Retirement Answer Man Show: Retirement Planning That's Fun

"The younger generation is ruining this country!" This was said about the baby boomers. Now it's said about the millennials. The fact is, each new generation brings a fresh perspective that helps our society and country renew itself. Recently I spoke with a "millennial" who, like you and me, is working to raise a family and save for the future. Want to Learn How to Draw From Your Savings During Retirement? I'll show you the system I use with clients during a free webinar on May 26th at 2:00 pm CST. A free replay will be available to all that register. Favorite Quote From This Week's Story [Tweet "My goal is to get compound interest on my side as quickly as possible."] Lessons Learned From Jordan's Journey * Millennials are rejecting debt and working hard. * There's a big difference between being frugal and being cheap. * It's important not to rush into big purchases. * How important it is for couples to walk together as they manage their finances. About Jordan * 27 years old * Married, one child and one on the way * Very cheap or frugal * School teacher * Loves working with kids What Does Retirement Mean to You?   The idea of being a millionaire really struck me. That idea of being wealthy sounds good. The idea of traveling a lot is wonderful. What Are You Most Excited About Retirement? Health, obviously. I think my biggest worry right now is will I have enough money. I think that’s what drives me to save. The other thing that scares me….is the idea of inflation. What inflation will be like in 30, 40, 50 years. My goal is to get compound interest on my side as quickly as possible. How Do You Think You’re Doing? “Based on where most people are, I’d give myself an A.” Do You Use a Financial Planner? “I do but probably not as well as I should.” What has Been Your Worst Financial Mistake? Being cheap rather than frugal when buying their home. What Do You Struggle With When Managing Your Finance? She (my wife) just wishes we could spend a little more money and I'm just more on the frugal side. "…I wish I was a little bit less frugal, but then again I wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in now.” What Resources Have Had the Most Impact on Your Life? Dave Ramsey Rick Edelman Podcast How Do You Want to Be Remembered? The most important thing to me is to be a good father and husband.

We all screw up along the way to retirement. We blow all our earnings. We accumulate a pile of debt. We dig a hole so deep, we wonder if we can ever get out and prosper financially. In my 20s, I bought a nice BMW and my wife and I built a fancy custom home. Both of us were earning good money and our prospects for future increases were great.  I thought this adult career thing was easy. Projecting "normal" wage increases on our income, meant that we would be on easy street. I mean my income could never go down could it? Let's just say I spent my 30s learning hard lessons and cleaning up the mess I made in my 20s. Jen's Journey to Retirement In this week's journey to retirement story, we hear from a smart lady that screwed up with debt, dug herself out of her hole and is now prospering. If you're feeling like you're in a financial hole, listen to her story. She dug out and so can you. About Jen * Native Californian * Divorced * Mid-40s (aka 29) * No children * Works in middle management What Does Retirement Mean to You? “I do believe that as we’re exposed to new ideas…our values shift.” [Tweet “I didn’t realize how much debt could be shackles to your future.”] “Retirement is freedom for me. Freedom in terms of my determining where I want to spend my time.” [Tweet “Maybe for me it’s not really retirement; it’s financial freedom and independence.”] What Are You Most Excited About Retirement? “That ability to make spur of the moment decisions.” How Would You Have Changed Your 20s? “I would not have lived what I thought a typical American lifestyle was. I would not have lived beyond my means.” What Are You Most Worried About Retirement? “That I’m not going to make it and if I do my health won’t be there.” “What am I missing now since I’m deferring so much for this date in the future.” “The fact that maybe it’s too late. That I won’t be able to make that catch-up date.” “Retirement is the language I grew up hearing. We all work until we’re 65 and then we collect Social Security.” “I don’t want to be that person that I have to augment my retirement.” “You can’t bank on the fact that you have good health in retirement and that you’ll be able to work.” How Do You Think You’re Doing? [Tweet “I would love it if someone could look into their crystal ball and say I’m okay.”] Do You Use a Financial Planner? “I’m afraid I’m going to choose someone that is inexperienced or has dealt with a situation similar to mine.” What is the Worst Financial Decision You’ve Ever Made? “Oh, there are SO many.” "The decision to be a self-employed individual and I was ill prepared with what that meant.” “I got into something like $40,000 of credit card debt.” “I understand depression. When you wake up and there’s nothing and there is nothing I can do to get out of this mess.” What Has been the Hardest Thing to Deal With Personally in Managing Your Finances? “There’s a fear that any moment now my good fortune could disappear.” What Resources Have Had the Most Impact on Your Life? * The Little Engine That Could * Young, Fabulous and Broke, by Suzi Orman * Why you need FU money, Jlcollinsnh.com * Mr. Money Mustache How Do You Want to Be Remembered?

