Episodes

A candid conversation with Eric Brotman on why retirement planning needs structure, flexibility, and fewer assumptions. One of the things I’ve learned after years of retirement planning conversations is that most people aren’t short on opinions — they’re short on clarity. They’ve heard plenty of rules. They’ve absorbed countless headlines. They’ve picked up advice from coworkers, friends, and financial media. But when you slow things down and ask a simple question — “Why are you doing it this ...

Retirement researcher Stefan Sharkansky explains why the 4% rule often leaves retirees underspending — and how a more flexible, math-driven approach can lead to a better retirement experience. For decades, the 4% rule has been treated as a gold standard for retirement spending. In fact, I made video about it on my YouTube channel. If you ask most retirees how much they can safely spend, the conversation quickly turns to probabilities, simulations, and avoiding failure. But what if the real risk...

Author Jesse Hurst explains how retirement planning helps reduce the guesswork of retiring through his book “PopEnomics”. A lot of people approach financial planning with one big fear: that it’s going to feel restrictive. Budgets. Rules. Spreadsheets. Being told what you can’t do with your money. But in this episode of Retire Today, I sat down with Impel Wealth Management president and author of “PopEnomics”Jesse Hurst to talk about why that assumption gets things exactly backward — and how the...

Happiness expert Monique Rhodes explains why retirement often feels disorienting at first — and how creating a personal retirement roadmap can turn this transition into one of the most fulfilling stages of life. Retirement is often marketed as the ultimate reward. After decades of work, deadlines, and responsibility, you finally arrive at a chapter filled with freedom, rest, and happiness. But for many people, that moment doesn’t feel the way they expected. In this episode of Retire Today, I s...

Gary Zimmerman of Max® explains how to utilize your cash asset in retirement. Cash is one of the most overlooked assets in retirement. Here’s how retirees can earn thousands more in interest while keeping their money safe and FDIC-insured. Many retirees spend years carefully managing their investments — stocks, bonds, and retirement accounts get plenty of attention. But there’s one asset class that often gets ignored: cash. In this episode of Retire Today, I’m joined by Gary Zimmerman, founder...

Jeremy Keil explains the 5 steps you can take if you are planning to retire in 2026 or 2027. If you’ve been planning to retire in 2026 or 2027, it might feel like you still have plenty of time. But in reality, retirement has a way of showing up earlier than expected — and when it does, the people who feel the most confident are the ones who prepared well in advance. In this episode of Retire Today, I walk through five things you should do before you quit working if retirement is anywhere on you...

Jeremy Keil weighs the opportunities and risks associated with giving your money away to your kids and charity. Most retirees I talk with don’t worry about whether they can give money away. They worry about whether they should. When you’ve worked hard, saved diligently, and reached a point where you have more than you need, a new question quietly creeps in: What’s the purpose of the extra? In this episode of Retire Today, I walk through what I see every day in real retirement plans — the good, ...

Jeremy Keil explains the top 3 tax efficient strategies for charitable giving in 2025. Most people give to charity because it’s meaningful to them — not because of the tax break. And that’s the right mindset. But if you’re already giving, it makes sense to be intentional and structure that giving in a way that helps you keep more of your hard-earned money. In this episode of Retire Today, I walk through the top three charitable giving strategies for 2025, especially in light of new tax rules ta...

Jeremy Keil explores 7 money moves you can consider before the new year to lower your taxes and keep more of your money in retirement. Every December, people scramble to finish holiday shopping, travel plans, and year-end tasks. But one of the most important deadlines — your December 31st tax deadline — often gets overlooked until it’s too late. And once the calendar flips to January 1st, many of the smartest tax moves disappear. In this episode of Retire Today, I walk through seven year-end ta...

Dale Hall of the Society of Actuaries explains how to project your longevity and why informed life expectancy matters for retirement planning. Most people build their retirement plan around a single number: life expectancy. They’ll say, “My dad died at 78, my mom at 82, so I’ll probably be gone by then too.” Then they quietly design their plan to “run out” around that age. But as my guest Dale Hall, Managing Director of Research at the Society of Actuaries, shared on the Retire Today podcast, ...

Author Beth Pinsker shares her experience overcoming the challenges of financial caregiving based on her book “My Mother’s Money.” Most people imagine estate planning, inheritance, and beneficiaries when they think about aging. But today, more and more adult children are also facing something much harder: stepping in to manage their parents’ finances when those parents can no longer manage them alone. Financial caregiving doesn’t happen on a schedule. It happens suddenly — often without warning...

Jeremy Keil dives into the details of estate planning, what people often miss and how to leave a legacy that lasts. When most people hear the words estate planning, they think about wills, trusts, and what happens after they’re gone. But that’s only half the picture. Estate planning is just as much about protecting you while you’re alive as it is about transferring assets after you pass. In this week’s episode of Retire Today, I walked through the essential parts of a practical, real-world esta...

