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PODCAST

Retirement Starts Today

Benjamin Brandt CFP®, RICP®

Do you want to spend more money & pay less taxes on your way to an even better retirement? Great news, you"re in the right place! I"ll also teach you the benefits of retiring TO something, while most retirees only solve half the equation by retiring FROM something. Tune in every Monday morning - hosted by Benjamin Brandt CFP®, RICP®. Join my "This Week in Retirement" newsletter for the best retirement content of the week, sourced by me: https://pages.thisweekinretirement.com/newsletter

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All Episodes

01:02:09

Are Super Savers Failing in Retirement? with Andy...

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/10/05

A special recording from Andy Panko for his Retirement Planning Education Podcast: We discuss how the financial industry is evolving, the common struggles of "super savers" in retirement, and the importance of aligning financial decisions with life goals, not just spreadsheets. We talk about the role of Monte Carlo simulations, the importance of flexibility in financial plans, and the evolving role of advisors in a changing world. It's a conversation that encourages you to find joy and flexibility

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27:49

How to Get the Most from Your Employee Benefits...

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/09/28

Employee benefits are one of the most overlooked aspects of financial planning. We often check a few boxes during open enrollment and move on—but are we truly maximizing what's available to us? This week, we sit down with Joe Saul-Sehy, host of Stacking Benjamins, to uncover the hidden value in workplace benefits. From disability insurance pitfalls to term vs. whole life insurance, Joe walks us through key strategies to ensure we're not leaving money (or protection) on the table. Joe also

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17:31

Using IRAs To Reduce Estimated Tax Penalties

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/09/21

Did you receive a windfall late in the year and then get penalized for not paying estimated taxes on it earlier? It doesn't seem fair, but the IRS might levy a penalty for that. There is a way to fix it - and similarly for RMDs you might take out in December too. That's the main focus on today's Retirement Headline - and it fits in nicely with our Listener Question as well. Resources: Article by Jeff Levine on the Nerd's Eye View Blog: Using Retirement Accounts To Reduce Estimated Tax Penalties Via

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24:56

6 Cases When a Roth IRA Conversion Isn't a Smart Move

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/09/14

A Barron's piece from Jonathan Shenkman shares 6 reasons to think twice before you convert a Roth IRA. I agree with some of them - but strongly disagree with others because they apply to Super Savers - listeners of this show - differently. We will go through all six with my additions for a Super Saver like you. Then we answer a listener question from a 62 year old who is about to retire and wants to bridge the gap until he begins pulling in Social Security at age 70. And you know we have a great

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20:26

Why I Object to 'Hitting a Number' for Retirement

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/09/07

Christine Benz got a text from a friend the other day. A mutual friend from college was retiring because he'd "hit his number in the stock market". Most people would read that and think, good for him. Benz says all her alarm bells went off. Not out of envy. In her experience, "I hit my number" is usually a sign that the plan behind it isn't much of a plan. Today we discuss two different ways Christine says people gets this wrong. We also tackle a listener question asking if $1,000,000 is enough and

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14:31

The 'Open Sandwich' Generation

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/08/31

The term "Sandwich Generation" has been around since the 80s. You're the one in the middle - with aging parents on one side and dependent kids on the other. Dan Haylett shared an article he calls The "Open Sandwich" Generation, which is after your parents pass away. We will discuss Dan's article on what happens when the slices come off. In our Listener Question segment, I'm asked "How do you do estate planning when you don't have anybody to name?" And we wrap it up with a story that hits true to the

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18:29

Your $135,000 Retirement Risk

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/08/24

The 2025 Milliman Long-Term Care Index put a number on long-term care: $135,000, the lump-sum amount an average 65-year-old would need to set aside today to cover the expected lifetime cost of long-term care. But there are some details you need to know that make up that number. About half of those who need paid long-term care only do so for less than a year (averaging $30,000 in total cost). The other half need care for more than 5 years at an average of $665,000. $135,000 is just the average. We

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20:17

38% of Retirees Underspend

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/08/17

A Corebridge Financial's decumulation study found 70% of American retirees say it's "very important" that their nest egg doesn't shrink in retirement. Another result found 38% say they've spent less than they wanted to- but not because the money isn't there. They spent less specifically to keep the balance from going down. We go over more results from the study and what they mean in today's episode. In our Listener Question segment, a married person has two pensions. While he's alive, the

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18:06

"New" Rules around 401K Catch-Up Contributions

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/08/10

A rule changed on January first that takes the tax deduction away from catch-up contributions for a lot of people who are still working. We'll run through all the 2026 numbers and talk about whether it's still worth doing. In our Listener Question segment, a fellow in Connecticut is worried that the low-income window he's been counting on for Roth conversions may never show up, because his wife is a high earner four years younger than he is. He's come up with a clever workaround. And to close out

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19:12

The Four Risks to Retirement Security

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/08/03

Chris Heye makes the case in a Journal of Financial Planning article that the two retirement risks we obsess over might not be the two most likely to derail us. There are four risks in play, and the two nobody models are the ones quietly doing the most damage: Longevity Risk Market Risk Health Risk Decision Risk I go into depth on those last two. In our Listener Question, a 69-year-old retired engineer and do-it-yourselfer asks about setting up my plan for his wife who's just not into dollars and

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20:19

How Much Should You Worry About Inflation?