Despite what the media and some financial advisors tell us, preparing for retirement isn't about fancy strategies or the best investment. This week listener "Rick" shares his story of how he became a 401(k) millionaire by using a simple but powerful strategy. "Rick" was the first listener to share his story. Rick isn't his real name and in order to present you a better image of who he is, I asked him what his financial "spirit animal" was. After an awkward pause he replied tortoise and after hearing his story, I thought it was perfect! As you listen to Rick's story, you may feel like I did...a little jealous.  Rick grew up with a sound financial basis from his parents. As you heard last week, I didn't. In fact, I think most of us didn't. If you're like me, don't worry. Regardless of where you are, you can begin a journey towards financial independence. About "Rick" * Age 59 * Has worked for the same company for 30 years * Married 30 years * Same House 30 years * 3 grown kids * Shares hobbies with spouse What Does Retirement Means to You?   “I found it a little bit frightening." “I love my work…though I'm caught between the parts I like and the parts I don’t like.” “I’ve always had a big lazy streak…work has so much structure and so many demands that it keeps me going.” What Are You Most Excited About Retirement? “The lack of stress!" "That I’ll have time to do the things I like to do.” What Are You Most Worried About Retirement? “I think it would be health issues.” “I’ve seen a lot of healthy people get hit with significant diseases out of the blue.” “Nobody lives forever but I’d love to have 20-30 years of health left in my life.” How Do You Think Your Doing? “We probably have saved 20% of more of my pay since day 1.” “Even in the early years when my income wasn’t anything special we saved.” “We’re 401k millionaires now.” “Money doesn’t come into our lives just so we can get as many toys as possible, it’s there to help people.” “If you don’t save it, it doesn’t matter what your rate of return is, you’ll never have much.” What Has Been Your Worst Financial Decision? “I didn’t make many money mistakes because my parents were kinda Dave Ramsey people, long before Dave was born.” "When we first got enough money to afford cars, we bought new cars.” What has been the Hardest Thing to Deal with Personally in Managing Your Finances? “I really don’t know an answer to this one.” What Resources Have Had the Most Impact in Your Life? * How to Win Friends and Influence People. "That ability to communicate and sell my ideas had as much to do with my intellect when it came to the success of my career.” What Do You Want to Be Remembered By? “I think really all I really want is my kids to remember me a certain way, like I remember my parents.” “Someone that is honest, generous and was a loving father.” Want to Share Your Story? Tell me below. I'll send you the questions and details on how it will work. As a thank you for contributing to the community, you'll receive a free 30-minute consultation to address any financial planning issue you want. [contact-form][contact-field label='Name' type='name' required='1'/][contact-field label='Email' type='email' required='1'/][contact-field label='Comment' type='textarea' required='1'/][/contact-form]

