, and optimizing investments when nearing retirement
In this episode, Jill Schlesinger takes a listener call from Mary, who is approaching retirement and wants to clarify her financial priorities over the next three years. Jill offers candid, jargon-free advice on optimizing debt repayment, building emergency savings, and making the most of pension and retirement accounts. The conversation centers on actionable steps Mary (and listeners in similar situations) can take to secure a smooth transition into retirement.
[05:07 – 08:18]
[10:01 – 13:23]
[12:20 – 14:58]
[14:32 – 15:13]
Potential Inheritance: Mary expects to inherit a “significant amount” from her father, further enhancing her eventual financial security.
If Inheritance Arrives: Order of operations would be: pay off HELOC, pay off car, beef up cash reserves, then invest what’s left.
[15:14 – 17:21]
[18:02 – 19:40]
The episode maintains Jill’s trademark blend of expert advice and reassuring, lighthearted banter. She is direct but supportive, demystifying financial complexities and reinforcing simple, practical steps—always with a dash of humor and empathy.
For listeners nearing retirement, this episode is a textbook case in balancing debt reduction, saving, and enjoying one’s last working years—delivered with Jill Schlesinger’s signature clarity and warmth.