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How to Retire Part 7- Retirement Game Plan: Vision, Spending, Social Security & RMDs
Today's Book Club installment explores Maria Bruno's lesson from Christine Benz's How to Retire: focus on what you can control. We translate that into a concrete retirement playbook—how to define your lifestyle and purpose, set realistic spending, and use tax and withdrawal strategy to your advantage. We discuss what to ignore (short-term market moves, election cycles, interest-rate guessing, single-stock drama) and what to prioritize (goals, cash-flow math, tax planning, and documents). We also cover Social Security timing, 75% income-replacement starting points, the 4% rule nuance, sequencing withdrawals across IRA/Roth/HSA/taxable, RMD surprises, IRMAA, account consolidation, QCDs, aging-in-place vs. moving, and protecting a spouse from cognitive-decline risk. The result: more confidence and a plan you'll actually follow.
Key Takeaways:
- Define a clear retirement vision and daily rhythm; align with your spouse.
- Control > prediction: build a plan resilient to markets, rates, and elections.
- Use 75% income-replacement and ~4% starting withdrawal as baselines—then tailor.
- Social Security: run the numbers before claiming; consider survivor benefits.
- Tax strategy window between retirement and RMDs: evaluate Roth conversions.
- Watch IRMAA, RMD timing, and leverage QCDs (from IRAs) for giving.
- Consolidate accounts; maintain POA, wills, beneficiaries, and directives.
- Plan for go-go / slow-go / no-go phases; decide on aging-in-place vs. communities.
- Consider professional advice for planning, error avoidance, and accountability.
Suggested Chapters:
00:00 Intro & Book Club context (Christine Benz / Maria Bruno) 03:00 Control vs. noise: what to ignore in retirement 08:00 Building a retirement vision & purpose 13:00 Phases: go-go, slow-go, no-go 18:00 Running the numbers: income, spending, cash-flow 23:00 Social Security timing & survivor considerations 27:00 Tax strategy: brackets, IRMAA, RMDs, Roth conversions 33:00 Accounts: IRA vs. 401(k), QCDs, consolidation 38:00 Estate docs & cognitive-decline risk management
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By The Personal Finance ProjectToday's Book Club installment explores Maria Bruno's lesson from Christine Benz's How to Retire: focus on what you can control. We translate that into a concrete retirement playbook—how to define your lifestyle and purpose, set realistic spending, and use tax and withdrawal strategy to your advantage. We discuss what to ignore (short-term market moves, election cycles, interest-rate guessing, single-stock drama) and what to prioritize (goals, cash-flow math, tax planning, and documents). We also cover Social Security timing, 75% income-replacement starting points, the 4% rule nuance, sequencing withdrawals across IRA/Roth/HSA/taxable, RMD surprises, IRMAA, account consolidation, QCDs, aging-in-place vs. moving, and protecting a spouse from cognitive-decline risk. The result: more confidence and a plan you'll actually follow.
Key Takeaways:
- Define a clear retirement vision and daily rhythm; align with your spouse.
- Control > prediction: build a plan resilient to markets, rates, and elections.
- Use 75% income-replacement and ~4% starting withdrawal as baselines—then tailor.
- Social Security: run the numbers before claiming; consider survivor benefits.
- Tax strategy window between retirement and RMDs: evaluate Roth conversions.
- Watch IRMAA, RMD timing, and leverage QCDs (from IRAs) for giving.
- Consolidate accounts; maintain POA, wills, beneficiaries, and directives.
- Plan for go-go / slow-go / no-go phases; decide on aging-in-place vs. communities.
- Consider professional advice for planning, error avoidance, and accountability.
Suggested Chapters:
00:00 Intro & Book Club context (Christine Benz / Maria Bruno) 03:00 Control vs. noise: what to ignore in retirement 08:00 Building a retirement vision & purpose 13:00 Phases: go-go, slow-go, no-go 18:00 Running the numbers: income, spending, cash-flow 23:00 Social Security timing & survivor considerations 27:00 Tax strategy: brackets, IRMAA, RMDs, Roth conversions 33:00 Accounts: IRA vs. 401(k), QCDs, consolidation 38:00 Estate docs & cognitive-decline risk management