There are plenty of people around today that will offer their services as a “life coach” or “business coach.” Few have the demonstrated history of success as businessman, family man and friend to man as Aaron Walker. Register for May 26th's Webinar: How to Manage Cash Flow in Retirement   In this episode, Aaron shares his Journey Towards Retirement. Below are some notable quotes from our talk. Aaron Walker's Journey to Retirement What Does Retirement Means to You?   “I won’t ever retire. I may slow down but I love building…” “Retirement means, I just want to be safe because I may not be able to work.” “I don’t want to quit, but I do believe we should have common sense.” What Are You Most Excited About Retirement? “I’m excited I’m able to help ordinary men become extraordinary…pouring knowledge and whatever little bit of wisdom I have into others.” What Are You Most Worried About Retirement? “What creeps up sometimes is the fear of not being healthy.” “Recently I started paying attention to my health…I’ve lost 40 lbs since November 1st." How Do You Think You're Doing? “I’m a big real estate guy, 75% of my retirement is in real estate.” “I wish I’d saved a little more cash.” “I worry sometimes if I’m balanced properly.” Who Do You Use in Your Life to Help Make Smart Financial Decisions?  “For the most part, I’ve done it for myself, that’s the reason I’m not as balanced as I should be.” What Has Been Your Worst Financial Decision? “I’ve never blown money, I work to hard to make it.” “It's simultaneous with one of my biggest successes. It was when I was 27 years old and I sold my business.” “Looking back now, I think I probably could have parlayed that into something larger.” “I didn’t know I was going to get bored as fast as I did.” “I came from a very poor family…when the opportunity came along, it was the most money I could ever imagine.” What has been the Hardest Thing to Deal with Personally in Managing Your Finances? “In managing my finances, I’m self reliant and I probably should have been looking outward more and seeking more expert advice.” What Resources Have Had the Most Impact in Your Life? * Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Doing Less * How to Win Friends and Influence People * The Bible * TED Talks * Mastermind groups “absolutely a game changer for me” What Do You Want to Be Remembered for? “I want to be remembered as the guy that helped others achieve their goals and dreams.” ‘I want to be remembered as the guy that stops waiting to talk and fully engages.” Free Resources From Aaron Walker to Help you Find Meaning Click Here to Get Aaron's Free Resources * A Personal Assessment * What Do I Want? * Steps to a Productive Day Want to Share Your Journey Toward Retirement? [contact-form][contact-field label='Name' type='name' required=...

At the end of day, all that matters is what retirement means to you.  Forget what the commercials say.  Forget what the brochures say.  Forget much of what your advisor may say.  You don't have a "number;" you have a life that you get to define and live. This week I'm starting a new series called Retirement to Me, where you, the listener, get to share the lessons you've learned along your journey and what retirement means to you. Your Story is Important Each of you have unique experiences, knowledge and perspective about money and retirement. By sharing your story, you can have a positive impact on others journeys and help them view retirement from a fresh perspective. My guess is by telling your story, you'll learn more about yourself as well. Here's How it Works: * I'll interview willing listeners for approximately 20 minutes about their money and retirement story. * Our conversation will be just that: an informal conversation (no fancy interview structure). * I'll ask the same 10 questions (see below). * You'll get the exact questions beforehand. * Our talk will be prerecorded to allow for review and editing before publishing on the podcast. * You can share as much or as little as you're comfortable with. In order to protect your identity, you can change your name and/or elements of your story. * As a thank you, any participant whose talk is aired will receive a 30 minute planning call with me to address any financial issue they'd like to discuss. Interested? Enter your info here and I'll e-mail you the details. [contact-form subject='I Want to Share My Story'][contact-field label='Name' type='name' required='1'/][contact-field label='Email' type='email' required='1'/][contact-field label='Comment' type='textarea' required='1'/][/contact-form] I'll Go First. To start things off, here is my money and retirement story. Okay, Mr. Whitney. 1. Who are you? Not your name, just tell me the basics about you. My name is Roger Whitney. I guess I can say my name, right? I've been married almost 25 years to my college sweetheart. We have a 17 year old daughter and a 19 year old son so I'm just about to enter that empty nest phase of life ... I'm getting nervous myself I'm being interviewed ... that empty nest stage of life where we're going to have a little bit more free time. They're wonderful kids and they're very self-sufficient. Both my wife and I are really coming into a renaissance in our career in that we're fairly highly trained. I think we're very competent and we know who we are and what we aren't, and we're really laser focused on serving. We're comfortable with who we are as adults now and we're excited about this empty-nester stage. We're not excited about our kids leaving but we're excited about the ability to see them grow and blossom as adults, and we're excited about the two of us being able to basically go through that second romance of having more time that we can spend together and give each other attention, so that's pretty cool. That's who I am. I'm Roger Whitney. I own a business. I serve lots of wonderful people in what I do. I have this amazing podcast with these amazing listeners. Got to kiss up a little bit. That's who I am. 2. What does retirement mean to you? That's simple because, as the "Retirement Answer Man," I think about this all day long. What retirement means to me is very different I think than how the industry thinks about it. Having seen people walk this journey towards retirement, following the path that they've been told to follow of saving up tons of money and then living well later on, seeing that and being trained in that, and seeing how that actually works out in application,

