Power Your Retirement
Hosted by Steve Smit, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and founder of Powerhouse Financial Advisors, this podcast is designed to help employees of large publicly traded utility companies take control of their retirement planning. Steve, author of Power Up Your 401(k), shares insights on maximizing 401(k) options, navigating self-directed brokerage accounts, and creating a secure financial future. Tune in for practical advice, helpful resources, and strategies to power up your retirement! Subscribe and never miss an episode! Also available in video format on YouTube. For more information about Power Your Retirement, visit PowerhouseFinancialAdvisors.com or call 775-266-8867.
Top Gun: The Financial Danger Zone
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Forty years later, Top Gun still has plenty to say about risk, confidence, and knowing when not to fly solo. Steve revisits some of the franchise’s most iconic lines and turns them into financial lessons about preparation, self-awareness, and having the right person in your corner. Maverick didn’t become t...
May the Force Be With Your Financial Plan
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A farm boy with big dreams, a princess leading a rebellion, a smuggler with a fast ship, and a wise old Jedi. Financial planning probably wasn't at the top of their list, but the original Star Wars trilogy has more to say about money than you might think. Luke didn't...
Five Financial Frights That Keep Retirees Up at Night
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What's scarier than Halloween? The financial fears that could haunt your retirement! From running out of money to unexpected healthcare expenses, some retirement nightmares are all too real.
In this Halloween-themed episode, we explore five major financial fears, plus a bonus concern, that can keep retirees awake at nig...
Bueller... Bueller... Financial Planning?
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It's been 40 years since Ferris Bueller skipped school, borrowed a Ferrari, and became one of the most quoted characters in movie history. Turns out, a lot of what he said applies just as well to your financial life. Ferris didn't wait around wondering if today was worth enjoying — he just mad...
The Honor and the Headache of Being an Executor
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Being named the executor of someone's will can feel like an honor. It can also feel like a lot of pressure. It's more than handing out inheritances. It's paperwork, accounts, taxes, property, creditors, and sometimes family dynamics, stretched out over months or even years. Today, Steve talks through how he can...
Picking a Retirement Date
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"When can I retire?" might be the question we get asked more than any other. Some people are chasing an age. Others are chasing a number. Today, Steve is breaking down what actually determines the answer. The date on the calendar or the number in the account might feel like th...
60, Retiring Soon, and Wondering About Roth Conversions
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"I'm 60, probably retiring in 5-6 years, and I just learned about Roth conversions. Is this something I should be doing?" This is a listener question we hear a lot, and the honest answer is: it depends. Steve digs into what it actually depends on. Roth conversions aren't right for everyo...
Filing Cabinet or Fire Box? Sorting Out Your Financial Paperwork
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Somewhere in a drawer, a filing cabinet, or a shoebox in the closet, most of us are holding onto financial paperwork we don't actually need. And we’re probably missing a few things we do need. Steve helps sort out what stays, what goes, and where it all belongs. Nobody l...
The High Shoulders Theory & What It Means for Your Money
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A post about a father, a baseball tryout, and a bad summer went viral this spring — and buried in it is a framework that applies just as much to money as it does to relationships. Today, Steve’s borrowing it. Bloom's recap of the concept is simple: stand tall, bend down...
What Does "Safe Money" Actually Mean?
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Everyone says they want their money to be "safe." Almost nobody defines it the same way. Today, Steve breaks down what safe money really means and whether your version of safe holds up to reality. "Safe" feels like a simple word, but it means something different for everyone. The only w...
Why People Keep Working In Their Retirement Years
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More people in their 60s and 70s are staying on the job than ever before, and it's not always about the money. Today, Steve digs into the real reasons retirees keep showing up to work. Working longer isn't automatically the wrong call. Sometimes it's exactly right. The real question is whe...
The Kids' Money Blueprint, Part 2: Mindset & Habits
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The accounts and investment tools matter, but they cannot replace a healthy relationship with money. In the second and final part of The Kids’ Money Blueprint, Steve explains how parents can help children build habits around earning, saving, spending, and giving. The lessons children absorb today may shape how they han...
