Born on this day!! Actor Nita Talbot is 93. Actor Dustin Hoffman is 86. Actor Connie Stevens is 85. Country singer Phil Balsley of The Statler Brothers is 84. Actor Larry Wilcox (“CHiPS”) is 76. Actor Keith Carradine (“Madam Secretary”) is 74. Drummer Anton Fig (“Late Show With David Letterman”) is 70. Actor Donny Most (“Happy Days”) is 70. Keyboardist Dennis Drew of 10,000 Maniacs is 66. Actor-turned-investment banker Harry Crosby (“Friday the 13th”) is 65. News anchor Deborah Norville is 65. Guitarist The Edge of U2 is 62. Drummer Rikki Rockett of Poison is 62. Rapper Kool Moe Dee is 61. Singer Scott Stapp of Creed is 50. Country singer Mark Wills is 50. Actor Kohl Sudduth (TV’s “Jesse Stone” movies) is 49. Guitarist Tom Linton of Jimmy Eat World is 48. Singer J.C. Chasez of ‘N Sync is 47. Actor Tawny Cypress (“Heroes”) is 47. Singer Drew Lachey of 98 Degrees is 47. Singer Marsha Ambrosius (Floetry) is 46. Actor Lindsay Sloane (“Sabrina the Teenage Witch”) is 46. Actor Countess Vaughn (“The Parkers,” ″Moesha”) is 45. Actor Michael Urie (“Ugly Betty”) is 43. Actor Meagan Good (“Think Like a Man”) is 42. Guitarist Eric Howk of Portugal. The Man is 42. Actor Jackie Cruz (“Orange Is the New Black”) is 39. Actor Ken Baumann (“The Secret Life of the American Teenager”) is 34. Singer Shawn Mendes is 25. Actor Bebe Wood (“The Real O’Neals”) is 22.
THIS DAY IN GENIUS HISTORY
1588 – English forces attacked the Spanish Armada, permanently crippling Spain’s “invincible” fleet.
1786 – Dr. Michael-Gabriel Paccard and Jacques Balmat became the first to climb Mont Blanc.
1876 – Thomas Edison patented the mimeograph machine.
1900 – The first Davis Cup tennis tournament began at the Longwood Cricket Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
1963 – In “The Great Train Robbery,” some 15 thieves robbed the Glasgow-to-London mail train, making off with more than $6 million in cash.
1969 – Sharon Tate, wife of director Roman Polanski, and four others were murdered by members of Charles Manson’s “family.”
1974 – President Nixon announced he would resign the following day as a result of the Watergate scandal.
2008 – The Summer Olympic Games opened in Beijing, China.
Today Is: Dalek Day, Digital Nomad Day, International Cat Day, The Date to Create, Happiness Happens Day, International Female Orgasm Day, International Infinity Day, National CBD Day, National Fried Chicken & Waffles Day, National Pickleball Day, National Spam Musubi Day, Odie Day, Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night, Wear Your Mother’s Jewelry Day
TODAY ON TV!
Primetime TV (All Times Eastern)
CBS – 8:00 – FBI / 9:00 – FBI International / 10:00 – FBI Most Wanted
NBC – 8:00 – America’s Got Talent / 10:00 – Hot Wheel: Ultimate Challenge
ABC – 8:00 – Celebrity Wheel Of Fortune / 9:00 – Jeopardy Masters / 10:00 – The Chase
FOX – 8:00 – Beat Shazam / 9:00 – Don’t Forget The Lyrics
CW – 8:00 – Penn and Teller / 9:00 – Whose Line Is It
TV Talk Shows
**Due to the ongoing writers/ actors strike most shows are in reruns. (Stay Tuned!)
WHAT ARE YOU TALKIN’ ABOUT? Here are today’s PPM-Friendly Topics!
QUESTION: Did they pay EXTRA?? Two women rent a Portland house from Airbnb and find a few EXTRAS… like CAMERAS, TUNNELS and PEEPHOLES!!!!!