If you want to retire and are looking for guidance, don't just find someone smart. There are plenty of smart advisors with plenty of smart ideas. It's been my experience that smart by itself, isn't enough. If you want to retire successfully, it's better to seek out wisdom. [Tweet "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know that just ain't so."] In this episode, I discuss some of the value a wise advisor can bring to your financial life. Including: * Finding blind spots in your retirement plan * Bring perspective learned from walking the journey with others on the same path * Creative solutions to your unique life * Manage emotions that can derail the best laid plan to retire * Diligence to help you address the right issues * Consistent communication to assure the right conversations happen in the right frequency so you can make adjustments as your life unfolds Listener Question: One question I had is if the Monte Carlo model factors in the different investment bucket assumptions. My assumption is it assumes the regular draw out amounts occurs evenly between the buckets in good times and bad.  If this is the case then not drawing on the equity bucket during bad time will help to increase the likelihood of not running out of money in retirement.  Please clarify.  Thanks, Monte. Great observation, Monte. How you manage drawing from your assets during retirement is critical. Do it wrong and you could seriously handicap your chances of maintaining your lifestyle. In this episode, I answer your question directly. How to manage drawing from your assets during retirement is one of the most common questions I get.  To help you understand, it will be the focus of my next webinar. How to Manage Cash Flow in Retirement Webinar During the webinar I'll show you how to: * Draw from your assets for income * Set up and manage your cash flow reserve buckets * Manage cash flow during down markets * Evaluate the best strategy for you [calendar_date style="1" month="May" calendar_bar_color="%23ff0000" day="26" full_date="Tuesday%2C%2026th%20May" time_1="2%3A00%20pm" timezone_1="CST"]

If you work for a company, you're a cog in the machine. You're a replaceable part, easily eliminated or replaced if it suits the needs of the company. Sorry to be so blunt. I'm not trying to hurt your feelings. It's just important you accept this if you're going to thrive in the years ahead. Marc Miller is the founder of Career Pivot which helps Baby Boomers design careers they can grow into for the next 30 years. Miller authored the book “Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers.” You can follow Miller on Twitter or Facebook. In this episode we discuss: * What to do when you're offered a buyout * What is negotiable * How to evaluate a buyout package * How to maintain your professional network * The loss of the "social contract" * The freelance economy * Why everyone is an entrepreneur

Most of the personal finance blogs you read focus on how to be more frugal. How to cut costs so you can safe and invest for retirement. It's important to be frugal but frugal only goes so far. I've invited Paula Pant from Afford Anything to chat about frugality and what might be a better place to focus your time if you're saving for retirement. Paula, is a thirtysomething that has chosen a unique path for her life. She's rejected the "normal" work path baby boomers learned and has embraced the opportunities of the growing freelance economy. Us "old folks" can learn from this sharp lady. Show Topics Include: The diminishing returns of frugality The opportunities to earn income A different way to approach retirement Understanding the new freelance economy What side hustle is How to find income opportunities Her article Flex Your Hustle Muscle PLUS Listener Questions & Webinar Feedback * What are the actual mechanics of drawing money from my accounts during retirement? * Can you explain return sequence risk? * Is iCloud storage safe for my In Case of Emergency plan? * How do distributions work from an inherited IRA

Just because Bill & Sally can't achieve their ideal retirement doesn't mean they can't have a great retirement. In this episode, we'll discuss: * Why it's okay to not be able to achieve an ideal retirement * Common ways to adjust your retirement plan * Uncommon ways to adjust your plan * How to gauge how much investment risk to take during retirement * Preview tomorrow's webinar results show [feature_box style="1" only_advanced="There%20are%20no%20title%20options%20for%20the%20choosen%20style" alignment="center"] “When the final result is expected to be a compromise, it is often prudent to start from an extreme position.” John Maynard Kaynes [/feature_box] How to Access Tomorrow's Free Webinar If you've signed up to plan alongside Bill and Sally, you'll receive an e-mail with all the details. * Thursday, March 26 at 7:00 pm CST * Webinar replay available to those that register If you haven't and want to attend...

