How Long Will You Live After Retirement?

Roger Whitney explores one of the most overlooked variables in retirement planning: longevity, and how assuming you’ll live too long can quietly force you to save more, spend less, and potentially miss out on life. Through a conversation with Dr. Bobby Du Bois, he challenges default planning assumptions, walks through the real trade-offs, and introduces a practical way to think about lifespan so you can better align your money with how you actually want to live. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN (00:00) This show is dedicated to helping you not just survive retirement, but have the confidence to lean in and rock it. (01:13) Roger introduces the idea that we plan heavily for running out of money but rarely consider the probability of running out of life. (02:04) Roger recognizes everyone who reached out about Sherlock’s passing and plays an audio message from a listener. ROCKING RETIREMENT IN THE WILD (03:50) Jerry shares how returning to backpacking in retirement helped him reconnect with friends and stay physically and mentally engaged. PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT WITH DR. BOBBY (05:50) Roger and Dr. Bobby explore why longevity assumptions are often flawed and how they directly impact how much money you think you need. (23:54) The conversation shifts to the limits of predicting lifespan and the emotional and behavioral implications of trying to do so. (29:55) Real-life examples illustrate how longevity assumptions influence major life decisions like when to retire and how to spend your time. ROGER’S LONGEVITY FRAMEWORK (35:25) Roger introduces a practical approach to making more thoughtful longevity assumptions without overcomplicating the process. SMART SPRINT (53:10) Use a simple longevity calculator to form a baseline assumption and decide how conservative you want to be in your planning. ON THE BOOKSHELF (54:35) Roger shares what the team is reading. REFERENCES Submit a Question for Roger Sign up for The Noodle Actuaries Longevity Illustrator Humans vs Retirement podcast with Dan Haylett BOOKS The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Note: The opinions expressed are for informational purposes only and should not replace personalized advice from licensed professionals.

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How Long Will You Live After Retirement? is an episode from Retirement Answer Man by Roger Whitney.

This episode is 57:48 long.

This episode was published on Apr 29, 2026.

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