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If a stranger wanted to steal $100,000 from you, how would they do it? Not by hacking your account — by fooling you about who they are. This week we open our own case files (including the scam call that nearly got one of us this summer) and hand you the FEARS test: the five levers behind nearly every fraud, and the habits that defeat them.   On this week's Money On Tap, we take on both sides of the predator world. First, the scam calls: the FEARS test — Fear, Emotion, Authority, Rush, Secrecy — with the real story of the "sheriff's deputy," the missed jury duty, the official-looking DOJ paperwork, and the prepaid-bail ask that finally gave it away after more than an hour. Then the investment predators: guaranteed returns, fake websites with fake testimonials, cryptocurrency and wire-transfer demands, private deals with hidden personal guarantees — and the licensed professionals who sell legitimate products unsuitably. We close with the new wave — AI deepfakes and cloned voices — the family safety word that defeats them, and the first-hour response plan if you or someone you love gets taken.   What you'll learn: Why even trained professionals nearly fall for these — and why embarrassment is the scammer's best friendThe setup lines: compromised accounts, grandchildren in trouble, the IRS, and the "recovery" scamThe FEARS test: Fear, Emotion, Authority, Rush, Secrecy — your card to keep by the phoneThe one habit that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number YOU findInvestment red flags: guaranteed returns, crypto payments, wire transfers, glowing testimonialsThe double whammy: taxes and penalties on the retirement money you were robbed ofPrivate deals: the $50,000 investment carrying a $1.2 million personal guaranteeFINRA BrokerCheck: the five-minute background check on anyone with a licenseWhen the predator has a license: unsuitable annuities and portfolios that serve the commissionAI deepfakes and cloned voices — and the family safety word that beats themThe first hour if it happens: stop, call the institution, change every password, identitytheft.govPlus Money In The News: Colleges are slashing tuition as students balk at soaring costsBill Gates says companies using AI robots should pay FICA taxesBuffett's $863 million "secret portfolio" makes a move — and the only investment he's ever actually recommendedWant this week's white paper — the full FEARS test, scam red-flag lists, and the first-hour response plan? Email us at [email protected] and we'll send it over.   Read our most recent Blog Post on this topic here: https://www.fmgwebsites.com/d772de05-9833-44e4-9676-f510f85cef74/blog/protecting-your-retirement-from-financial-predators-the-fears-test Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tap   Contact Us Phone: 855-226-8551Email: [email protected]: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Brayshaw Financial Group do not provide tax or legal advice. Fraud statistics are reported figures as of the air date and likely understate actual losses; anecdotes are retold with identifying details removed. No fraud-prevention practice can guarantee protection against all scams. Retirement account withdrawals may be subject to income taxes and, before age 59½, an additional 10% federal penalty. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.

Retirement should be simple: you worked, you saved, you stop working, you spend. Except the mistakes people make in this one transition can be the kind you don't recover from. This week we walk through eight of them — the ones we've actually watched happen — so you can see them coming.   On this week's Money On Tap, we start with the frame that changes everything: retirement success isn't about how much you've accumulated — it's how intelligently you manage the money after the paycheck stops. We walk the eight mistakes in order: treating retirement like the accumulation years (two retirees, same million dollars, completely different outcomes), taking too much risk or too little, ignoring sequence of returns risk and the brutal math behind it, claiming Social Security without a strategy, assuming taxes will automatically be lower in retirement, using a withdrawal rule instead of an income plan, underestimating healthcare and long-term care, and helping family at the expense of your own retirement — including the $100,000 gift that really costs $321,000. The thread running through all of it: segment your money by when you'll need it, cover foundational expenses with predictable income, and let your long-term money grow without income pressure.   What you'll learn: The mindset shift from accumulation to distribution — and the light switch people forget to flipRetiree A vs. Retiree B: why the same downturn ruins one and barely touches the otherFoundational expenses first: the floor your income plan gets built onToo much risk, too little risk, and the over-diversified portfolio that never movesLongevity, inflation, and reinvestment risk — the three that sneakThe bucket strategy: harvesting market highs instead of selling lowsSequence of returns: why a 10% loss plus a withdrawal needs a 24% recoverySocial Security timing: the $1,700-a-month spread, spousal strategy, and the break-even mathThe retirement tax stack: RMDs, Social Security taxation, IRMAA, and the Roth conversion windowGo-go, slow-go, and no-go years — why no flat rule fits all threeHealthcare's real price tag — and pricing long-term care before it prices youThe family gift math every generous parent should run firstPlus Money In The News: The US economy grows faster than expected in Q2 — and why it doesn't change the price of milkThe Wall Street Journal stress-tests the 4% rule: what finally broke itApple's smart home hub debuts October 13 — and what all that convenience knows about youWant this week's white paper — the full list of retirement mistakes, including the ones we couldn't fit on air? Email us at [email protected] and we'll send it over.   Read our most recent Blog Post on this topic here: https://www.fmgwebsites.com/d772de05-9833-44e4-9676-f510f85cef74/blog/its-retirement-what-could-go-wrong-eight-mistakes-to-avoid Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tap   Contact Us Phone: 855-226-8551Email: [email protected]: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Brayshaw Financial Group do not provide tax or legal advice. Hypothetical examples are for illustrative purposes only. Social Security, tax, and Medicare strategies depend on individual circumstances and current program rules. Annuity and insurance guarantees are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurer. Third-party figures are approximate as of the air date and subject to change. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.

