Retirement is not just a transition from work to leisure. It’s a continuous journey of self-discovery. We explore the story of Tom, who reflects on the emotional and financial challenges he faced after leaving a successful career. From adjusting to a fixed income to finding new ways to matter outside of his career, Tom’s experiences give us valuable lessons for those nearing retirement.
In light of Tom’s story, we talk more about Roth conversions and the evolving rules surrounding Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). We’ll tell you how to manage Roth conversions, even after reaching RMD age, and the importance of tax planning as part of a truly comprehensive retirement strategy.
Learn how to make smarter financial decisions as you prepare for (or continue through your continuous journey of) retirement.
You know inflation is something to consider in retirement, but how much should you worry about it?
On this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we’ll explore an article from Of Dollar and Data that dives into the nitty gritty of inflation by analyzing three hypothetical retirement scenarios.
Learn how to plan for any eventuality so that you can better prepare for rising costs as you age.
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In retirement, retirees make the big switch–drawing on savings rather than contributing to them. This is often when the trouble comes–the psychological hurdle comes when it’s time to start spending your hard-earned savings.
In this episode, you’ll learn how to understand the mental barrier that comes with the big switch and learn strategies to overcome it. Listen to learn how to use your retirement funds without guilt or fear of financial instability.
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Knowing when to retire is not just an economic decision; it’s highly personal. In an era where your work is with your identity, deciding when to retire can feel monumental. So how do you know when the time is right? That’s what we’ll explore in today’s episode.
In addition to discussing this retirement headline, Bret Mulvaney joins the show again to help me answer our listener question. Press play to listen.
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Do you feel pain when spending money? Or perhaps it’s the opposite, and you spend a little too freely without much thought, pain, or remorse?
In this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we’ll explore an article on how to make the most out of retirement by trying to land somewhere in the middle of the spending spectrum. Whether you find yourself to be a “tightwad” or a “spendthrift” you’ll find this episode to be a helpful exploration of gaining happiness from your retirement spending plan.
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It’s easy to make mistakes in your investment portfolio, but as you get closer to retirement, it becomes more important than ever to make sure you are maximizing your financial health so that you can achieve your long-term goals.
In this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we’ll take a look at an article written by Christine Benz which highlights several common errors that investors make. Listen in to avoid these mistakes and learn the actions you can take to rectify the problems.
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What would you say your retirement confidence level is? If you’re like many super-savers, it may be surprisingly low.
In this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we’ll explore an article from Investment News that dives into a phenomenon where wealthier Americans who are confident in their money management skills still feel shaky about retirement and transferring their wealth to their heirs.
Listen in to learn how to become more confident in your retirement plan and stick around for the listener question where we discuss just how safe annuities really are.
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We may think of many things when it comes to rising interest rates, but often we fail to understand how that could lead to rising IRS penalties.
In this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we’ll take a look at an informative article from the WSJ about how to avoid rising IRS penalties.
Make sure to stick around for the listener questions segment where I answer Jeff’s question on how to bridge the income gap between retirement and Social Security.
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When was the last time you checked your beneficiaries on your retirement account? After listening to today’s episode, I guarantee you’ll be logging in to verify.
In the retirement headlines segment, we’ll check out a Yahoo Finance article titled ”They Broke Up In 1989, But Now His Ex-Girlfriend Is Inheriting His $1 Million Retirement Account After Nearly 40 Years.” How’s that headline for clickbait? It certainly got me to click!
Make sure to stick around to hear how a reverse mortgage could play a part in your retirement planning.
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While, for some people, the transition to retirement goes perfectly smoothly, that’s not the case for everyone.
Most of us are counting the days until retirement. We’re excited by all the prospects this new stage in life will bring. However, some people struggle with the change. In this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we’ll look at a common issue with retirement from a psychological perspective with this article from Psychology Today.
In the listener question segment, I’ll touch on how to bridge the gap between the beginning of retirement and collecting Social Security and discuss how to invest for the short-term in retirement. It’s time to up your retirement game; press play to get started.
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It’s no secret that I want you to spend more money in retirement.
Why?
Because you’ve worked for it!
Retirement is about living the life that you have saved for all these years, so I’m looking for any way I can find to help you get out there and enjoy it.
One way that has been gaining popularity in recent years is semi-retirement. In this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we’ll look at an article that shows how partial retirement has been shown to lead to an increase in spending levels in retirement.
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We’ve all heard the saying, “Money can’t buy happiness.” However, research suggests that while money may not buy lasting joy, it can certainly enhance our lives if spent wisely. The key lies in how we spend our money.
On this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we’ll explore a recent article on spending money to maximize your happiness.
Stick around for the latest book update and sign up for the newsletter to learn how to preorder and stay up to date on book giveaways!
