Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast

Episódios

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  3 Retirement Spending Surprises From 5 Million Real Bank Accounts 06.08.2026 20min

  Last week, I made the case that many retirees can safely spend more than their plans suggest. Today, the largest bank in the country puts that idea to the test. But instead of relying on surveys, JP Morgan studied real bank transactions from over 5 million American households. The data reveals three spending patterns most retirement plans ignore. And together, they can decide whether a nest egg lasts a full 30-year retirement... or runs out years early. In this episode, you'll learn:  → What millions of real bank transactions reveal about retirement spending → The spending surge most people fail to plan for → Why so few retirees rarely spend the way traditional plans assume — and a simple way to protect against it A strong retirement plan isn't built on how retirees say they behave... it's built on how they actually do.  *** 📆 Book a Call With Our Team: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call Here *** Episode Resources: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes →  Get Your FREE Tax-Smart Retirement Toolkit →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  NEW RESEARCH: Your Plan Is Overestimating Retirement Costs (by 20%) 30.07.2026 24min

  Most retirement plans assume your spending will rise with inflation every year for the rest of your life. But a new study tracking thousands of American retirees found almost the exact opposite: As many as 85% of households spent less, after adjusting for inflation, than they had 10 years earlier.  Even more surprising? That includes retirees who could comfortably afford to maintain their lifestyle! In this episode, I'm breaking down what this new research means for your retirement plan. You'll learn: → Why retirement spending declines even as healthcare costs keep climbing → What the "retirement spending smile" and "smirk" reveal about spending later in life → Why even wealthy retirees continue cutting back as they age → How modeling spending the way retirees actually behave can meaningfully change your safe withdrawal rate If your plan is overestimating the cost of retirement, it's likely underestimating the life you can afford... especially in the early years, when the money delivers the most joy. *** 📆 Book a Call With Our Team: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call Here *** Episode Resources: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes →  Get Your FREE Tax-Smart Retirement Toolkit →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  5 Steps to Protect Your Aging Parents' Money (Before It's Too Late) 23.07.2026 27min

  📥 Grab Your Free Estate Planning Resources:  Helping an aging parent with their money is a responsibility few families are prepared for. Get three practical resources to help your family take action: A one-page cheat sheet of today's episode, a detailed estate-planning review checklist, and a simple guide to the key documents every family should review. → Download All 3 Resources Here *** 🎙️ Episode Description: Helping an aging parent with their money sounds simple: You step in, pay the bills, and make sure everything is handled. Unfortunately, love and trust don't give you legal authority. And without the right document in place, a bank may refuse to speak with you... even if your parent is sick, bills are going unpaid, or money is needed for their care. That's where a Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA) comes in. But simply having the document isn't enough. The fine print, the powers it grants, and the way you handle the responsibility can make all the difference. In this episode, I explain how a DPOA for finances works and steps you can take to prepare before it's too late. Here's what you'll learn: → The fine-print provision every family should double-check → 5 practical steps for managing an aging parent's finances responsibly → What can happen when the document isn't signed before a parent loses capacity → 4 common mistakes that can create legal, financial, and family problems By the end, you'll know how to prepare for managing your parents' money — and help ensure the person they trust can legally step in when the time comes. *** 📆 Book a Call With Our Team: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. Learn More and Book a Call Here *** Episode Resources: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes →  Get Your Free Tax-Smart Retirement Toolkit →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  Can $5M in T-Bills Safely Fund Your Retirement? (History Says No) 16.07.2026 15min

  Kevin O'Leary says you only need one thing to retire safely:  $5 million in Treasury bills.  Not stocks. Not real estate. Just T-bills — and you've "safeguarded your family for life." It sounds like the ultimate safe retirement plan. But when a recent research article tested this advice against 40 years of market history, the results told a very different story. In this episode, I break down the research behind the "T-Bill and Chill" strategy and what it really means for your retirement plan. Here's what you'll learn: → The two hidden forces working against a portfolio built entirely on "safe" assets → What happened to a hypothetical retiree who followed this exact advice → Why Kevin O'Leary might still be right... just not for the reason he thinks By the end, you'll know exactly what job "safe" money should (and shouldn't) have in your retirement plan. *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes →  Get the Free Tax-Smart Retirement Toolkit →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  Why Great Savers Struggle to Spend (5 Steps to Fix It) 09.07.2026 34min

