Videos & Podcast
Robert explains the decisions behind a retirement income plan, from Social Security filing order to what a market drop does in your first year of retirement. Each video has its own page with the main points written out, so you can read it instead.
12:403 Numbers Every Pre-Retiree Must Know Before Retiring
Your Social Security filing order, your Color of Money Score and your plan’s odds in a market stress test, worked through on one couple’s retirement plan.
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5:48These Are 5 Signs Your Retirement Is A Hope (Not A Plan)
Five signs a retirement plan is still an intention, from not knowing your net income to beneficiary forms nobody has opened since the account was set up.
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8:47The Retirement Question Almost No Advisor Can Actually Answer
Most couples who fear running out of money already have an advisor. Two questions show whether yours specializes in growing money or in paying it out.
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9:00Why Do So Many Retirees Fear Running Out of Money?!
Three gaps behind the fear of running out of money: sequence of returns risk, the health care years before Medicare, and no coordinated tax and Social Security strategy.
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10:568 Studies Say Hire an Advisor — Here’s What They Don’t Measure
Eight studies say hiring an advisor pays off, and all eight measure investment growth. Taxes, withdrawal order and Social Security decide retirement income.
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7:20Why Company Equity Makes Retirement Fears Worse
Private company RSUs can meet their time requirement and still be impossible to sell. How double-trigger vesting, stale valuations, and plan terms can set your retirement date.
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10:16Suze Orman Says Retiring at 65 Is Risky — Here’s What She’s Missing About Retirement Income
Suze Orman is right that working to 65 is a gamble, since the median worker retires at 62. The better goal is income that holds whatever date your job ends.
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4:34Laid Off at 61 With $1.9M — Why It Was Actually Good News
A 61-year-old director lost his job four years early. A pension, savings and his wife’s income bridged the gap, and an 11-year Roth conversion window opened.
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4:175 Retirement Questions Your 401(k) Provider Can’t Answer
Your 401(k) custodian holds the money and shows a balance. The five questions a retirement plan has to answer, and three to ask your advisor this week.
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5:09Social Security: The $400k Decision
Filing at 62 cuts a benefit by up to 30%, waiting to 70 adds 8% a year, and for a married couple the higher earner’s choice sets the survivor’s income for life.
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3:58He thought he needed 6 years, but retired in 14 months
A 58-year-old VP planned to work six more years. His pension and Social Security covered 70% of spending, and he retired 14 months after his first meeting.
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4:41RMDs Trigger Medicare Surcharges and Taxable Social Security
Required distributions from a large 401(k) can raise your bracket, trigger IRMAA surcharges, and make up to 85% of Social Security taxable. The window before RMDs begin.
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2:57The Phone Call that Made This Work Real
A 59-year-old executive with $2.1 million saved kept working because nobody had shown her the numbers. Two planning sessions later, she set her retirement date.
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3:58Traditional wealth management vs Retirement Strategy
Traditional wealth management builds and rebalances a portfolio. A retirement strategy answers whether you will be okay when you stop working, year by year.
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7:34He Was Three Years Away. Then the ‘Merger’ Happened.
Shane had $340,000 in a deferred compensation plan when his company was acquired. Why that money is an unsecured company promise, and what to check in yours.
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5:47Markets Are Down 5%: Long-Term Investors and Smart Retirees Should See Opportunity, Not Risk.
Published in March 2026, with the S&P 500 down about 5% for the year. Why the protection that matters is an income plan that never forces you to sell at a low.
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6:54They Called It a ‘Pension Enhancement.’ It Was the Opposite.
Sandra’s employer called it an enhancement. Her pension was being frozen. What a pension freeze does to a pre-retiree, and what to decide before retiring.
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1:12Retiring Earlier Than Expected: The Opportunity You Didn’t See Coming
One couple thought 67 was the earliest they could retire. A full review found $1,500 a month they had not counted, and they retired at 63. How to check yours.
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4:00The Call I Got Last Week — And What It Tells You About Retirement Right Now
A retired client called at 7:30 a.m. to ask if he should be worried about the news. How a 25-minute review of his plan answered it, and what yours should do.
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6:48The Company That Smiled at Harold for 31 Years — Then Handed Him a Box
Harold was 61, four years from retirement, when his job was eliminated after 31 years. Why a retirement plan has to work without your employer’s cooperation.
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3:57Stagflation Is Back. Here’s What That Means If You’re Retiring Soon.
Stagflation pairs high inflation with slow growth and squeezes retirees from both sides, rising costs and a stalled portfolio. What your plan should withstand.
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5:04The Fed Is Trapped — And Your Retirement Is Caught in the Middle
In March 2026 growth was near zero and inflation was above target, leaving the Fed no clean move. Why retirement income cannot count on the Fed as a backstop.
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6:54Vanguard’s Chief Economist Just Told You Exactly When to Start Worrying — Are You Listening?
In March 2026 Vanguard’s chief economist named oil above $150 a barrel as his concern line. What that level would mean for retirees drawing portfolio income.
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5:17Will Oil Prices Cause a Recession in 2026? What Retirees & Pre-Retirees Need to Know
Published in March 2026, with Brent crude up from about $60 to about $110 a barrel. The case for and against a recession, and what a retirement plan should survive.
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3:52What the Iran Conflict Means for Your Retirement — The Truth Nobody’s Saying.
Published in March 2026, as the Iran conflict threatened the Strait of Hormuz. How an energy shock feeds inflation and sequence of returns risk for new retirees.
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3:20The Client Who Almost Fired Me
Diane was 61, 90 days from retirement, in a portfolio built for growth. Robert told her what her last advisor had not. She nearly walked out, then called back.
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