Retirement Answer Man

Beachwalker, the rockin’ retirement coach is in the house today. He joins us once a month on the show to give some helpful tips on how to create an awesome retirement. Today we’re talking about attitude. Attitude makes a huge impact on your retirement, your health, and even your longevity. Listen in to hear how a positive attitude can affect your life and stick around for the Q & A segment to hear the answers to questions you didn’t even know you had. 

Attitude isn’t everything, but...

It’s a huge component of rocking retirement. Attitude is an important determinant of the quality of your life now and it will be so even more in retirement. The definition of attitude is a settled feeling about someone or something that is reflected in behavior. So what comes first the chicken or the egg - a great retirement or a positive attitude? What do you think?

Attitude has an even bigger factor on longevity than your health

People are living so much longer than they used to. 80 is the new 60. With this newfound longevity, it’s important to create a positive mindset. You can’t let every ache and pain get you down, find a way to deal with that so you can move on and make the best of your life. Studies have shown that a positive attitude impacts your balance, your mental health, and even your longevity. Aging is inevitable, being old is a choice. 

Robo advisors and target-date funds in retirement

If you are young and accumulating your savings, target-date funds are totally fine (even though I like allocation funds better). And robo advisors are able to put your portfolio on autopilot by automatically rebalancing whenever you need it. But these tools are not set up for managing your assets in or nearing retirement. In retirement, they can lead you astray since they are not geared for distribution. 

How do you determine whether to take a lump sum or an annuity?

Choosing between taking a pension or a lump sum is a tough call. There are many factors to consider. One factor you should think about is what other assets do you have? A pension offers flexibility if you have other assets in place. But if you are underfunded for retirement taking a lump sum would create investment risk at a time when you need to have guaranteed income sources. When planning for retirement, I like to first create a process, then a strategy, and lastly, I choose the tactics to use. You can create your own model at home using your own process, strategy, and tactics. Try modeling both choices and see where you end up. 

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN SEGMENT

  • [3:00] Attitude isn’t everything

COACHES CORNER SEGMENT

  • [5:22] People who have a more positive perception of aging live longer

Q&A SEGMENT

  • [10:30] Robo advisors and target-date funds in retirement
  • [12:43] Why isn’t catastrophic long-term care a thing?
  • [14:30] Lump sum or annuity?

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

  • [19:27] Ask yourself, what does this make possible?

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

BOOK - Younger Next Year by Dr. Henry Lodge

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Work with Roger

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center

Direct download: RAM323.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Retirement planning will never be the same. Actually there are many aspects of our lives that will never be the same. The Coronavirus disruption has been exactly that, a disruption of our everyday lives. It has affected everything from education, to work life, to retirement planning. Find out how staying intentional and agile will help you rock retirement on this episode of Retirement Answer Man. 

Disruption causes trends to accelerate

Normally we see new trends happening but they take time to really take root. But once some kind of disruption takes hold those trends begin to accelerate. Remote working and online learning were two trends that were coming along in the world but they never really took hold until the Coronavirus disruption. These two trends have been fueled by this disruption and education and the workspace will never be the same. 

How do you define retirement?

If you look retirement up in the dictionary it can mean several things. But none of those ring true for most people in the various stages of retirement planning. We all have our own definitions, our own versions of how we want to spend our golden years. Many of us feel that the most important thing to consider in retirement is time freedom. We want to have control over our own schedules. Plenty of people want to continue to work, but for a different purpose. The compensation may not be the same. Instead, they choose to work to give or to make an impact in the world. So what does retirement mean to you?

5 ways retirement planning is changing

School and work aren’t the only aspects of life that are changing. Retirement planning is changing as well. This field has its own trends that will be accelerated by the Coronavirus disruption as well. Here are 5 trends that I see changing retirement planning.

  • I think we were all starting to value experiences over things and that will continue to accelerate when all this is said and done. 
  • Retirement planning generally starts out as a mathematical formula and we often forget life outcomes. I think retirement planning will become less investment-focused, and more focused on creating the outcomes that are right for you
  • Matching our assets with our liabilities will increase in importance in retirement. This is what retirement planning actually is.
  • People will become more focused on short-term volatility risk and may forget about long-term inflation risk and decreased buying power. Since inflation has been so low for so long we frequently ignore its risk. 
  • Pretirement will boom. Pretirement is an excellent bridge between full-time work and retirement. It doesn’t just give you cash flow in retirement it also gives you:
    • Time freedom
    • A purpose or something that interests you
    • A way to help mentally ease into retirement
    • A transition in your social network
    • Agency and a sense of power 

What trends do you think might accelerate from all of this? Let me know by responding to the 6 Shot Saturday email. 

