Stewart Smith and Mitch Davies are back from a few weeks off, and they're diving straight into the things they see most often when they sit down with clients.

Much like a doctor reading an EKG, Stewart and Mitch spend their days looking at statements and tax returns, hunting for the cracks where a plan could be doing more for you.

In this episode, they break down real gaps they run into constantly: estate planning mistakes like houses titled the wrong way, missing TOD and POD designations, and trusts that were set up but never actually funded. They also get into why so many people aren't contributing enough to their retirement plans, what a 22% cut to Social Security by 2032 could mean if Congress doesn't act, and why Roth conversions are worth a serious look right now. They close things out with a few tax efficiency cracks, including how to handle after-tax brokerage accounts, dividends, and charitable giving the smart way.

If you've ever wondered whether your own plan has one of these cracks in it, this episode is a good place to start checking.

In This Episode:

• Why the way your house is titled matters more than you think
• TOD and POD designations and how they can help you avoid probate
• Two common reasons trusts end up never getting funded
• How to know whether an asset should be retitled or just have the trust named as beneficiary
• Why trusts need to be revisited every so often, especially if you've moved states
• The healthcare and financial power of attorney piece people often skip
• Why "just doing the match" on your 401(k) may not be enough
• What a 22% Social Security reduction in 2032 could mean for your retirement
• Why Roth conversions matter more than ever right now
• Managing after-tax brokerage accounts, dividends, and tax loss harvesting the right way
• Using qualified charitable distributions (QCDs) to give more tax-efficiently

Timestamps:
→ [00:00] Welcome back from a few weeks off
→ [02:14] Estate planning cracks: house titling
→ [04:38] TOD and POD designations to avoid probate
→ [07:06] Why trusts don't get funded
→ [09:00] Retitling assets vs. naming the trust as beneficiary
→ [12:40] Keeping trusts up to date
→ [14:04] Healthcare and financial power of attorney
→ [16:03] Not contributing enough to retirement plans
→ [18:16] Social Security's possible 22% cut in 2032
→ [20:20] Why Roth conversions matter right now
→ [23:17] Doing more than the match in the retirement red zone
→ [27:19] Tax efficiency cracks: after-tax accounts
→ [29:19] Tax loss harvesting done right
→ [29:53] Dividends and interest in after-tax accounts
→ [31:32] Qualified charitable distributions (QCDs)
→ [34:06] Wrap-up

Stewart Smith, LUTCF®, RICP®, and Mitch Davies share this every week so you can catch the cracks in your own plan before they cost you. Catch ClearPath Retirement Radio every Saturday at 10 AM

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Investment advisory services offered through Alphastar Capital Management, LLC, a SEC-registered investment adviser. SEC registration does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by the SEC nor does it indicate that the adviser has attained a particular level of skill or ability. Fixed insurance products are offered through Clearpath Retirement Planning, LLC and Alphastar Capital Management is not involved in the offer, recommendation, sale or management of commission-based fixed Insurance products. Alphastar Capital Management and Clearpath Retirement...