The Kids' Money Blueprint, Part 1: Investments & Accounts
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Parents want to give their children a strong financial start, but deciding where to save can quickly become confusing. The right answer may involve several different accounts, each designed to serve a specific purpose. In Part 1 of this two-part series, Steve explores the technical side of creating a financial bluepr...
What Are Your Financial Pain Points?
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When it comes to financial planning, everybody has something that bothers them. Today Steve’s walking through some of the most common pain points we see and the real conversations that happen around them. Nobody walks into retirement without at least one of these in the back of their mind. Th...
The 5 D's of Retirement Planning
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According to a recent Kiplinger article, there are five keys to a retirement plan that hold up over time. They all happen to start with the same letter, which either means it's a great framework or someone really wanted it to work out that way. In this episode, Steve walks...
Trail Wisdom: What Hiking Season Has to Say About Your Financial Journey
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What can hiking teach us about retirement planning? Whether you're visiting one of the 63 national parks this summer or just hitting a local trail, a lot of the best practices for a great hike apply just as well to your retirement plan. Steve uses lessons from the trail to explai...
Dave Ramsey's Retirement Math — Are Financial Advisors Buying It?
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Dave Ramsey has built one of the most recognized brands in personal finance. Millions of people have followed his advice out of debt and into savings. But when it comes to how much you should pull from your retirement accounts each year, Ramsey takes a position that some financial profes...
Why a Target Date Fund May Not Be Enough
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Target date funds are designed to make investing simple, but are they really enough as you approach retirement? In this listener Q&A, Steve explains why relying solely on a target date fund could leave your portfolio underperforming, especially if you also have a pension or other retirement assets. Learn...
How Relationships Beat Sales Pitches Every Time
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Trust is the foundation of every successful financial relationship, but it isn't built overnight. In this mini episode, Steve shares how he earns the confidence of energy sector employees by leading with education and focusing on helping people before they ever become clients. Discover how genuine guidance and long-term relati...
Working With A Financial Advisor: Our Specific Process
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A lot of people think working with a financial advisor is just about picking investments. But a great planning experience is much more than that. Today, Steve walks through what it actually feels like to work with a firm like Powerhouse Financial Advisors, from the first conversation to ongoing guidance, so you know what to expect. Every firm can tell you what they do. We'd rather show you. If anything we talked about today sounds like the kind of relationship you've been looking for, let’s have a conversation.
Here’s so...
Why Helping Utility Employees Became My Mission
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Every advisor has a story, and Steve's journey into financial planning for utility employees wasn't something he originally set out to do. In this mini episode, he shares how an early career experience revealed a major gap in retirement guidance and ultimately led him to specialize in helping utility worker...
Protecting What You Care Most About
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For most people, financial planning isn't really about spreadsheets or market returns. It's about the people you love. It's about making sure that if something happens (expected or not), the people who depend on you are taken care of. Today, Steve talks about what it looks like to provide financ...
A Smarter 401(k) Philosophy for Utility Employees
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In this mini-episode, Steve explains why generic investment advice can fall short, especially for utility employees with cash balance pensions, profit-sharing plans, and other employer-sponsored benefits. He shares his philosophy of integrating every piece of your retirement puzzle rather than treating your 401(k) as a standalone account.
Here’...
Is Your SCE 401(k) Working As Hard As You Are?
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If you're a Southern California Edison employee, your retirement benefits may be more powerful- and more complicated- than you realize. Steve breaks down the different levels of 401(k) management, explains how the SCE cash balance pension works, and highlights common mistakes employees make when relying on default investment options. You'll...
PG&E Employees: Your 401(k) Has Three Gears- Most of You Are Still in First
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Most PG&E employees are only scratching the surface of what their retirement plan can actually do. In this episode, Steve breaks down the three “tiers” of the PG&E retirement system and discusses how more advanced planning strategies can create a very different retirement outcome. Tune in to hear the c...
You Did the Hard Part. Here’s Why the Next Part Is Different
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You’ve spent decades doing the hard part, and if you’ve done it well, it’s natural to wonder… why change anything now? But retirement isn’t just a continuation of what you’ve already been doing. It’s a completely different phase with new risks, new decisions, and a lot more at stake...
My Investments Underperformed the Market - Should I Fire My Advisor?