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By now, we’ve all heard of AI, but many people still have mixed feelings about this revolutionary tool. Since I’ve been using it in my life on a daily basis, I have been wanting to share how you all can use AI to help with retirement planning.
When I came across this article from Business Insider, I knew I found my opportunity. Even if you’ve never used AI before, you’ll want to listen in to hear how you can use this versatile tool to help you plan your retirement.
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Many factors should come into play when deciding when to take your Social Security benefit but doomsday headlines shouldn’t be one of them.
On this episode, you’ll hear how Social Security’s biggest myth is costing retirees a lot of money.
Don’t get caught unaware! Make sure to stick around until the end to hear about a jury duty scam that even I had never heard of.
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The 4% rule is the “golden rule” of retirement planning. Everyone is familiar with it and it’s easy to work out for some quick, back-of-the-napkin math.
Since it is so easy to calculate and implement, many use it as their retirement withdrawal rule. However, this approach may be overly conservative. While using a significantly higher withdrawal rate may go too far, the 4% rule may be too cautious.
Listen in to hear the limitations of sticking with this overly simplistic rule of thumb.
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Did you know that you can buy gold at your local Costco?
However, just because it’s easy to buy doesn't mean it’s easy to sell.
In this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we’re exploring gold and its role in your retirement portfolio. To do that, we’ll take a look at a retirement headline from WSJ and i’ll share my thoughts on the latest gold rush.
Make sure to stick around until the end for Kevin’s question about the key difference between accumulation and decumulation.
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Risk is what is left over after you think you’ve thought of everything. – Carl Richards
Getting to financial independence is job #1, but staying financially independent comes a close second.
To do so you’ll need to be aware of the risks that could empty your accounts. Being vigilant of these risks and having a plan to work through or avoid them could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars. Listen in to hear how you can save your financial independence.
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There are two ways you can ruin your retirement: running out of money and dying with regret.
If you are listening to this podcast, chances are, you’ve been a diligent saver and probably aren’t in danger of the first one.
That’s why, today, we’re exploring an article from the White Coat Investor on ways to spend more money.
Don’t risk ending your days with regret. Listen in to find out how you can enjoy all that you have worked for.
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It can be easy to forget your age as the birthdays roll around. However, when you’re about to turn 65 you’ll know. Medicare and all of their relevant service providers won’t let you forget.
You may feel inundated with the amount of mail, emails, and even phone calls and text messages, but rather than ignoring all the excess information, it’s important to dig in and learn so tha you can make the best decision for your healthcare.
To help you avoid potentially expensive and health-altering mistakes, today we’ll review 5 of the biggest Medicare mistakes you can make by reviewing an article by Rick Fine from The Sensible Financial Planning blog.
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You’ve been accumulating your savings your entire life, but when the time comes to draw down your investments, there are new risks. In this episode, we’ll discuss four risks that come with the decumulation phase of retirement.
Press play to learn how to avoid these risks in retirement.
Are you looking for a new advisor? One of our listeners is looking for a checklist to help him hire a retirement advisor. While answering that question I went ahead and made my advisor checklist available to all of you to download here.
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A lot of us are looking to get in shape in retirement. This is a good thing since part of living an even better retirement is looking after your health and muscle mass. Staying healthier and more active longer will ensure that you are making the most out of your retirement. In addition, maintaining a healthy muscle mass is a huge part of keeping your health as you age.
In this episode, we’ll explore a Scientific American article on keeping your muscles strong as you age. Make sure to listen in to discover some tools that I use to track my health and wellness as I enter the second half of my life.
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Do you have index funds in your portfolio? Chances are you do!
Our retirement headline today describes the rise of index funds over active funds and why that’s important. Discover how index funds connect with my investment philosophy by pressing play now.
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Recent legislation has made everyone’s favorite college savings plan a little more flexible. Funds in a 529 plan aren’t as locked up as they used to be now that your children’s unused college funds can be rolled into a retirement account.
In this episode, we’ll discuss an article from the White Coat Investor which explores how the 529 can be rolled into a retirement account. We’ll discover the benefits and drawbacks of using a 529 to save for retirement. Listen in to hear whether the 529 rollover could help you in your retirement.
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It may be easy to define success in your working career, but defining success in retirement can be more difficult. What does success look like in retirement? What will you do daily or weekly to get the most out of your retirement?
In this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we’ll explore a TEDx talk about the 4 phases of retirement that many (but not all) experience. Click play to hear how you can squeeze the most juice out of your retirement.
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Due to last year's poor market returns, you’ve probably seen the headlines that the 60/40 portfolio is dead. But is that really the case?
This week’s retirement headline explores the history of this classic retirement investment strategy. After we tackle the headlines, Bret and I team up to consider the best places to move in retirement. Listen in to hear where not to move.
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