One of the hardest financial decisions you'll ever face isn't how to make your money grow — it's what to do when someone you love needs it. This week we take on the show that's long overdue: helping family with money without hurting them, your relationships, or your own retirement.   On this week's Money On Tap, we combine the two things people are most emotional about — loved ones and money — and walk through how to help from strength instead of hope. It starts with the oxygen mask principle: secure your own financial stability first, because two people going downhill financially is not a rescue. From there we get practical: the questions to ask before any check gets written (emergency or recurring problem? give, lend, or pay directly?), why where the money comes from can double the cost of the same act of love, and a college approach that teaches kids to swim instead of holding them up forever. We cover the sandwich generation and why a parent's ask for time carries real financial cost, the special needs planning traps that can accidentally cost a loved one their benefits, and the gift-versus-loan playbook — documentation, matching, the enforcement question, and the case for sometimes just saying "forget about it."   What you'll learn: The first questions: give it, lend it, or pay the expense directly?Emergency or recurring problem — and why the answer changes everythingThe oxygen mask principle: protecting your retirement isn't selfishYour real number: income need and genuine surplus, not net worthWhy retirement account withdrawals can double the cost of helpingCollege help that teaches: hard dollar amounts, real responsibility"You can't take a loan out to retire on — but a kid can for tuition"Treating children fairly when circumstances won't cooperateThe sandwich generation: when they ask for time, not moneySpecial needs planning: ABLE accounts, trusts, and the beneficiary-form trapGift, loan, match, or direct payment — and the loan-as-gift mindsetUsing your planner as the excuse — and when to just forgive the loanPlus Money In The News: Medicare's projected 2027 changes — why this enrollment season demands real homeworkWarren Buffett steps down as Berkshire chairman at 96 — the lessons and quotes he leaves behindRetirees are fleeing to no-tax states in search of financial heaven — and don't always find itWant this week's white paper — the Family Financial Assistance Stress Test? Email us at [email protected] and we'll send it over.   Read our most recent Blog Post on this topic here: https://www.fmgwebsites.com/d772de05-9833-44e4-9676-f510f85cef74/blog/family-generosity-help-without-the-hurt-the-oxygen-mask-principle Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tap   Contact Us Phone: 855-226-8551Email: [email protected]: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Brayshaw Financial Group do not provide tax or legal advice. Retirement account withdrawals may be subject to income taxes and, before age 59½, an additional 10% federal penalty. ABLE accounts, trusts, and public benefit programs are subject to federal and state eligibility rules that vary and change — coordinate with qualified legal and tax professionals. Medicare figures referenced are projections as of the air date and subject to change. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.

