According to Capital One Shopping - 89% of shoppers have made some kind of impulse buy. More than half have spent more than $100 on a whim, and the average shopper made impulse buys adding up to $282 a month.

A classic rule is to wait 24 hours to help curb impulse buys, but on today's show, I'm going to flip that rule on its head and explain why my listeners might actually need the opposite advice.

After that, I'll answer a listener question about switching from saving for decades to a spending mindset? You'll learn about my "half for me, half for you" framework.

And to wrap up the show, I'll share what our happiest retired listeners are up to in our newest listener-sourced segment "Retire to Something".

Resource:
Article by Marc Buerti at Money.com: The "24-Hour Rule" That Keeps Retirees From Blowing Their Savings on Impulse Buys

Connect with Benjamin Brandt:

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Retirement Starts Today: Your Non-financial Guide to an Even Better Retirement

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Imagine having 10 overstuffed boxes of grandma's collections in your living room.

That's the story that leads our show from a couple in Florida who received these items as hand-me-downs from a boomer parent trying to clear them out.

The article features estate specialist Julie Hall, who says Millennials don't want painted china or antique furniture — they want Pottery Barn and IKEA. When Hall asked her own daughter what she'd want from her house, the answer was, "Just the jewelry". Hall's takeaway? That response gave her permission to let go.

We discuss this growing issue in our headline segment before answering a listener's question: "Do you have any advice on giving money to adult children while still living? Giving them some of their inheritance while they are younger and need money more than later in their life when my husband and I pass away."

Then we wrap it up with a retired pastor who spends his time diving into a reef tank full of sharks at the Toledo Zoo in our "Retire To Something" segment.

Resource:

Article by Richard Eisenberg: Sorry, Your Kids Don't Want Your Stuff or Your Parents' Stuff

Connect with Benjamin Brandt:

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Retirement Starts Today: Your Non-financial Guide to an Even Better Retirement

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There is roughly a ten-year window centered around your retirement date, five to ten years before, and five to ten years after called "The Retirement Risk Zone". This is when you're most vulnerable to sequence-of-returns impacting the longevity of your withdrawal strategy.

We cover this idea brought up by Wade Pfau in an episode of "The Long View", a show hosted by Christine Benz, Amy C. Arnott, and Ben Johnson - specifically:

• The Retirement Risk Zone
• The Rising Equity Glide Path
• The Social Security Delay Bridge

After that, I answer a listener question: Frank is planning to delay Social Security and wants to know — does it make sense to take bigger withdrawals from the portfolio in your 60s and then scale back in your 70s once Social Security kicks in? Short answer: yes — but how you do it matters a lot. We'll walk through it.

Finally, in our "Retire to Something" segment: After 50 years in the workforce, a former Senior of VP in Manufacturing inspires us with ideas he is doing in his retirement.

Resources:

• Episode of The Long View from Morningstar, featuring Wade Pfau: What Is the 'Retirement Risk Zone?'
• The Retirement Starts Today Blueprint

Connect with Benjamin Brandt:

• Subscribe to the This Week in Retirement: http://thisweekinretirement.com
• Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com
• Work with Benjamin: https://retirementstartstoday.com/start

Get the book!
Retirement Starts Today: Your Non-financial Guide to an Even Better Retirement

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Why is it so hard to spend the money you spent a lifetime saving?

This is a question from Janet Bodnar in a Kiplinger article. She admits that one of her guilty pleasures in retirement is treating herself to a casual lunch while she's out running errands. Why does she feel so guilty?

Christine Benz from Morningstar is quoted in the article, which we discuss at length in this episode.

Then a listener asks a question I think a lot of you are wondering: "How am I supposed to figure out what I want to do in retirement when I can barely find time to do laundry while I'm still working?" Great question!

And in our "Retire To Something" segment, Lois from the Southeast turned a lifelong love of animals into a retirement packed with purpose — volunteering at a zoo, working part-time at an aquarium, and spending half the year with manatees!

