Economic growth is the hot button topic during this election.

Have you noticed? When politicians, analysts, and talking heads on the news use that term \\u201ceconomic growth\\u201d - what do they really mean by it? It\\u2019s easy to make assumptions and easy to get lost in the verbiage because it sounds like something we all want. But what if everyone who\\u2019s using the term is not meaning the same thing by it? On this episode, I\\u2019m going to clue you in on what economic growth really means, how it\\u2019s measured year by year, and whether or not we\\u2019re in as bad a situation as the politicians are making it out to be. I think you\\u2019ll get a lot out of this one.

Does a slow period of economic growth make investments more risky?

It kind of seems like it would, but is it true? Some very reputable organizations out there do very careful analysis of these kinds of things, taking many different variables and factors into account. On this episode, I\\u2019m going to walk you through the findings of one of those outfits to give you an idea of whether or not your investment strategy should change during a time like this when everyone is decrying the poor economy. You might be surprised by what they say. ;)

Productivity during retirement is one thing - but I want to enjoy my retirement!

I got a little bit of push-back this week from a listener who has heard me talk a lot about being purposeful during retirement as an antidote to a non-enjoyable life. But he\\u2019s coming back at me with a different perspective. He actually LIKES being a bit more uninvolved and laid back because he worked so many years non-stop. You might be interested to hear this little one sided exchange as I reply to his reply about my emphasis. Does that make sense? I think you\\u2019ll get it so be sure to listen.

Should you keep some cash on the side to buy stocks during down times in the market?

I think one of my listeners has me confused with somebody else. :) He thought he heard me say that having some cash on hand during bad economic times so that you could buy up underperforming stocks was a good idea. Honestly, I can\\u2019t even IMAGINE that I\\u2019d say such a thing and am pretty sure I never have. That\\u2019s because I don\\u2019t feel that having that cash on hand is a good idea - at least not for those reasons. So listen in to my response to this listener so you can know what to do with your cash during down economic times - like this one.

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I don\\u2019t have any trouble setting aside 20% for savings, but where should I put it?

I\\u2019m very proud of this listener. He\\u2019s got no problem living on 80% and saving 20% - he\\u2019s just a bit unsure what to actually DO with the 20% he\\u2019s setting aside. It\\u2019s a great problem to have and an even better question - and I\\u2019m going to answer it in a number of ways on this episode. So be sure you listen to learn some of the options for those savings that allows it to be liquid enough for you to access when needed but not so liquid that it\\u2019s not doing anything for you. It\\u2019s in this episode.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

[0:29] My introduction of this episode of the podcast.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SEGMENT

[2:52] What does \\u201ceconomic growth\\u201d or \\u201cGDP\\u201d actually mean?

HOT TOPIC SEGMENT

[4:22] How is the GDP doing in the United States?
[5:50] The reasons why interest rates are low and stimulus packages are a topic of discussion.
[6:40] The impact of slow economic growth on the markets.

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PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT

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[8:42] QUESTION ONE: How realistic is it to talk with family about \\u201cpersonal values\\u201d and how can you state them openly without setting yourself up for failure? And what about contentment in retirement instead of staying busy?
[12:39] QUESTION TWO: A listener correction to one of my answers to a listener question about retirement qualifications.
[14:06] QUESTION THREE: Is keeping cash on the side in order to buy stocks really a good idea? Isn\\u2019t that cash losing more than it\\u2019s potentially going to gain?
[19:12] QUESTION FOUR: Where do we put the extra 20% we\\u2019re saving? It\\u2019s hard to know where to allocate it.
[21:39] QUESTION FIVE: I only have a bit over 2 years before retirement but I really don\\u2019t like my job. Any ideas?

THE HAPPY LAB SEGMENT

[26:21] Making the life that you want because life doesn\\u2019t come to you.

TODAY\\u2019S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

[28:04] The 7 day challenge: brainstorm one area of your life (an area that\\u2019s frustrating you) and figure out what YOU can do to improve the quality of your life in that area.

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RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

Text \\u201cplanning\\u201d to \\u201c33444\\u201d to get 6 shot Saturday

What does that mean resource: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gdp.asp

Hot Topic resource: http://www.cnbc.com/2016/07/29/gdp-us-economic-growth-is-close-tozero.Html

Work with Roger: http://rogerwhitney.com/work-with-me/

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