Ep. 127 | Expert Social Security Insights
Download MP3Hey, everyone, and welcome back to the Teaching Tax Full podcast episode 127. Today, we are gonna dive directly into social security. We're gonna get all those questions that you have answered with a great guest. But before we do that, as always, let's take a brief moment and thank our episode sponsor.
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John Tripolsky:Hey, everybody, and welcome back to the teaching tax flow podcast. As you heard in the intro today, we are gonna look at Social Security. So whether you know a lot about it or not, this is a good place to be. We're gonna have a great conversation around it. Start thinking in your mind a little bit if you do have any questions that you may want answered to this because, here's the here's the bonus of it, We're probably gonna have this guy back that we have on as a guest today and do another episode on a little bit deeper of a dive at some point.
John Tripolsky:So if we don't get to your to your specific questions on this one, shoot them over to us, whether it's in a comment on Facebook, YouTube, email, defeating taxes, wherever you want to, shoot them over. We'll be sure to get to them next time. So without further delay, Chris Pacquero, welcome back to your own show, sir. How are you doing, man? I got my tongue tied.
John Tripolsky:I'm so excited, I guess.
Chris Picciurro:I know. I'm very excited about this topic and guest. I am doing amazing. Happy to be back on the teaching tax flow podcast. We're gonna be talking about a topic that actually was a hot button issue, the last presidential election as far as tax ability.
Chris Picciurro:We're we're and we're gonna talk a little bit about tax on this, but more importantly, we're gonna tackle some questions that are very prominent in the teaching tax flow community. We've had a lot in the defeating taxes private Facebook group, and we're gonna work with someone that that I work with regularly both on mutual clients and with our own, you know, with our with our own retirement accounts. And so I'm excited to introduce Rob Sorens from Gateway Financial Advisors. Rob, welcome to the Teaching Tax Flow podcast, and how are you doing today?
Rob Soerens:I'm doing great. Thanks for having me on.
John Tripolsky:And, Chris, was gonna start us here a little bit different. I was gonna say, you know what? We're gonna change this up and because usually, you find a way to inject pickleball comment into a show. So I was gonna throw it out first and say, you know, kinda debunk the myth that everybody that plays pickleball is not collecting Social Security. So so I found my little tie in there.
John Tripolsky:So I mean, there's a fair amount that are, but thought I'd be the first one to throw a pickleball coming out, and now I'll shit up, and you can have a real conversation.
Chris Picciurro:So Well, thank you very much for that. And, you know, Rob already already gets harassed enough about playing pickleball by myself and our the my a good dear friend of mine that introduced me to Rob's and Rob's colleagues, guy named Brian. So we're not gonna talk about pickleball, but you could be in a pickle when it comes to Social Security. So let's let's dive into that, and we're gonna be talking today about filing for your Social Security benefits. You know, this is an this is kind of an intimidating situation.
Chris Picciurro:What in my experience as a tax professional, here's what I see a lot of. Oh, I worked my entire life to build up some type of benefit. I go to file, and now I feel lost again. But there's some things that you need to be aware of when you're maximizing that Social Security benefit because we're all paying into it significantly through our lifetime. And then and then once we can understand those basics, then you can start planning because sometimes, especially for people that own businesses, it might make sense to employ a spouse to build up some credits.
Chris Picciurro:So we're gonna we're gonna run we're we're gonna just dive into this with Rob. Rob is a, like I said, a financial adviser with gate with Gateway, but also, I attended a couple of his presentations specifically about filing for Social Security benefits, and that was one of the reasons that we we've been sitting on this topic for a long time waiting for the right person to to join the show. So so, Rob, we're gonna start off with can you give us just a little bit of of personal history and and what led you to to, you know, to becoming a financial adviser and and helping clients with those decisions about Social Security?
Rob Soerens:Oh, yeah. Great. Thanks a lot. So I've been in the financial industry for over ten years. Prior to that, I was an attorney, and I was doing a combination of mergers and acquisitions and anti tax law, estate planning.
