Retirement Starts Today

Happy 4th of July weekend!! Can you believe the podcast that started as a crazy experiment on my kitchen counter in the fall of 2015 is now over 300 episodes?! Thank you for all your support over these many years.  As a way to say thank you, I'm heavily discounting Retirement Income University this month.  Enter promo code "PODCAST" for a special $300 price to celebrate episode #300 (nearly 40% off).  Click here -> www.RetirementIncome.University Happy 4th of July weekend, have a hot dog for me! 

One of the greatest financial assumptions is that it’s always better to own than to rent. However, in retirement, this may not be true. Once you are financially independent it is important to realize that not every dollar you spend needs to yield a return. Join me for this episode of Retirement Starts Today to question traditional thinking and to see how you can improve your life, spend more money, and have more fun in retirement.  Outline of This Episode [1:42] Change your relationship with money [3:21] With financial independence you can throw money away [3:55] 12 reasons to rent in retirement [10:20] How the Guyton-Klinger spending strategy works Resources & People Mentioned BOOK - Die with Zero by Bill Perkins Episode 300 - $300 Gym Bag Connect with Benjamin Brandt Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com/ Follow Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/retiremeasap Join the newsletter: https://retirementstartstodayradio.com/newsletter Dive deeper into retirement planning with Ben at www.RetirementIncome.University Subscribe to Retirement Starts Today on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podbean, Player FM, iHeart, or Spotify

Have you considered working part-time in retirement? A growing number of older adults are choosing to continue work even after reaching retirement age. While some continue work due to financial necessity, many choose work that offers fulfillment and enjoyment. In the retirement headlines segment of this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we’ll explore the meaning and nature of work and what that could mean for your retirement.  Make sure to stick around for the listener questions segment where we consider the pros and cons of keeping a stable value fund in a 401K while rolling over the rest of the 401K into a Roth. This is an interesting question to explore since the pros and cons have changed recently and what once were pros are now cons. Listen in to hear why. Outline of This Episode [1:22] Many older adults are choosing to work in retirement [5:16] What could this mean for younger people? [8:41] The pros and cons of rolling a portion of a 401K into an IRA Resources & People Mentioned Semi-Retirees Find Work-Life Balance by Choice Connect with Benjamin Brandt Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com/ Follow Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/retiremeasap Join the newsletter: https://retirementstartstodayradio.com/newsletter Dive deeper into retirement planning with Ben at www.RetirementIncome.University Subscribe to Retirement Starts Today on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podbean, Player FM, iHeart, or Spotify

If you clicked on this title you may be wondering what a $300 gym bag has to do with retirement. Well, this podcast focuses on learning how to spend more money and pay less taxes to set yourself up for the ideal retirement. Outline of This Episode= [1:32] What a new gym bag can teach us about retirement [4:20] The lens that you view your purchases through [6:25] A thought experiment Connect with Benjamin Brandt Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com/ Follow Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/retiremeasap Join the newsletter: https://retirementstartstodayradio.com/newsletter Dive deeper into retirement planning with Ben at www.RetirementIncome.University   Subscribe to Retirement Starts Today on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podbean, Player FM, iHeart, or Spotify

Have you ever considered joining a retirement mastermind group? Many of us choose mastermind groups to further our careers, businesses, or other areas of our lives, but few think to create one for retirement planning. Today, we’ll focus this entire episode on Fritz Gilbert’s recent article on his experience creating a retirement mastermind group.  You won’t want to miss out on hearing what you could learn from a retirement mastermind. Make sure to listen until the end to hear how you can create your own retirement mastermind group. Outline of This Episode [1:42] How you could learn from a retirement mastermind [4:55] What Fritz has learned from his mastermind [9:33] How you can create your own mastermind Resources & People Mentioned What I’ve Learned From My Retirement Mastermind Group Episode 284 - Investing in Yourself – An Interview with Fritz Gilbert Retirement Planning Education Facebook Group (Formerly Taxes in Retirement) BOOK - The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill BOOK - Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill Connect with Benjamin Brandt Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com/ Follow Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/retiremeasap Join the newsletter: https://retirementstartstodayradio.com/newsletter Dive deeper into retirement planning with Ben at www.RetirementIncome.University Subscribe to Retirement Starts Today on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podbean, Player FM, iHeart, or Spotify

Have you ever thought about how much money you need to be truly happy? If so, you’re not alone. And chances are that number is elusive.  In today’s Retirement Headline segment, we’ll check out an article from The Atlantic called “The Reason Many Ultrarich People Aren’t Satisfied With Their Wealth.” In doing so, we’ll explore human nature and how to know when enough is enough. In the Listener Questions segment, one listener asks how to withdraw funds from a taxable account during early retirement. Don’t miss out on discovering the logistics of how to access your money in retirement. Press play to find out.  Outline of This Episode [1:42] What inspires the ultra-rich to keep spending? [5:55] What can this teach us about retirement? [8:16] How to withdraw funds from a taxable account in retirement Resources & People Mentioned The Reason Many Ultrarich People Aren’t Satisfied With Their Wealth Connect with Benjamin Brandt Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com/ Follow Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/retiremeasap Join the newsletter: https://retirementstartstodayradio.com/newsletter Dive deeper into retirement planning with Ben at www.RetirementIncome.University Subscribe to Retirement Starts Today on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podbean, Player FM, iHeart, or Spotify

