November 10, 2025

My Lazy Retirement Investing Plan

12 minutes

Lazy retirement investing made simple: early retirement, index funds (VTI, VOO, VUG, VIG, VYM), withdrawal rate guardrails, 2–4 year cash liquidity runway, Roth conversions, MAGI/ACA & IRMAA tax strategy.

Ready for a “do less, retire better” portfolio? In this episode, I walk through my lazy retirement investing plan—built for early retirees and anyone who wants a low-maintenance, rules-based retirement approach that’s diversified, tax-smart, and actually livable. We’ll set up a 3-category index portfolio, place assets for taxes, build a 2–4 year cash runway for bear markets, and use flexible withdrawal guardrails so you can sleep at night and still enjoy life.

What you’ll learn:

The “lazy” portfolio (Foundational, Growth, Income) and why boring wins long-term

Examples to research: VTI/VOO (core), VUG (growth), VIG/VYM (dividends)

How to set your mix and rebalance (±5% bands / annual check-in)

Smart tax placement: ETFs in taxable, bonds/REITs in tax-advantaged, avoid surprise cap gains from index mutual funds in taxable

Building a 2–4 year liquidity runway (cash, CDs, short-duration TIPS)

Choosing a starting withdrawal rate (e.g., ~3% for longer retirements) + ±20% guardrails

Practical withdrawal order (taxable → traditional → Roth)

Roth conversions: when they can make sense and how to manage MAGI for ACA subsidies pre-65 and IRMAA after 65

The annual tune-up: rebalance, refill runway, run a tax/MAGI check, adjust withdrawals, and basic account hygiene

Free resources mentioned in this episode:

🔗Click here for my free checklist 12 Must – Do Steps to Retire Sooner and Smarter.

🔗 Click here for the free MAGI Calculator Template (Microsoft Excel download). Use it to estimate your MAGI for ACA plans.

🎧Listen to this episode titles I mentioned in this podcast and some others that are related/may be of interest:

How a Mutual Index Fund Cost Me $17K in Taxes (And How to Avoid This Mistake)

🚨No Subsidies in 2026? Plan A vs Plan B (DO THIS)

How I Retired at 55: Do These 5 Things

ACA MAGI: How to Calculate & Manage It for Big Savings!

Roth Conversions or ACA Subsidies? The Early Retirement Dilemma No One Talks About

Will ACA Subsidies Disappear After 2025? What You NEED to Know!

How Early Retirees Can Pay WAY Less for Health Insurance!

The $12,900 Health Insurance Loophole for Early Retirees!

Health Insurance Options for Early Retirement: What You NEED to Know

💼 My Favorite Retirement Planning Tool! If you’re serious about planning for retirement, you’ve got to check out Boldin. It’s a powerful tool that helps you map out your financial future—whether you’re a DIY planner or just want to stress-test your retirement strategy.

👉 Try Boldin here: https://go.boldin.com/earlyretirementroadmap

Disclosure: This is an affiliate link, which means I earn a small commission if you decide to go on the paid plan after a free 2-week trial, or you can remain on the free plan, but I highly recommend the paid plan to use all its robust features! I personally use it for my retirement planning and love it! This link doesn’t cost you anything extra and helps to support the content I create. Thank you!

❤️ Depending on the platform you're listening on, please Like, Subscribe, Follow & Share, and leave a positive review if you found this episode helpful!

📺 When you're not on the go, check out my Early Retirement Roadmap YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@EarlyRetirementRoadmap?sub_confirmation=1

🌐 Visit my website for all my media, including my blog or to contact me about sponsorship or other business opportunities: https://mikeupland.com/

☕ Support: [Buy me a coffee](https://buymeacoffee.com/mikeupland.com)

DISCLAIMER: This podcast is for educational purposes only and reflects my personal experience and research. It is not financial, tax, legal, or investment advice. Always consult with qualified professionals before making major retirement or financial decisions. I am not responsible for any loss or damages resulting from reliance on this information.

...more

View all episodes

By Mike Upland

99 ratings