Rob Soerens:And I I just really have decided I I I left being an attorney and and decided about eight years ago to refocus on being in financial advising and investments, because I really love that there's just such a not only is it an emotionally salient and important issue for everybody and every family, but it's also, you know, practically, you know, exceedingly important. And to get things right, both the investments, college planning, retirement planning. You know, if you if you set yourself up correctly at different stages, you're gonna be very happy with yourself down the road, and there are certainly mistakes that could be made, and there are certainly, you know, virtuous proper things to do to sell sell yourself up for success. And I just enjoy being able help people do that. And then I also just enjoy the stock market separately, and so the investment component.
Rob Soerens:But the the planning component, yeah, I just love having that those conversations with people and helping them, because it is. It can be bewildering. And just like many things in life, you don't really know how they work until you need to know how they work. So, oh, mom and dad are now going to a assisted living facility because they can't live on on their own anymore. And now you a whole new world opens up of complexity of how that everything, you know, operates, and does Medicare cover any of it?
Rob Soerens:I don't know. I mean, I do, but, like, they don't know like, they didn't you don't know soup to nuts. You don't know anything about it because you didn't need to until the occasion arises. So it's the same thing with Social Security. You kind have this vague idea that, you know, down the road and you get this statement once a year from the Social Security Administration like, hey.
Rob Soerens:If you continue on this trajectory, this is gonna be your, you know, your benefit. And, you know, I think most people glance at it and go, that's nice or whatever. You know, toss it, and, you know, if you're your twenties or thirties or even forties maybe. But as you get closer, you're like, wait a second. This this might be a crucial component or the crucial component of our retirement funding.
Rob Soerens:And, yeah, you get to 62 or 65 or 67, and, you know, the the IRS and a lot of other rules aren't that clearly for a layperson and even for a tax attorney. And so it can be needlessly complex or can seem needlessly complex, but it really isn't that complex when you get down to it if you have somebody that's been through it before.
Chris Picciurro:Right. And that's the thing is you've guided many, many people through this process, but most peep you know, in general, you really only go through it one time, each person. So Right. It's not that you'll
Rob Soerens:learn it, and then you don't have to learn it again. And unless somebody asks you what your experience was, that was, yeah, one time knowledge. Hey. Hey. That's a really good point.
Rob Soerens:Yeah. Exactly.
Chris Picciurro:So it's it's kinda scary. Yeah. Well, let's talk about what you know, can you talk about we'll start off, like, what is Social Security, and and how do you qualify? Do you have to do you have to have a certain amount of income, amount of years worked?
Rob Soerens:Yeah. There is no threshold amount of income, but there is a threshold amount of work history, and there's something called a 40 credit rule. Each credit accrues by every quarter that you've paid into the system, so that would mean literally ten years. They don't have to be contiguous. But in order to fall qualify for that or Medicare for that matter, you need to qualify for this.
Rob Soerens:So there are some exceptions. You know, your nonworking spouse, your spouse worked, you're on their but, generally, for a for a benefit to be available, discounting widows and nonworking spouses who would be claiming on your benefit if they if that arose, Somebody has to have worked for have that 40 credits accrued, and then the benefit you receive is just tiered based on your income over thirty five years. So they look at your entire they look at 30 if if you've hit the 40 credit rule, then you're, okay. Great. You're in.
Rob Soerens:Now they look at your thirty five years of work history before you claim, before you file. Right. And if you didn't work the full thirty five years, every year you didn't work is a goose egg. It's zero. So, you know, that works against your average.
Rob Soerens:So, you know, that's day to day, you're not really gamifying your life towards your Social Security number. I'm sure you're getting jobs that pay as much money as you can get. You know?
Chris Picciurro:And
Rob Soerens:that makes sense for your family, and it just so happens you get a work history and an average. But that's basically how it works. And so you may wonder, like, so why does, you know, a guy down the street get $4,400 a month, then I get 27 or, you know, or 1,700 a month? It was based on the average of the earnings over that thirty five years. And then there's a formula that, you know, break points on that.
Rob Soerens:So, for example, an interesting and I don't wanna get too off track here. Steer me back to the to the course if I get too far off track. But so for example, in 2025, the maximum if you had the maximum average earnings over that period, if you claim to age 62, which is the earliest you can claim, you would start receiving $28.31 a month, and then that's subject to a cost of living increase every year. If you're waiting till your full retirement age, for most people, that'd be 67. For some, it's 66 and some months.
