Financial Planning Explained

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Episodes

205

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

Learn about financial planning strategies, ways to reduce taxes, how much you can spend in retirement, Social Security benefits, Roth IRA conversions and contributions, portfolio diversification, creating retirement income, and more. Episodes include review of case studies and interviews with subject matter experts. At Menninger & Associates, our philosophy is based on the fundamentals of financial planning. Further, we strongly believe that education and knowledge are powerful. In the end, all decisions are ultimately made by our clients, so each client knows why they are making those decisions thanks to our extremely informative meetings. Tune into this educational channel to learn strategies used every day!

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60 recent

June 11, 2026Episode 22729 min

Estate Planning Case Study: Wills, Trusts, and Tax Strategies

This week on Financial Planning: Explained, host Michael Menninger, CFP® walks through a comprehensive estate planning case study, illustrating how thoughtful planning can help families protect assets, minimize taxes, and ensure their wishes are carried out efficiently. Using a real-world financial planning scenario, Michael breaks down the key components of an effective estate plan, including wills, trusts, beneficiary designations, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and strategies for transferring wealth to future generations. He also highlights common estate planning mistakes that can create unnecessary costs, delays, and family conflicts. Throughout the episode, Michael explains how estate planning integrates with a broader financial plan and why regularly reviewing your estate documents is essential as your family, assets, and goals evolve over time. Whether you're building your first estate plan, updating existing documents, planning for retirement, or looking to preserve your legacy for your loved ones, this episode provides practical insights and actionable strategies to help you make informed decisions. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com.

June 2, 2026Episode 22630 min

Home Loans: Mortgage Strategies for Buyers with Michael Mandio

This week on "Financial Planning: Explained", host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Michael Mandio. Michael is the Vice President of Production, Community Mortgage Team for AnnieMac Home Mortgage. AnnieMac is a nationwide residential mortgage lender. They help homebuyers and homeowners secure financing for purchasing properties, refinancing current loans, and accessing home equity. In this episode, Michael and Mike discuss AnnieMac and how they help home buyers through the buying process. The guys also discuss the Cash2Keys program, which lets buyers leverage cash offers to skip the stress or bidding wars and put themselves in the best position to win housing bids. This is a great episode for anyone purchasing a new home or refinancing a current home. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com.

May 26, 2026Episode 22531 min

College Planning: Repayment & Refinancing with Mackensie Ellis

On this week's episode of "Financial Planning: Explained”, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes back Mackensie Ellis. Mackensie is a student loan professional at Juno. Juno student loans uses collective bargaining power to negotiate better rates on undergraduate, graduate, and refinance student loans. In this episode, Mackensie and Mike talk about loan repayment after graduation. The two get into refinance options, loan deferment, and public service loan forgiveness. This is a great episode for students of any age or students who have recently graduated looking for repayment options. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com.

May 19, 2026Episode 22432 min

College Planning: Different Types of Loans with Mackensie Ellis

This week on "Financial Planning: Explained", host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes Mackensie Ellis. Mackensie is a student loan professional at Juno. Juno student loans uses collective bargaining power to negotiate better rates on undergraduate, graduate, and refinance student loans. In this episode, Mackensie and Mike discuss what Juno is an how the service works. They also talk about federal vs private student loans, along with the pros and cons of each. Other topics include: Parent PLUS loans and Stafford loans. This is a great episode for students of any age that are looking to negotiate a better student loan rate, or refinance their current loan. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com.

May 12, 2026Episode 22336 min

College Planning: Where to Begin with Shellee Howard

On this week's episode of "Financial Planning: Explained”, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes back Shellee Howard. Shellee is the Founder & CEO of College Ready. College Ready helps students stand out through strategic college planning proven to strengthen applications, increase scholarship offers, and simplify every step of the admissions journey. This is part two of a four-part series on college planning. In this episode, Shellee and Mike discuss the process of Shellee's company and how they guide students to make educated choices when college planning. They also discuss considerations and opportunities post-grad that students should consider when choosing a school. This is a great episode for any student or parent of a student that is gearing up for college. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com.

May 5, 2026Episode 22231 min

College Planning: How to Stand Out with Shellee Howard

This week on "Financial Planning: Explained", host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes Shellee Howard. Shellee is the Founder & CEO, College Ready. College Ready helps students stand out through strategic college planning proven to strengthen applications, increase scholarship offers, and simplify every step of the admissions journey. This is part one of a four-part series on college planning. In this episode, Shellee and Mike discuss how students can differentiate themselves beyond grades, how to give students clarity on what they may want to do, and the admissions process. This is a great episode for any student or parent of a student that is gearing up for college. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com.

April 28, 2026Episode 22129 min

Education Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) with Rob Delany

On this week's episode of "Financial Planning: Explained”, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Rob Delany. Rob is the CEO of BLOCS - Business Leadership Organized for Catholic Schools. BLOCS is committed to providing eligible families access to high-quality, values based private or faith-based education, providing students with a positive and successful pathway forward. In this episode, Rob and Mike discuss the Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit Program (EITC). The guys talk about tax credits and deductions, how to go about making charitable donations, and BLOCS role in the process. This is a great episode that provides valuable insights for anyone seeking potential charitable donations to a great program. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com.

April 21, 2026Episode 22034 min

2026 First Quarter Market Recap with Brad Sorensen, CFA

This week on "Financial Planning: Explained", host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes back regular guest, Brad Sorensen, CFA. Brad is a portfolio manager and outsourced Chief Investment Officer at Cornerstone Portfolio Research. In this episode, the guys recap the performance of the stock market in the first quarter of this year. They detail the markets performance with respect to the labor market, inflation, and touch on the significant market volatility in the first quarter of 2026. This is a great episode for anyone keeping a close eye on the market and what to expect in the foreseeable future. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com.

April 14, 2026Episode 21937 min

Long-term Care Planning Using AI (Waterlily) with Lily Vittayarukskul

On this week's episode of "Financial Planning: Explained”, host Michael Menninger, CFP welcomes Lily Vittayarukskul. Lily is the Co-Founder and CEO at Waterlily. Waterlily uses AI to project your future long-term care needs, helping you build a personalized plan. In this episode, Lily and Mike discuss her time as a NASA data scientist and what brought her into the world of long-term care. They then discuss the software that Lily developed and how it uses AI to accurately project long-term care needs. This is a great episode that provides valuable insights for anyone seeking more information on long-term care and how to track it. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com.

April 7, 2026Episode 21835 min

Long-Term Care Planning (Part II) with Michael Rowe

On this week's episode of "Financial Planning: Explained”, host Michael Menninger, CFP sits down with Michael Rowe. Michael is an insurance brokerage director at Helmick & Co. This is the second episode in a two-part series on long-term care. In this episode, Michael and Mike discuss funding long-term care. Whether it is self funded, traditional long-term, or hybrid policies, the guys detail each option. They also talk about when the right time is to consider long-term care as well as underwriting. This is a great episode that provides valuable insights for anyone seeking more information on long-term care and the process of coverage. For more information on Menninger & Associates Financial Planning visit https://maaplanning.com.