A wonderful company can still be a terrible investment if you pay too much for it. This week is a notepad show: we hand you the value investor's vocabulary — economic moats, dividend aristocrats and kings, fair value, free cash flow, payout ratios — in plain English, so the next research note you read actually makes sense.   On this week's Money On Tap, we start with the advice everybody's grandfather gave — "if you like the product, buy the stock" — and complete it, because the price you pay matters just as much as the business you buy. We walk through the four questions behind every great investment, then build the toolkit: the economic moat and its five sources (network effects, intangible assets, switching costs, cost advantage, efficient scale), why a wide moat can still come with an overpriced stock, and what a fair value estimate does — and doesn't — promise. Then dividend royalty — aristocrats and kings — and why dividend history is evidence, not insurance. Then the number behind every dividend — free cash flow per share — and the payout ratio test that tells you whether a dividend is funded or borrowed. We close with the reason all of this matters right now: at just 3% inflation, an $80,000 lifestyle needs about $145,000 in twenty years, and value and dividend investing is one of the strongest tools for fighting that math.   What you'll learn: The four questions behind every great investmentThe economic moat — and the 20-year bar behind a "wide moat" ratingFive moat sources: network effects, intangibles, switching costs, cost advantage, efficient scaleWhy a wide moat and an overpriced stock can be the same companyFair value vs. stock price — and why the gap is not a promised gainA live case study: a beaten-down household name and the homework that decides itDividend aristocrats and kings — and why history is evidence, not insuranceFree cash flow per share: the test that shows whether a dividend is realPayout ratios, buybacks, and debt paydown — how good allocation rewards you twiceThe inflation math that makes value and dividend investing matter right nowPlus Money In The News: A new Fed chair signals the first rate hike since 2023 as the 10-year tops 5%Costco's Kirkland motor oil jumps from the low $30s to $58 — with a purchase limitBlackRock's plan to make your 401(k) feel like a pensionWant this week's white paper — the Value Investor's Checklist? Email us at [email protected] and we'll send it over.   Read our most recent Blog Post on this topic here: https://www.fmgwebsites.com/d772de05-9833-44e4-9676-f510f85cef74/blog/when-a-great-company-is-a-bad-buy-the-value-investors-vocabulary Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tap   Contact Us Phone: 855-226-8551Email: [email protected]: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Brayshaw Financial Group do not provide tax or legal advice. Companies referenced are for illustrative and educational purposes only and are not recommendations to buy or sell any security; Brayshaw Financial Group and/or its clients may hold positions in securities discussed on the show. Dividend payments are not guaranteed and may be reduced or eliminated at any time. Moat ratings and fair value figures are third-party analyst estimates, subject to change, and are not predictions of performance. Figures cited are approximate as of the air date and subject to change. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.

The Fed says inflation is running 2 to 3 percent. The checkout counter says otherwise. This week we close the gap between the number they report and the number you live — where inflation is actually coming from, why prices are never going back down, and the four levers retirees can pull to fight the affordability squeeze.   On this week's Money On Tap, we start with the distinction that changes everything: inflation is the rate at which prices rise, but affordability is the level of prices you have to live with — and when $100 becomes $125, a "cooling" inflation rate just means the new price grows slower. We follow the money to where the pressure really comes from: oil, the one commodity in every leg of the delivery chain (with diesel up roughly 24%); shelter costs that stack rent, insurance, property taxes, maintenance, and utilities; shrinkflation's not-quite-a-gallon gallon; tariffs that raised prices which never came back down; and healthcare — the retirement inflation almost nobody prices, from Medicare premiums to long-term care that can run five figures a month after Medicare steps away. Then we get practical: what inflation rate to actually stress-test your plan against, and the four ways to fight back — the right equities, bonds honestly reconsidered, annuities for the problem they truly solve, and the most powerful lever of all, tax mitigation.   What you'll learn: Inflation vs. affordability — why "rates are cooling" never means prices are coming downWatch the barrel: why oil is the truest inflation gauge in your lifeWhat retirees actually buy — and how much of it the CPI undercountsShrinkflation: the quiet second tax at the same sticker priceHow tariffs raised prices that stayed raisedHealthcare as retirement inflation: premiums, prescriptions, and the long-term care cliffWhat inflation rate to stress-test your plan against (hint: not 2–3%)Lever 1 — the right equities: pricing power, free cash flow, low debt, real dividendsLever 2 — bonds reconsidered: the 4–5% risk-free window, and what rate cuts would doLever 3 — annuities and longevity risk: guaranteed income pays the bills, the portfolio fights inflationLever 4 — tax mitigation: keeping more of every distribution at century-low ratesPlus Money In The News: 401(k) savers set records — balances up 10.5% in Q2, but a fifth of participants carry loansInside Apple's first launch event under its new CEO: the $1,999 foldable iPhone and "personal intelligence"The AI boom and tariff uncertainty push copper to record highsWant this week's white paper — seven things retirees can actually do about inflation? Email us at [email protected] and we'll send it over.   Read our most recent Blog Post on this topic here: https://www.fmgwebsites.com/d772de05-9833-44e4-9676-f510f85cef74/blog/inflation-isnt-dead-where-its-coming-from-and-how-retirees-fight-back Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tap   Contact Us Phone: 855-226-8551Email: [email protected]: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Brayshaw Financial Group do not provide tax or legal advice. Annuity guarantees are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurer. Figures cited are approximate as of the air date, drawn from sources believed reliable, and subject to change; alternative inflation measures are unofficial. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.

