Future Focus: A Financial Strategies Podcast

Inheriting a retirement account can trigger deadlines and required distributions before you make a single decision. In part one of this two-part episode, learn which details matter and how they can determine the inherited retirement account rules that apply to you. We break down eligible designated beneficiaries, inherited IRAs and employer plans, annual required distributions, and other facts to know before taking action. If you're watching on YouTube, be sure to like, subscribe and share your questions in the comments for future episodes. Prefer listening on the go? You can find Future Focus: A Financial Strategies Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow, rate and review the show, and send your questions to [email protected]. Future Focus: A Financial Strategies Podcast Welcome to Future Focus, a podcast designed to make sense of complex financial topics. Hosted by Troy Branch, a professional with over 25 years in the financial services industry, this Ameritas advanced planning podcast offers engaging panel discussions that simplifies the jargon into straightforward insight. Whether you’re a business owner aiming to enhance your financial knowledge or someone interested in financial literacy, Future Focus is your go-to resource. Each episode provides practical tips covering topics like estate planning, managing risk, retirement strategies for business owners and much more. Learn more about Ameritas: ameritas.com Find a financial professional who can help: https://www.ameritas.com/contact/find-a-financial-professional/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=future-focus Disclosures This podcast is for information purposes only and will cover a variety of topics examining the role insurance and other financial products may play in financial decisions. The information presented here is not intended as tax, accounting, or other legal advice. If tax or other legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. This information is provided by Ameritas, which is a marketing name for subsidiaries of Ameritas Mutual Holding Company. Subsidiaries include Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. In Lincoln, Nebraska and Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. of New York (licensed in New York) in White Plains, New York. Each company is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. For more information about Ameritas, visit ameritas.com. Ameritas and the bison design are registered service marks of Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. Fulfilling life is a registered service mark of affiliate Ameritas Holding Company. 2026 Ameritas Mutual Holding Company Learn more about Ameritas: https://www.ameritas.com/about/ Careers: https://www.ameritas.com/careers Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ameritas Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ameritaslife LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ameritas

Have questions about your 401(k)? This listener question episode explores some of the biggest financial questions people face when planning for retirement, from pre-tax and Roth contributions to vesting and catch-up contributions. Join Troy Branch, Jacob Messick and Keali Jo French as they answer common questions about contributing to both workplace retirement accounts and IRAs, what happens to your 401(k) when you change jobs and building greater flexibility into your long-term financial strategy. If you're watching on YouTube, be sure to like, subscribe and share your questions in the comments for future episodes. Prefer listening on the go? You can find Future Focus: A Financial Strategies Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow, rate and review the show, and send your questions to [email protected]. Future Focus: A Financial Strategies Podcast  Welcome to Future Focus, a podcast designed to make sense of complex financial topics. Hosted by Troy Branch, a professional with over 25 years in the financial services industry, this Ameritas advanced planning podcast offers engaging panel discussions that simplifies the jargon into straightforward insight.   Whether you’re a business owner aiming to enhance your financial knowledge or someone interested in financial literacy, Future Focus is your go-to resource. Each episode provides practical tips covering topics like estate planning, managing risk, retirement strategies for business owners and much more.  Learn more about Ameritas: https://www.ameritas.com/about/ Find a financial professional who can help: https://www.ameritas.com/contact/find-a-financial-professional/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=future-focus Disclosures This podcast is for information purposes only and will cover a variety of topics examining the role insurance and other financial products may play in financial decisions. The information presented here is not intended as tax, accounting, or other legal advice. If tax or other legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.  This information is provided by Ameritas, which is a marketing name for subsidiaries of Ameritas Mutual Holding Company. Subsidiaries include Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. In Lincoln, Nebraska and Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. of New York (licensed in New York) in White Plains, New York. Each company is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. For more information about Ameritas, visit ameritas.com. Ameritas and the bison design are registered service marks of Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. Fulfilling life is a registered service mark of affiliate Ameritas Holding Company. 2026 Ameritas Mutual Holding Company Careers: https://www.ameritas.com/careers Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ameritas Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ameritaslife LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ameritas

In this Life Insurance Awareness Month episode of Future Focus: A Financial Strategies Podcast, Troy Branch, Jacob Messick and Keali Jo French explore how life insurance fits into different stages of life. From preserving future insurability early in your career to protecting a growing family, supporting business continuity, and addressing retirement and legacy goals, the team discusses the questions people should be asking as life evolves. Learn more about changing financial priorities and life insurance in our blog: https://www.ameritas.com/insights/how-life-insurance-helps-when-financial-priorities-change/ You'll learn why the same life insurance coverage may serve very different purposes depending on your circumstances and why regular reviews are an important part of any financial strategy. Don't miss part one of this two-part Life Insurance Awareness Month episode: https://youtu.be/EfppzotnmLw?si=1eZ7gFsLfqAQKBYt If you're watching on YouTube, be sure to like, subscribe and share your questions in the comments for future episodes. Prefer listening on the go? You can find Future Focus: A Financial Strategies Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow, rate and review the show, and send your questions to [email protected]. Future Focus: A Financial Strategies Podcast Welcome to Future Focus, a podcast designed to make sense of complex financial topics. Hosted by Troy Branch, a professional with over 25 years in the financial services industry, this Ameritas advanced planning podcast offers engaging panel discussions that simplifies the jargon into straightforward insight. Whether you’re a business owner aiming to enhance your financial knowledge or someone interested in financial literacy, Future Focus is your go-to resource. Each episode provides practical tips covering topics like estate planning, managing risk, retirement strategies for business owners and much more. Find a financial professional who can help: https://www.ameritas.com/contact/find-a-financial-professional/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=future-focus Disclosures This podcast is for information purposes only and will cover a variety of topics examining the role insurance and other financial products may play in financial decisions. The information presented here is not intended as tax, accounting, or other legal advice. If tax or other legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. This information is provided by Ameritas, which is a marketing name for subsidiaries of Ameritas Mutual Holding Company. Subsidiaries include Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. In Lincoln, Nebraska and Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. of New York (licensed in New York) in White Plains, New York. Each company is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. For more information about Ameritas, visit ameritas.com. Ameritas and the bison design are registered service marks of Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. Fulfilling life is a registered service mark of affiliate Ameritas Holding Company. 2026 Ameritas Mutual Holding Company Learn more about Ameritas: https://www.ameritas.com/about/ Careers: https://www.ameritas.com/careers Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ameritas Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ameritaslife LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ameritas