Yeah, you read that right.  Bill and Sally cannot achieve their ideal retirement. That really sucks....or does it??? Remember in Episode 55 when I outlined Bill and Sally's ideal retirement? I said "too many people are being too reasonable when setting their retirement goals" and challenged you to think BIG about yours. Well, that's what Bill and Sally did. The fact that they can't achieve their ideal demonstrates that they did it right. They thought BIG about what their life could be. Now that they realize that "ideal" isn't reasonable, they can begin the work of prioritizing what matters most to them. That's an awesome accomplishment. Only by thinking BIG first were they able to identify everything they might want. Now they can choose the most important things. In this episode, I review their ideal retirement goals, financial resources and the results of their ideal retirement analysis. Here Are Your Action Items for the Week: * Listen to the episode and think creatively about how we can build a plan for their retirement. * Review the ideal retirement analysis.  Are we missing anything? * Answer the challenging questions.  This is important because YOUR input will be used in our live webinar on March 26th. Help Create Their Retirement Plan: * What possible changes can they can make? * What changes would have the most impact? * What are some "outside-the-box" solutions you've seen? * If they are unwilling to take more investment risk, what is the impact on their life goals? Go Here to submit your answers and I'll work to incorporate them into next week's webinar.   Bill & Sally Want to Retire Webinar, March 26th at 7:00 CST If you're not already signed up to plan along side Bill and Sally, sign up for the webinar here.      

If you asked me what was the most important item you should do to track your financial health I would tell you to track your net worth. A net worth statement is the most powerful tool you can use to track your financial progress over time. This simple one page document represents the sum of all your financial decisions over time.  There's no hiding with good intentions on a net worth statement. Ultimately, I think, it reflects what you value most. Organizing Your Financial Resources Now that Bill and Sally have dreamed big and identified their needs, wants and wishes for retirement, it's time to see what resources they have to work with. This week, we review their cash flow (income sources and expenses) and create a net worth statement to see their assets and debts. If you've signed up to plan alongside Bill and Sally, here are your action items for the week. (Haven't signed up yet?  See the bottom of this post.) Here Are Your Action Items for This Week: * Make sure to listen to the episode. I review your comments and walk through Bill and Sally's financial situation. * Review Bill and Sally’s cash flow summary and net worth statement. This will give you a snapshot of what the end result can look like. * Watch the short video. I walk you through each step of  identifying your income sources and creating your net worth statement. * Complete these worksheets. It might take a little homework to get the estimated value of your social security, pension, assets and liabilities but it’s worth the effort. Your net worth statement will be the key document you use to track your financial life. * Estimate future retirement income sources * Build your net worth statement * Manage your current lifestyle and cash flow Challenging Questions of the Week: * Should they pay off their car loans? Why or why not? * Should they contribute to ROTH IRAs? Why or why not? * Are they saving enough? Why or why not? Respond with your answers here. It's Not Too Late Get All the Free Resources and Access to the Webinar on March 26th

Too many people are being too reasonable when setting their retirement goals. STOP! When you start your planning for retirement it is critical that you think big. There's time enough later to be reasonable. Right now, focus on what your ideal life would look like....what would your life be if you could "have it all?" Listen Here I know, thinking big about your future is much harder than it seems, especially when it comes to retirement. That's okay, I'll help you snap out of it. Dream Up Your Ideal Retirement In this first step of planning with Bill and Sally, I personally challenge you to suspend your reasonableness. Sit down with your spouse and a glass of your favorite beverage (for these talks, this is mine) and dream big. Your Action Items for This Week: (For those of you that signed up to plan along) * Listen to this episode. You'll learn what their ideal retirement looks like and some of the issues they face. * Review Bill & Sally's Ideal Retirement Summary. (If your not signed to receive it go here). * Watch the short video. In it I give quick tips on how to think BIG about your retirement. * Complete your own IDEAL retirement worksheet. Start off with your needs, dream a little and jot down some wants and then dream a lot more and add your wishes. DON'T BE REASONABLE, just put down needs, wants and wishes that would truly be meaningful to you. * Ask questions. Having trouble dreaming big about your retirement?  Shoot me an e-mail. I’ll do my best to answer your question. Send me an e-mail or go here.  Challenging Questions of the Week: * How should Bill and Sally address their personality differences? * How have you dealt with a similar issue? * What other potential issues do you see in their ideal retirement? Send me an e-mail or go here to give me your answers. It's Not Too Late to Get All the Free Resources to Plan, Too.