America just officially crossed $40 trillion in national debt. Everyone's talking about the number — almost nobody's talking about what it means for your taxes, your income, and your ability to retire. This week we dig into Uncle Sam's IOU and how to build a retirement that can withstand it. The debt isn't a reason to panic. It's a reason to prepare.   On this week's Money On Tap, we break down how we got here — structural deficits across every administration, roughly $100 trillion more in unfunded liabilities, and debt service now among the largest line items in the federal budget — and why the fallout runs straight through your retirement plan. We make the case that taxes are already rising in plain sight (today's rates are among the lowest in 100 years, and bracket creep is a quiet raise nobody voted on), walk through the inflation math that can leave a retiree needing nearly twice as much money over 20 years, and then get practical: the stocks that win in a high-debt world, the dividend traps to avoid, bonds versus bond funds, when an annuity is a foundation instead of a product pitch, cash that actually earns near 4%, and the debt-resistant retirement portfolio, layer by layer.   What you'll learn: How we got to $40 trillion — and why the blame is thoroughly bipartisanThe numbers that matter: debt past 100% of GDP, deficits near 6% of GDP, and ~$1.9 trillion in debt serviceWhy taxes are historically low today — and how bracket creep raises them without a voteThe retiree math: 2% vs. 4% inflation over 20 years, and why it's about income, not a numberSequence of returns risk — the reason a 9% average doesn't mean an 8% withdrawalStocks for a high-debt world: low debt, strong free cash flow, moats, and sustainable dividendsDividend traps: when a high yield is a warning sign, not an opportunityBonds vs. bond funds — and why owning to maturity changes the mathWinners and losers if rates stay high, from banks and insurers to non-traded REITsAnnuities done right: guaranteed income for core expenses so the rest can rideThe debt-resistant portfolio: guaranteed income, safety, quality dividends, growth, inflation protection, and working cashPlus Money In The News: Meta reaches an $18 billion settlement with 48 states over child-safety claims — default screen-time limits includedFive smart ways to use high-yield savings accounts paying near 4% while banks average 0.38%Why the bond market may be resetting expectations about U.S. debtWant a white paper on this week's topic? Email us at [email protected] and we'll send it over.   Read our most recent Blog Post on this topic here: https://www.fmgwebsites.com/d772de05-9833-44e4-9676-f510f85cef74/blog/uncle-sams-iou-and-your-retirement-building-a-debt-resistant-portfolio Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tap   Contact Us Phone: 855-226-8551Email: [email protected]: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Brayshaw Financial Group do not provide tax or legal advice. Annuity guarantees are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurer. Figures cited are approximate as of the air date, drawn from sources believed reliable, and subject to change. Hypothetical examples are for illustrative purposes only. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.

"I have a will. I think it's good." This week we explain why that sentence almost always means "I don't really know" — and walk through exactly what it takes to be estate ready, so the wealth you leave behind improves the next generation instead of tearing it apart.   On this week's Money On Tap, we get into the uncomfortable truth of estate planning: the beneficiary form on an account supersedes your will, and the company holding the asset will pay whoever is named on it — period. We break down the four buckets every asset passes through (will-controlled assets, beneficiary designations, joint ownership, and trusts), the dollars-vs-percentages trap that quietly rewrites your intentions when an estate shrinks, per stirpes vs. per capita in plain English, and the beneficiary mistakes we see over and over — the ex-spouse still listed, the missing contingents, the minor named directly, the fifteen-year-old trust nobody reread. Then we get practical: the life-event red flags that should trigger a review, the master file your family needs (including your digital assets and passwords), the documents beyond the money — power of attorney, healthcare proxy, advance directive — and why preparing your heirs matters as much as preparing the paperwork. We close with the 10 questions to answer before you ever say "my estate plan is done."   What you'll learn: Why the beneficiary designation beats the will — and what custodians actually do when there's a disputeThe four buckets of estate planning: will, beneficiary designations, ownership, and trustsThe joint-account trap: why the surviving owner gets 100%, no matter what you intendedDollars vs. percentages: how a shrinking estate rewrites your legacy mathPer stirpes vs. per capita — and why the company's default, not your intent, is what executesThe mistakes we see constantly: ex-spouses still listed, deceased beneficiaries, no contingents, minors named directlyThe life-event red flags that demand a beneficiary reviewThe master file: what your family needs to find, from account lists to digital passwordsBeyond the money: power of attorney, healthcare proxy, and advance directivesPreparing heirs emotionally and financially — why a $1M 401(k) inheritance can feel like a tax billThe 10 questions to answer before you say "I'm done"Plus Money In The News: Moderna shares double on a successful mRNA cancer vaccine — a personalized melanoma breakthrough with MerckThe hidden Roth conversion window through 2028: the senior deduction, the brackets, and the IRMAA trapNational debt nears $40 trillion — and Bank of America's warning for bond investorsWant a white paper on this week's topic? Email us at [email protected] and we'll send it over.   Read our most recent Blog Post on this topic here: https://www.fmgwebsites.com/d772de05-9833-44e4-9676-f510f85cef74/blog/be-estate-ready-the-four-buckets-your-will-doesnt-control Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tap   Contact Us Phone: 855-226-8551Email: [email protected]: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Brayshaw Financial Group do not provide tax or legal advice. Estate planning involves legal and tax considerations that vary by state and individual situation — coordinate with your attorney and CPA. Examples are hypothetical and for illustrative purposes only. How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.