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

HOT TOPIC SEGMENT

  • [0:40] Disruption causes trends to accelerate

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

  • [3:20] What does retirement mean?

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT

  • [5:35] 5 trends in retirement planning

Q&A SEGMENT

  • [20:28] How should Mitchell roll his pension so that he doesn’t get taxed for the lump sum?
  • [22:00] What kind of stress tests can we do to prepare for retirement?
  • [25:38] How to prioritize what’s important in stressful times
  • [30:28] How to pursue a second act

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

  • [33:24] What can you do to treat yourself?

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Work with Roger

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center



Direct download: RAM322.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

So, we’re not in a recession yet, but these are definitely challenging times. Now is a great time to learn how to navigate a recession in retirement. A recession is a temporary economic decline with a fall in the gross domestic product over successive quarters. Although we technically aren’t in a recession right now, we can stay agile by preparing ourselves for what is to come. Join me today to learn how you can navigate a recession in retirement. You’ll learn 6 areas in which you can play offense or defense to help you be prepared for what may lie ahead. 

6 areas of defense or offense to prepare yourself for a recession in retirement

  1. Maintain a mental edge - What do you do to stay mentally agile? Self-care is so important during challenging times. Exercise and journaling are 2 great ways to practice self-care. Find a healthy way to vent if you need to let off steam. It’s also important to limit the news you watch and avoid the bait of commercials and sales pitches. Be careful with those sales pitches, everyone is trying to take advantage of the situation to make a buck. 
  2. Evaluate what is important to you - Right now we are experiencing unprecedented times where we have an opportunity to really think about what is important to us. So give it some thought. What are your life goals? What is important to your life? 
  3. Consider your cash flow - Another opportunity presents itself to stress test your retirement plan. Review your liquidity. Do you have enough laid out in cash reserves? Take this time to evaluate the sustainability of your retirement plan. Build a cash floor, moderate your wants and wishes
  4. Look for opportunities - Since interest rates are at an all-time low, consider refinancing your mortgage. Now is also a great time to find flexible travel deals look for travel deals. 
  5. Examine your portfolio - This is a good time to simplify your investments in a tax-efficient way. Examine your asset allocation. Is your portfolio doing what you expected? You don’t need to take action right now if you want to change, just make a note of it for better times. Examine your risk tolerance. We’re used to riding risk while accumulating assets, not while we’re in the decumulation stage of life. You also have an opportunity to do some tax planning this year. You may be able to take advantage of tax loss harvesting. Also consider whether it makes sense to do some Roth conversions. 
  6. Help the family - Now is a great time to gift shares of stock or cash. Many people are experiencing challenging times with job losses. Remember you can gift $15,000 per person. You could also consider making an interfamily loan to someone who just needs help weathering this storm. These loans have no requirements other than you must charge a minimum applicable interest rate which is low right now. 

How will you stay agile?

You may never be 100% prepared for a recession in retirement, but you can be agile. Think about the ways you can maneuver and look for opportunities. Although it is important to consider how to defend your assets it’s also important to stay on your toes and be proactive. So what will you do to stay agile in the coming weeks and months?

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

  • [2:00] What is a recession?

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT

  • [3:22] 6 areas to help you navigate a recession 

THE Q&A SEGMENT

  • [24:30] Where should you invest a chunk of money?
  • [28:40] Evaluate the things you own
  • [31:55] How to best utilize tax brackets
  • [34:33] No one knows how to file for unemployment as a contract worker

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

  • [38:00] Do something to manage your stress and anxiety

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Work with Roger

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center



Direct download: RAM321.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

If you are nearing retirement you may be hyper-aware of the corona disruption. With all this extra time on your hands, you may want to spend more time planning your retirement. But don’t overthink this. Listen to this episode to hear my take on 6 years of Retirement Answer Man plus hear the answers to several listener questions. 

6 lessons from 6 years of Retirement Answer Man

Thanks for 6 years of Retirement Answer Man! Last week I entitled the episode 6 Retirement Lessons from 6 Years of Retirement Answer Man and then I forgot to mention the lessons or the fact that 6 years have gone by. So here are 6 of my takeaways after 6 years of producing the show.

