385 episodes
- Two people, same age, same savings, same expenses. One files for Social Security at 62. The other waits until 70.
Everyone knows the one who waits gets a bigger check. Almost nobody looks at what's happening to the other person's money while they wait.
Here are 10 reasons the person who files at 62 might actually come out ahead, plus one thing that makes this decision far less permanent than you've been told.
We're going to cover:
- why the break-even calculator everyone gets handed (the one that says wait if you'll live past 81) is technically correct and still gets the real answer wrong
- what a 40% market drop does to your withdrawal rate depending on which age you filed at, and why the gap is bigger than most people expect
- the version of this decision I'd make differently if my own wife were 10 years older than me
- the client who scrapped an "optimized" plan and told me exactly why she was right to
- the Social Security benefit that disappears the longer you wait, and has nothing to do with your own check
- the one move at 67 that can undo a decision you made at 62
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Advisory services are offered through Root Financial Partners, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Viewing this content does not create an advisory relationship. We do not provide tax preparation or legal services. Always consult an investment, tax or legal professional regarding your specific situation.
The strategies, case studies, and examples discussed may not be suitable for everyone. They are hypothetical and for illustrative and educational purposes only. They do not reflect actual client results and are not guarantees of future performance. All investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal.
Comments reflect the views of individual users and do not necessarily represent the views of Root Financial. They are not verified, may not be accurate, and should not be considered testimonials or endorsements
Participation in the Retirement Planning Academy or Early Retirement Academy does not create an advisory relationship with Root Financial. These programs are educational in nature and are not a substitute for personalized financial advice. Advisory services are offered only under a written agreement with Root Financial.
Create Your Custom Strategy ⬇️
Get Started Here.
Join the new Root Collective HERE! - Free retirement training for people within 10 years of retirement and $1M+ saved. Watch “The Sequoia System Training” here: https://learn.rootfinancial.com/6b74ff
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Andrew and Ellen are 62, sitting on 2 million dollars, and ready to walk away from work today. Then we ran one more scenario, and it changed the entire conversation.
It's not really about how much you have. It's about what five more years of work actually buys you, and the number surprised even them.
This video is that exact case study, numbers and all.
We're going to cover:
- why a 90 percent confidence retirement plan still wasn't the end of the conversation
- the exact dollar amount that extra million dollars translates to every single month
- the two hidden costs of retiring early that have nothing to do with your portfolio balance
- why chasing the next million never actually satisfies, and where it stops
- the three questions I'd ask anyone caught between more money and more time
- a bonus strategy that only opens up once you actually retire
--
Advisory services are offered through Root Financial Partners, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Viewing this content does not create an advisory relationship. We do not provide tax preparation or legal services. Always consult an investment, tax or legal professional regarding your specific situation.
The strategies, case studies, and examples discussed may not be suitable for everyone. They are hypothetical and for illustrative and educational purposes only. They do not reflect actual client results and are not guarantees of future performance. All investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal.
Comments reflect the views of individual users and do not necessarily represent the views of Root Financial. They are not verified, may not be accurate, and should not be considered testimonials or endorsements
Participation in the Retirement Planning Academy or Early Retirement Academy does not create an advisory relationship with Root Financial. These programs are educational in nature and are not a substitute for personalized financial advice. Advisory services are offered only under a written agreement with Root Financial.
Create Your Custom Strategy ⬇️
Get Started Here.
Join the new Root Collective HERE! - Free retirement training for people within 10 years of retirement and $1M+ saved. Watch “The Sequoia System Training” here: https://learn.rootfinancial.com/9fc86c
=======================
Your portfolio only had one job while you were working. The day you retire, it gets a second one, and almost nobody splits the money the right way between the two.
I watched a client with three million dollars, all sitting in three stocks, get forced back to work after 2022. Those stocks have since fully recovered. It didn't matter.
This is the exact framework I give every client before they retire, and the real math behind why "the market averages 12% a year" can still wreck a retirement.
We're going to cover:
the S&P 500's actual worst 12 month stretch over the last 50 years, and why that number should worry you more than the 12.1% average
how a 7% withdrawal quietly turns into a 14% withdrawal without you changing a single thing
why I told a client about to retire with three million dollars in three stocks to sell his winners, and why he couldn't bring himself to do it
the way to slice your "safe money" into year one, year two, and year three buckets so each one is protected differently
how to decide which part of your portfolio to actually spend from in a year like 2026, when tech is up 14% and small value stocks are up 22%
--
Advisory services are offered through Root Financial Partners, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Viewing this content does not create an advisory relationship. We do not provide tax preparation or legal services. Always consult an investment, tax or legal professional regarding your specific situation.
The strategies, case studies, and examples discussed may not be suitable for everyone. They are hypothetical and for illustrative and educational purposes only. They do not reflect actual client results and are not guarantees of future performance. All investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal.
