You may know when you want to retire, whether you want your mortgage paid off, or what you hope to leave your family. But knowing the financial goal doesn’t always explain why it matters to you.

And when retirement, family, security, health, and time compete for the same resources, deciding what matters most can become much harder.

In this episode, Eric Lee and Michael Boyle explore how personal values shape financial decisions. They look beyond goals such as retirement, paying off a mortgage, or buying a second home to examine the motivations underneath them. Eric and Michael also discuss financial trade-offs, changing priorities, differences between spouses, and how the Better Conversations exercise can help you identify what matters most right now.

Key points:

• Why knowing the motivation behind a financial goal can reveal more options for reaching what matters to you
• How priorities around family, health, freedom, and financial resources can change throughout different stages of life
• Why financial planning often requires choosing between two worthwhile priorities rather than a clear right or wrong
• How family experiences with debt and money can continue influencing financial decisions across generations
• Why couples may agree on what they want while assigning very different meaning and priorities to the same financial goal
• And more!

Contact Eric Lee:

• Purple Wealth
• LinkedIn: Eric Lee
• Email: eric.lee@purplewealth.com

Contact Michael Boyle:

• Purple Wealth
• LinkedIn: Michael Boyle

About Our Guest:

Michael Boyle is Eric Lee’s partner at Purple Wealth and a returning contributor to Better Conversations: The Life & Money Podcast. In this conversation, he shares his perspective on looking beyond financial goals to understand the values behind them, recognizing competing priorities, and using those values to make more meaningful financial decisions.

Do you have enough money to retire but still feel nervous about spending it? If you’ve saved more than you expect to use, how do you decide what to enjoy, what to give, and what to leave behind?

In this episode, Eric Lee and Michael Boyle explore how retirees and families can move from saving money to using it with intention. They consider how to know when you have enough, how much you can spend in retirement, and why a larger portfolio may not improve your life.

Eric explains the three purposes of money: financial security, freedom, and meaning. The conversation also covers early inheritances, Roth IRA contributions for eligible grandchildren, family experiences, charitable giving, and passing down values without creating dependence.

Eric discusses:

• How to decide whether you have enough money to spend more freely in retirement
• When giving children or grandchildren an early inheritance may have greater impact
• How to help family financially without encouraging dependence or entitlement
• And more!

Contact Eric Lee:

• Purple Wealth
• LinkedIn: Eric Lee
• Email: eric.lee@purplewealth.com

Contact Michael Boyle:

• Purple Wealth
• LinkedIn: Michael Boyle

About Our Guest:

Michael Boyle is Eric Lee’s partner at Purple Wealth and a returning contributor to Better Conversations: The Life & Money Podcast. In this conversation, he shares his perspective on retirement spending, living inheritances, helping younger generations financially, and using wealth to create opportunities without encouraging dependence.

What should you do when the stock market drops and your investment account suddenly loses value? Before selling during a downturn, it helps to understand what the decline makes you fear losing in your life.

In this episode, Eric Lee and Michael Boyle explore why a market decline can make retirement, independence, and future choices feel less certain. Eric explains how investors become attached to a portfolio’s highest value and why a lower balance can feel like money has been taken from them. They examine the urge to sell during a bear market, the relief it may provide, and the difficult question of when to reinvest. Eric also shares three questions to consider before making a fear-based investment decision. The conversation offers a practical way to prepare for market volatility and evaluate whether a downturn has actually changed your financial plan.

Eric discusses:

• Why a falling portfolio can raise concerns about retirement, family support, and running out of money
• How selling during a market downturn can create a difficult decision about when to reinvest
• Three questions to ask before changing your investments in response to fear
• Why preparing during strong markets can help you respond more thoughtfully when volatility returns
• And more!

Contact Eric Lee:

• Purple Wealth
• LinkedIn: Eric Lee
• Email: eric.lee@purplewealth.com

Contact Michael Boyle:

• Purple Wealth
• LinkedIn: Michael Boyle

About Our Guest:

Michael Boyle is Eric Lee’s partner at Purple Wealth and a returning contributor to Better Conversations: The Life & Money Podcast. In this conversation, he shares his perspective on market declines, investor fear, the emotional pressure to sell, and preparing for volatility before it happens.

Should you sell your investments when the market drops? When fear takes over during a bear market, temporary market volatility can feel like permanent investment loss, but reacting too quickly may put your long-term financial plan at risk.

In this episode, Eric Lee is joined by his partner, Michael Boyle, to discuss how investors can prepare for market declines without allowing fear to control their financial decisions. They explain why falling portfolio values can trigger panic selling and pull investors away from the strategy designed to support their long-term goals. Eric and Michael also examine less visible investment risks, including inflation and the gradual loss of purchasing power. They explore how an investor’s time horizon should influence portfolio decisions and why market volatility is not automatically the same as losing money. The conversation also introduces a four-step process for responding more thoughtfully when markets decline.

Eric and Michael discuss:

• Why market declines can create an immediate urge to sell
• How to avoid panic selling during a bear market
• The difference between market volatility and permanent investment loss
• How inflation can reduce purchasing power over time
• Why investment time horizon and portfolio stress testing matter
• And more!

Resources:

• Are Your Emotions Affecting Your Investment Decisions? Ft. Michael Boyle (Ep. 10)

Contact Eric Lee:

• Purple Wealth
• LinkedIn: Eric Lee
• Email: eric.lee@purplewealth.com

Contact Michael Boyle:

• Purple Wealth
• LinkedIn: Michael Boyle

About Our Guest:

Michael Boyle is Eric Lee’s partner at Purple Wealth and a returning contributor to Better Conversations: The Life & Money Podcast. In this conversation, he shares his perspective on market volatility, investment risk, inflation, and the emotional decisions investors face during market declines.

