The Power Of Zero Show

Show host Arturo Johnson shares his experience with coming across David’s content – and how it has changed his perspective. David mentions a study that illustrates the benefits of putting 70% – and not 100% – of your retirement savings into a Roth 401k and the balance into cash value life insurance. Dave Ramsey is famous for stirring up a hornet’s nest among CFPs all acro

David talks about what tax brackets will look like starting from January 1st 2026. One of the things that will change in 2026 are the actual tax rates – with an increased percentage of tax attached to a given range of income. In 2026, tax rates will return to what they were in 2017. David points out that some people online mistakenly believe that, in 2026, things will simply rev

David talks about the Power of Zero “philosophy,” as well as a recent Penn Wharton study saying that, if all we do is continue on this same course, by 2043 there will be no arrest in the financial collapse of our country. 95% of Americans have the lion’s share of their retirement savings sitting in what we call tax-deferred vehicles like 401(k)s and IRAs. A big problem most A

Today’s video is from David’s conversation with financial advisor Bruce Hosler. They discuss why financial advisors like Ken Fisher don't want you to do Roth conversions. David reveals why there is a lot of incoming resistance from financial "Gurus" about moving to tax-free and using the tools necessary to get to the 0% tax bracket. David talks about his new book, Guru, and all

How much of your social security is getting taxed, at what rate, and is there anything you can do about it? Unfortunately, the IRS doesn't make it easy for people to understand how much of their social security is taxable and at what rate. David explains that the best way to understand social security taxation is to first know about provisional income--this is the income the IRS tr

This episode addresses whether the mainstream financial planning community is justified in avoiding Indexed Universal Life. Lately, social media has been filled with videos praising the virtues of a financial tool known as Indexed Universal Life (IUL). David explains why the IUL has been taking such a beating from traditional financial planners. David discusses three different view

David discusses how much of your IRA you should convert, in what amounts and over what time frame. If you’re not convinced by the possible dramatic increase in tax rates in 2031 to bump you into the 32% bracket, you’re not alone… A whole battery of experts predict that tax rates will have to rise dramatically to help service the national debt and with the $200 trillion in sho

David addresses Clark Howard’s viewpoint that seems to want to invite people to never consider a fixed index annuity. Despite interacting with thousands of financial advisors who offer fixed index annuities every year, David has never heard one of them describe them the same way as Clark Howard. Since financial gurus have to get their points across in short three-minute segments

Doug Andrew called the IUL a dream investment, but is it the silver bullet retirement account he claims it to be? David goes through Doug Andrew’s controversial remarks about IULs, and explains why he politely disagrees with his one-size-fits-all approach to index universal life. David explains why the 4% rule is a very expensive way to pay for retirement. He reveals why it's m

This episode explores the two different five-year rules for Roth IRAs instituted by the IRS to prevent people from abusing them. The first five-year rule applies to earnings on Roth contributions and determines whether those distributions can be taken tax-free. The second rule concerns Roth conversions and lets you know whether conversion principles can be accessed penalty-free. Da