Retirement Starts Today

Latest Episodes:

3 Tricks to Help Retirees Spend More, Ep #306 Jul 24, 2023

Show notes

If you have diligently saved throughout your career, you may be ready to retire, yet still feel uncertain about spending your savings.

To truly live your best life in retirement you need to learn how to shift from a saving mindset to a spending mindset. In this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we'll help you do just that.

This is the podcast where you can learn how to spend more money and pay less taxes on your way to an even better retirement. Listen in to learn how you can start spending more money so that you can enjoy your best retirement.

Outline of This Episode

[2:52] 3 techniques retirees can use to spend more money confidently
[6:30] Techniques #2 and 3
[12:24] Can my wife receive a spousal benefit before I receive my Social Security benefit?

Resources & People Mentioned

ThinkAdvisor article

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

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The #1 Retirement Challenge That No One Talks About, Ep #305 Jul 17, 2023

Show notes

If you are new to the show, welcome! This is a place where we talk about how to spend more money, pay less taxes, and have an even better retirement. Today we're investigating that last part–the even better retirement.

In the retirement headlines segment, we'll take a look at a CNBC article that dives into an 85-year happiness study from Harvard University. Results from this study reveal the number one retirement challenge no one is talking about. Listen in to hear what this could be.

Outline of This Episode

[1:22] The number one retirement challenge that no one talks about
[3:38] Ask yourself a few questions
[8:17] How to go about bridging insurance before Medicare

Resources & People Mentioned

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

Your Brain Has Tricked You Into Thinking Everything Is Worse, Ep # 304 Jul 10, 2023

Show notes

Do you long for a lost golden age when everything was better? If you do you're not alone. Many people feel that society is experiencing a moral decline. But is that really true?

On this episode of Retirement Starts Today, we'll explore a New York Times article that challenges this way of thinking and attributes it to cognitive biases. Listen in to learn what you can do to improve your thinking about the present and the future so that you can experience an even better retirement.

Make sure to listen until the end of the episode to hear how you can celebrate my 300th episode with me and save 40% on Retirement Income University.

Outline of This Episode

[1:32] Your brain has tricked you into thinking everything is worse
[6:10] Maximize your full potential in retirement by eliminating stinkin' thinkin'
[8:15] Should this listener continue aggressively investing in retirement?
[11:20] Consider how you handled market corrections in the past

Resources & People Mentioned

Enter promo code Podcast at checkout and save 40% on Retirement Income University Hurry–the offer ends! July 31, 2023!
NYT article

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

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Your Future (Retired) Self, Ep #303 Jul 03, 2023

Show notes

If you want an amazing retirement you need to start thinking about your future self. We discussed the idea of your future self on a previous episode where I interviewed my coach, Dr. Benjamin Hardy.

In this episode, we're taking a look at another book on the future self, Your Future Self by Hal Herschfield. I'm listening to the audiobook now and this topic has me thinking about how it applies to retirement. Listen in to hear more about this book and my exciting announcement about my own explorations into the topic of the future self in retirement.

Outline of This Episode

[2:55] 4 observations on how your future perspective impacts your present
[8:15] 4 areas that you can reflect on to improve your future self
[12:15] The risk vs the value of starting Social Security at 62 versus 65

Resources & People Mentioned

Forbes article on your future self
Episode 263 - Be Your Future Self Now with Dr. Benjamin Hardy
BOOK - Be Your Future Self Now by Benjamin Hardy
BOOK - Your Future Self by Hal Herschfield

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

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EP #300 Celebration! (HUGE discount on Retirement Income University) Jul 01, 2023

Show notes

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!

12 Reasons to Rent in Retirement, Ep #302 Jun 26, 2023

Show notes

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

The Power of Semi-Retirement and Work-Life Balance, Ep #301 Jun 19, 2023

Show notes

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

$300 Gym Bag, Ep # 300 Jun 12, 2023

Show notes

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

Retirement Mastermind Groups, Ep #299 Jun 05, 2023

Show notes

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

Rich People Unsatisfied with Their Wealth, Ep #298 May 29, 2023

Show notes

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