Fixing The BROKEN Retirement System (5/17/2025)

Brian, Alex, and our callers dig into one of the most overlooked but urgent problems in personal finance: our retirement system is broken—and most people don't even realize it. The conversation opens with an honest critique of the current mess of savings vehicles: 401(k)s, SIMPLEs, SEPs, IRAs, Roths—all with different rules, limits, and levels of access. The hosts explain why these inconsistencies create a fundamental inequality: if you're self-employed, you can stash away $70K pre-tax, but if you're a W-2 employee? You're capped at less than half that. It's a system built with good intentions that's now a patchwork of inefficiency, confusion, and lopsided opportunity. The episode features a practical case study from a young entrepreneur trying to offer retirement benefits to a small team with limited resources. Alex breaks down the real math behind startup retirement plans and offers realistic paths forward. They also take a call from a college student who saved $10K and wants to invest it wisely—an unexpected reminder that real financial planning starts early, and opportunity favors the intentional.   Listen, Watch, Subscribe, Ask! https://www.therealmoneypros.com Host: Brian Wiley & Alex Lundgren ————————————————————— SPONSORS: Guild Mortgage: https://guildmortgage.com Ataraxis PEO https://ataraxispeo.com Tree City Advisors of Apollon: https://www.treecityadvisors.com Apollon Wealth Management: https://apollonwealthmanagement.com/ Formations: https://get.formationscorp.com/real-money-pros —————————————————————