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/07/27

Inflation again? Christine Benz over at Morningstar has three questions that tell you exactly how exposed you are - and how much retirees worry about inflation. Then, a listener question from someone one year into retirement who says their pension check feels like it just shrank ten percent - and what they might do to remedy that. And in our Retire To Something segment, Linda from Ontario, Canada, wanted a job at a cheese shop that wasn't hiring — and she applied anyway. Resources: Morningstar

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21:38

Revisiting the 4% Rule, with Bill Bengen

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/07/20

If you've been anywhere close to a retirement podcast over the last 10-20 years, you've heard of the 4% rule. And like many people, you might have questions about it. We're going to hear about it directly from the horse's mouth as we talk to Bill Bengen, who first articulated the 4% withdrawal rate as a rule of thumb for withdrawal rates from retirement accounts. The 4% rule is not a rigid rule but a guideline. Its application requires careful consideration of individual factors, including health,

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21:51

Retirement Is a Sprint, Not a Marathon

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/07/13

Fritz Gilbert says the adage that "Retirement is a marathon, not a sprint" is backwards. He cites an average age where health starts to decline is 64, so sprinting in those first few years when the average retiree is 61-63 makes sense. We will dig into that idea, then follow it up with a listener who can't get her husband to think about anything but saving money. Resource: Article by Fritz Gilbert: Retirement is a Sprint, Not a Marathon Connect with Benjamin Brandt: Subscribe to the This Week

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25:00

Is Your Cautious Retirement Spending Doing More Harm...

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/07/06

The fear of running out of money in retirement turns out to be mostly backwards. For super-savers, the data says the opposite usually happens. A piece from Danielle Labotka at Morningstar makes the case that for a lot of retirees: Being too cautious with your spending is actually the bigger risk. In our listener question segment: Anonymous wants to give money to her kids with warm hands, not cold. How much you can safely give today without putting your own retirement at risk? And then we'll wrap up

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21:01

The IRS Penalty Retirees Never See Coming (And How to...

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/06/29

Every year, thousands of retirees pay an extra penalty to the IRS — and almost none of them see it coming. What catches them off guard isn't a penalty for owing too much. You can do everything right — claim Social Security at the right age, run picture-perfect Roth conversions, manage your withdrawals down to the dollar — and still get a letter from the IRS charging you extra. I reworked a framework from an article by Sheryl Rowling at Morningstar into four clean, completely legal ways to avoid

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19:33

Consumer Sentiment is Terrible

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/06/22

Americans don't feel great about the economy. Consumer Sentiment just hit the lowest reading in roughly 75 years. Ben Carlson over at A Wealth of Common Sense dug into why that might be, and what it means for those of us trying to enjoy a retirement when it always feels like the second shoe is about to drop. In our Listener Question segment, we hear from someone who is sitting on 50x their annual spending - and they can't get their spouse to spend it. Wrapping up the episode we hear from Karen in

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20:18

The IRA Decision That Affects Your Kids

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/06/15

There's a decision your surviving spouse is going to make about your IRA, after you're already gone, that can either cut short or stretch out how long your kids get to keep that money growing — and most people don't even realize the choice is being made. We're going to zero in on one option in particular, one that sounds a little crazy on its face: turning down an inheritance on purpose. In our Listener Question segment: A listener wrote in about a family farm, a couple of brothers he'd rather not

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19:04

The Richest Person in the Graveyard

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/06/08

You've heard it said a hundred times: Spend the money, make the memories, don't die with regret. However, for certain kinds of retirees, dying as the richest person in the graveyard isn't a tragedy at all. The comfort of simply having the money can be worth more than anything you'd ever buy with it. Today, we begin with an article, The Many Utilities of Retirement, which talks about RPIG (the Richest Person In the Graveyard) versus FORO (the Fear of Running Out of money). It's an interesting look

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19:01

The Best Strategies for Boosting Starting Withdrawal...

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/06/01

If you want to spend more at the beginning of retirement, which withdrawal strategies actually let you do that? This week's Retirement Headline from Amy C. Arnott called "The Best Strategies for Boosting Starting Withdrawal Rates in Retirement" answers that question. For our Listener Question: A listener wrote in wondering whether sequence-of-returns risk really fades away after the first decade of retirement, and if so — whether that means it's safe to bump withdrawals up to 5.5% or more later in

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22:32

How Super-Savers Spend Their Acorns in Retirement,...

Retirement Starts Today ·

2026/05/25

Imagine a lifetime spent diligently saving your acorns, only to face a mental roadblock when it's time to enjoy them. Dana Anspach, CFP®, RMA®, and author of "Living Off Your Acorns," shares how this common challenge impacts retirees and introduces the critical "pre-go" phase. This episode offers a fresh perspective on retirement planning, emphasizing conscious consumption of retirement funds. Key Takeaways: Identify and plan for the crucial "pre-go" phase of retirement, which involves significant

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