Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Talking Real Rules
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Talking Real Rules
Don and Tom put popular retirement rules of thumb under the microscope—testing everything from the 4% withdrawal rule to the idea of downsizing your home in retirement. With equal parts logic and skepticism, they explore whether these oft-repeated guidelines still hold up in today's financial landscape. Along the way, they touch on portfolio construction, social security timing (with Don’s real-life dilemma), and why rules are made to be... at least bent. Plus, a few listener questions round out the episode with practical portfolio advice and fund critiques.
0:04 Intro: Humans love rules—including rules of thumb
1:30 Should we ditch retirement rules altogether? Or are they helpful shortcuts?
3:23 Rule #1: The 4% withdrawal rule—what it gets right (and what it doesn’t)
5:08 Rule #2: The 80% income replacement rule—Tom hates it, and here’s why
7:49 Rule #3: Defer taxes with traditional IRAs—good idea or future tax trap?
10:02 Roth vs. traditional contributions—what young workers should do
10:39 Rule #4: The Rule of 110 for stock allocation—Don calls it dumb
12:32 Risk tolerance and personal flexibility matter more than age-based math
14:13 Rule #5: Wait till 70 for Social Security—Don admits he might not
16:38 Don's real-life dilemma: Take Social Security now or wait?
19:23 Rule #6: Downsizing your house in retirement—easier said than done
22:08 Final thoughts: Plans > rules of thumb, especially after age 50
23:07 Q&A: Why don’t you like Fidelity’s zero-fee funds? (Short answer: they’re not fully diversified)
26:50 Are they bad? No. Would we recommend them? Also no.
27:25 Q&A: Retirees with $4M+—how to rebalance IRAs, Roths, and taxable efficiently
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
View all episodes
By Don McDonald
4.5
713713 ratings
Don and Tom put popular retirement rules of thumb under the microscope—testing everything from the 4% withdrawal rule to the idea of downsizing your home in retirement. With equal parts logic and skepticism, they explore whether these oft-repeated guidelines still hold up in today's financial landscape. Along the way, they touch on portfolio construction, social security timing (with Don’s real-life dilemma), and why rules are made to be... at least bent. Plus, a few listener questions round out the episode with practical portfolio advice and fund critiques.
0:04 Intro: Humans love rules—including rules of thumb
1:30 Should we ditch retirement rules altogether? Or are they helpful shortcuts?
3:23 Rule #1: The 4% withdrawal rule—what it gets right (and what it doesn’t)
5:08 Rule #2: The 80% income replacement rule—Tom hates it, and here’s why
7:49 Rule #3: Defer taxes with traditional IRAs—good idea or future tax trap?
10:02 Roth vs. traditional contributions—what young workers should do
10:39 Rule #4: The Rule of 110 for stock allocation—Don calls it dumb
12:32 Risk tolerance and personal flexibility matter more than age-based math
14:13 Rule #5: Wait till 70 for Social Security—Don admits he might not
16:38 Don's real-life dilemma: Take Social Security now or wait?
19:23 Rule #6: Downsizing your house in retirement—easier said than done
22:08 Final thoughts: Plans > rules of thumb, especially after age 50
23:07 Q&A: Why don’t you like Fidelity’s zero-fee funds? (Short answer: they’re not fully diversified)
26:50 Are they bad? No. Would we recommend them? Also no.
27:25 Q&A: Retirees with $4M+—how to rebalance IRAs, Roths, and taxable efficiently
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
More shows like Talking Real Money - Investing Talk
View all
The Stacking Benjamins Show
1,989 Listeners
Jill on Money with Jill Schlesinger
1,943 Listeners
Sound Retirement Radio
453 Listeners
Your Money, Your Wealth
808 Listeners
Retirement Answer Man
1,313 Listeners
Retire Sooner with Wes Moss
454 Listeners
Retirement Starts Today
521 Listeners
The Clark Howard Podcast
5,487 Listeners
The Retirement and IRA Show
753 Listeners
Big Picture Retirement®
538 Listeners
Stay Wealthy Retirement Podcast
669 Listeners
Sound Investing
345 Listeners
Ready For Retirement
810 Listeners
Talking Real Money Minute - Investing Advice and Money Musings
15 Listeners
The Rob Berger Show
192 Listeners
Retirement Planning Education, with Andy Panko
866 Listeners