Retire With Purpose - The Retirement Podcast

Are your Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) setting you up for failure? Find out how sequence of returns risk combines with RMD rules to create a hidden hazard—and how smart planning, asset allocation, and timely Roth conversions can help you sidestep it.  

In this episode, we discuss: 

• Why RMDs are self-regulating
• The RMD tax chain reaction
• Why withdrawal timing and asset allocation matters
• The power of Roth conversions

Today, I'm speaking with William Bernstein. Bill is a renowned investment advisor, author, and retired neurologist. He's the co-founder of Efficient Frontier Advisors, a leading voice in the world of personal finance, and the author of several acclaimed books, including The Four Pillars of Investing, The Investor's Manifesto, and The Intelligent Asset Allocator. 

With a unique background in neurology and finance, Bill brings a prac...

What if your greatest growth in retirement didn’t come from doing more—but from finally sitting with who you are? Throughout this discussion, we explore the concept of the “shadow self”—the parts of yourself that you may avoid, hide, or ignore—and how bringing light to these areas can lead to true peace and deeper connection in the second half of life. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• How unresolved emotional patterns can impact...

What if you did everything “right” in retirement, but were still left surprised? That’s exactly what happened to Fritz Gilbert, one of our favorite past podcast guests. In this episode, we unpack his recent article, “My Biggest Surprise in Retirement,” and explore why his carefully planned Roth conversions didn’t make the impact he expected. This conversation is for anyone who wants to stay in the driver’s seat—no surprises, no bac...

In this powerful follow-up episode, Casey Weade and Certified Retirement Coach Les McDaniel return to explore the deeper question behind advice-seeking: Are you truly looking for direction, or for alignment with your values? Drawing from real-life coaching stories, they unpack six invitations to help you pause, reflect, and realign your financial decisions with your life’s purpose.  

In this episode, we discuss: 

• How to ask be...

If you're like many retirees we meet with, you may struggle to spend confidently in retirement, even when you've saved enough. Here, we explore a potential strategy: an alternative to the annuity-based "License to Spend" model.    

In this episode, we discuss: 

• The dynamics of underspending in retirement
• How to apply the “Funded Status Metric” and “Surplus Bucket” to your income plan
• Pros and cons of leveraging this strategy
• A...

Understanding your own story is the missing link between receiving advice and applying it meaningfully. If you’ve ever felt stuck between wanting direction and feeling overwhelmed by options, this episode offers a practical path toward clarity, purpose, and peaceful resilience. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• Advice vs. application
• A 3-step advice framework
• Advice overload
• Why incomplete context = incomplete advice

Today'...

Today, I'm speaking with Dr. Ross Andel. Dr. Andel is a gerontologist, professor, and director of the PhD program at Arizona State University. Ross has spent decades researching aging, memory, and lifestyle-related cognitive health risks. In 2023, he was elected a lifetime fellow of the American Association for his achievements in the study of risk factors for age-related cognitive decline for Alzheimer's disease and other types of...

After a sharp rebound in the market, you may still feel the lingering effects of recent volatility. But before the next tide of turmoil, now is an ideal time to deploy the "Sleeping Point" Strategy: adjusting your portfolio to a level where you can sleep soundly at night. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• The importance of reducing risk before panic
• How to embrace proactive planning
• The danger of over-investing
• How (and when) to ...

You're encouraged to save, delay gratification, and be disciplined with your spending—but what happens when that mindset becomes a roadblock in retirement?  

In this episode, we discuss: 

• The psychology of postponement
• How to unwind a lifetime of discipline
• The “Joy Budget” concept
• Tools to reframe spending

Today's article is from The Wall Street Journal titled, The Downside of Delayed Gratification. Listen in as Founder...

What does your future retirement look like? Whether your path includes unexpected challenges, careful frugality, or joyful surprises, it's vital to prepare for known unknowns, and build a resilient future that adapts to life’s curveballs. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• Why retirement isn’t linear
• How to plan for different potential retirement futures
• Lifequakes vs. Deep Risk
• The PESTLE framework for strategic thinking

To...

Do you ever experience those moments when something doesn’t feel quite right? Your body and spirit have ways of alerting you when it's time for recalibration, often with persistent whispers that grow louder the longer you ignore them.   

In this episode, we discuss: 

• The power of listening to your intuition
• Daily actions that can reconnect you to your purpose
• How negativity impacts you physically
• The importance of recognizing ...

Today, I'm thrilled to welcome David Blanchett back to the podcast. David is the Managing Director and Head of Retirement Research at PGIM DC Solutions and one of the most respected voices in retirement income planning today. You've likely come across his work in Morningstar, Kiplinger, and our Weekend Reading series—and for good reason. His research has earned accolades from nearly every major financial planning organization.

In o...

How can you use the recent market crisis to refine both your portfolio and your character? 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• Why times of turmoil are opportunities for personal growth
• How to reinterpret stressors as forward-thinking steps
• Inaction vs. action: How to decide which is best for your portfolio amidst times of turmoil

Today's article is from Forbes titled, Waiting Wisely: Cultivating Character Amid Market Chaos. ...

True financial and personal well-being requires alignment between your money, values, and purpose. But how do you bridge the gap between merely accumulating wealth and living a life rich with meaning? 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• The 50/30/20 Rule and how to align it with your values
• Debt ratios: Is your debt for survival or for status?
• Meaningful vs. meaningless time in retirement
• The Satisfaction Ratio and how it can help ...

Conventional financial wisdom encourages you to delay collecting Social Security benefits until age 70, but in certain cases, your “optimal” claiming age might actually be to pull benefits early.   

In this episode, we discuss: 

• Factors that benefit filing early
• Your “breakeven” number of filing early vs. later
• How your rate of return should factor into your Social Security strategy

Today's article is from Vanguard title...

If you saw the amount of time you had left to live—whether it was one day or one year—how would you spend it? What would you worry about?   

In this episode, we discuss: 

• How to let go of always trying to control your narrative
• Why the pursuit of contentment is greater than the pursuit of happiness
• 5 questions to help you find pure contentment in the present

Listen in as Founder and CEO of Howard Bailey Financial, Casey ...

Today, I’m speaking with Larry Swedroe. Larry is the former Chief Research Officer at Buckingham Strategic Wealth, an accomplished author with 18+ books on investing, and a true pioneer in evidence-based investing. He’s also a well-known advocate for cutting through the financial media noise to focus on strategies that actually work.

In Larry’s latest book, Enrich Your Future: The Keys to Successful Investing, he distills decades o...