In This Episode:

A little hope is good for the soul, but when it comes to retirement planning, wishful thinking can lead to serious financial mistakes. Today, Ryan walks through five common examples of wishful thinking that can quietly damage your retirement and how you can build a plan that protects your future instead of relying on luck.

Ryan dives into the mindsets that can sabotage your long-term success, like assuming you’ll never need to dip into principal or counting on your spouse to handle assisted living needs. You’ll also hear why spending often increases during the early years of retirement, and why the “I’ll just keep working” mentality is riskier than it seems. This episode isn’t about being pessimistic, it’s about planning realistically so you can enjoy a retirement that’s built to last. If you want to avoid false assumptions and create a financial future that’s truly sustainable, this is one to tune in for.

Here’s what we discuss in this episode:

🏦 The myth of living off interest alone

📉 Why future tax rates might surprise you

🧓 Assisted living planning mistakes

🍽️ Retirement spending isn’t always lower

🧳 The danger in counting on “just working longer”

 

0:00 – Intro

0:29 – Why Hope Isn’t a Retirement Strategy

1:50 – 1: Living Off the Interest

3:41 – 2: I’ll Be in a Lower Tax Bracket

6:19 – 3: My Spouse Will Take Care of Me

8:33 – 4: My Expenses Will Decrease

9:53 – 5: I’ll Just Keep Working in Retirement