Is there an ideal level of wealth? Our Retirement Headline comes from Nick Maggiulli, who starts by rejecting the usual vague answers—"it depends," "on your own terms," or "whatever makes you happy." Instead, he tries to give a practical, math-based answer that works for most people, even if it's not perfect for everyone.

Then our listener question is "How should we think about future income sources—like Social Security and pensions—in terms of our net worth? Should we include the present value of that income?"

Finally, in our "Retire to Something" segment, we're learning from an anonymous HR manager that is deploying their skillset in a totally new way in retirement.

Resource:

Article by Nick Maggiulli in Of Dollars & Data: The Ideal Level of Wealth

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

Andrew Rosen, CFP®, CEP, writes in a Kiplinger article how to walk through several common reasons people keep working — even as retirement comes into view.

Rather than looking at money first, the author looks at motivation and breaks it into five broad categories:

Category 1: I must keep working
Category 2: I probably should keep working
Category 3: I want to keep working
Category 4: I'm afraid to retire
Category 5: I don't know why I'm still working

The author suggests borrowing from a concept by Artiste called "First Principles Thinking". Listen in for the answer.

Also, our listener Maria asks about the timing of your first RMD (Required Minimum Distribution): "If we want to skip our 1st RMD and take two the following year, how does that work?"

Resource:
Article by Andrew Rosen, CFP® in Kiplinger's "Why Are You Still Working?"

• 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

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

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

Can you relate to this statement: "They've done everything right financially… but still can't bring themselves to spend the money they've saved."

In today's Retirement Headline, Meghaan Lurtz explains why underspending in retirement is usually rooted in psychology, not math.

Lurtz shares several common barriers:

• Fear of future dependence
• Doom forecasting
• And an Identity tied to being a saver

Resource:

• Article by Meghaan Lurtz: "Helping Underspenders And "Savers" Understand They CAN Spend More With 4 Stages Of "Experiments"

Listener question:
"If I plan to retire at 65 1/2 or 66 and sign up for Medicare before 65 - but not for Parts B and D (because of my employer provided insurance) - will I have to pay a penalty to get Parts B and D (and Supplements) at a later date when I actually retire?"

Listen in to learn about creditable coverage and how penalties can stack up on themselves.

• 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

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

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