Value investing spent fifteen years out of fashion. This year, it's beating the index almost everywhere you look — energy up roughly 20%, industrials 17%, healthcare 15%, utilities 14%, financials 12% — while the S&P 500 sits near 8–9%. This week we dig into the return of value investing and what the greatest investors of all time can teach us right now.   On this week's Money On Tap, we go deep on the tradition that runs from Benjamin Graham through Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger: buying good businesses at sensible prices, collecting the dividends they pay you, and letting compounding do the heavy lifting. We explain why value went dark from roughly 2009 to 2025 — cheap money was rocket fuel for growth stocks — and why higher interest rates have flipped the script: growth borrows, value pays you. We connect the rotation to worn-out tech traders taking gains, the 401(k) flywheel, and the demographic engine underneath it all — roughly 10,000 baby boomers reaching retirement age every day, all needing present-day income. Plus Pepsi's 53-year dividend streak and a candid conversation about when mutual funds and ETFs stop making sense and direct stock ownership starts.   What you'll learn: The sector scoreboard: energy ~20%, industrials ~17%, healthcare ~15%, utilities ~14%, financials ~12%, staples ~9% — vs. the S&P 500 near 8–9%Graham vs. Buffett: buy cheap and sell at fair value, or buy outstanding businesses and hold for decadesMunger's rule: "The big money is not in the buying or the selling, but in the waiting"Why low interest rates buried value for fifteen years — and why higher rates brought it backMargin of safety: the idea that protects you when you're wrongWhy money is rotating into companies that pay you to own them — dividends over promisesThe demographic engine: 10,000 boomers a day retiring and the demand for present-day incomeThe compounding story: Buffett's American Express dividends now exceed his entire original investment — every yearWhen funds stop making sense: the case for direct stock ownership at higher net worthPlus Money In The News: SpaceX says it's coming for AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile customers — but does satellite cell service actually work?The Treasury has refunded $100 billion in invalidated tariff revenue to companies — and none of it is coming back to youA tale of two housing markets: luxury demand surges while starter-home buyers finally see inventoryWant a white paper on this week's topic? Email us at [email protected] and we'll send it over.   Read our most recent Blog Post on this topic here: https://www.fmgwebsites.com/d772de05-9833-44e4-9676-f510f85cef74/blog/the-return-of-value-investing-why-boring-profitable-companies-are-winnin Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tap   Contact Us Phone: 855-226-8551Email: [email protected]: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Brayshaw Financial Group do not provide tax or legal advice. Index and sector figures cited are approximate year-to-date values as of the air date, drawn from sources believed reliable, and subject to change. Dividend payments are not guaranteed and may be reduced or eliminated at any time. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.