Is life insurance through work enough? Learn how employer-provided life insurance works, where protection gaps may exist and when it's time to review your coverage. Learn more about employer-provided life insurance in our blog: https://www.ameritas.com/insights/is-employer-life-insurance-enough-what-you-should-know/ In this episode of Future Focus, Troy Branch, Keali Jo French and Jacob Messick discuss what employer-provided life insurance does well and how it may be a good starting point. Then they review why supplemental coverage may help cover more expenses, such as housing, debt, childcare, education or ongoing support for a spouse or partner. You'll also learn which life events should prompt a coverage review, including a job change, marriage or divorce, a new child, a home purchase, business ownership and retirement. The conversation also explores what may happen to group life insurance when employment ends, including portability, conversion, changing costs and important deadlines. If you're watching on YouTube, be sure to like, subscribe and share your questions in the comments for future episodes. Prefer listening on the go? You can find Future Focus: A Financial Strategies Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow, rate and review the show, and send your questions to [email protected]. Future Focus: A Financial Strategies Podcast Welcome to Future Focus, a podcast designed to make sense of complex financial topics. Hosted by Troy Branch, a professional with over 25 years in the financial services industry, this Ameritas advanced planning podcast offers engaging panel discussions that simplifies the jargon into straightforward insight. Whether you’re a business owner aiming to enhance your financial knowledge or someone interested in financial literacy, Future Focus is your go-to resource. Each episode provides practical tips covering topics like estate planning, managing risk, retirement strategies for business owners and much more. Learn more about Ameritas: https://www.ameritas.com/about/ Find a financial professional who can help: https://www.ameritas.com/contact/find-a-financial-professional/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=future-focus Disclosures This podcast is for information purposes only and will cover a variety of topics examining the role insurance and other financial products may play in financial decisions. The information presented here is not intended as tax, accounting, or other legal advice. If tax or other legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. This information is provided by Ameritas, which is a marketing name for subsidiaries of Ameritas Mutual Holding Company. Subsidiaries include Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. In Lincoln, Nebraska and Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. of New York (licensed in New York) in White Plains, New York. Each company is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. For more information about Ameritas, visit ameritas.com. Ameritas and the bison design are registered service marks of Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. Fulfilling life is a registered service mark of affiliate Ameritas Holding Company. 2026 Ameritas Mutual Holding Company

The questions that helped build a business are not always the same questions that help preserve it. In part two of this episode, What Business Stage Are You In, we explore how established, maturity and transition stages bring new planning considerations. In these business stages, you may need to think about protecting value, creating liquidity, preparing for succession and life after ownership. Watch part one here: https://youtu.be/HYGxmh8LeVY?si=d9_A4SGqtq0uBw_p In this episode, we'll discuss ownership concentration, buy-sell planning, estate liquidity, family transition considerations and the challenges that can arise when a company becomes one of an owner's most significant assets. We also examine the questions many owners avoid, including who should take over, how a transfer of ownership should occur and whether current plans still align with future goals. Whether you're planning to pass your company to family, management or a future buyer, the decisions made today can shape the options available tomorrow. This episode offers practical insights to help business owners think beyond day-to-day operations and prepare for the next chapter. If you're watching on YouTube, be sure to like, subscribe and share your questions in the comments for future episodes. Prefer listening on the go? You can find Future Focus: A Financial Strategies Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow, rate and review the show, and send your questions to [email protected]. Future Focus: A Financial Strategies Podcast Welcome to Future Focus, a podcast designed to make sense of complex financial topics. Hosted by Troy Branch, a professional with over 25 years in the financial services industry, this Ameritas advanced planning podcast offers engaging panel discussions that simplifies the jargon into straightforward insight. Whether you’re a business owner aiming to enhance your financial knowledge or someone interested in financial literacy, Future Focus is your go-to resource. Each episode provides practical tips covering topics like estate planning, managing risk, retirement strategies for business owners and much more. Learn more about Ameritas: https://www.ameritas.com/ Find a financial professional who can help: https://www.ameritas.com/contact/find-a-financial-professional/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=future-focus Disclosures This podcast is for information purposes only and will cover a variety of topics examining the role insurance and other financial products may play in financial decisions. The information presented here is not intended as tax, accounting, or other legal advice. If tax or other legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. This information is provided by Ameritas, which is a marketing name for subsidiaries of Ameritas Mutual Holding Company. Subsidiaries include Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. In Lincoln, Nebraska and Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. of New York (licensed in New York) in White Plains, New York. Each company is solely responsible for its own financial condition and contractual obligations. For more information about Ameritas, visit ameritas.com. Ameritas and the bison design are registered service marks of Ameritas Life Insurance Corp. Fulfilling life is a registered service mark of affiliate Ameritas Holding Company. 2026 Ameritas Mutual Holding Company Learn more about Ameritas: https://www.ameritas.com/about/ Careers: https://www.ameritas.com/careers Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ameritasInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/ameritaslife LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ameritas