  Research shows that retirees following traditional withdrawal rules rarely come close to depleting their portfolios. In fact, many end up leaving behind balances that are surprisingly large. Which raises an important question: why is it so hard to spend the money you spent decades saving? Today, I'm revisiting my conversation with Brian Portnoy, Ph.D., CFA to explore the psychology behind the fear of spending and what retirees can do to move through it. Longtime listeners will also recognize Brian as the source of a quote I've shared many times on the show, and in this episode, he finally shares the story behind it. In this episode, we discuss: → Why retirees with healthy, well-funded plans still struggle to spend → The flawed logic behind "If I just had $X, I'd finally feel comfortable" → 5 steps to overcome the fear of spending, whether retirement is five years away or already here → What "funded contentment" means, and why it may be the real difference between being rich and being wealthy Because the goal of retirement planning isn't to die with the biggest possible balance... it's to use your money to support a life that feels meaningful to you. *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  6 (Counterintuitive) Facts About Retirement, Investing, and Longevity 02.07.2026 20min

  Today, we're stepping away from the spreadsheets, tax strategies, and retirement tactics to have a little fun. I'm sharing six facts that challenge conventional wisdom — including one involving a famous gangster and a reminder that taxes touch almost everything. A few highlights: → The surprising fate of investors who bought the exact top of the dot-com bubble → How much a crystal ball that picks winning funds is actually worth → What a 50-year backtest reveals about the real role of bonds in your portfolio → The one thing the longest-living retirees have that most retirement plans ignore By the end, I think you'll feel even more confident in the patient, disciplined, evidence-based approach we talk about so often on this show. And, if nothing else, you'll walk away with a few new stats and stories worth sharing the next time markets come up in conversation. *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  Retirement Replay: The Five Things Happy Retirees Have in Common 30.06.2026 13min

  A strong financial plan can tell you whether you can retire, but it may not tell you whether you'll feel ready.  In this Retirement Replay, behavioral finance expert and psychologist Dr. Daniel Crosby explains why retirement is not just a portfolio decision.  He shares the five areas happy retirees tend to prepare for, why purpose and connection matter more than many people realize, and why even people with plenty of money can still struggle to make the leap. About Retirement Replay: After select guest interviews, we pull together the most replayed moments from the full conversation—the ideas listeners found valuable enough to rewind, revisit, or hear again. It's a quick way to catch the highlights or return to the takeaways that stood out most. Listen to the full episode: https://www.youstaywealthy.com/289 *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  Why $4M Still Doesn't Feel Like Enough to Retire (Listener Q&A) 25.06.2026 43min

  At 63, David has $4 million saved. Two advisors have told him he's ready to retire, and every Monte Carlo simulation agrees... but he still can't bring himself to do it. "I'm no longer being smart," he admits. "I'm just scared to pull the trigger." The uncomfortable part is that no number may fix this, because what's holding David back was never on the spreadsheet. In this episode, I'm joined by Daniel Crosby, Ph.D. — a psychologist and behavioral finance expert — to answer listener questions about the part of retirement the math can't solve.  You'll learn: → How to spend in retirement so the enjoyment doesn't wear off so fast → A 3-part framework for putting your money where it creates the most happiness → When changing your plan is wise, and when it's just reacting to noise → The 2 questions to ask when you're financially ready but still can't pull the trigger → What actually moves the 40% of your happiness that's within your control By the end, you'll have a clearer way to separate a plan that works on paper from a retirement you actually feel ready to live. *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  Why Investors Bet 65% on a Familiar Fund Name (Even When the Investments Are Identical) 18.06.2026 21min

  Imagine I hand you two mutual funds and ask how you'd split your money. Same holdings. Same cost. Line by line, they're the exact same fund. The only difference? One has a name you recognize and the the other is generic.  Financially, there's no reason to prefer one over the other.  But when researchers ran this experiment, investors didn't split their money evenly. In this episode, I break down new research on the hidden cost of making investment decisions based on familiarity. Here's what you'll learn: → Why a familiar fund name changes how investors judge risk, return, and safety  → What the "trust premium" reveals about how investors value familiarity → How famous fund families have performed against their benchmarks → The questions to ask before choosing a fund or accepting an advisor's recommendation By the end, you'll have a more disciplined and informed way to judge whether confidence is being earned or merely assumed. *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  Why Saving for Your Future Self Won't Buy a Better Retirement (And What Will) 11.06.2026 43min

  You spend 30 or 40 years protecting your future self. Then you finally retire... and the person you were saving for never quite arrives. There's always an older version down the road who still feels like they need protecting. So you keep saving for tomorrow while postponing the life you could enjoy today. But more money for "future you" isn't what makes retirement better. In this episode, Hal Hershfield, Ph.D. — a UCLA professor of Behavioral Decision Making and author of Your Future Self — joins me to explain why. Here's what you'll learn: → Why your brain treats your future self like a stranger (and how that shapes every money decision) → How "projection bias" distorts irreversible choices like when to retire or claim Social Security → The "denominator problem" that stops retirees from spending + a simple reframe to help The distance we feel from our future selves is real and well-documented.  It is also, with the right perspective, something we can learn to close. *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  The 3 Questions That Reveal Your Real Inflation Risk in Retirement 04.06.2026 18min

