Distinguishing Essential vs. Discretionary

In this conversation, Wade discusses the essential financial goals of retirement, encapsulated in the concept of the four L's: longevity, lifestyle, legacy, and liquidity. He emphasizes the importance of assessing financial preparedness through the funded ratio, which compares assets to liabilities. The discussion also covers safe withdrawal rates, suggesting a rate of 4.5% based on the funded ratio approach. Finally, Wade highlights the significance of implementing variable spending strategies to enhance retirement enjoyment and financial security.

Takeaways

• The four L's of retirement are longevity, lifestyle, legacy, and liquidity.
• Longevity refers to essential expenses that must be covered regardless of lifespan.
• Lifestyle expenses are discretionary and enhance quality of life in retirement.
• Legacy goals involve what one wishes to leave for the next generation.
• Liquidity is crucial for managing unexpected expenses in retirement.
• The funded ratio helps assess financial preparedness for retirement.
• A funded ratio of 100% or higher indicates being on track for retirement.
• The safe withdrawal rate based on the funded ratio is 4.5%.
• Variable spending strategies can allow for higher initial withdrawal rates.
• The funded ratio approach provides more confidence in spending during retirement.

Chapters

00:00 The Four L's of Retirement Goals
06:57 Assessing Financial Preparedness for Retirement
16:27 Understanding Monte Carlo Simulations in Retirement Planning
19:52 The Safe Withdrawal Rate: A Critical Discussion
24:02 Variable Spending Strategies in Retirement
28:05 The Impact of Taxes and Time Horizon on Withdrawal Rates

Links

📘 New Release: The Retirement Planning Guidebook (3rd Edition)
Wade Pfau’s must-read Retirement Planning Guidebook just got even better. The 3rd Edition is now available and packed with the latest updates to help you design your retirement strategy with confidence. Grab your copy on Amazon or your favorite book retailer: https://books2read.com/Retirement

📅 Upcoming Webinar: Tax Planning for Retirement in 2026
Join Wade Pfau live for a free Retirement Researcher webinar on Wednesday, January 28 at 1PM ET. He’ll walk through what proactive tax planning should look like before the 2026 tax changes kick in. Reserve your spot now at retirewithstyle.com/podcast

📣 Want a heads up for the next Retirement Income Challenge?
Join the waitlist and be the first to know when registration opens for this FREE 4-day event hosted by Retirement Researcher. Visit retirewithstyle.com/RIC to learn more and save your spot.
📊 Curious about your Funded Ratio?
Retirement Researcher Academy members get exclusive access to tools like the Funded Ratio Analysis to help guide their retirement planning. Learn more about joining at retirewithstyle.com/academy. 

Explore the New RetireWithStyle.com! We’ve launched a brand-new home for the podcast! Visit RetireWithStyle.com to catch up on all our latest episodes, explore topics by category, and send us your questions or ideas for future episodes. If there’s something you’ve been wondering about retirement, we want to hear it!

This episode is sponsored by McLean Asset Management. Visit https://www.mcleanam.com/retirement-income-planning-llm/ to download McLean’s free eBook, “Retirement Income Planning”

Audio Quality Notice:
Please note that this episode contains some technical audio issues affecting portions of the recording. While we’ve made every effort to improve the sound quality, some disruptions may remain. For clarity, full transcripts and closed captions are available and linked here for your reference.