Welcome to This Week in Retirement

The promise of This Week in Retirement:​
If you only have 15–30 minutes per week to dedicate to learning more about retirement planning, I’ve got you covered.

Retirement planning is both my job and my hobby. Every week, I read dozens of articles and watch or listen to hours of podcasts and YouTube videos.
​Every Thursday, I’ll share the best options from each category.

Pick a few. Skip the rest. You’re covered.

📰 Best in Retirement News

​Here’s How You Can Spend More During Retirement​- Morning Star

People enter retirement with very different goals—some want to leave a large legacy, while others care more about maximizing what they can safely spend during their lifetime. Morningstar’s research shows that if your priority is lifetime income, flexible strategies like guardrails or RMD-based withdrawals can support higher spending than a rigid, inflation-adjusted approach, even though you’ll likely end with a smaller portfolio. The trade-off is clear: more flexibility means more income while you’re alive, but less left over at the end—and that’s often a feature, not a bug, when income is the goal.

​Unexpected Expenses Are The Rule In Retirement, Not The Exception- Financial Advisor

When people think about retirement spending, they usually focus on travel and hobbies—but the bigger risk is the stuff you didn’t plan for. Research shows most retirees face regular “surprise” expenses every year, and higher-income retirees actually see larger and more frequent shocks, especially from home, car, and healthcare costs. The takeaway is simple: retirement plans shouldn’t just cover lifestyle spending—they need built-in flexibility and liquidity to handle the unexpected, because emergencies don’t stop at retirement.

📺 Best in YouTube

​No Tax on Overtime : Don't Make This Mistake​

The Big Beautiful Bill passed in July 2025 created a new tax deduction for overtime pay. But claiming it isn’t automatic—you’ll need to take a few extra steps. This video will break down how the deduction works, what to expect, and what your payroll department probably won’t mention.

​
​NEW Retirement System To NEVER Run Out Of Money​

This video breaks down a retirement income system designed to help you not run out of money—without forcing you to underspend your entire life. We look at why traditional rules like the 4% rule often fall short, how saving “more” isn’t always the answer, and how to build a flexible income plan that adapts to real life so your money can last as long as you do.

🎧 Best in Audio (Podcasts)

Healthcare Before Medicare: What Happens When You Retire Before 65?​
Roger Whitney kicks off a month-long series on navigating health care before Medicare, introducing Cerberus—the three-headed dog of Greek mythology—as a framework for understanding the biggest challenges retirees face when leaving employer-sponsored coverage. He breaks down the three heads of Cerberus, answers listener questions about retirement planning, and shares recent book recommendations from himself and the team.

​Spotify | Apple Podcasts​

​Annuities Explained: When Guarantees Help—and When They Hurt Your Retirement- Stay Healthy Retirement Podcast

Annuities are often marketed as a simple fix for a complicated retirement problem—guaranteed income, market protection, and peace of mind. But those guarantees come with trade-offs that many investors don’t fully see until later: higher fees, less flexibility, and unexpected tax issues. This episode breaks down how annuities actually work, the main types you’ll encounter, what the guarantees really mean, and where the risks tend to show up.

​Spotify | Apple Podcasts​

🧭 Other Business

Starting this year, I’m adding a short segment to the end of the podcast:

Retire TO something, not FROM something.

Each week, I’ll spotlight:

• Volunteer opportunities
• Part-time “fun” jobs
• Creative or meaningful ways people stay engaged in retirement

​Click here to share your ideas!

Additional resources:

​Click here to order my book, Retirement Starts Today: Your non-financial guide to an even better retirement

​Click here to get started on your retirement plan

Have a link you'd like to share with our audience? Reply with your best links & you might see them featured in an upcoming issue.

We'll see you next week for issue #8 of This Week in Retirement,

Ben Brandt