Are fear, regret, or attachment influencing your investment decisions? For long-term investors, avoiding emotional investing mistakes can be just as important as understanding the investments themselves.

In this episode, Eric Lee speaks with Michael Boyle, CFP®, Wealth Manager at Purple Wealth, about how emotions affect investment decisions. Drawing from more than 400 client meetings, Michael shares why investors sometimes hold investments that no longer fit their financial plan. Eric and Michael explain how the overnight test can reveal emotional attachment and why a positive investment outcome doesn’t always mean the original decision was sound. They also explore investing versus speculating and why market volatility isn’t the same as realizing an investment loss. The conversation examines how inflation can reduce your purchasing power even when the dollar amount in your account remains unchanged, along with why reacting to financial news can interfere with a long-term investment strategy.

Eric and Michael discuss:

• How the overnight test can reveal emotional attachment to an investment
• Why a positive outcome doesn’t always come from a sound investment decision
• How market volatility differs from realizing an investment loss
• Why inflation, safety, and certainty depend on your financial time horizon
• And more!

Resources:

• Winning the Loser’s Game
• The Overnight Test, associated with financial planner and author Carl Richards

Contact Eric Lee:

• Purple Wealth
• LinkedIn: Eric Lee
• Email: eric.lee@purplewealth.com

Contact Michael Boyle:

• Purple Wealth
• LinkedIn: Michael Boyle
• Email: michael.boyle@purplewealth.com

About Our Guest:

Michael Boyle, CFP®, is a Wealth Manager at Purple Wealth, LLC. Over the past two and a half years, he has participated in more than 400 client meetings, where he has developed a deep appreciation for the role emotions play in financial decision-making. In this conversation, Michael shares practical insights on emotional investing, the difference between investing and speculating, market volatility, inflation, and how investors can make more thoughtful long-term financial decisions.

What do you want your money to accomplish before it leaves you? Building wealth is only part of the story. The harder question is deciding how to use it with intention.

In this episode, Eric Lee explains why every dollar eventually reaches one of four destinations: you spend it, give it, leave it, or lose it. He explains why many business owners and successful families become skilled at accumulating wealth yet struggle to use it to improve their lives. Eric also reframes spending as turning money into meaningful experiences, time, health, and memories. He explores how thoughtful charitable planning can increase the impact of giving and reduce unnecessary taxes in certain situations. The conversation also looks at legacy planning, family communication, ethical wills, and the quiet financial losses that can build over time. Ultimately, Eric encourages listeners to move beyond wealth management and think more intentionally about stewardship.

Eric discusses:

• Why successful people can struggle to spend the money they’ve worked hard to build
• How spending, giving, leaving, and losing create a practical framework for financial decisions
• Why money has little value until it improves your life or someone else’s
• How planning can support charitable giving, family legacy, and the prevention of unnecessary losses
• And more!

Contact Eric Lee:

• Purple Wealth
• LinkedIn: Eric Lee
• Email: eric.lee@purplewealth.com

Many people worry about running out of money in retirement. But what if one of the biggest retirement challenges has nothing to do with your finances? If you’re planning for retirement and wondering how to find purpose, stay connected, and avoid loneliness after leaving work, this conversation offers a fresh perspective on what it really means to prepare for the next chapter of life.

In this episode, Eric Lee explores why retirement planning is about much more than investments, taxes, and retirement income. He discusses how strong relationships, meaningful activities, and a sense of purpose can shape your happiness just as much as your financial plan. Drawing on insights from the Harvard Study of Adult Development, Eric explains why social connection plays an important role in healthy aging and emotional well-being. He also shares why couples should have honest conversations before retirement, how hobbies and community involvement can lead to lasting friendships, and why preparing for the emotional side of the retirement transition is just as important as preparing financially.

Eric discusses:

• Why preparing emotionally for retirement is just as important as preparing financially
• How strong relationships and social connection can improve healthy aging and life after work
• Why couples should discuss expectations before retirement to navigate the retirement transition together
• How hobbies, friendships, and community involvement can help you find purpose after retirement
• And more!

Resources:

• Harvard Study of Adult Development

Contact Eric Lee:

• Purple Wealth
• LinkedIn: Eric Lee
• Email: eric.lee@purplewealth.com

Will you run out of money in retirement? Should you take Social Security at 62 or wait until 70? Is long-term care insurance worth it?

In this episode, Eric Lee discusses some of the most common retirement planning questions facing pre-retirees and retirees, including how much retirement income you may need, when to claim Social Security, whether long-term care insurance is worth considering, and how inflation can affect a sustainable retirement lifestyle over time.

Eric challenges several common retirement-planning assumptions and explores five often-overlooked retirement decisions that can affect your income, family, legacy, and long-term financial confidence. Rather than focusing solely on portfolio performance, this conversation encourages listeners to think more intentionally about what a successful retirement actually looks like and how to align their financial decisions with the life they want to live.

Eric discusses:

• How much money do you want to leave behind versus spend during retirement
• The difference between maximizing Social Security benefits and maximizing long-term wealth
• Whether long-term care insurance is worth considering for your family situation
• Common retirement spending assumptions that may not reflect real life
• And more!

Contact Eric Lee:

• Purple Wealth
• LinkedIn: Eric Lee
• Email: eric.lee@purplewealth.com