Resource:

Article by Janet Bodnar in Kiplinger: Stop Sweating the Small Stuff When You Spend Your Retirement Money


Connect with Benjamin Brandt:

• Subscribe to the This Week in Retirement: http://thisweekinretirement.com
• Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com
• Work with Benjamin: https://retirementstartstoday.com/start

Get the book!
Retirement Starts Today: Your Non-financial Guide to an Even Better Retirement

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Your beneficiary designations are probably outdated. Not because you made bad decisions, but because you made them once and never looked again. We're going to walk through five areas where these forms commonly go wrong, and what you can do about it.

For our Listener Questions segment: "What's the best way to position any assets I have for when my wife and I pass — to most easily and efficiently pass on to our kids?"

And this week's "Retire to Something" listener talks about her definition of retirement, which might be the simplest and best one yet.

Resource:

Article by Daniel P. Michaelse on WealthManagement.com: "Five Beneficiary Designations to Review Now
"

Connect with Benjamin Brandt:

• Subscribe to the This Week in Retirement: http://thisweekinretirement.com
• Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com
• Work with Benjamin: https://retirementstartstoday.com/start

Get the book!
Retirement Starts Today: Your Non-financial Guide to an Even Better Retirement

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How do higher oil prices impact stock market returns? Ben Carlson at A Wealth of Common Sense challenges the assumption most people have, but with some genuinely surprising and con historical data.

For those who retired right around 2022, our Listener Questions segment might interest you. A listener is comparing bonds to guaranteed products like MYGAs and annuities with income riders. They're seeing five and a half to six percent guaranteed payouts and wondering: are these actually better than bonds for generating retirement income?

Then we wrap it up with our Retire "To" Something Segment: A listener who is only 2-5 years away from retiring wrote in with their very simple philosophy: "Never run away from a job. Instead, seek out the next better opportunity."

Resource:

Article by Ben Carlson: How Do Higher Oil Prices Impact Stock Market Returns?

Connect with Benjamin Brandt:

• Subscribe to the This Week in Retirement: http://thisweekinretirement.com
• Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com
• Work with Benjamin: https://retirementstartstoday.com/start

Get the book!
Retirement Starts Today: Your Non-financial Guide to an Even Better Retirement

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What if you paid all your taxes - and still got hit with a penalty from the IRS?

Our retirement headline this week comes from Laura Saunders in the Wall Street Journal. Estimated tax penalties are skyrocketing, and retirees and investors are some of the most likely to get caught in the trap.

We will cover that, then hop into our Listen Question: "What happens when you lose faith in fixed income as the foundation for your retirement plan?"

Then stick around to hear what our happiest retired listeners are up to in our newest listener-sourced segment "Retire to Something"

Resource:
Article by Laura Saunders in the Wall Street Journal: Estimated Taxes Are a Pain. Here's How to Avoid Costly Penalties.

Connect with Benjamin Brandt:

• Subscribe to the This Week in Retirement: http://thisweekinretirement.com
• Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com
• Work with Benjamin: https://retirementstartstoday.com/start

Get the book!
Retirement Starts Today: Your Non-financial Guide to an Even Better Retirement

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Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or iHeart

Some desirable investment income - like interest and dividends - might actually hurt high-net-worth investors' bottom line. This comes from an article by Larry Swedroe in Financial Advisor Magazine.

He outlines four hidden costs that can quietly erode over 1% of after-tax returns each year:

• Cash Drag
• Tax Deferral
• Step-up and Charitable Giving Advantage
• Financial Planning Flexibility

For our Listener Question: "Are brokerage account gains taxed before the money is withdrawn?" If you've ever wondered how your taxable investment account stacks up next to your IRA or Roth, this one's for you. We dig into the 'magic middle' of retirement savings and clear up how and when Uncle Sam wants his share.

And to wrap up the show, Dave in New York shares his work of raising dogs to help the blind. 🦮

Resource:
Article by Larry Sweroe in Financial Advisor Magazine: The Hidden Cost Of Investment Income

Connect with Benjamin Brandt:

• Subscribe to the This Week in Retirement: http://thisweekinretirement.com
• Get the Retire-Ready Toolkit: http://retirementstartstodayradio.com
• Work with Benjamin: https://retirementstartstoday.com/start

Get the book!
Retirement Starts Today: Your Non-financial Guide to an Even Better Retirement

Follow Retirement Starts Today in:
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Amazon Music, or iHeart