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Retirement For Life
The only retirement show that won’t put you to sleep as we guide you to a comfortable and confident retirement. Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP® the passionate retirement specialist helps you navigate the complex world of retirement with a dash of fun, a heap of wisdom and plenty of real-life application. Whether you're already retired or planning for the future, the Retirement for Life Show is your passport to a secure and enjoyable retirement.
With over two decades of experience, Chris has been assisting individuals in achieving their retirement dreams, whether it's investing wisely, building wealth, or increasing retirement confidence. His expertise has earned him recognition in esteemed national media outlets such as Yahoo Finance, U.S. News and World Report, and CBS News.
Join Chris and his fellow professionals, Andrea Brannon and Emma Bean, CFA®, as they take you on a journey through essential retirement topics. We cover it all, from Retirement Planning and Investment Tips to Financial Planning, Social Security, Estate Planning, Tax Strategies, and much more. Tune in for practical insights and wisdom that will help transform your retirement goals into reality.
Retirement For Life
Bonus Episode: Tariffs, Trade Wars & $3,000 iPhones: Is Your Retirement Ready?
Market chaos? Tariff uncertainty? While most financial advisors hide when markets crash, we're calling our clients who remain surprisingly calm. The economic drama unfolding around tariffs has created unprecedented volatility, with Peter Navarro directing a trade strategy that runs counter to mainstream economic thought. Most economists view these policies skeptically, recognizing that despite any relative advantage they might provide the imposing country, tariffs ultimately harm all parties involved.
The real-world impact could be staggering—analysts project iPhone prices potentially reaching $3,000 if current policies persist. Yet beyond immediate price shocks lies a deeper manufacturing dilemma: building new factories in America requires 5-6 years and billions in investment. What corporate leader would commit such resources based on policies that might reverse overnight? This uncertainty creates a planning nightmare for businesses and investors alike.
The story from our client conversations reveals something powerful: those with properly structured retirement plans aren't panicking. They understand that while stocks might decline, bonds often appreciate during the same period. They know their income is secure because it's generated from stable sources. They recognize market volatility as an expected part of the journey, not a roadblock to their financial security. Their perfect retirement strategy—incorporating optimal Social Security decisions, solid income planning, and strategic withdrawal approaches—shields them from the market's wild swings. Ready to experience that same confidence? Let's build your perfect retirement strategy together, one that stands strong regardless of what tomorrow's headlines bring.
We love hearing from you!! Record your retirement questions anytime at www.RetirementForLife.com
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What else do you guys want to talk about?
Emma Bean, CFA®:Oh my gosh, probably the thing that's on everybody's minds right now, which is tariffs and the uncertainty in the market.
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:There's a lot going on right now.
Emma Bean, CFA®:Yeah, there is.
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:I don't know if I've ever written down more notes. Yeah, there's this guy named Peter Navarro. Do you guys know who he is?
Emma Bean, CFA®:I've seen some of his quotes here lately.
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:He is in charge of directing Trump's trade plan. He's the number one voice behind this. Do you know that the majority of mainstream economists look down on Peter Navarro?
Emma Bean, CFA®:I didn't know that.
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:Yeah, he's considered to be combative, he's considered to be more political than analytical and he's written books about how to beat up China. And Trump has hired a guy who, essentially, I think, is taking out his political agenda and his I don't want to say hatred of China.
Emma Bean, CFA®:I was going to say, though they're the ones that got hit the hardest, so I guess that makes sense.
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:Yeah, but I mean, what are the economists saying about tariffs Like? What do they say?
Emma Bean, CFA®:I mean, nobody wins with tariffs. You can say, you know, the US is better off than the country that we're placing the tariff on. But at the end of the day, nobody wins in a trade war. And the other thing, too, is it's just so uncertain. There's most likely some negotiations that are going to be taking place. We don't know what the long-term tariff rate is going to be, so it's very hard for anyone to know what's coming next, what the market's going to do, how they're going to react. But at the end of the day, tariffs help ultimately no one.
