"Ute" (SUV), "chips" (French fries), "sunnies" (sunglasses), and "mates" (friends) are just a few of the slang terms I picked up earlier this year when the Keens visited our family in Brisbane, Australia.

Another was "super," which is short for "superannuation." This mandatory savings program is central to Australia's retirement planning. And recently, President Trump floated the idea of implementing a similar program here in the U.S.

On today's show, we discuss if taking some inspiration from our friends Down Under could provide a "super" solution to Social Security's looming insolvency and help more Americans build their nest eggs for retirement.

Keen on Retirement listener "Joe" is 51 and his wife is 60. They are thinking about an early retirement before either of them turns 65.

Joe wrote in asking about the best strategy for coordinating Social Security benefits around that retirement goal. Should they take his wife's benefits now? Delay benefits to keep their income low and make Roth conversions?

And since they're both too young to collect Medicare, how will their Social Security benefits affect their Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies?

The good news is that Joe and his wife are already thinking about the main topic of today's episode: when you pull one lever on your retirement plan, another piece adjusts.

Working with a professional advisor can help you navigate these interconnected decisions with greater clarity and confidence.

Are you feeling a little more anxious than usual about your money?

Given everything that's happening in the world right now, that's perfectly understandable.

What concerns me is the rising number of Americans who say that their money worries are nudging them towards high-risk speculation in crypto, meme stocks, and prediction markets.

And what's even more concerning is that folks aren't taking massive money risks just because they want to get rich quick. They're afraid that their peers and some of the bedrock assumptions of our financial system are leaving them behind.

Unfortunately, substituting a disciplined financial plan with speculative gambling rarely helps anyone catch up, let alone build wealth to secure retirement.

On today's show, we try to ease some of this financial anxiety by answering three listener questions that touch on some very common money fears.