What do Lionel Messi and retirement planning have in common? More than you might think. Even the greatest soccer player of all time has struggled with one of the game's simplest moments - the penalty kick. It's a reminder that doing almost everything right doesn't guarantee success if you overlook the fundamentals.

In this episode of Money Mentors, Gerald Green of Mattson Financial Services explores the surprisingly common retirement "penalty kicks" that can trip up even diligent savers, from missed tax strategies and Social Security missteps to poor diversification and costly legacy planning mistakes.We'll also discuss whether now is the right time to lock in CD rates, what it really takes to retire comfortably as a middle-class American, and why the stock market's evolution over the past 50 years reinforces the importance of diversification.  

Want to suggest a topic for a future episode? Connect with us and drop us a question at www.MattsonFinancial.com.