Comments reflect the views of individual users and do not necessarily represent the views of Root Financial. They are not verified, may not be accurate, and should not be considered testimonials or endorsements
Participation in the Retirement Planning Academy or Early Retirement Academy does not create an advisory relationship with Root Financial. These programs are educational in nature and are not a substitute for personalized financial advice. Advisory services are offered only under a written agreement with Root Financial.
Create Your Custom Strategy ⬇️
Get Started Here.
Join the new Root Collective HERE! - Free retirement training for people within 10 years of retirement and $1M+ saved. Watch “The Sequoia System Training” here: https://learn.rootfinancial.com/0ce92d
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This is the question I get more than any other after 15 years of doing this: how much can you actually spend in retirement without running out of money?
John and Tina are 60, sitting on two and a half million dollars, and ready to retire. They want to travel. They want to finally renovate the house. They just don't know if their portfolio can actually support it.
This video is the exact numbers we ran for them, and what we found changed how much they thought they could spend.
We're going to cover:
- the withdrawal rate in year one that looks dangerously high, until you see what happens to it seven years later
- why their tax bill was basically zero for the first few years of retirement, and the mistake that would have cost them thousands if we hadn't caught it
- the extra $40,000 a year we found room for without touching their core lifestyle at all
- the one risk that could unravel their entire plan in the first seven years, and how we stress tested for it
- how we restructured their portfolio so a market crash doesn't force them to sell at the worst possible time
--
Advisory services are offered through Root Financial Partners, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Viewing this content does not create an advisory relationship. We do not provide tax preparation or legal services. Always consult an investment, tax or legal professional regarding your specific situation.
The strategies, case studies, and examples discussed may not be suitable for everyone. They are hypothetical and for illustrative and educational purposes only. They do not reflect actual client results and are not guarantees of future performance. All investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal.
Comments reflect the views of individual users and do not necessarily represent the views of Root Financial. They are not verified, may not be accurate, and should not be considered testimonials or endorsements
Participation in the Retirement Planning Academy or Early Retirement Academy does not create an advisory relationship with Root Financial. These programs are educational in nature and are not a substitute for personalized financial advice. Advisory services are offered only under a written agreement with Root Financial.
Create Your Custom Strategy ⬇️
Get Started Here.
Join the new Root Collective HERE! - Free retirement training for people within 10 years of retirement and $1M+ saved. Watch “The Sequoia System Training” here: https://learn.rootfinancial.com/ad021b
=======================
I've spent 15 years watching retirees blow up decades of saving with decisions that felt harmless in the moment. Not big mistakes. Small ones, repeated for years, that quietly cost people hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The retirees who actually get it right aren't the smartest investors or the biggest savers. They just do the same boring things, over and over, starting years before anyone tells them to.
This video is 19 of those habits, in the order that actually matters.
We're going to cover:
- the "tax torpedo" that turns a 12% withdrawal into a 22% one, and why almost nobody checks for it before pulling from their IRA
- why I tell clients to start living on their retirement number a full year before they retire, and what usually happens when they try
- the marathon analogy that explains why the biggest Roth conversion mistake isn't doing one, it's doing it all at once
- the letter I tell every client to write for their spouse, and why not writing it is one of the cruelest things you can leave behind
- the trip booking trick that costs you nothing and forces your family to actually follow through
- the conversation with your adult children, or your parents, that most people avoid until it's too late
--
Advisory services are offered through Root Financial Partners, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. This content is intended for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Viewing this content does not create an advisory relationship. We do not provide tax preparation or legal services. Always consult an investment, tax or legal professional regarding your specific situation.
The strategies, case studies, and examples discussed may not be suitable for everyone. They are hypothetical and for illustrative and educational purposes only. They do not reflect actual client results and are not guarantees of future performance. All investments involve risk, including the potential loss of principal.
Comments reflect the views of individual users and do not necessarily represent the views of Root Financial. They are not verified, may not be accurate, and should not be considered testimonials or endorsements
Participation in the Retirement Planning Academy or Early Retirement Academy does not create an advisory relationship with Root Financial. These programs are educational in nature and are not a substitute for personalized financial advice. Advisory services are offered only under a written agreement with Root Financial.
Create Your Custom Strategy ⬇️
Get Started Here.
Join the new Root Collective HERE!
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About Ready For Retirement
Ready For Retirement is the podcast dedicated to helping you learn the tips and strategies that will help you achieve your retirement goals. When it comes to retirement planning, it can quickly become overwhelming and easy to not take action. I designed this podcast because I want you to have the knowledge and confidence to create your secure retirement. My ultimate goal for all of my clients (and listeners) is to create peace of mind and that starts with having a strategy. I want you to spend more time thinking about what matters most to you in retirement. I post weekly episodes to keep you up-to-date on all the best tips and strategies to create a retirement that excites you. Everything from investing tips, tax planning, withdrawal strategies, insurance planning, Social Security, and that's just the start! Let's help you maximize your return on life. We use your money and the strategies I share in this podcast to do just that!
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