To really rock retirement you have to have the right mindset. On this episode of Retirement Answer Man, Kevin Lyles and I noodle on the power of wonder. You’ll learn why it is important to have a sense of wonder and learn three tips for digging into your own sense of wonder. 

We also have plenty of listener questions to answer. Press play to hear the answers to questions from listeners like you.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

BRING IT ON WITH KEVIN LYLES

• [3:44] The power of wonder
• [7:22] Kevin’s tips for experiencing wonder

LISTENER QUESTIONS

• [12:47] Should Liz reallocate her 401K?
• [23:28] Should Barry be concerned about his asset allocation?
• [34:45] A rule of 55 issue
• [36:30] Getting conflicting answers from the Social Security Administration
• [40:29] On dealing with FOMO and building healthy cash reserves
• [43:59] How to get into retirement planning as a career

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

• [48:40] Find some wonder in the world

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

RMA Certification

MaximizeMySocialSecurity.com

Episode 493 - How Can I Reverse Taking Social Security?

The Huberman Lab Podcast

BOOK - The Power of Wonder by Monica Parker

Get inspired by the Free Range Fun Hogs blog 

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center

Should you use historical or projected returns in your retirement model? One of our listeners asks this question in a very eloquent way. 

On this episode of Retirement Answer Man, I’ll spend some time on this question and share my thoughts on which type of model you should use. You’ll also hear the answers to several other listener questions before Kevin Lyles and I discuss tips for having successful conversations with your spouse in retirement. 

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

LISTENER QUESTIONS

• [1:30] Should we use historical or projected returns?

• [20:11] What is the intent?

• [23:00] What I sound like at 75% speed

• [24:05] How to rank spending priorities

• [28:24] Insurance options before Medicare

• [32:14] On estimating longevity in a retirement plan

BRING IT ON WITH KEVIN LYLES

• [35:48] Conversations to have with your spouse in retirement

• [38:11] Tips for successful conversations

• [40:42] Questions to ask each other

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

• [50:32] Review your capital market assumptions

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Viking Cruises

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center

Thank you for hanging in with me for 500 episodes! Today’s episode will veer a bit from the norm as I pause to reflect on our journey and commemorate it with this milestone episode. Listen in to hear my reflections and thoughts from listeners about observations and the meaning of these past 500 episodes.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT

• [2:33] What I’m proud of from this podcast
• [6:21] Observations on what it takes to rock retirement

LISTENER COMMENTS ON 500 EPISODES

• [13:24] Jeanie has gained confidence in her retirement
• [16:11] Eric appreciates the word iterate
• [17:28] Mary Ellen appreciated the shows on the RV lifestyle
• [19:38] One listener appreciated the Wings for Widows link
• [20:53] The pretirement has helped expand John’s vision of retirement
• [23:48] Elaine appreciates one of my comments
• [24:11] Kevin’s thoughts

BRING IT ON WITH MARK ROSS

• [25:06] How to navigate retirement without passions

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

• [30:00] Find something to celebrate today

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Wings for Widows

Episode 479 - Widowed In Retirement: Creating A New You

Episode 442 - Can I Count On Average Returns And Inflation For Retirement? (the interview with Amy Bloom)

The RV Series Episode 263, Episode 264, Episode 265, Episode 266 

BOOK - Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg

BOOK - The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center

Do you think the Roth conversion question is an essential part of retirement planning? If you do, you haven’t been paying attention to my podcasts!

In this episode of the Retirement Answer Man show, we’ll work through how you can build a framework for deciding whether you should do Roth conversions. If you listened to the Roth conversion series you can’t miss this episode. 

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT

• [2:30] Books I read last month
• [5:12] Framework for building a Roth conversion
• [15:42] Considerations for making a Roth conversions
• [22:07] How to decide

LISTENER QUESTIONS

• [27:21] Jeffrey appreciated the how of Roth conversions
• [28:05] A comment on the pro rata rule
• [29:15] On funding the years between retirement and pension
• [35:06] On HSA funding strategies in the final year of work

BRING IT ON

• [38:41] On shifting your mindset
• [42:00] What thread are you carrying on?

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

• [42:35] Schedule a time to go through an OODA loop to decide on your Roth opportunity

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

BOOK - Seveneves by Neal Stephenson

BOOK - Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson 

BOOK - Reamde by Neal Stephenson

BOOK - All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric Maria Remarque

BOOK - Dead Fall by Brad Thor

Episode 495 - The Rules for Roth Contributions

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center

Are you much of a drinker? Studies show that 60% of Americans are, and an even greater percentage of college-educated Americans are. In this episode, Dr. Bobby Dubois and I reflect on the effects of alcohol on retirement. We’ll get into everything: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Don’t worry, we’re still exploring Roths this week by answering your questions. All of our listener questions are related to Roths. If you have a question about our recent Roth series or anything retirement-related leave a voice recording or an email here. 

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

LISTENER QUESTIONS

• [2:51] On contributing to a Roth via 401K
• [5:02] Getting pushback from advisors on converting a 401K to Roth
• [14:10] How does the 5-year rule apply to a new Roth account
• [17:28] On implementing a resilient plan
• [22:30] Clarification on the pro rata rule

BRING IT ON WITH DR. BOBBY DUBOIS

• [24:17] Who drinks alcohol and how much
• [32:41] The good and bad of drinking alcohol 
• [38:56] The ugly of drinking alcohol
• [45:21] How does alcohol affect you?

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

• [48:52] Experiment with your relationship with alcohol

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Podcast - Huberman Lab

BOOK - Outlive by Peter Attia

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center