Your S&P 500 fund says 7% — but over 300 of its stocks are beating the index. This week we dig into the massive broadening of the market that almost nobody in the financial media is talking about, and why we think it's the healthiest thing to happen to this bull market in years.For three years, seven stocks did all the talking. This year, the other 493 are answering. On this week's Money On Tap, we walk through the numbers behind the broadening: the Magnificent Seven still make up roughly a third of every dollar in a cap-weighted S&P 500 index fund — which is exactly why so many statements look stuck at 7% while the equal-weight S&P runs above 14%, the Russell 1000 Value nears 20%, and healthcare and industrials each post roughly 24% year to date. We connect it to the 100-year-old Dow theory (industry makes goods, transportation moves them — and both are near highs), unpack the defensive-stock paradox (staples rallying while nobody calls a recession), revisit the historical pattern from 1983, 1995, 2003, 2013, and 2020 where tech blows out and then leadership broadens — and get practical about what a broadening market rewards most: rebalancing, equal-weight exposure, sector and international diversification, and knowing what your 401(k) actually owns.What you'll learn: Why a third of every S&P 500 index-fund dollar sits in just seven stocks — and what that's done to your return this yearThe breadth numbers: 300+ stocks beating the index, roughly seven in ten S&P names up on the yearThe sector scoreboard: healthcare ~24%, industrials ~24%, staples ~11.3%, financials ~9.7%, utilities ~7.6%Why money is rotating, not leaving — and why that's the opposite of how crashes startDow theory at 100+: what industrials and transports near highs historically signalThe defensive-stock paradox: staples leading without a recession call anywhere in sightThe rebalancing playbook: taking profits without apology, calendar discipline, equal-weight funds (11.9% vs 10.9% over 20 years)How to broaden with new contributions instead of selling your winnersTarget-date fund warnings: layered fees, hidden allocations, and no way to rebalanceWhy this is not a reason to dump technology — proportion, not exitPlus Money In The News: A property-management company bets $200K on AI to make the trades more efficient — filling a labor gap instead of cutting jobsApple set for its strongest June-quarter sales growth in five years — flat iPhone pricing, a $5 trillion moment, and sitting out the AI arms raceThe 100-year-old Dow theory says this market isn't done climbingWant a white paper on this week's topic? Email us at [email protected] and we'll send it over.Read the companion blog: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/blog Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us Phone: 855-226-8551Email: [email protected]: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Brayshaw Financial Group do not provide tax or legal advice. Index and sector figures cited are approximate year-to-date values as of the air date, drawn from sources believed reliable, and subject to change. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.

Whatever you've done, there's a very good chance you can recover. That's the message of this week's show — and then Ben and Dan get specific, decade by decade, about the mistakes that quietly sink retirements and the moves that rescue them.In this week's Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon walk through the money mistakes of every stage of life. The 20s and 30s: waiting to invest, lifestyle inflation, and treating insurance as a nuisance instead of what it really is — protection of your ability to retire. The 40s — the squeeze years: turning off the 401(k) match to pay the bills (walking away from free money), getting too comfortable with debt, and skipping the tax planning that builds tax-free assets for later. The 50s — the catch-up years: catch-up contributions, the HSA "triple threat," the backdoor Roth, and the fear-driven mistake of going too conservative too soon. And in retirement itself: the light-switch move to cash, target-date funds past their date, scattered old 401(k)s, chasing a "number" instead of an income, and the biggest one of all — no plan for a health change.What you'll learn: Why your 20s and 30s are the most powerful investing decade you'll ever get — and what lifestyle inflation really costsInsurance reframed: insuring well-being, not events — and why long-term care planning protects the healthy spouseThe 401(k) match rule for the squeeze years: never walk away from free moneyWhen to shift from investment planning to retirement planning — and why the goal is an income number, not a total numberThe catch-up toolkit for your 50s: 401(k) and IRA catch-ups, the HSA triple threat, and the backdoor RothWhy "too conservative too soon" quietly loses money backwards — and how segmentation puts risk and security in one strategyThe bucket strategy in action: a real case of a 60%-bond portfolio, a 4.5% withdrawal rate, and a first-home gift — rescuedFoundational expenses: the income planning step most people skip before retiringThe health-change plan: estate documents, powers of attorney, and why waiting can mean it's too late to signPlus Money In The News: Alphabet set for a blockbuster quarter as AI bets collide with spending fears — why this AI buildout isn't the dot-com eraPhased tariffs on generic drugs: 90% of U.S. prescriptions are generics, and most aren't made hereFidelity's new number: retirees may need nearly $186,000 for healthcare — up 7.5% in a yearWant the Retirement Rescue white paper? Email us at [email protected] and we'll send it over.Read the companion blog: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/blog Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us Phone: 855-226-8551Email: [email protected]: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Osaic Wealth, Inc. and Brayshaw Financial Group do not provide tax or legal advice. Figures cited are as of the air date, drawn from sources believed reliable, and subject to change. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.