If you have found this podcast you’re probably interested in spending more money, spending less in taxes, and making life even better in retirement.  On this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we’re taking a look at how to spend more money in retirement by assessing a two-part article from AdvisorPerspectives.com called A Framework for Assessing Variable Spending Strategies.  If you are trying to figure out how to maintain your desired standard of living throughout retirement, you won’t want to miss hearing the authors’ findings. Press play to listen. Outline of This Episode [1:28] A variable spending strategy is better than a fixed withdrawal strategy [6:40] Different types of spending strategies [8:35] My thoughts [11:45] How employee stock option plans work Resources & People Mentioned A Framework for Assessing Variable Spending Strategies How Could This Go Horribly Wrong? Lessons in Estate Planning Part 1 My Kids Don’t Want My Stuff – Lessons in Estate Planning Part 2 Conversations about “Guardrails Connect with Benjamin Brandt Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com/ Follow Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/retiremeasap Join the newsletter: https://retirementstartstodayradio.com/newsletter Dive deeper into retirement planning with Ben at www.RetirementIncome.University Subscribe to Retirement Starts Today on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podbean, Player FM, iHeart, or Spotify

Welcome back to the second part of our lessons in estate planning. Bret and I recently reviewed all of our clients’ estate plans and in doing so, we learned a lot from this exercise that could help you and your heirs. If you haven’t listened to last week’s episode make sure to go back and listen–especially if you have stepchildren or blended families. In this episode, you’ll learn why you might want to disclaim some assets, how to specifically disinherit a child, and why it is so important to clearly state your medical wishes to all of your kids.  Outline of This Episode [1:22] Why you may want to disclaim assets [6:00] What to do if you want to specifically disinherit one of your children [8:07] Common [11:22] Make sure your medical wishes are clear to all your children [13:53] Surprising things we learned from our clients Resources & People Mentioned Episode 295 - How Could This Go Horribly Wrong? Lessons in Estate Planning Part 1 We will soon be accepting new clients! Use this link to schedule a fit meeting Connect with Benjamin Brandt Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com/ Follow Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/retiremeasap Join the newsletter: https://retirementstartstodayradio.com/newsletter Dive deeper into retirement planning with Ben at www.RetirementIncome.University Subscribe to Retirement Starts Today on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podbean, Player FM, iHeart, or Spotify  

Bret and I recently reviewed all of our clients’ estate plans this spring and, as a result, we have so much to share with you about what we learned. It was so much that we had to break it into multiple episodes! If you are curious about how this sort of meeting goes and wish that you could be a fly on the wall, you won’t want to miss this episode.  Today we’ll discuss why you need to ask yourself what could go wrong, why it’s so important to consider where your documents are located, why you may want to consider having your medical power of attorney or living will a digital document, and how an executor is a mini dictator.  Everyone needs an estate plan. Listen in to hear what you need to consider when you create or update yours. Outline of This Episode [2:02] Having your estate planning docs in order can help you sleep better [4:14] Don’t create complexity by trying to keep things simple [9:17] Where are your documents located? [12:38] How can your kids prove to a hospital that they can make medical decisions on your behalf? [14:24] Commonly misunderstood ideas about estate planning [25:01] The pros and cons of having co-powers of attorney or individual powers of attorney Resources & People Mentioned Use this calendar link to set up a 20-minute fit meeting Connect with Benjamin Brandt Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com/ Follow Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/retiremeasap Join the newsletter: https://retirementstartstodayradio.com/newsletter Dive deeper into retirement planning with Ben at www.RetirementIncome.University Subscribe to Retirement Starts Today on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podbean, Player FM, iHeart, or Spotify

Do you ever get together with your friends from high school and wonder why they all look so old? Are you surprised by the image that you see in the mirror each morning? If so, you’re not alone.  In today’s retirement headline segment, we’ll explore an article from Jennifer Senior at MSN.com that examines the abstract concept of feeling a different age in your head than you physically are in years.  Related to the retirement headline, today’s listener question is about how to understand when you are mentally ready to retire. Learn how important purpose is in your decision to retire. Outline of This Episode [1:02] Subjective age is feeling a different age in your head [6:37] What can this teach us about retirement? [8:50] Understanding the mental aspect of deciding when to retire Resources & People Mentioned The Puzzling Gap Between How Old You Are and How Old You Think You Are Connect with Benjamin Brandt Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com/ Follow Ben on Twitter: https://twitter.com/retiremeasap Join the newsletter: https://retirementstartstodayradio.com/newsletter Dive deeper into retirement planning with Ben at www.RetirementIncome.University Subscribe to Retirement Starts Today on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podbean, Player FM, iHeart, or Spotify