Want to retire a year earlier? Maybe have a bigger lifestyle budget for travel? You might be able to if you change your relationship with your car. "According to Edmunds.com, the average monthly payment on a new vehicle is $479. Considering your existing car is trouble-free, saving that $479 per month means an annual savings of $5,748 by postponing the purchase of a new vehicle" (bankrate.com). In this episode I talk with James Kinson from Cash Car Convert. James is on a mission to change how people think about and buy cars. * What to look for when you're buying a used car * The value of buying used * The dangers of long car loans * How to buy a used car * The value of buying a used car from a new car dealer * How long a car can last (and still look great) * Why you should do all the schedule maintenance In the Market for a Car? Connect with James and learn how to do it right: * The Cash Car Convert blog * The Cash Car Convert podcast Bill and Sally Want to Retire Based on your feedback from January's Can Carl Retire series, I've created a case study for us to work through in the month of March. Meet Bill and Sally : * Bill is 58 years old. Sally is 59. * They've been married for 13 years (their 2nd marriage). * Both work outside the home. * Each has an adult child from a previous marriage. * Neither has a pension. * Both started saving later in life (early 40's). * Bill is very worried about the markets and world economy. Sign up and plan alongside Bill and Sally and get access to an exclusive retirement planning webinar. [button_5 bg="orange" text_color="dark" text="reserve-your-spot.png" align="center" href="http://www.rogerwhitney.com/billsally" new_window="Y"/]   Full Transcript The Retirement Answer Man Episode #54   You know, if you want to create a great retirement, you’re not going to find it in an investment or product. You’re going to find it by having the right conversations and creating a plan that you can easily adjust as your life unfolds.   Well, hello and welcome to the Retirement Answer Man Show!   My name is Roger Whitney.   I’m happy to have you here today. I’m happy to be here today! This is going to be a great show today.   Today, we are going to work to change how you think about buying your next car. Oh, boy! This is a big one. If you recall, I’ve had car fever from time to time, and I recently had a conversation with James Kinson from Cash Car Convert and he is on a mission to help us buy our next automobile in a much smarter way and I need this!   I’m a horrible negotiator when it comes to these types of things. You would think I would be good at this but I’m not. When I see something and I get tempted, I really want it, so I have to work not to be tempted – to avoid temptation – and that’s the way I broke my car fever back in the fall and that’s actually how James and I met.   We’re going to have a conversation with James to change the way you think about buying your next car and maybe this will save you a boatload of money. We’re also going to lay out what we’re starting here March 4th – ou...

Okay, you're planning for retirement, but what exactly are you planning for? I don't think most of us think about this. We work and save and work and save, but spend little time figuring out what we'll actually do when we retire. In this episode, I interview Tom Schwab of Goodbye Crutches and Inbound for eCommerce.  Tom is a great example of someone that overcame a potentially devastating business set back to build a business that he can enjoy well into retirement. There are a lot of great lessons we can learn from his story, such as: * How your lifestyle choices can set the tone for your entire life. * Why we're created to serve. * How to bounce back from a set back. * The importance of focusing on people and experience rather than things. * How to organize your life to stay engaged well into "retirement." * How to think intentionally about your career. Those that retire successfully don't retire from something; they retire to something. Roger Whitney How You Can Help the Show Subscribe to the show in iTunes and leave a review. I'd really appreciate your feedback and support.   Full Transcript The Retirement Answer Man Episode #53 The one lesson I’ve learned from all the people that I’ve worked with over the years is that those that retire successfully, they don’t simply retire from something, they have something to retire to. Well, hello! This Roger Whitney. Welcome to the Retirement Answer Man Show! This is the show dedicated to helping you dream up your ideal retirement, plan a course to work towards it, and most importantly, living out a plan that fits what you and your family care about most. I’m very excited to have you here today. Today, we’re going to start to answer a really important question. I had a question from a listener, Steve, just this morning. He is 59. Sounds like he’s fairly set financially – or he’s done a lot of work, a lot of good work financially – and he’s wondering, “Well, what do I do from here? What do I do in this next phase? I need the structure of my work but it’s killing me!” We’re going to start to try to answer Steve’s question and then we’re going to have our first retirement profile. I’m going to profile a gentleman who’s in his fifties named Tom Schwab. Tom and I got to know each other here in the last three or four months. About two months ago, right before the “Can Carl Retire?” series, I had a talk with him about how he lives and his thoughts on retirement. He has some very unique views that really resonated with me and I think, from my position anyway, Tom has mastered the art of living life intentionally and I think there are a lot of great lessons that we can all learn from this conversation with Tom and I’m anxious to get your feedback as you listen to it so I look forward to that. But, before we get to that, let’s have that all-important disclosure and that is only you know your entire financial situation so consider this podcast, my blog, and anything you read on the internet as helpful hints and education because we don’t know anything about you – we really don’t. We’d love to get to know you but I don’t so this is just helpful hints and education. Before you make any decisions, consult the people that do know you and that could be your financial advisor, your legal advisor, or your tax advisor. That’s a fundamental principle of planning well in your life. Before we get to Steve’s questions,