Rob Soerens:It'll be 4,018 a month. And then if you wait until 70, it would be fifty one zero eight a month. So yeah. So that I mean, in a nutshell, that that's the system. Sure.
Rob Soerens:One thing that's very interesting is it was set up in 1935. The original taxes paid into the system under, you know, FDR. Original taxes paid in the system started being gathered in 1937, and the first payouts were in 1940. When it was enacted in 1935, the life expectancy so the retirement age in the Social Security Act 1935, you know, ninety years ago, was age 65. Well, the life expectancy for males was fifth was 59.
Rob Soerens:So it's it's it's it's it's it was not necessarily intended to do what it do does now, which is a pension plan for everybody. But yeah. But it's yeah. It's that's basically I'm sorry. I went off a little bit, but that's that's, in a nutshell, what Social Security is.
Chris Picciurro:Well, and right. There there's there's a lot of you know, this basically, this wasn't built for where we're at today. I mean, that's that was built almost, you know, coming up on a hundred years ago. I wanna talk about the 40 credit rule because my understanding is you can get up to four credits per year, like you said. What happens if someone and and does that depend on when you earned that money in the year, or or are there are there any rules for, like, someone that's self employed?
Chris Picciurro:You know, let's say
Rob Soerens:Self employed people also, you pay self employment tax. It counts. Yeah. So there's yeah. You don't have to people do have that worry.
Rob Soerens:You know? I've never had a w two or, you know, bear barely. You know, basically yeah. If you if you pay self employment tax, you're paying into the system, and that and you're getting the credits.
Chris Picciurro:And so if if someone was to pay 10,000 of self employment tax, okay, we know it's 15.3% of their net income if they're self employed. Does that does that get prorated into different you know, in can they do they get four credits for that for that year, or is it you know?
Rob Soerens:That you know, that's a great that's a great question. I have not in personally dealt with that directly. I know I I I understand your question. I can I can if you give me a brief second, I can look that one up?
Chris Picciurro:Yeah. No problem.
John Tripolsky:And, Chris, almost if I can add to that a
Chris Picciurro:little bit. You know, let's
John Tripolsky:say, theoretically. Right? Let's say for whatever length of time, whether it's ten year well, you know, for sake of conversation, let's just say it's for all thirty five years. Right? Say somebody earns a hundred thousand, and somehow they've managed to legally and ethically avoid paying any tax every year.
John Tripolsky:Like, does that, are they basically riding a goose egg the whole way to the end of the race, or or how does that look too, I guess? Would be don't know if that adds to or goes against what you're asking there, Chris.
Chris Picciurro:No. What I'm asking is if someone's self employed, how do they accumulate credit? So we know that self basically, it depends on their net income, their net self employment earnings. So for each
John Tripolsky:Yeah.
Chris Picciurro:You know, in twin I mean, we could talk about 2024. You get a credit for every about $1,700 of net self employment earnings. So if you have net self employment earnings of, let's say, about $7,000, then you
Rob Soerens:Then you get the four credits.
Chris Picciurro:The four credits. So yeah. Yeah. That that's that's what we're what we're talking about. Otherwise, like Rob said, from for the vast majority of people, they're having those so that Social Security tax withheld out of their w two wages, and it just goes right into the system, and their employer matches that.
Chris Picciurro:So that's, you know, that's how that works. And now you mentioned some really interesting figures. Right? So if we the earliest now, let let's assume that you don't have a special situation or disability or any anything like that. Let's say you're just a or you the earliest you can file is at age 62.
Chris Picciurro:At that point, you'd get about 2,800. I think you said $28.31 or $28.34 of of benefit per month. I think if you wait till full, quote, unquote, full retirement age at, well, at this point, let's call it 67 years old, you get about $4,018 per month. And then if you wait till you're 70, you you would get $51.00 8 per month. So people will say, well, wait a second.
Chris Picciurro:Why don't I just wait till I'm 70 to file? However, there's eight years of between 62 and 70 that you would have been earning that income, and a lot of people might say, well, I'm I've, you know, may have done well for myself, or maybe I'm still working. I have a pension. I don't need the money right now. Maybe I shouldn't file.
Chris Picciurro:Which leads me to the question of, in general, I'm we don't have a crystal ball. Right? So if someone could file at age 70 and unfortunately pass away two months later, and and they don't get retroactive pay for the eight years they could have filed. Right? That that's just not how it works.