The S&P 500 is up about 10.2% this year. That average is hiding one of the most lopsided markets in a decade: energy up 28%, communication services negative, and the Magnificent Seven — the stocks that carried the market for three years — collectively underwater.In this week's Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon go beyond the index, sector by sector. They walk the 2026 scoreboard — energy +28.1%, technology +26.8%, industrials +16%, with a 30-point gap between the top and bottom sectors — and unpack the year's most important story: the broadening of the market, with 46.3% of S&P companies now beating the index itself, up from 30.5% last year. Then the mechanics most investors never see: why seven stocks absorb a third of every dollar in a standard S&P fund, why the SPY and QQQ share 8–9 of their top 10 holdings, and why your "diversified" ETFs may be the same bundle of stocks in different wrappers. They close with the Fed's looming rate decision — hike odds jumped from 26% to 73% in one month — and the five durable themes they're watching for the second half.What you'll learn: The 2026 sector scoreboard: all 11 sectors ranked, from energy's +28.1% to communication services' −3.1%The broadening of the index: why 46.3% of S&P companies are beating the index — a decade-plus firstWhy the Mag Seven flipped from engine to anchor (Microsoft down 20%+), and what the index looks like without themThe ETF overlap trap: cap weighting, 35–55% in the top 10, and wrappers around the same stocksWhat a Fed rate hike would do to sector leadership — winners and losers under both scenariosBuffett's warning: "a church with a casino attached," and why down doesn't mean cheapThe dials for outperforming: sector weighting, security selection, valuation discipline, income, cash, and tax managementTaking gains on purpose: the sequence-of-returns lesson in 2026's −4.3% Q1 and +15.2% Q2Five second-half themes: electrification, defense, nuclear renaissance, the aging population, and the infrastructure rebuildPlus Money In The News: 73% odds of a Fed rate hike by September — up from 26% just a month earlier — and the two culprits behind itWarren Buffett: it's tough to find value "when everybody is preferring gambling"Blockbuster stock sales — SpaceX's record $75B IPO, Alphabet's $85B raise, SK Hynix ADRs — and whether $500B of new equity can overwhelm the bull marketRead the companion blog: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/blog Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us Phone: 855-226-8551Email: [email protected]: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Index and sector performance figures are as of the air date and subject to change. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.

A new study says the average retired couple needs $1.16 million to retire comfortably. Scary headline — until you do the math. Because retirement was never about reaching a number. It's about the paycheck that number can produce.In this week's Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon take the "magic number" apart piece by piece. They trace where $1.16 million actually comes from — $84,000 in average spending, $37,700 in Social Security, and a 4% withdrawal covering the gap — then show what the headline can't see: sequence of returns risk, the tax code, health events, and the market's habit of dropping 25–30% when you can least afford it. The centerpiece is a tale of three couples: Couple A with $1.8 million and no guaranteed income beyond Social Security, Couple B with $950,000 and a teacher's pension, and Couple C with $900,000 who built their own pension with an annuity — and ended up more secure than the couple with twice the money.What you'll learn: Where the $1.16 million figure really comes from — and why the study converts it to income immediatelyWhy the race-to-a-number mindset is programmed into us, and why it fails in retirementThe tax reality: 12% vs. 22% brackets, Social Security taxation, RMDs at 73, Medicare's hidden 3–5% "tax," and climbing capital gains ratesThe bucket strategy: cash for years 0–3, buffered strategies and dividends for 3–7, growth for 7+Why 1% of inefficiency on a 4% drawdown is really 25% of your incomeCouple A vs. B vs. C: how guaranteed income beats a bigger portfolioThe timing trap: why buying the annuity after the crash locks in the lossRewriting the 4% rule with 5–7% joint lifetime annuity payoutsPlus Money In The News: SpaceX goes public: Wall Street's sky-high price targets, the trillion-dollar valuation, and why investors stay cautiousTrump floats an Australian-style retirement system with 12% employer contributionsThe IRA saver's match arriving in 2027: who qualifies, and why the income limits are so tightRead the companion blog: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/blog Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us Phone: 855-226-8551Email: [email protected]: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. Annuity guarantees are subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.

Only 20–30% of the AI data centers planned through 2030 are built today. The other 70–80% — the cement, the cooling, the chips, the memory, the power — are still coming. And the companies collecting the profits from that build-out are mostly names the mainstream isn't talking about.In this week's Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon go beyond the Mag Seven and into the hidden companies powering the AI revolution. They trace how the AI trade rotated from the companies spending the money to the companies receiving it — the second-wave winners like Micron, SanDisk, Vertiv, Marvell, and Broadcom — and why Taiwan Semiconductor may be the king of the whole story. Then they go layer by layer through what's still ahead: electrical infrastructure, utilities and nuclear power, engineering, construction materials, and data center REITs.What you'll learn: Why only 20–30% of planned AI data centers exist — and what that means for the next decade of demandThe rotation out of the Mag Seven: from speculation and hope to follow-the-moneyThe AI stack, layer by layer: chips, memory (Micron), storage (SanDisk), cooling (Vertiv), networking (Marvell, Broadcom)Why Taiwan Semiconductor is the company nearly every AI player depends onThe risks worth respecting: valuation, capex pullbacks, competition, interest rates, and tariffsThe layers still to come: electrical, power and grid, engineering, materials, machinery, and data center REITsWhy high conviction — knowing why you own what you own — beats chasing every headlinePlus Money In The News: Trump Accounts for kids launch July 4: $1,000 at birth, up to $5,000 a year — and the math that could reach seven figures by retirementWhich financial stocks actually benefit when interest rates stay highTrump's rare earth agenda hits a milestone as the U.S. Army moves to break China's grip on defense metalsRead the companion blog: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/blog Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us Phone: 855-226-8551Email: [email protected]: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.

