Don't Get Cute with Your Retirement Investments

44 snips

Sep 10, 2025

Peter Lazaroff, Chief Investment Officer at Plancorp and author of 'Making Money Simple', shares his expertise on simplifying retirement investments. He discusses the common pitfalls of overcomplicating financial strategies and the cognitive biases that can lead to poor decisions. With insights on private equity, he highlights when these complex investments can be beneficial or detrimental. Lazaroff emphasizes the importance of keeping retirement planning straightforward, advocating for clarity and confidence in achieving financial goals.

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INSIGHT

Clarity Is The Source Of Confidence

Clarity produces confidence in retirement planning and avoids unnecessary work.
Complicating plans reduces clarity and creates ongoing management burdens.

INSIGHT

We’re Biased Toward Adding Complexity

Humans have an addition bias and a complexity bias that push us to add solutions.
These biases make complex financial products feel superior even when they aren't needed.

ANECDOTE

Travel Aligned With Values And Fitness

Todd started retirement unsure about travel but aligned trips with his values and fitness goals.
He now plans multiple national park trips that combine family time and physical activity.

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💬 Show Notes

In this episode of the Retirement Answer Man, Roger Whitney sits down with Peter Lazaroff, Chief Investment Officer at Plancorp, for a thoughtful conversation on the power of simplicity in retirement planning. Together, they unpack the common traps of overcomplicating investments and the cognitive biases that often lead us astray. Peter also offers valuable insights into private equity and other complex investment strategies—highlighting when they might help, and when they might hurt. Don’t miss this episode if you're looking to build a retirement plan rooted in clarity, confidence, and peace of mind.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

(00:00) Today Roger chats with Peter Lazaroff about bringing simplicity to retirement planning strategies.
(02:44) We tend to overcomplicate everything when it comes to retirement planning.
(04:09) Complexity makes us think something is better or more sophisticated.
(05:35) “Anything one needs to market heavily is either an inferior product or an evil one.”- Nassim Taleb

ROCKIN’ RETIREMENT IN THE WILD

(06:22) Todd shares reflections on why he travels in retirement.

INTERVIEW WITH PETER LAZAROFF

(10:16) Think of your assets that you need to rock retirement in their own bucket, if you have excess- put it in its own bucket.
(11:05) Complex investments are just active managers in a different wrapper.
(11:45) Peter Lazaroff joins Roger to discuss retirement investing and private equity.
(12:25) Peter discusses his books and announces that he has a new one coming out in 2026.
(15:00) The core intent of retirement planning is to have core confidence that you can live the life you want now, but also when you're ninety.
(15:51) Ultimately the goal in retirement planning is elegant simplicity.
(20:00) Peter reflects on the business of investing.
(23:02) Investing creates an illusion of control.
(26:38) Peter discusses the benefit of simplicity and how it helps living heirs when it is time to settle an estate.
(28:33) Roger chats about an executive order paving the way for private equity to become part of 401ks.
(30:08) Peter talks about the steps of the probabilistic decision framework.
(35:48) From 2020 to present, private equity has not added return over public equity.
(38:30) If the yield is high and you can’t find the risk, it doesn’t mean it's not there.
(42:08) Private investments are not inherently good or bad, but they are not necessary and can add complications.
(42:50) Peter shares an example of complexity that he would be more welcome to.
(47:25) If you don’t believe in traditional active management- you should be out on private investments.

SMART SPRINT

(48:00) In the next seven days, choose one area—retirement planning, investments, or any aspect of life you want to improve. Before adding anything new, ask: What can I remove or simplify first?

REFERENCES

BOOKS

Scarcity Brain- Michael Easter
Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder- Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Making Money Simple: The Complete Guide to Getting Your Financial House in Order and Keeping It That Way Forever- Peter Lazaroff

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