Chris Picciurro:What are you seeing in general are look. What are the main factors someone has to consider when deciding the timing of filing, and what approximately is your breakeven point that you found for weight waiting it out?
Rob Soerens:So that's a question that a ton of people try to figure out. Obviously, you're yeah. You're right. You're trying to look into a crystal ball, and there's no way of knowing. You know, it's it's it's health.
Rob Soerens:Right? Expect life ex your your your own understanding of your own life expectancy. Obviously, you could be hit by a car tomorrow. Right? So, you know, it's it's the same thing you're doing when claiming an annuity, you know, which which you know, how do you you know, which claiming method do you take based on how long you think you might live.
Rob Soerens:So the breakeven point let's say you you picked at 62. Right? You say, I'm just gonna go. I don't know what my health is or, you know, who know you know, I I engage in risky activities. I, you know, I go skydiving and base jumping a lot and whatever, and so this might not last that long.
Rob Soerens:I mean, right, know, like
Chris Picciurro:62. Good for you.
Rob Soerens:Cool. If you claim at 62 versus waiting until 70, like your max. Right? You see because there's a huge it's almost double. You you only get 55% of the benefit if you claim at 62 versus waiting to 70.
Rob Soerens:Your breakeven point generally is about the age 80 to 82. So meaning the point at which if you had waited to 70 to claim that largely increased monthly payment actually out accrues what you, you know, you although seven extra years or eight extra years earned Right. You know, collecting it. About 80 or 82. Now if you, you know, if you take, you know, the calculation 62 to set 67, your full retirement age, that's about 78 to 80, the breakeven point.
Rob Soerens:Okay. And so you know? Or or full retirement age, 67, to waiting to the max, 70. The breakeven point's somewhere between age 82 and 83. So Right.
Rob Soerens:For people, they're like, hey. All of my parents, grandpa know, they live into their nineties. I have no health issues. You know? I do a risk I engage in literally zero risky sports or whatever.
Rob Soerens:You know? I don't eat shellfish. You know? Whatever it is. You know, it's still a gamble, but, yeah, if if you expect longevity and wanna, you know, protect for longevity, then you could definitely wait just knowing that the breakeven point isn't gonna be until those ages, roughly.
Chris Picciurro:Right. Yeah. I mean, it it's a p it's a piece of your financial plan, you know, and that's that's
Rob Soerens:a Exactly. Yep. Think about. Yeah. You're kind of risk adjusting your income based on your expected life expectancy, and you're doing it yourself.
Rob Soerens:You know? The the Social Security Administration doesn't do it for you. You you get to decide.
Chris Picciurro:And let's so so let's talk into you've got your own each individual has their own filing decision. There are also decisions that have to be made by spouses, surviving spouses, ex spouses. Right? Yeah. Yeah.
Chris Picciurro:Can you talk just a little a couple of minutes about the spousal considerations?
Rob Soerens:Yeah. So like I was saying earlier, you could be a nonworking spouse and still collect. In fact, you you you definitely you always can collect. There's just different ways. So if you're widowed, you can actually start collecting at age 60.
Rob Soerens:Now it would be reduced. It wouldn't be the full benefit, and and let you it's the same thing. If you wait until you're 67 or 70, you get a higher monthly benefit, but then you're still doing that break you know, breakeven analysis for yourself. If you're a nonworking spouse, you're you're also not cut out. You can also claim you can claim at 62 or wait till 67 or wait until 70.
Rob Soerens:Oh, actually, you don't wanna wait till 70 on that one. That's a unique one. If you're just a regular spouse, it's called the spousal benefit. And what you can get is if you wait until full retirement age and your working spouse that has the record, you know, the 40 credits, has claimed, then you can claim as the nonworking spouse up to half of theirs. So in other words,
Chris Picciurro:you could
Rob Soerens:be getting your working spouse's full benefit if they wait until 67 plus half again that. Right? So a 50% between the two of you. Wow. Now if you claimed at 62 and your spouse is older, you know, and they've or or they claim at 62 too, but they have to have claimed.