By 2048, an estimated $124 trillion will change hands — the largest transfer of wealth in human history. Roughly $105 trillion to heirs, $18 trillion to charity. And here’s the uncomfortable truth: about 70% of family wealth disappears by the second generation, and 90% is gone by the third.In this week’s Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon dig into what the great wealth transfer really means — not for the economy, but for your family. They unpack why wealth preservation is far more behavioral than investment-driven, what the Vanderbilts got wrong and the Rockefellers got right, and the Warren Buffett principle every parent and grandparent should know. Most importantly, they walk through the four conversations every family needs to have before the money moves — and the simple first step you can take this week.What you’ll learn: Why $124 trillion in motion could be a generational blessing — or a great wealth disasterThe statistic that should stop every family cold: 70% gone by generation two, 90% by generation threeWhy wealth preservation is behavioral, not investment-drivenThe tale of two fortunes: Vanderbilt vs. RockefellerThe four conversations every family must have before the transferA practical first step you can take this week — and the BFG white paper that helps you run your own family meetingPlus Money In The News: General Motors and Lockheed Martin announce a new multi-billion-dollar defense manufacturing partnershipJeff Bezos proposes eliminating federal income taxes for the bottom half of U.S. earners — and what it would actually mean“The job interview is broken”: how AI is reshaping hiring on both sides of the tableRead the companion blog: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/blog Schedule a free consultation: https://app.greminders.com/t/9f3ce72e/initialconsulta Browse the full Money On Tap library: https://www.brayshawfinancial.com/money-on-tapContact Us - Phone: 855-226-8551 - Email: [email protected] - Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110 - Web: brayshawfinancial.comSecurities and advisory services offered through Osaic Wealth, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. All other services offered through Brayshaw Financial Group, LLC are independent of Osaic Wealth, Inc. How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.

Ten straight up weeks, then a sharp pullback — and if you’re two to five years on either side of retirement, the fear is real. This is the Retirement Red Zone: the last mile into and out of your retirement date, and the most fragile window in your entire financial life.This week on Money On Tap, Ben Brayshaw and Dan Michelon turn last week’s market-history conversation into a practical playbook for anyone near retirement: how to avoid the paralysis that wrecked so many retirements in 2008–2009, and what to actually do right now.What you’ll learn: Why a 35-year-old and a 65-year-old should do the opposite thing in a pullbackThe accumulation-to-distribution switch most people don’t know existsWhat history says: after 40 sharp selloffs since 1980, markets were higher 75% of the time a year laterSequence-of-returns risk — why the first five years decide everythingBuilding a 1–3 year retirement runway with ~4% cash and T-billsRebalancing a 60/40 that drifted to 75/25Diversifying away from a top-10 that’s now 40% of the S&P (8 of them tech)Buffered ETFs — a 20% buffer with a 12–15% cap, explainedFoundational income, annuities, and the tax-aware withdrawal piece most firms skipPlus Money In The News: Consumer prices rose 4.2% annually in May — the highest in three years (CNBC, Jeff Cox)Elon Musk poised to become the first trillionaire — and just how much a trillion dollars really isA top JP Morgan strategist’s four ways to prep your portfolio for “considerable danger” (David Kelly)Mentioned on air: Our short sequence-of-returns risk video — watch it at brayshawfinancial.com.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: [email protected] Office: 116 South River Road, Bedford, NH 03110 Web: brayshawfinancial.com How do I know if a phone call is a scam? Run it through the FEARS test: Fear (your account is compromised, a loved one is in trouble), Emotion (romance, panic, guilt), Authority (the IRS, the sheriff, the bank fraud department), Rush (it must happen now, on this call), and Secrecy (don't tell your family, don't call your bank). Feel several at once and you're being worked. The defense that defeats almost everything: hang up and call back on a number you find yourself — the back of your card, the official website — never the number they gave you or the one on caller ID, which is easily spoofed. Nothing true stops being true because you verified it.