Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast

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**Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast**

Retirement is too important to leave to guesswork, headlines, or conflicting advice.

The Stay Wealthy Retirement Show is an award-winning retirement podcast designed to help you make smarter decisions with your money, reduce taxes, invest wisely, and create a retirement income plan you can trust.

Want to avoid overpaying the IRS in retirement? Prepare for the next stock market downturn? Optimize retirement timing? Turn your investments into reliable income without second-guessing every decision?

You’re in the right place.

I’m Taylor Schulte, a Certified Financial Planner™ and retirement tax planning expert. Each week, I simplify the biggest retirement planning questions so you can feel more informed, more confident, and better prepared to “stay wealthy” in retirement.

Latest Episodes:

Why Your Charitable Deduction Can Disappear (Even With a Receipt) Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

📥 Grab Your Free Charitable Giving Planning Resources:

Charitable giving can be simple, but the tax and planning decisions behind it often are not.

Get four practical resources to help you make more informed giving decisions:

A QCD guide, a donor-advised fund guide, a breakdown of which assets may be best to give, and an overview of the charitable-giving vehicles available when your planning gets more complex.

→ Download All 4 Resources Here

***

🎙️ Episode Description:

Earlier this year, the U.S. Tax Court threw out a $665,000 charitable deduction.

The donors had an appraisal, the required IRS form, and a signed letter documenting the donation.

And yet the court denied the entire deduction... because of ONE missing sentence.

And that same requirement can apply when you write a check to your church, give from your IRA, or buy tickets to a charity gala.

In this episode, I walk through what went wrong and what it can teach the rest of us.

Here's what you'll learn:

→ Why a canceled check alone may not be enough to back up your deduction

→ How QCDs, appreciated stock, and new 2026 rules can change the tax outcome of the same donation

→ The 4 questions I'd ask before making your next charitable gift

The charity gets your gift either way. The question is whether you get the tax benefit, too.

***

📆 Book a Call With Our Team:

Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.

See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers.

👉 Learn More and Book a Call Here

***

Episode Resources:

→ Grab the Episode Show Notes

→ Get Your FREE Tax-Smart Retirement Toolkit

→ Learn About the Total Retirement System™

3 Things RMD Timing Actually Affects (And How to Choose Your Schedule) Sep 17, 2026

Show notes

Once required minimum distributions begin, the IRS decides how much comes out of your IRA each year.

But it doesn't decide when...

You can take it all in January, wait until December, or spread it out across the year.

At first glance, the choice seems almost meaningless.

The required amount is the same, and the distribution still lands in the same tax year.

But the timing can matter in ways that aren't always obvious.

And even if you're years away from taking RMDs, this is a decision you'll eventually need to make if you have money in pre-tax retirement accounts.

Here's what you'll learn:

→ The 3 things RMD timing can still affect (and how much each one really matters)

→ Why the order of your RMD, charitable gifts, and Roth conversions can matter more than the month you withdraw

→ When taking your RMD early, late, or throughout the year makes the most sense

By the end, you'll have a simple framework for thinking about RMD timing before it becomes another retirement decision you're forced to make on the fly.

***

📆 Book a Call With Our Team:

Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.

See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers.

👉 Learn More and Book a Call Here

***

Episode Resources:

→ Grab the Episode Show Notes

→ Get Your FREE Tax-Smart Retirement Toolkit

→ Learn About the Total Retirement System™

Are You Really Behind on Retirement? 2 Studies Disagree (46% vs. Under 20%) Sep 10, 2026

Show notes

One multi-decade study suggests nearly half of working households may be at risk of falling short in retirement.

But another respected study found that fewer than 20% were actually behind.

So which one should you believe?

The answer reveals a weakness in the way we typically measure retirement progress.

Here's what you'll learn:

→ Why 2 respected studies reach such different conclusions about who's really at risk

→ The 3 ways the "save a percentage" rule can break down for families

→ Why the years when saving feels impossible may be more normal than you've been told

→ How your 50s and 60s can become the most important saving windows of your life.

By the end, you'll have a better way to judge whether you're truly behind and a clearer picture of the opportunities that may still be ahead.

And if nothing else, you'll understand why a difficult savings season today doesn't necessarily define where you'll end up.

***

📆 Book a Call With Our Team:

Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.

See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers.