Rob Soerens:Your spouse has to have claimed. But you're only gonna get half of what they claimed at. So if they claimed at 62 and they already had a reduced benefit, you're only gonna get half of their reduced benefit. So there's that. Widows don't obviously, a widow doesn't have to wait till they've claimed because the the so if they predeceased you and, you know, at 50 and now you're 60, you could claim on off of their record if you wanted to.
Rob Soerens:So that's that's a, you know, that's a big benefit there. If you're divorced, very important. If you are married to them for ten years and you have been divorced for two or more years and you're age 62 or older and not remarried, then you can claim on their benefit Ah. On their record. I'm sorry.
Rob Soerens:On their record. And you and they don't have to have claimed. So unlike so still married spouses, the the the working spouse has to have claimed for the spouse to claim. But for a widow or a divorcee, somebody who's divorced, they do not have to do that. The the other the the other the ex spouse or deceased spouse did not have to have claimed for you to claim on their record.
Chris Picciurro:Wow. That's a very interesting and Yeah. Oh, go ahead. I'm sorry.
Rob Soerens:No. And and and it's now if you have a just a a much weaker record, you can still claim on your spouse. So this is a very interesting so let's say you got a very disparate let's say, like, she's a corporate attorney earning $300 a year, and he was a chemistry teacher, you know, and he maxed out at $75 a year in the high school. And, you know, loved his job, but just did high school might be exam bad example because you're probably a state pension. But, you know, something like that.
Rob Soerens:Right? And so let's say, you know, just making up numbers totally. Let's say he was gonna get 2,200 or 1,700 because of, you know, the and then she was gonna get maxed out. Let's say she was maxed out at, you know, 4,400 or whatever it was. If her record half of that is greater than his or, you know, by sorry.
Rob Soerens:If his record, half of it is, you know, is is greater than hers, the nonworking spouse or the not much working spouse or the lower paid spouse, you can still claim the spousal record to get half. So you get whichever is higher, your own record or half of your spouse's.
Chris Picciurro:And then let me ask this question. So and and if you let's just let's say that your spouse has a high you know, what we call a a good record high record. Yeah. Sure. Yeah.
Rob Soerens:The High average. Whatever.
Chris Picciurro:The yes. The the the other spouse claims off of the higher earning spouse. Right? So let's say they're both drawing Social Security at the same time, and the higher earning spouse passes away. Is there any adjustment for the the surviving spouse?
Chris Picciurro:Like, do they get any step up?
Rob Soerens:The higher you you you you you're not gonna go to a you're not gonna stay at a 50%. You're just gonna go to you can step into their shoes.
Chris Picciurro:So you get yeah. I remember you saying that. So, basically, but you have you have less you have one less person to support, so you're getting the higher of the two.
Rob Soerens:Because now you're basically claiming as a widow. And so yeah. So you're now able to yeah. So you're you're you're not gonna you're gonna lose the one and, you know, one and a half times that you're you know, the spouse and then, you know, spousal, but you're gonna, yeah, you're gonna step into their shoes and claim at their record, at their loan.
Chris Picciurro:Absolutely. What are some of the the things that we that we should be aware of as far as, you know, filing mistakes, that that you might see out there that people kinda make a boo boo about? You know? And, and then maybe two or three tips that they could take now, regardless of their age, is is someone that has maybe maybe filed already or or hasn't filed already.
Rob Soerens:Well, so there used to be so I think I don't have any maybe very specific filing recommendations, but there's a lot of old information out there that can lead people to make decisions that are suboptimal. So there used to be file and suspend, which was an option where like I said, you know, the the the the higher earning spouse or the older spouse, you know, had to have filed for the the nonearning spouse or the lowering spouse to file. They're on their spousal record to get the half of, you know, their larger amount. Well, so what you used to be able to do is the higher earning spouse would file at 62 and suspend. Meaning, like, I've I've I've filed, but I'm not gonna claim it.
Rob Soerens:So there would still accrues until they start actually taking the monthly payments, but that allowed the other spouse, the lower or spouse, to then now claim on off of their record if it was higher. Right? And so some people are under the assumption that that's still the case and file not really realizing that that is not the case, thinking that, oh, you know, I'll I'll file and then I'll you know, what's the suspension process? How do I do that? Oh, no.