  When inflation makes headlines, it can feel like one of those retirement risks you just have to endure. Saving, investing, tax planning, income strategy... those are levers you can pull. Rising prices feel different. They feel like something that happens to you. But the inflation number you see in the news is rarely the number that matters most for your retirement plan. Two retirees can live through the same inflation environment and face very different risk — and the gap between them often comes down to a few things they can actually control. In this episode, I'm simplifying how retirement savers should think about inflation. You'll learn: → The 3 questions that reveal your true inflation risk → Why headline inflation can mislead retirees in both directions → How to protect your income, spending power, and retirement confidence A strong retirement plan doesn't require a perfect inflation forecast. It just needs to be built for the reality that uncomfortable periods will happen, and prepared for them before they arrive. *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  5 Umbrella Insurance Mistakes That Leave Retirement Savers Exposed 28.05.2026 30min

  Umbrella insurance isn't usually the first thing people think about when they picture retirement planning. Most conversations focus on saving enough, investing well, reducing taxes, and creating income. But in retirement, one unintentional accident can create a very different kind of risk. Not just a temporary setback, but a threat to savings you may no longer have decades to rebuild. In this episode, I'm simplifying how umbrella insurance works for retirement savers. Specifically, I'm sharing: → Why liability risk doesn't necessarily disappear after your working years → What umbrella insurance does and doesn't cover → 5 common mistakes people make when buying or reviewing a policy → A simple 4-part formula for estimating how much coverage you actually need You'll also learn why the common "match coverage to net worth" rule can be misleading + why coverage may still make sense even when the math says you don't technically need it. *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  Why 2 Retirees With the Same $1M Plan Ended $3M Apart 21.05.2026 23min

  Two retirees. Same $1 million portfolio. Same 60/40 allocation. Same 4% withdrawal rate. Same 30-year retirement. The only difference? One retired in 1973. The other retired in 1975.  Fast forward 30 years: one finished with about $280,000 and the other finished with over $3 million. Same plan. Just two years apart. In this episode, I'm breaking down new research that analyzes nearly a century of market history to answer a question most retirement plans don't spend enough time on: "How much does your exact retirement date shape the outcome of your plan?" Here's what you'll learn: → Why retirement timing may matter more than your withdrawal rate or asset allocation  → Why a larger nest egg at retirement has historically led to worse outcomes → A 3-part playbook, in priority order, for protecting your plan when the starting point looks unfavorable Most retirement strategies focus on what happens after you retire. But this research suggests the year you walk away from work may deserve a much bigger seat at the planning table. *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  The Real Reason Wealthy Retirees Still Wake Up Anxious (And the 4 Pillars That Fix It) 14.05.2026 20min

  Many retirement savers assume the anxiety will lift once they hit a certain number. Maybe it's $1 million. Maybe $2 million. Maybe $5 million or more. And then the account crosses the line, the headlines turn ugly, and the worry is still there. A recent Wall Street Journal headline put it bluntly: "Even Rich Retirees Fear Outliving Their Money." In this episode, I'm sharing new research from Fidelity that helps explain why having "enough" so often still doesn't feel like enough. I'm also sharing the four things I consistently see in retirees who feel genuinely secure.  Here's what you'll learn: → The retirement planning factor that more than doubles confidence → A cognitive concept that explains why retirement anxiety has very little to do with your account balance → The question many well-prepared retirees still can't answer — and why ignoring it can be so costly Not one of the four pillars has anything to do with the size of your portfolio. Which raises the real question: what's actually keeping wealthy retirees up at night? *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  Why Waiting Until 70 for Social Security Can Backfire (And the Question to Ask Instead) 07.05.2026 15min

  The math behind "wait until 70" for Social Security is real. Hold off claiming from 62 to 70 and your monthly benefit climbs by roughly 77%. So why would anyone walk away from a number that big? The short answer is that the standard break-even analysis only measures one variable.  And for retirees with healthy pre-tax savings, there are other factors at play that can make "waiting" a more expensive decision than it looks. In this episode, I'm turning the mic over to Josh Rendler — a partner at our firm — who walks through a case study of a 62-year-old woman with a $1.5 million IRA and the question most retirees are wrestling with. Here's what you'll learn: → The reframe that makes "wait until 70" fall apart for retirees with healthy pre-tax balances → How Social Security timing and Roth conversions compete for the same bracket space (and why claiming earlier can actually EXPAND your conversion runway) → The planning window that opens at 61, and what gets harder to fix once it closes The biggest claiming-age check isn't always the biggest after-tax outcome. And a well-built plan shouldn't make you choose between doing the math right and actually enjoying the retirement you spent 35 years earning. *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  3 Things to Review on Your Tax Return (And a Fresh Take on Social Security Timing) 30.04.2026 40min

