Losing a spouse reshapes the pace of life in ways that aren’t easy to explain until you’re in it.

In this conversation, Brian Spinelli CFP®, AIF®, Kelli Kiemle AIF®, and this week’s guest, Senior Wealth Advisor Samantha Garcia CFP®, AIF®, CDFA® talk through what tends to unfold during that first stretch when grief is still raw and the financial to-dos arrive sooner than anyone expects.

Samantha shares what she’s witnessed with the widows she supports: the value of slowing down before making any big decisions, the way cash flow shifts once one income is gone, and how calmer things may feel when beneficiaries, estate documents, and simple household details are already organized. She also opens up about the parts that can catch families off guard, like account lockups at custodians and the weight that falls on an unengaged spouse who suddenly has to take the lead.

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• Samantha Garcia on LinkedIn
• Kelli Kiemle on LinkedIn
• Brian Spinelli on LinkedIn
• Halbert Hargrove Website

There’s a moment in your 30s and 40s when money stops feeling theoretical and starts shaping your daily life. The home you buy, the debt you carry, the savings you manage to build, the risk you’re willing to take, all of it begins to influence your options, your stress levels, and even the way you picture the future.

In this conversation, Brian Spinelli, AIF®, CFP® and Kelli Kiemle, AIF® talk through the decisions that matter during these years. They share how their own housing stories went and the tradeoffs they’ve watched clients navigate, to give some perspective on how different things can be for everyone. They also revisit the advice they’d give their younger selves now that they’ve seen how life, family, and career growth played out.

If you’re balancing mortgages, savings goals, unexpected expenses, or the pressure to “get ahead,” this episode can give you a calm, clear way to think about the decade you’re in and the years still coming.

Connect with us!

• Kelli Kiemle on LinkedIn
• Brian Spinelli on LinkedIn
• Halbert Hargrove Website

Selling a business isn’t a single event, but a journey that blends numbers, timing, and emotion.

In this episode of Fearless Money Talks, James T. Ahn, CFP®, AIF®, Senior Wealth Advisor, joins our hosts Brian Spinelli, CFP®, AIF®, and Kelli Kiemle, AIF®, to share five things business owners should do before selling. They explore what helps drive a successful exit, including basic things like preparing your books and building the right advisory team to more complex ones like understanding valuation multiples and emotional readiness.

In the end, the most important thing is what life looks like after the deal is done, and not how much you made off the sale, and this conversation is about it.

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• James Ahn on LinkedIn
• Kelli Kiemle on LinkedIn
• Brian Spinelli on LinkedIn
• Halbert Hargrove Website

Life in your 30s and 40s can feel like you’re barely keeping your head above water. Between your job, kids, and social activities, it’s arguably the busiest time in anyone’s life. But it’s also one of the most important times to make a few key financial moves to help set your family up for success in the future.

In this episode, Brian and Kelli discuss the pillars of a good financial plan, including how to maximize your 401(k), setting up an estate plan, why you should consider getting an umbrella insurance policy, and much more! It may sound overwhelming, so stick around for the end when Brian shares how to approach it all realistically.

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• Kelli Kiemle on LinkedIn
• Brian Spinelli on LinkedIn
• Halbert Hargrove Website

The word everyone in the media is using to describe the markets seems to be “uncertain,” but Brian Spinelli isn’t a fan. In his eyes, your opinion on the state of the markets may say more about where you get your news than any real volatility. Besides, when are the markets not uncertain?

In this episode, Brian and Kelli look back at how the markets performed in Q3, and they look ahead at what could happen in Q4. Plus, they talk about their favorite non-market-related moments from the last 90 days. Tune in to hear the whole conversation!

Connect with us!

• Kelli Kiemle on LinkedIn
• Brian Spinelli on LinkedIn
• Halbert Hargrove Website

Most people want to know how much money they should save for retirement, but here’s another important question: How much of the money in your retirement accounts is actually yours? Between capital gains and the tax implications of 401(k) withdrawals, retirees can face some pretty unpleasant surprises if they don’t plan ahead.

In this episode, Brian and Kelli discuss three common tax issues retirees encounter – and ways that can help keep the surprises to a minimum. Tune in for the full conversation!

Connect with us!

• Kelli Kiemle on LinkedIn
• Brian Spinelli on LinkedIn
• Halbert Hargrove Website

Social Security: When should you claim? Will it still be around by the time you retire? How much does your spouse get if they made less than you while you were working? What if your spouse passes away? We’re taking on the big questions about the most widely used retirement benefit in America.

In this episode, Brian and Kelli are joined by Vincent Birardi, Senior Wealth Advisor at Halbert Hargrove, to talk about the factors you should consider before you claim, what people get wrong about Social Security, and much more. Tune in for the whole conversation!

Connect with us!

• Kelli Kiemle on LinkedIn
• Brian Spinelli on LinkedIn
• Vincent Birardi on LinkedIn
• Halbert Hargrove Website

One of the most common questions financial advisors get is, “How much money should I save for retirement?” Until we figure out how to build a time machine, the answer is, “It depends.” In other words, how much money you need depends on how long you’ll live, how much you’ll spend on healthcare, and several other unknowable, uncontrollable factors.

Fortunately, there are a number of factors that we do know and have some measure of control over. In this episode, we dig into the considerations that play into how much you should save for retirement. Tune in for the full conversation!

Connect with us!

• Kelli Kiemle on LinkedIn
• Brian Spinelli on LinkedIn
• Halbert Hargrove Website