Author Jillian Johnsrud explains how mini retirements help people retire often in this week’s episode of “Retire Today” with Jeremy Keil. When most people think about retirement, they picture one big event—the day they finally walk away from their job and start living life on their own terms. But what if instead of waiting 30 or 40 years for that freedom, you could enjoy pieces of retirement throughout your career? That’s exactly what my guest, Jillian Johnsrud, suggests in her book Retire Ofte...

Jeremy Keil compares long-term care insurance to self-funding long-term care through the lens of 3 clarifying questions. When most people start planning for retirement, they’re focused on investment returns, income, and taxes. But one of the biggest financial and emotional challenges retirees face isn’t about markets or money — it’s about health. Specifically, it’s about how to plan for long-term care. I get this question all the time: “Should I buy long-term care insurance or should I self-in...

Rona Guymon and Jeremy Keil discuss how the recent economic changes have affected retirement plans and strategies. Is inflation forcing you to rethink your retirement plans? You’re not alone. In a recent episode of the Retire Today podcast, I sat down with Rona Guymon from the Nationwide Retirement Institute to discuss how recent economic changes are reshaping retirement expectations. Rona and her team commissioned a study through The Harris Poll that revealed some surprising — and concerning —...

Kanwal Sarai of “Simply Investing” explains his 12 rules for dividend investing and how this strategy could be used in retirement planning. When most people think of investing, they picture charts, constant news updates, and the stress of trying to time the market. But as my guest Kanwal Sarai shared on the Retire Today podcast, successful investing doesn’t have to be complicated—or stressful. In fact, Kanwal says it’s so simple that even his nine-year-old kids could do it. Kanwal is a software...

Andrew Motiwalla explains how to prepare for long-term travel and how to incorporate travel into your retirement plan. When I sit down with people to talk about retirement, one of the first things I hear is, “I want to spend more time with my grandkids and I want to travel.” And while grandkids may not need much planning, travel does—especially if you want to do it in a way that truly enriches your retirement years. That’s why I was excited to sit down with Andrew Motiwalla, founder of The Good...

Discover how step 5 of building your retirement master plan can help you leave a lasting legacy while avoiding the big 3 retirement risks. When most people think about retirement planning, they picture saving money, managing investments, and planning income. But retirement is about more than how you live—it’s also about what you leave behind. And as I often remind my clients, it’s not what you leave them, it’s how you leave them that counts. This is Step 5 in creating your retirement master plan...

Learn the number 1 investing mistake people make in retirement and how to build a retirement investment plan. The market goes up, the market goes down, and too often retirees get caught chasing returns or trying to predict the next big winner. In Step 4 of the Retirement Master Plan, I want to help you avoid the number one investing mistake I see retirees make: trying to control what you can’t control. Instead of focusing on the unpredictable, like short-term stock market moves or economic headl...

Learn how to keep more of your retirement income through tax planning in step 3 of the 5 step retirement plan. When people think about retirement planning, they usually focus on two big questions: How much do I need to spend? and How much will I make in retirement? Those are important, but there’s a third question that often gets overlooked—and it could make or break your plan: How much of your money do you actually get to keep? That’s what Step 3 of creating your retirement master plan is all a...

Learn how to maximize your Social Security and pension benefits in your retirement income plan. Just because you’ve stopped working doesn’t mean you’ve stopped making money. In fact, some of the most important financial decisions you’ll ever make happen right at the start of retirement—and many of them are one-time, often irreversible choices. Get them right, and you could add hundreds of thousands of dollars in lifetime income. Get them wrong, and you may leave that money on the table. That’s ...

Order your copy of Jeremy Keil’s new book “Retire Today” available now. I am so excited to share some big news with you: my new book, Retire Today, is officially available! This book is the result of years of helping people transition into retirement and seeing firsthand what works—and what doesn’t. My goal in writing Retire Today was to give you a simple, step-by-step guide to creating your own retirement master plan. Because the truth is, retirement doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the ri...

Jeremy Keil explains step 1 of the 5 step retirement plan: retirement spending. When it comes to retirement planning, one of the biggest questions people ask is: Where do I start? The truth is, before you think about investments, taxes, or even when to claim Social Security, you need to figure out one thing—how much you’re going to spend in retirement. This is what I call Step One in creating your retirement master plan, which I’ve outlined in my book Retire Today. While many people assume retir...

Jeremy Keil explains why personalized longevity estimates are the most important number in your retirement planning. When most people think about retirement planning, the first number that comes to mind is how much money they’ll need to retire. And while that’s an important figure, I believe there’s another number that matters even more. I call it your retirement longevity number – and understanding it could have a significant impact on your retirement. Why Your Retirement Longevity Number Matt...