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:I thought I made this video to the clients the other day about they're saying that the iPhone could be $3,000. Who's going to pay $3,000 for an iPhone? Not me. How long Do we go paying for a $3,000 iPhone before Americans start getting really pissed off?
Emma Bean, CFA®:Yeah.
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:We were talking yesterday. The idea is to bring manufacturing back to America. Make iPhones in America, right, right, okay, how long does it take to build a billion-dollar factory to make iPhones in Dallas, texas?
Emma Bean, CFA®:Yeah.
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:I don't know. Same thing goes with the auto industry. Five, six years owns in Dallas, Texas. I don't know.
Emma Bean, CFA®:Same thing goes with the auto industry. Not only does it take years and years, but we're talking a huge infrastructure spending. And not only that, but we've talked about it too. What company is going to say, oh, I'm moving everything to the US because it's going to be more tax friendly, when we don't even know if next month the tariffs are going to change because things are so back and forth, yeah, how do the CEOs plan right now?
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:Here's my impression of the tariff laws. There it is. It's a law 50% tariffs. Okay, now you're going to spend $10 billion, $1 billion, whatever it is $500 million to manufacture in the United States. You're two years into the project and then the same guy goes like this I changed my mind. No, you know, it's like yeah who's gonna do that?
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:right yeah um, especially when you think about the amount of very, very smart people ce economists there's not one or two people. Usually. I always use a joke about watching CNBC in the morning. What do I do? You'll listen to one expert says do this, and you'll listen to the next expert on the next segment and just do the opposite. It's kind of like this is not a 50-50 thing. The majority of people are saying this is an absolutely crazy idea. I don't know where it ends, which is why you need the perfect retirement.
Emma Bean, CFA®:If you're positioned accordingly, you shouldn't have to worry about it at all, and that's where we try to place a lot of our clients.
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:Why you should make the right social security decision, which is why you should do your income plan, which is why you should have the withdrawal strategies. We make a point of calling people. Yesterday we called, we started at the top of the list and we just work our way down right. Typical financial advisor. What do they do when the market crashes? Hide?
Emma Bean, CFA®:in the corner. They hide under the covers right, no one calls them Not us right.
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:We're like let's make a list and let's just start calling people and what we were saying before we started recording the show how pleasantly surprised we were.
Emma Bean, CFA®:Yeah, most people are positive. They understand they're in it for the long haul and they've seen their plan and they've seen what it looks like when it's stress tested and they know they're going to be okay.
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:They have the perfect retirement. It's like I don't care what happens to the stock market. I'm not touching my stocks for the next 20 years. They understand that they have bonds sitting there If they call up Andrea and say I need $15,000 for the trip it's there because it's sitting in bonds, making 5% right now. By the way, when the stock market's been going down, what's been happening to bonds?
Emma Bean, CFA®:They've been going up.
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:Yeah, I said it twice in two videos this week. One way to think about the stock market and there's this girl that you were talking to, who's a client, who was very concerned, and she will never hear this. But one way to think about this is when you hear the stock market is down 5%, like it was the other day, you could say, oh my gosh, the world's coming to an end, my portfolio is falling. Say, oh my gosh, the world's coming to an end, my portfolio is falling. Logically, you would say half of my portfolio is in the stock market, half of it is falling.
Emma Bean, CFA®:The other half is going up.
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:It's like perspective people. So where does it all end, this tariff? What do you guys think? I have no idea.
Emma Bean, CFA®:No one knows. I don't think. Yeah, it's too unpredictable.
Christian Cyr, CPA, CFP®:Well, this I know for sure If you're in the perfect retirement and you avoid these kind of pitfalls, you're in a much better position than if you didn't tackle these things.
Andrea Brannon, CFA®-IF:Yep Investment advisory services provided by Sear Financial Incorporated, an SEC-registered investment advisor. All content on this YouTube channel is for information purposes only and should not be considered investment, legal or tax advice. Material presented is believed to be from reliable sources and no representations are made by our firm as to another party's informational accuracy or completeness. Neither Sear Financial Inc. Nor its representatives provide tax or legal advice, and nothing herein should be construed as such. Always consult with your tax advisor or attorney regarding your specific circumstances.