I'm still amazed at the level of engagement and transparency "Carl" has had throughout the process of creating his retirement plan on the show. I'm just as amazed at how much the series has resonated with you, the listener. Your questions, comments, suggestions and thank yous made the series better. In this episode, you'll get to hear directly from Carl and Jane as we discuss the Can Carl series, retirement, planning, investing and where they go from here. Recently, while on a business trip, I had the privilege of spending an evening with Carl and Jane at their home. After a great dinner (thank you, Jane), we sat together and I recorded our conversation. Lots of pearls of wisdom here, so it's worth a listen. A Personal Reflection on “Can Carl Retire”…. [feature_box style="1" only_advanced="There%20are%20no%20title%20options%20for%20the%20choosen%20style" alignment="center"] On September 5th, 2014, a listener to The Retirement Answer Man wrote the following email to Roger: Roger,  New to you, impressed. Spent 30 mins in your library today - well done. Wondered if you'd be interested in doing a "deep profile" as a blog? I could share all my detail, you could use as a case study for a blog (keeping me anonymous, preferably?). I'm 51, manage my own $, have ~ $1.8 M net worth and pension, looking to sell house to downsize to cabin (2nd home at the moment),  have a detailed tracking of actually spending by month. Question: Out by 54, 55, or 56?  How much "cushion" is worth the extra time being a corporate rat vs pursuing our dream of RV'ing and working seasonal jobs in National Parks. I could share any level of detail you'd ask for to build an interesting case study. Interested? That listener was me, who you all now know as Carl. Three nights ago I had the wonderful experience of sharing dinner in my home with Roger and my wife (who you know as Jane), and found it to be a perfect celebration of success. Success via an innovative podcast series which grew from that seed of an idea first planted in that email 5 months ago.  It’s personally very rewarding to have conceived of an original idea and participated as the idea grew to a beneficial fruition, and I’d challenge all of you to seek similar opportunities. So….. ……What worked? * Beneficial:  To me (free retirement review), The Retirement Answer Man (interesting podcast fodder) and The Listener (education and free resources).  Find something that brings value to folks beyond yourself. * Mentally Stimulating: The podcast recording sessions with Roger were a blast.  I’ve been 100% “Self Studied” until now, having the opportunity to banter with a pro was stimulating.  Find something that stimulates your mind. * Assuring:  Having a professional review of this critical question (Can You Retire?) goes a long way in steading nerves as you approach perhaps the most important decision in your working career. Find something that answers that “nagging question” in your life. * Relationships:  They’re important, and a new relationship was built between Carl and Roger that I am confident will continue for years to come.  Find ways to build relationships. To close:  Carl didn’t do anything extraordinary.  He came up with an idea (case study), identified the right platform (podcast), then approached the right person for the concept (The Retirement Answer Man).  Any of you can do the same, and I hope this series encourages you to try. [/feature_box] Your Feedback [feature_box style="2" only_advanced="There%20are%20no%20title%20options%20for%20the%20choosen%20style" alignment="center"] From Dave  "After living through the dot com downturn in 2000-2001, I never really recovered in my ability to deal with the market volatility and staying the course in downturns.  As a result,