👉 Learn More and Book a Call Here

***

Episode Resources:

→ Grab the Episode Show Notes

→ Get Your FREE Tax-Smart Retirement Toolkit

→ Learn About the Total Retirement System™

Your Plan Says Spend — Your Gut Says No (5 Questions to Ask Instead) Sep 03, 2026

Show notes

Most retirement planning treats the transition like a single event.

But in reality, you're navigating THREE different shifts at the same time.

And while traditional planning is well-equipped to handle the first, it spends far less time on the second and almost none on the third.

Here's what you'll learn:

→ Why 50% of retirees plan to spend little or none of their savings

→ Why even a well-funded retiree can treat every withdrawal like a threat

→ 5 questions that work better than "Can I afford it?"

By the end, you'll have a clearer picture of which transition your plan may be overlooking, why that matters, and what it can take to close the gap.

And if nothing else, you'll have a better answer for why spending your own money can feel so difficult after decades of doing everything right.

***

📆 Book a Call With Our Team:

Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.

See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers.

👉 Learn More and Book a Call Here

***

Episode Resources:

→ Grab the Episode Show Notes

→ Get Your FREE Tax-Smart Retirement Toolkit

→ Learn About the Total Retirement System™

8 Investing Numbers That Shape Whether Your Nest Egg Outlives You Aug 27, 2026

Show notes

You've spent decades building a nest egg large enough to fund the retirement you want.

The next challenge is making sure it can support that same lifestyle for the next 30 years.

At 3% historical inflation, the $100,000 lifestyle you retire on could cost $240,000 a year by age 90.

And the assets that feel safest — cash, CDs, and money market funds — have historically done the least to keep up.

In this episode, I'm simplifying a century of market history into 8 numbers that shape how long your money lasts.

Here's what you'll learn:

→ The hidden cost of playing it safe with money you won't need for decades

→ The 2 bond numbers that look nearly identical, and the risk hiding between them

→ How they all fit together into a simple framework for making confident decisions

My hope is that when we're done, you have a small set of reference points to return to, and a lot less noise competing for your attention.

***

📆 Book a Call With Our Team:

Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.

See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers.

👉 Learn More and Book a Call Here

***

Episode Resources:

→ Grab the Episode Show Notes

→ Get Your FREE Tax-Smart Retirement Toolkit

→ Learn About the Total Retirement System™

The 4 Retirement Income Styles (And How to Find Yours) Aug 20, 2026

Show notes

Two retirees can have the same age, the same nest egg, and the same monthly expenses.

Give them the exact same retirement income plan, and one may feel completely comfortable while the other loses sleep the moment markets fall.

That's because retirement income planning involves more than math.

It also depends on how much certainty you want, how much flexibility you're willing to give up, and which risks you're comfortable carrying yourself.

In this episode, I'm breaking down a practical framework that organizes nearly every retirement income strategy into four distinct styles.

Here's what you'll learn:

→ The 2 questions that shape nearly every retirement income decision

→ The strengths and tradeoffs behind the 4 most common retirement income strategies

→ A simple 3-step process for building a plan around your own priorities

There may not be one "best" retirement income strategy for everyone.

But understanding the tradeoffs can help you build a plan you have the confidence to follow through market declines, changing spending needs, and decades of retirement.

***

📆 Book a Call With Our Team:

Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.

See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers.

👉 Learn More and Book a Call Here

***

Episode Resources:

→ Grab the Episode Show Notes

→ Get Your FREE Tax-Smart Retirement Toolkit

→ Learn About the Total Retirement System™

Do You Really Need $1.5 Million to Retire? Aug 13, 2026

Show notes

Americans now say they need $1.5 million to retire comfortably, according to a recent survey.

That's nearly 60% higher than the "magic number" reported roughly five years ago, which helps explain why so many retirement savers feel behind.

But that number is a survey average, and measuring yourself against it could cost you years you can't get back.

In this episode, I'm sharing why retiring at 62 may be more realistic than you think.

Here's what you'll learn:

→ The new Vanguard research that challenges the conventional Social Security advice

→ How one couple with $1.8 million stopped chasing the $2.5 million their calculator demanded

→ A simple 4-step process for building (and stress-testing) a flexible early retirement plan

For smart, diligent savers, the biggest retirement risk isn't always running out of money... sometimes it's running out of time.

