Why I Object to 'Hitting a Number' for Retirement
Christine Benz got a text from a friend the other day. A mutual friend from college was retiring because he'd "hit his number in the stock m...
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Retirement Starts Today Radio
Benjamin Brandt wants to teach you how to retire! Listen in as Benjamin Brandt CFP©, RICP© answers the questions on the minds of the modern retiree, often joined by the top experts in the re...
Episodes
20 of 417 episodesThe 'Open Sandwich' Generation
The term "Sandwich Generation" has been around since the 80s. You're the one in the middle - with aging parents on one side and dependent ki...
Your $135,000 Retirement Risk
The 2025 Milliman Long-Term Care Index put a number on long-term care: $135,000, the lump-sum amount an average 65-year-old would need to se...
38% of Retirees Underspend
A Corebridge Financial's decumulation study found 70% of American retirees say it's "very important" that their nest egg doesn't shrink in r...
"New" Rules around 401K Catch-Up Contributions
A rule changed on January first that takes the tax deduction away from catch-up contributions for a lot of people who are still working. We'...
The Four Risks to Retirement Security
Chris Heye makes the case in a Journal of Financial Planning article that the two retirement risks we obsess over might not be the two most...
How Much Should You Worry About Inflation?
Inflation again? Christine Benz over at Morningstar has three questions that tell you exactly how exposed you are - and how much retirees wo...
Revisiting the 4% Rule, with Bill Bengen
If you've been anywhere close to a retirement podcast over the last 10-20 years, you've heard of the 4% rule. And like many people, you migh...
Retirement Is a Sprint, Not a Marathon
Fritz Gilbert says the adage that "Retirement is a marathon, not a sprint" is backwards. He cites an average age where health starts to decl...
Is Your Cautious Retirement Spending Doing More Harm Than Good?
The fear of running out of money in retirement turns out to be mostly backwards. For super-savers, the data says the opposite usually happen...
The IRS Penalty Retirees Never See Coming (And How to Beat It)
Every year, thousands of retirees pay an extra penalty to the IRS — and almost none of them see it coming. What catches them off guard isn't...
Consumer Sentiment is Terrible
Americans don't feel great about the economy. Consumer Sentiment just hit the lowest reading in roughly 75 years. Ben Carlson over at A Weal...
The IRA Decision That Affects Your Kids
There's a decision your surviving spouse is going to make about your IRA, after you're already gone, that can either cut short or stretch ou...
The Richest Person in the Graveyard
You've heard it said a hundred times: Spend the money, make the memories, don't die with regret. However, for certain kinds of retirees, dyi...
The Best Strategies for Boosting Starting Withdrawal Rates in Retirement
If you want to spend more at the beginning of retirement, which withdrawal strategies actually let you do that? This week's Retirement Headl...
How Super-Savers Spend Their Acorns in Retirement, with Dana Anspach
Imagine a lifetime spent diligently saving your acorns, only to face a mental roadblock when it's time to enjoy them. Dana Anspach, CFP®, RM...
How 2 Couples Cut Housing Costs To Speed Up Their Path To Early Retirement
What happens when you reach financial independence by paying off a low interest rate mortgage early? Or being renter instead of buying a hom...
The "24-Hour Rule" That Keeps Retirees From Blowing Their Savings
According to Capital One Shopping - 89% of shoppers have made some kind of impulse buy. More than half have spent more than $100 on a whim,...
Sorry, Your Kids Don't Want Your Stuff
Imagine having 10 overstuffed boxes of grandma's collections in your living room. That's the story that leads our show from a couple in Flor...
The Retirement Risk Zone
There is roughly a ten-year window centered around your retirement date, five to ten years before, and five to ten years after called "The R...