QUESTION: Was this CINDY CRAWFORD commercial inspired by an ANTI-SEX PREACHER? Here’s the weird backstory on the “Just one margarita” video!!!!!
QUESTION: Is something FISHY here?? This Kansas man loves TUNA! He sniffs it, drinks the juice and eats 15 CANS A WEEK!! His love life is suffering! Duh!!!
QUESTION: How much do actors actually MAKE from residuals? Greer Grammar (Kelsey’s kid) does live some live CHECK OPENING to show you!! Yikes!!!!!!!!!!
QUESTION: How can we tell what the TOP TWO BABY NAMES will be for 2023?? Uh.. because we know the top two searches are now KEN AND BARBIE!!!!!!!!!!
Woman Tricked Into Buying Taylor Swift Tickets That Didn’t Exist
********It’s a SoCal resident named Stefanie Klein, who told NBC she spent $1,400 on StubHub for four seats, only to be contacted by the site and told the seller didn’t have the tickets!!
*****StubHub has something called the “This Fan Protect Guarantee” which states that if you buy from a fake seller, StubHub will refund your purchase price plus 200%!!!
*****Just one problem: they kept telling Stefanie the guarantee didn’t apply to her.. until NBC called them, and they immediately gave her the money!! Hmmm..
TOPIC: Anybody ELSE out there who got ripped off by scummy ticket sellers???
Paul Reubens Was Working On Some Projects When He Died
***********Reminder: he died of cancer at the age of 70 on July 30th.
*******Now we find out he was working on some future projects right up to the end!!
******He was working on a documentary of his life for HBO.. the producers have over 1,000 hours of footage, so it WILL be finished!!
Beyonce Pays Big Money To Keep Public Transportation Running After Her Show
**********She spent $100,000 out of her own pocket to keep public transit running in Washington DC after her show!!
*****Reason: her show was delayed two hours because of bad weather.
*****She didn’t want her fans to miss the post-show excitement of trying to ride the subway!!
*******Especially the single ladies!!!!
Harry and Meghan Are Still Close With Their Royal Cousins, Prince Andrew’s Kids
**********Of course!! Prince Andrew is the one royal who has a worse image than Thomas Markle!!
********His girls, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are the only Royals who have stayed tight with Harry and Meghan!!
*******Through the years, they’ve been the ones who were young enough to hang out with their dad’s girlfriends!!
Disney+ Releasing Season 2 of “I Am Groot” Shorts
*****Wait. Season TWO??? We didn’t know about season ONE!!
*****In the trailer for season two, Baby Groot runs into a galactic ice cream truck spaceship. We’re not kidding!!
*******What’s next? A spinoff featuring the clarinet player in the Star Wars cantina band???
*****Watch Groot.. it’ll bring out the vegetable in you!!
TABLOID FODDER
Total Makeover is Latest Wrinkle for Big Wheel Ryan – (National Enquirer)
Self-absorbed Ryan Seacrest is already planning a manly makeover as he prepares to be the new face of Wheel of Fortune. “Ryan wants a new hairstyle and color – but since he has to dye his hair more often to cover up the grays, it’s no big deal. Plus, he’s lining up appointments for Botox, fillers and laser work,” dishes an insider. “Ryan’s already demanded modifications to the Wheel set to accommodate his good side after Pat is gone. He’s extremely vain and would put American Idol contestants on the left to ensure the camera captures the profile he prefers.”
PHONE TOPIC STARTERS
What is your favorite board game?
Have you ever been scammed?
Have you ever lost money and then found it much later?
STUPID NEWS
Escaped Goats End Up At Wichita Car Dealerships
*********They weren’t kicking tires… they were chewing on them!!
*******Did they escape from their owners?? Or did they just feel that they “needed a little break???”
********One salesman said, “Is that a goat out there??” The other guy said, “No you idiot!! We don’t sell Pontiacs!! That’s a Camaro!!”
UK Zoo Confirmed The Human-Like Bear In China Is Real
****Yeah, it’s real. It’s a real bear suit with a person in it!!
**********Question: are these bears copying human beings, or are we copying THEM??
*****The bears stand on their hind legs and wave!! They’re more coordinated than most of our air staff!!
Naked and Afraid Contestant Gets A Handful Of Ticks On His Privates!