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Steve tackles a listener’s big question: “If my portfolio underperformed the market this year, should I fire my advisor?” He breaks down what “the market” really means, why your benchmark should match your portfolio’s purpose and risk level, and why a single 12‑month snapshot can be wildly misleading. Steve also shares w...
The Retirement Tax Traps Nobody Warned You About
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Nobody likes tax season, but for new retirees, the rules can feel completely different. Income changes, required withdrawals begin, and decisions that once lowered taxes can create bigger bills later. Steve unpacks some of the most common retirement tax mistakes and how they show up in real life. A little forwa...
Why Spending in Retirement Is Harder Than It Sounds
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Most financial advice focuses on saving for retirement, but what happens when it’s finally time to spend? For many retirees, that shift is harder than expected. After decades of building habits around saving, flipping the switch can trigger fear, hesitation, and even guilt. Today, Steve discusses the emotional and psychol...
Don’t Waste Your Annual Financial Review
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Most folks meet with their financial advisor once a year. That meeting is one of the most valuable hours in your financial life if it's done right. Steve talks honestly about what that meeting looks like when it isn't... and what it looks like when it is. Don’t view your an...
Term, Whole, or Universal Life: Which Is Best For You?
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We got a great question from a listener. They wrote in: "What's better — term life insurance, universal life, or whole life?" Straightforward question. Not a straightforward answer, especially if you're in your 50s. Today, Steve walks through all three. The right type of life insurance is the one that solves your sp...
AI & Retirement: The Questions Everyone Is Typing But Nobody Is Answering
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AI isn’t just a tech trend; it’s already reshaping how we work, invest, and plan for the future. Questions around job security, investment exposure, and whether AI can- or should- play a role in retirement planning are becoming more common by the day. In this episode, Steve tackles the top q...
The White House Wants to Give You $1,000 for Retirement
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There was some retirement news embedded in President Trump’s State of the Union address. He announced a proposal to give workers without employer-sponsored retirement plans access to a government-administered retirement account... with a federal match of up to $1,000 per year. Here's what we know so far… and what we don't.
Retirement Decisions Aren’t All Black & White
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Financial media loves simple answers: always do this or never do that. But real financial planning doesn’t work that way. Most of the biggest decisions people face in retirement live in the gray. Steve breaks down some of the most common “black and white” retirement decisions and shows why they’re rar...
Popular Financial Advice… But Is It Good Advice?
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Everywhere you turn, somebody’s got financial advice. The problem is, they’re talking to millions of people at once… but you only get one retirement. In this episode, Steve takes some of the biggest names and loudest voices in the money world and puts their advice through a real‑life filter...
Should You Combine Old 401(k)s?
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Many people treat old retirement accounts like collectibles; every job leaves behind another 401(k) sitting somewhere in the background. But having multiple accounts doesn’t automatically mean better diversification. Steve explains why consolidating old 401(k)s into a rollover IRA could potentially create more flexibility in your retirement strategy. If you’ve...
Can You Have Too Much Cash?
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Having “too much cash” sounds like a high-quality problem, until it starts quietly working against you. Steve tackles a subscriber question from someone sitting on $150,000 in the bank and wondering if that’s really so bad. The answer? It depends. Steve also shares simple guidelines on what to consider when cash starts...
Why Powerhouse Focuses on Utility Employees & What’s New in 2026
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With 2026 here, it’s a good time to step back and revisit what Powerhouse Financial Advisors is really about. This episode pulls back the curtain on why the firm focuses so heavily on utility employees and how that specialization shapes the planning process. Steve shares the personal experiences that inspired the fir...
The Love Story Behind Every Financial Plan
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In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, Steve has a little fun comparing a lifelong relationship to your financial journey. From the first spark all the way to ’til death do us part. Like any good relationship, your financial journey works best when you stay committed, adjust through different seasons, and ask f...
Mailbag: Extra Cash, Big Decisions, and the Truth About Tax-Free Retirement
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Paying off debt is a huge milestone, but what you do next can shape the rest of your retirement. In this episode, Steve tackles two common listener questions: how to wisely redirect extra cash after becoming debt-free, and whether “tax-free retirement income” is actually possible. If you’re trying to make smart...