  Tax season is finally over. The returns are filed, the stress is behind you, and the last thing you probably want to do is think about taxes again. But the weeks right after tax season are one of the most valuable windows you have all year. Every number from last year is fresh, every missed opportunity is still visible, and every mistake you just uncovered is a clue about what to fix going forward. In this episode, I sit down with Josh Rendler, CFP®, a partner at our firm and someone who spends his days deep inside client tax returns. Together, we're answering some of the biggest questions we're hearing from retirees right now. Here's what you'll learn: → The 3 numbers on last year's return that reveal your biggest 2026 planning opportunities → How to know if charitable giving belongs in your plan (plus the QCD detail that keeps it "invisible" to the IRS) → A fresh, counterintuitive take on Social Security timing While last year's return is still on your desk: what's hiding in there that could make 2026 better? 🤔 *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  The Most Overlooked Retirement Decision (It's Not Your Portfolio) 23.04.2026 21min

  One of the biggest decisions you'll make in your 70s and 80s has nothing to do with your portfolio. It's not about Social Security timing. And it's not about Roth conversions. It's about where you'll live and, more importantly, how care will be delivered, coordinated, and paid for if your health changes later on. Most people think of this as a lifestyle decision. But in reality, it's a housing-and-care decision, and it's one most retirement plans barely address. In this episode, I'm breaking down the later-life housing choices most retirement savers haven't fully thought through. Here's what you'll learn: → The four main housing options later in life—and how they differ in cost, care, and flexibility → What Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) actually are (+ a little-known tax planning tip) → The four types of risk every housing decision really involves → When this decision usually needs to be made, and what can happen if you wait too long Because "we'll just stay in the house" isn't a plan...it's an assumption. And assumptions tend to get tested at the worst possible moment. *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  The 6-Digit Code That Can Drain Your Retirement Account (And How to Stop It) 16.04.2026 19min

  According to the FBI, Americans lost nearly $21 billion to cyber-enabled fraud last year—a 26% increase from the year before. And the single largest category? Investment-related fraud, with more than $8.6 billion in losses. But what's most unsettling isn't the scale... it's how simple some of these scams really are. A retired couple recently lost thousands of dollars from their IRA after a scammer tricked them into sharing a single six-digit verification code over the phone. No hacking. No stolen password. Just one text message and one phone call. In this episode, I'm breaking down how "account takeover" scams work, why they're so effective, and the specific steps you can take to close the security gap. Here's what you'll learn: → The 3-step pattern behind most account takeover scams  → Why your personal information may already be compromised (and what that means for your account security) → What to do—and what not to do—when a financial institution contacts you about suspicious activity → 3 simple upgrades to better protect your accounts that most people overlook In a world where scammers only need a few seconds to strike, your ability to slow down and take back control of the moment may be the most valuable layer of protection you have. *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  The Real Cost of a Financial Advisor (And Why the 1% Math Is Misleading) 09.04.2026 23min

  A viral claim keeps making the rounds: that a 1% advisory fee will drain hundreds of thousands of dollars from your retirement savings. The math looks alarming... and that's exactly the point. But as with most things in finance (and life!), the truth is more nuanced than a headline or social media post makes it seem. In this episode, I break down research from Derek Tharp, Ph.D., CFP®, that puts this widely shared math to the test and reveals where it falls apart.  Here's what you'll learn: → The misleading assumptions behind the popular "1% fee" calculation  → How alternative fee models can be 3x more expensive using the same math → What academic research says about quantifying the value of a good advisor → A smarter way to evaluate whether hiring an advisor makes sense for your specific situation This episode isn't about defending any particular fee model. It's about making sure you have the right information to evaluate the cost, the value, and the role financial advice may play in your retirement planning.  *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™
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  Why the Happiest Retirees Spend Their Money Differently 02.04.2026 35min

  Saving for retirement is one challenge. Feeling comfortable (and confident) enough to actually enjoy it is another. Even when the numbers say you're okay, uncertainty about the future can make it hard to use money for the things that matter most. Today, I'm revisiting a conversation with Dr. Daniel Crosby where we talk about money, happiness, and why spending is often harder than saving.  It's especially relevant for me as my family currently navigates some big financial decisions... and a birthday trip for my oldest son that almost didn't happen. 🫣 In this episode, we discuss: → What the research gets wrong about the link between money and happiness → Why certain types of spending leave a bigger impact than others → A simple mindset shift that can make spending feel safer in retirement → What people near the end of life rarely regret—and what they wish they had done more of This conversation is a good reminder that money is a tool, and the goal is to use it to support the life you truly value. *** 📆 BOOK A CALL WITH OUR TEAM: Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.  See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers. 👉 Learn More and Book a Call *** EPISODE RESOURCES: →  Grab the Episode Show Notes → Join the Stay Wealthy Retirement Newsletter →  Learn About the Total Retirement System™