Rob Soerens:You can't do that. So, you know, that's I I think there's because their rules change a lot, people get stuck in their head, the rule that they learned the one time they went to the seminar fifteen years ago. Is that that would be my honestly or this podcast. You know? In five years, it could be like they they could have lost this podcast, like, know, you know, next week, and then five years, they're going to, you know, file or figure it out, and the rules have changed.
Rob Soerens:But this is you know, what we've said on this podcast is stuck in their head. So I would say the biggest thing honestly is you have to get up to date information because the rules constantly change.
Chris Picciurro:And that's why it's important to be working with a get a a licensed financial adviser. Right? Because, I mean, even as a practitioner CPA, I I've had it's at least four or five times a year someone from the teaching tax slow community comes to us and says, hey. I just sold my primary residence. I I did you know, what do I how much of a house do I have to buy to to not pay tax?
Chris Picciurro:Well, the section one twenty one exclusion changed. You don't have to buy a replacement house for the value. This changed almost twenty years ago. It's just one of those things that, but but, you know, they may have been in the house twenty five years, and that was the that's what the rules were with the last time they did this.
Rob Soerens:And they're making decisions based off. They may have been planning on that without talking to anybody for a long time. Right? And making decisions based off that. Or the opportunity cost of not doing something because they thought that was the rule.
Rob Soerens:So that would be my main thing. I totally agree with that. Like, that happens all the time. Happens to me. I mean, it happens to everybody.
Rob Soerens:You you get something in your head because it was true at one point, and then why would you update that? Because, you know, unless you're you have to make a decision on it, you have a lot of other things going on. So, yeah, that's my my main thing is you gotta get up to date information because the information you have, honestly, is often gonna be wrong. Even though it wasn't wrong when you had it, it's it might very well be wrong then.
Chris Picciurro:Right. Well, and one more thing. So it is to kinda put a bow on this episode, because I know we're gonna we're gonna have Rob back on in the future, talk about some other items, but this was really the one zero one kind of the the the fine you know, the basics of filing for Social Security. If you haven't met with the financial adviser and reviewed your Social Security statement in the last twenty four months, I would highly recommend you do that. I believe Rob, you might be able to put a little more color into this, but I believe you go to the ssa.gov.
Chris Picciurro:They used to mail them out, but I don't think they mail them out anymore. I think you had to get them online. I could be wrong. However, couple reasons. One, your Social Security could be a very big factor in your retirement.
Rob Soerens:And two It's important to know that number. Yep.
Chris Picciurro:You need that number. Yes. And two, there's been several times where there's been a misreporting of benefits. An employer went defunct. You're you're it doesn't match your w two, and it caught and if it's four, five, six years ago, it's gonna be really hard to fix.
Rob Soerens:Yeah. I I completely agree with that. It's kinda like checking your credit report. Right? Only maybe, you know,
John Tripolsky:in some
Chris Picciurro:ways analogy.
Rob Soerens:More important. Well, I guess, not just as important, but, yeah, very, very and it's it's not hard to do, and, you know, and it's not complicated. It's just a list of years and numbers. Right? And if the the number that they list for that year is your, you know, your total income that they're gonna count towards is wrong based on what, you know, you filed your taxes, you know, the amount you put on your taxes, yeah, that you wanna get on top of that.
Rob Soerens:Absolutely right. And, yeah, you know, ten years later, you know, the employer, good luck getting the records from them if they're not around. Right? So now you have a challenge.
Chris Picciurro:Exactly. Well, before John puts a bow on this, I we brought we dusted this off. We brought it back from the early episodes when we have a guest. Rob, we're gonna put you on the hot seat for some fun questions, not related to Social Security. I know it's disappointing.
Chris Picciurro:And and then, again, if you, you know, if you are listening to this or have a loved one that you're thinking about right now, definitely reach out to the Teaching Tax Flow team. Check the show notes. We can get you connected. You know, talk to your financial adviser or get you get you connected with Rob and the team that that I could say I've worked with. You're gonna want you're gonna wanna do that.
Chris Picciurro:So, so yep. Okay. So, Rob. Alright. Here we go.
Chris Picciurro:Your favorite sports team.
Rob Soerens:It's the Green Bay Packers. I'm from Wisconsin.
Chris Picciurro:So Yes.
