Planning for Retirement with Kevin Lao

In this Retirement Q&A episode, I answer four of thequestions I received recently from retirees and people preparing for retirement. We'll cover: • Is the 4% Rule still the best safe withdrawal rate? • What is the best investment allocation during retirement? • Are the new Trump Accounts actually worth using? • What do retirees regret most at the end of life? If you're within 10 years...

⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click this link to fill out our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠visit my website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ****Most advice for retirees suggests to delay SocialSecurity as long as possible. But is that always th...

⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click this link to fill out our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠visit my website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Many retirees spend decades worrying about whetherthey'll have enough money. But what happens when y...

⁠Are you interested in working with me 1 on 1?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Click this link to fill out our Retirement Readiness Questionnaire⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Or,⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ visit my website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   Are you underestimating your retirement expenses? One of the biggest mistakes I see pre-retirees make...

Last week, we covered why Roth conversions can beso powerful in retirement planning. This week, we’re talking about what can go wrong. In this episode, I walk through 12 real-world hurdles and“landmines” that can shrink — or completely eliminate — your Roth conversion window. These are the exact issues I see with retirees and pre-retirees whohave built substantial wealth in traditional IRAs, 401(k...

If you’re approaching retirement with a large 401(k) or IRA balance, this episode could save you and your beneficiaries hundreds of thousands in future taxes. In this episode I'll break down 7 strategic reasons to consider Roth conversions and explain when Roth conversions actually make sense for retirees and pre-retirees. Too many financial “gurus” push Roth conversions as a one-size-fits-all...

In this episode I’ll break down the brand-new TrumpAccounts created under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and explain whether retirees and near-retirees should consider using them as part of their legacy planning strategy. If you’ve built substantial retirement savings and arethinking about: helping children or grandchildrenfinancially, reducing future estate taxes, gifting while living, or creatin...

Are you approaching retirement with $1 million or more savedand wondering how to minimize taxes on your IRA withdrawals, Social Security income, Roth conversions, brokerage accounts, and retirement income strategy? In this episode I'll break down 7 powerful retirement tax planning strategies that high-net-worth retirees can use to potentially reduce or even eliminate portions of their lifetime tax...

After you retire, you might find your net worth continuing to grow, but your 'taxable income' drops significantly. That can create major tax planning opportunities. Hence, 'High net worth, poor on paper.' I’ll explain how that period of time can open thedoor to smarter planning around ACA subsidies, Roth conversions, Social Security taxation, and 0% capital gains harvesting. Remember, these strate...

Are you retiring soon or recently retired and worried about market volatility , sequence of returns risk , and what the Iran conflict could mean for your plans? In this episode, I'm diving into what retirees should be considering as we head into potential prolonged volatility. I'll discuss the short term market impact of the conflict. Then, I'll touch on what I think might be an underlying long-te...

If you're married, your Social Security claiming strategy is not just about your benefit — it's about protecting your spouse’s income for life. In this video, I'll explain the most overlooked Social Security rule for married couples and how it can dramatically affect the surviving spouse’s financial security. Many retirees don’t realize that when one spouse passes away, one Social Security check d...

Are annuities really that bad? I’ve spent most of my career skeptical of annuities.  Especially the expensive, complicatedproducts often sold to retirees. I don’t sell annuities. I don’t earn commissions from them. And in most cases, I still am skeptical of how they are ‘sold’and not planned for. In this episode, I break down four surprising benefits ofannuitizing part of your fixed income, especi...

If you’re a TIAA participant, there’s a good chance you own TIAA Traditional—and it may be one of the most misunderstood “investments” in retirement plans. In this episode, I’m breaking down TIAA Traditional, TIAA Real Estate and answering the biggest questions I hear from TIAA participants: ✅ Should I own TIAA Traditional? ✅ If so, how much should I keep there? ✅ Should I use the TIAA Real Est...