***

📆 Book a Call With Our Team:

Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.

See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers.

👉 Learn More and Book a Call Here

***

Episode Resources:

→ Grab the Episode Show Notes

→ Get Your FREE Tax-Smart Retirement Toolkit

→ Learn About the Total Retirement System™

3 Spending Surprises From J.P. Morgan's Study of 5 Million Retirees Aug 06, 2026

Show notes

Last week, I made the case that many retirees can safely spend more than their plans suggest.

Today, the largest bank in the country puts that idea to the test.

But instead of relying on surveys, JP Morgan studied real bank transactions from over 5 million American households.

The data reveals three spending patterns most retirement plans ignore.

And together, they can decide whether a nest egg lasts a full 30-year retirement... or runs out years early.

In this episode, you'll learn:

→ What millions of real bank transactions reveal about retirement spending

→ The spending surge most people fail to plan for

→ Why so few retirees rarely spend the way traditional plans assume — and a simple way to protect against it

A strong retirement plan isn't built on how retirees say they behave... it's built on how they actually do.

***

📆 Book a Call With Our Team:

Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.

See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers.

👉 Learn More and Book a Call Here

***

Episode Resources:

→ Grab the Episode Show Notes

→ Get Your FREE Tax-Smart Retirement Toolkit

→ Learn About the Total Retirement System™

NEW RESEARCH: Your Plan Is Overestimating Retirement Costs (by 20%) Jul 30, 2026

Show notes

Most retirement plans assume your spending will rise with inflation every year for the rest of your life.

But a new study tracking thousands of American retirees found almost the exact opposite:

As many as 85% of households spent less, after adjusting for inflation, than they had 10 years earlier.

Even more surprising? That includes retirees who could comfortably afford to maintain their lifestyle!

In this episode, I'm breaking down what this new research means for your retirement plan.

You'll learn:

→ Why retirement spending declines even as healthcare costs keep climbing

→ What the "retirement spending smile" and "smirk" reveal about spending later in life

→ Why even wealthy retirees continue cutting back as they age

→ How modeling spending the way retirees actually behave can meaningfully change your safe withdrawal rate

If your plan is overestimating the cost of retirement, it's likely underestimating the life you can afford... especially in the early years, when the money delivers the most joy.

***

📆 Book a Call With Our Team:

Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.

See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers.

👉 Learn More and Book a Call Here

***

Episode Resources:

→ Grab the Episode Show Notes

→ Get Your FREE Tax-Smart Retirement Toolkit

→ Learn About the Total Retirement System™

5 Steps to Protect Your Aging Parents' Money (Before It's Too Late) Jul 23, 2026

Show notes

📥 Grab Your Free Estate Planning Resources:

Helping an aging parent with their money is a responsibility few families are prepared for.

Get three practical resources to help your family take action:

A one-page cheat sheet of today's episode, a detailed estate-planning review checklist, and a simple guide to the key documents every family should review.

→ Download All 3 Resources Here

***

🎙️ Episode Description:

Helping an aging parent with their money sounds simple: You step in, pay the bills, and make sure everything is handled.

Unfortunately, love and trust don't give you legal authority.

And without the right document in place, a bank may refuse to speak with you... even if your parent is sick, bills are going unpaid, or money is needed for their care.

That's where a Durable Power of Attorney (DPOA) comes in. But simply having the document isn't enough.

The fine print, the powers it grants, and the way you handle the responsibility can make all the difference.

In this episode, I explain how a DPOA for finances works and steps you can take to prepare before it's too late. Here's what you'll learn:

→ The fine-print provision every family should double-check

→ 5 practical steps for managing an aging parent's finances responsibly

→ What can happen when the document isn't signed before a parent loses capacity

→ 4 common mistakes that can create legal, financial, and family problems

By the end, you'll know how to prepare for managing your parents' money — and help ensure the person they trust can legally step in when the time comes.

***

📆 Book a Call With Our Team:

Your retirement involves complex, interconnected decisions—taxes, income, healthcare, estate planning, investments.

See how they fit together in one coordinated strategy built around your numbers.

Learn More and Book a Call Here

***

Episode Resources:

→ Grab the Episode Show Notes

→ Get Your Free Tax-Smart Retirement Toolkit

→ Learn About the Total Retirement System™