Rob Soerens:Sorry. Sorry. Sorry for you Michiganders there, but I was rooting the lions. I was rooting for the lions in the playoffs after the the packers got bumped, but, you know, I mean, you you could wimp into the playoffs with 16 of your starters out. I mean, I don't know what you're gonna it would have been a miracle if they pulled anything off.
John Tripolsky:And, Rob, I'm just a bandwagon fan for the Detroit Lions anyways, admittedly. So A Packer
Rob Soerens:is the religion of the state of Wisconsin, so
Chris Picciurro:you can't
Rob Soerens:you can't not yeah.
Chris Picciurro:That's true. The okay. So, you know, I know you're you're you run a lot, and you're very healthy, but so you might you might be the second person that says, I don't have an answer to this on this podcast, but your favorite cereal.
Rob Soerens:No. So, honestly, I actually eat cereal almost every day, but it's not a boxed cereal. I eat basically, I eat oats and raisins and and almonds every every single day, either for breakfast or as a snack in the afternoon. Mhmm. So, I mean, that's kind of a cereal.
Rob Soerens:Right?
Chris Picciurro:It's a healthy cereal. Yeah. So you're you're healthier than mine's Golden Grahams, which is I mean, there are worse cereals, but Golden Grahams, I wouldn't call
Rob Soerens:it had to pick a totally unhealthy one that'll okay. I mean, I love Lucky Charms and Kale Chocula. Like, I mean, if I'm gonna, like, hit it, like, I it's Yeah. You know, if it's like I mean, honestly, actually, next month, you know, maybe on the on the seventeenth, I'll have a, you know, box of Lucky Charms or something.
Chris Picciurro:Oh, you've got to. Well, we had an issue in our house. We had an egregious an egregious violation of family rules occur with my 11 year old when he was just starting to be able to feed himself. We had Lucky Charms, and he found in in he unmonitored Lee. He's probably about eight at the time.
Chris Picciurro:He grabbed all of the actual marshmallows, and I was left with just the boring
Rob Soerens:Bowl. You've, like, dug through some Yeah. I'm guilty. When I was a kid, I a % did that. You know, in fact, it it are you aware they actually sell the marshmallows?
Rob Soerens:No. Oh. Buy a bag of Lucky Charms marshmallows. They sell them. I don't I I I don't remember where we got it, but you you can they yeah.
Rob Soerens:They got smart, they realized there's some people that just want the marshmallows. Can get them. Wow. They they even put them in a stocking or something at Christmas.
Chris Picciurro:Well, a final my final hot button question. What does your an ideal weekend look like for you?
Rob Soerens:Well, so I I don't run as much as I like rucking lately, so, you know, with a weighted, you know, with a weighted backpack. So I love doing that. I love hitting the trails, like the wooded trails near my house, because I like to be out there and playing cards with family or friends. It's only part of the year, but I I I like to watch the NFL. So if, you know, if football's on him, that that's definitely part of it.
Rob Soerens:Obviously, we're gonna you know, not that could be the case for until September. And, you know, hopefully, you know, a good meal with the family and reading at least getting some reading in. I love to read both history and and fiction.
Chris Picciurro:Well, we know that the, yeah, we know that the the packers are you know, they're they've got they they're always a contender, and, you know, the NFL seems like it's all all year round now. So
John Tripolsky:Yeah. That's true.
Chris Picciurro:You know? Awesome.
John Tripolsky:Well, Rob, thanks thanks for joining us on here too. You know? It's I'm glad we we didn't end with pickleball this time, unlike unlike other shows that we do. So I think that's a huge win for us.
Rob Soerens:But I'm sure I'll end up on pickleball, Abby. I I keep on getting Brian keeps on you know, Chris is my friend, keeps on hammering on me to join, and so I it looks like something even I could probably do.
Chris Picciurro:So
John Tripolsky:Oh, you're you're within a hundred miles, you know, geographic proximity of Chris, so it'll happen. He'll get you out there. So until then, as we always close out here, we will see everybody back here again on the teaching tax full podcast next week, same day of the week, different time, roughly, completely different topic. Thanks again, Rob, for joining us. Chris, and I'll see you here next week.
John Tripolsky:You can't escape me that easy.
Chris Picciurro:Sounds good.
John Tripolsky:Alright, everybody. Thank you and have a great week for everybody that's listening or watching this episode of our podcast.
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