Lately, I’ve been seeing a TON of retirement planning content telling people: "Don’t work another year. Retire now. You’re wasting time." And honestly… as a retirement-focused financial planner, that message kind of rubs me the wrong way. Not because it’s always wrong… but because I think there’s an angle behind it. In today’s episode, we break down what One More Year Syndrome really is,...

Is the 4% rule actually causing people to work 5 to 10 years longer than they need to? In this episode of The Planning for Retirement Podcast, Kevin Lao breaks down a series of real historical 40 year retirement backtests using withdrawal rates of 4%, 5%, 6%, and even 7%, and the results are shocking. Using Portfolio Visualizer, Kevin tests how different withdrawal rates would have performed start...

What if you live to be 100 years old? A lot of retirement plans assume your portfolio needs to last 15–25 years… maybe 30 if you’re being conservative. But if you retire at 60 (or earlier) and live to 100, that’s a 40-year time horizon in retirement — and it changes everything. In this episode, I walk through five retirement planning considerations to address longevity risk for retirees in 2026 an...

Elon Musk went on the Moonshots podcast and said you don’t need to save for retirement anymore because AI + robots will make work optional and money won’t matter. If you’re 55+, sitting on seven figures in a 401(k)/IRA, and you’re trying to figure out when you can stop working, travel more, and play more golf — this episode is for you. In this video, I’ll: • Play Elon’s quote and explain what’s go...

Susan is 65, recently widowed, and has saved $2.1 million for retirement. On paper, she’s more than fine… but emotionally, she doesn’t feel fine. After watching her husband pass away, Susan is ready to retire five years earlier than planned so she can enjoy her “go-go years” while she still has her health. But she’s terrified of one thing: 👉 Becoming a burden on her adult children. In today’s epi...

2025 reminded us of something important: markets don’t move based on headlines or how we “feel” about the economy — they move based on earnings, inflation, interest rates, and policy. And if you’re close to retirement, the goal isn’t to predict the market perfectly. The goal is to know what actually matters and build a plan that works whether markets are great, average, or ugly. In today’s episode...

PFR Nation, We are rewinding the tape ALL the way back to the very beginning! Here, I’ll break down the common Tax Traps of traditional 401ks and IRAs. This was episode #2, so there’s a good chance you haven’t heard this one! I hope you find it useful and drop a comment with your thoughts. How do you navigate these tax traps in retirement? Happy New Year! -Kevin ⁠Are you interested in working with...

Do you ever wish you could get inside the minds of existing retirees to ask them what their experience has been?  Or, ask them what they wish they would have known before they quit their day job?  This episode is for you! In this episode of the Planning for Retirement podcast, I’ll share 50 truths that retirees wish they knew before they quit their day jobs.  Some of these are straight from the ho...

PFR Nation, In this Q+A edition of the podcast, we are going to tackle some key common issues: Underspending in Retirement and how to prepare for this mentally. How do annuities fit in your retirement income plan? Should I contribute Pre-Tax or Roth funds for retirement? I hope you enjoy this one! Let me know if you have any thoughts about my takes. Thank you for tuning in. -Kevin Click this link...

If you are retiring before you turn 65, the healthcare gap is probably top of mind. In today’s episode, I’ll talk about 6 paths to healthcare coverage to bridge the gap until you are eligible for Medicare. I hope it helps. FYI, I am NOT a health insurance expert! This episode was made possible because my current premium was skyrocketing 70% next year, so I decided to shop it. However, each state w...

Advisor’s Alpha is Wrong! Vanguard, the King of NO fees, puts out an annual study where they attempt to quantify the value of a comprehensive financial advisor. I can attest to many of the services mentioned, but it is very difficult, if not impossible, to determine the exact % of additional value added those services can provide. In any event, I think Vanguard actually misses the mark on a few of...

PFR Nation, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! It’s been a while since we did a Whiteboard Retirement Plan breakdown, so lets get this back in the rotation! In this scenario, we are looking at a baseline scenario for Jack and Barbara, who have saved $2.3million for retirement, mostly in tax-deferred accounts. They would like to retire at 61 (2026), but they are very concerned abo...