******That sucks,, and not in a good way!!
*********We don’t know how he got them off his ding dong.. but we used to light a match and hold it to their butts!! That way, they back out by themselves, and you don’t risk pulling them out and leaving the heads inside!!
********Ticks are not good, but they’re better than attorneys. At least ticks fall off when you die!! Lawyers keep on sucking!!
******How many guys curl up in a ball just thinking about it???
Escaped Prisoner From Colorado Was Living The Big Life In Florida!!
**********He escaped FIVE YEARS AGO!! He was caught moving into a $1.5 million home on Florida’s Gold Coast!
********He was wearing a Rolex and driving a Mercedes. The guy is a career fraudster!!
********He was serving a 20 year sentence for mail fraud and and a $7 million Ponzi scheme!!!
*****How did he escape?? Apparently, federal prisons are in such bad shape, cells are left unlocked, security cameras are broken, and sometimes escapes aren’t noticed for weeks!!
STUFF THAT’S COOL AND VIRAL
VIDEO: BIG HOUSE COLLAPSES INTO A RIVER IN ALASKA
VIDEO: HOW LONG TRICK SHOT TAKE TO FILM
A LIST FOR TUESDAY
6 Signs You Aren’t Ready for Retirement (And How to Get Ready)
The Penny Hoarder
- Your Emergency Fund Is Dwindling
Broken refrigerators and leaky roofs can still happen in retirement, so make sure you’re financially prepared to handle them without putting yourself in debt. “If your credit card has always been your backup plan for emergencies, then you are not ready to retire,” said Brock Westbrook, a Certified Financial Planner and manager of advanced markets at COUNTRY Financial. He recommends having an emergency fund set aside with at least three to six months’ worth of expenses so that you’re prepared for any unexpected costs during your retirement years. “The emergency funds need to be liquid, meaning they’re easily converted to cash without tax or penalties,” he added. If your emergency fund is running low, it’s time to start intentionally putting a portion of your earnings toward it each month. The best way to stay on track of your savings goal is by automating it. You can also consider selling some of your unused assets or taking on a part-time job to fill back up this pot of money. And to prevent your savings from getting eroded by inflation, move some of it into a high-yield savings account that offers competitive APYs. For example, the current APY of the Ally Online Savings Account is 4.00%, five times the national average.
- You Have a Significant Amount of Bad Debt
Ideally, you want to retire debt-free. However, not everyone has the luxury of doing so, and that’s OK. “There’s freedom in knowing that you can spend all your retirement income as you’d like if you’re debt-free, but having some debt (such as a home loan that may offer tax deductions) isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” Westbrook said. However, he emphasizes that problems can arise when you still have a high level of debt — especially bad debt — when you retire. “Industry rules of thumb suggest that your housing debt expense (principal, interest, insurance, and real estate taxes) should not exceed 28% of your pretax household income and that your total debt (housing debt plus auto loans, credit cards, etc.) should not exceed 36% of your pretax income,” Westbrook said. So, if you’re struggling to keep your debt below those percentages, you’re probably not in a good financial position to retire. Before saying goodbye to the 9-to-5 grind and enjoying your stress-free days in retirement, Westbrook suggests tackling high-interest debt by paying it down as much as you can while still maintaining minimum payments on the rest of your debts. This method is also known as the debt avalanche method. Another common debt repayment method is the debt snowball method, where you prioritize paying your debt from the smallest balance to the largest, regardless of interest rates. Both of these debt repayment methods are effective as long as you stay consistent.