  1. It’s all about the money. Many think of retirement as being a math problem, but it’s not. There are too many unknowns for retirement to be as easy as a math problem. Retirement is the problem that cannot be solved that easily. 
  2. Going from accumulation to decumulation is hard. After saving your whole life, switching gears is a challenge. Not only are you no longer earning, but so much else in your life is changing as well. Your social networks, your purpose, your relationship are just some of the things that change alongside transitioning from being an earner to living off your savings. 
  3. Your attitude is critical to your success. Attitude is everything. You can have the attitude: what does this make possible? Or, why is this happening to me? Don’t let the circumstance determine the attitude, let the attitude interpret the circumstance. 
  4. The traditional system of retirement planning is broken. This system is based on sales of products and investment portfolios. Financial planning is evolving though
  5. Little actions are critical. What can you do next? Create the momentum to take advantage of opportunities and mitigate risk. Agile financial planning is a journey. 
  6. Trust that everything will be ok. Take action, but understand that your path will be revealed. 

What retirement lessons have you learned on your journey? Let me know!

How to time the bottom of the market

One listener writes in with a question about timing the bottom of the market. He had the foresight to pull out when the virus hit China. But now he wants to get back in near the bottom. He is worried that he might miss the upswing. 

Planning the bottom of the market is pretty challenging. I am not a market timer. I prefer to have a process and strategy where I develop my tactics. Without a process, our choices are fueled by emotion rather than logic. Do you have an investment process? Listen in to this episode to hear more listener questions

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

HOT TOPIC SEGMENT

  • [2:45] 6 lessons from 6 years of Retirement Answer Man

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT

  • [13:43] Recommendations on buying gold
  • [19:12] How to time the bottom
  • [23:40] How to build a fixed income source for your pie cake

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

  • [28:02] What are you going to learn over the next 7 days?

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Work with Roger

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center

Direct download: RAM320.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 6:00am CDT

Making the choice to retire and actually stepping away from the comfort of your long-time career can be so difficult. It takes a lot of courage to make that leap. On this episode of Retirement Answer Man, we’ll be analyzing how you can create a strategy to step off that train and get started on your retirement. Listen in to hear how to start planning for the retirement that you know you want. But first, let’s talk about this stimulus package. 

What does the CARES Act mean for you?

In a landmark piece of legislation, the CARES Act was recently signed into law. Roughly 90% of the population will be receiving a direct deposit into their bank account courtesy of Uncle Sam. The qualifications will be based upon your most recent tax return. If you are married and made less than $150,000 then you will qualify. Another perk of the CARES Act is that in 2020 there will be no required minimum distributions. Listen in to hear about 401K loans and hardship distributions which were also covered in the bill. 

It can be hard to retire

Sure retirement sounds exciting, but actually stepping away from a longheld career and living off your savings can feel like jumping off a cliff. At this point in your life, you are probably at the top of your game. You are probably making more money than ever before. You are the captain of your universe. How can you step off that money-making train and into the unknown? 

Some strategies to help you prepare to retire

So how do you garner the courage to give up your income, live off your savings, and step into this unknown world? There are some tactical strategies that you can use to help you prepare for this change in life. 

  • Set a deadline for retirement - not just in general, set a specific date to pull the plug.
  • Create a compelling vision of where you want to go - Use process strategy tactics to prepare and organize your resources.
  • Pretire - set yourself up to make a little bit of income. Now is a great time to prove to your employer that you can work remotely. Pretirement can be a great way to gain time freedom without giving up all of your income
  • Flock with birds of the same feather - get to know people that are walking the same path but a bit ahead of you in their journey. The Rock Retirement Club is a great way to share ideas and conversation with people in the same boat. 

Now more than ever it is important to remain agile in your retirement planning. Listen in to hear listener questions and to find out how you can prepare to retire. 

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

  • [1:18] What does the CAREs Act mean for you?

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT

  • [7:41] It can be hard to retire
  • [13:43] Some tactical strategies

LISTENER QUESTIONS

  • [17:10] This whole month is dedicated to your questions
  • [18:00] Will the stimulus package end up causing inflation?
  • [21:54] How to rebalance at this time

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT

  • [28:35] This is the perfect time to get ready

Resources Mentioned In This Episode

Rock Retirement Club

Roger’s YouTube Channel - Roger That

BOOK - Rock Retirement  by Roger Whitney

Work with Roger

Roger’s Retirement Learning Center

Direct download: RAM319.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:01am CDT

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