Welcome to This Week in Retirement

After 400+ weeks of Every Day is Saturday, we’ve pivoted to a new newsletter format.

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

​Could Required Minimum Distributions Cause You to Overspend?​​

The article from Morningstar explains that required minimum distributions (RMDs) can unintentionally push retirees to spend more than they actually need or want. Because RMDs are based on IRS life-expectancy tables—not personal spending goals—withdrawals can exceed a retiree’s natural lifestyle needs, especially later in retirement. The piece argues that thoughtful planning, such as reinvesting excess distributions or coordinating withdrawals across accounts, can help prevent RMDs from quietly turning into forced overspending.

​The Ideal Level of Wealth​

The article from Of Dollars And Data explores the idea that there’s a point where additional wealth stops meaningfully improving happiness or life satisfaction. Using data and behavioral research, it shows that beyond a certain threshold, more money mainly increases complexity, stress, and decision fatigue rather than freedom. The takeaway is that the “ideal” level of wealth is highly personal—and optimizing for enough, not maximum, can lead to a better life.

📺 Best in YouTube

​I Converted My ROTH at 58, Now I Can Spend $15k/Month in Retirement- Ben Brandt

In this video I explains how doing Roth conversions at age 58—before Social Security and RMDs begin—can dramatically increase sustainable retirement spending. By converting during lower-income years, the retiree reduced future taxes and created more tax-free income, supporting roughly $15,000 per month in retirement spending. The core message is that timing Roth conversions correctly can unlock far more flexibility and confidence later in retirement.

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​If you're in your 50s or 60s, watch this. Life lessons from older retirees - Kevin Lum​

This video shares practical retirement and life-planning lessons from older retirees who are further along in the journey. It highlights advice on mindset, priorities, and decisions that people in their 50s and 60s can learn from to improve their own financial and personal well-being as they approach or enter retirement.

🎧 Best in Audio (Podcasts)

The 2026 Retirement Challenge: Start With Why - Sounds Retirement Radio

This episode kicks off The 2026 Retirement Challenge, a multi-part series designed to help listeners determine whether they’re truly ready to retire—financially and personally. Rather than starting with numbers like “how much is enough,” the first episode focuses on the life side of retirement, asking listeners to clarify their “why.” The core message is that retirement is not just a financial decision, but a major life transition, and designing a meaningful retirement starts with understanding what you’re retiring to, not just what you’re retiring from.

​Spotify | Apple Podcasts​

Planning for Single Retirees — Part 1: Why Retirement Is Different When You're Solo

This episode launches a five-part series on retirement planning for single individuals, a group often overlooked by traditional advice designed for couples. It explains why planning alone changes the stakes—there’s no shared income, benefits, caregiving, or built-in backup—and how that reality affects Social Security, taxes, investment risk, long-term care, and estate planning. Rather than focusing on tactics, the episode reframes the goal for single retirees: not perfection, but resilience, with Social Security introduced as the foundation in the next episode.

​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

That’s it for the inaugural issue of This Week in Retirement, what do you think? Simply reply to this email to share your feedback.

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 #5 of This Week in Retirement,

Ben Brandt