- You Spend More Than You Earn
Another sign you’re not ready to hop on a cruise ship and savor your golden years is if you’ve developed a habit of spending more than you earn. “While employed, you may think you’ll always have the opportunity to make up for bad spending habits by getting a higher-paying job, getting that annual bonus or even getting a raise,” Westbrook said. However, when you’re retired, these opportunities are no longer available. “You have a set income and budgeted assets, and that’s it,” he added. To avoid experiencing money problems during your retirement, CFP Kendall Meade recommends that you perform a financial plan “dry run” before permanently leaving the workforce. Here’s how it works: Let’s say you estimate that you only need $2,000 a month to survive in your retirement years. While still employed, do a trial run to see if you can live off this amount. If you can’t, you may want to adjust your retirement budget or push back your retirement date to boost your savings before leaving the workplace. Remember, spending more than you earn means you’re either dipping into your savings or incurring debt, and not nipping this bad habit in the bud could result in serious financial troubles down the line. If you haven’t already, download a budgeting app to keep track of your spending so you know exactly how much money is going in and out of your pocket each month.
- You Don’t Have a Financial Plan
If you don’t have a financial plan in place, you’re not ready for retirement. “Not having ever done a retirement savings calculation using an online calculator like the FINRA Retirement Calculator is a major sign you’re not financially ready to retire,” said CFP Dr. Barbara O’Neill. While going with the flow might work in certain situations, it’s not advisable when it comes to saving for retirement. Without a well-defined financial plan, you’ll likely encounter money issues in your golden years. “It is very unwise to declare that you’re ready to retire without actually doing the math to see if you will have adequate savings and other income streams to cover projected living expenses for the remainder of your lifetime,” O’Neill said. If you’re overwhelmed by the thought of developing a financial plan for retirement, work with a professional who can help evaluate all aspects of your financial situation, such as your cash flow, taxes, insurance coverage and estate plan, and prepare you for retirement. And if you don’t have the budget to work with a CFP, taking advantage of free retirement planning tools such as the FINRA Retirement Calculator can be a great place to start. This calculator can help you estimate how much to save each year to have enough money to retire and live comfortably.
- You Have Not Budgeted for Healthcare Expenses
According to the Fidelity Retiree Health Care Cost Estimate, a single person age 65 in 2023 may need approximately $157,500 saved (after tax) to cover health care expenses, and the average retired couple age 65 will need around $315,000 to cover healthcare costs during retirement. Remember that these numbers have not taken into account other expenses like housing, food and transportation. Some assume that Medicare covers 100% of your medical expenses once you turn 65. But in reality, it doesn’t. Like most other health insurance policies, you’re still responsible for out-of-pocket costs such as copayments, coinsurance and deductibles. If you require frequent medical attention, these costs can quickly add up. If you think you’ll need financial assistance with Medicare’s out-of-pocket costs, consider looking into Medigap plans sold by private insurance companies. These Medigap plans are designed to fill your coverage gaps and help lower your healthcare costs. And when in doubt, it never hurts to consult with a licensed health insurance agent to ensure you’re fully covered. After all, retirement should be a time to relax and enjoy life, not worry about medical bills.
- You Have Insufficient Retirement Savings
If you haven’t prioritized contributing to your retirement accounts, such as a 401(k) or IRA, you may have to rely heavily on Social Security benefits during your golden years, which may not be enough to cover all your living expenses. According to AARP, the average Social Security retirement benefit in 2023 is an estimated $1,827 a month, and the maximum benefit — the most an individual retiree can get — is $3,627 a month. If you plan to retire in a city with a high cost of living like New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco, solely relying on Social Security might not work. Most financial planners recommend replacing around 80% of your pre-retirement income to sustain the same lifestyle after leaving the workforce. In other words, if you make $120,000 per year before retirement, you’ll want to aim for at least $96,000 of annual income in retirement. Another popular rule of thumb to help you figure out how much your retirement savings should be is the 4% rule. This strategy dictates you withdraw 4% of your total savings the first year, then adjust that amount for inflation each following year. By following this approach, your savings should last you at least 30 years. So, let’s say your annual budget in retirement is $60,000, your total retirement savings should be around $1.5 million, according to the 4% rule.
The preceding material was compiled and edited by Brandon Castillo. The Editor-In-Chief is Gary Bryan. The Radio Genius Show Prep Service is licensed for use on-air only by subscribing radio stations. Other means of redistribution is forbidden.
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