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Retirement Answer Man

Decluttering for Retirement: Your Step-by-Step Plan

Retirement Answer Man

Roger Whitney, CFP®, CIMA®, RMA, CPWA®

Education, Investmentmanagement, Saving, Self-improvement, Careerplanning, Retirement, Business, Lifeplanning, Investing, Retirementplanning, Financialplanning, Retirementpodcast

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 27 May 2026

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, retirement expert Roger Whitney and Marie Kondo consultant Dr. Lindsey Hardegree explore the transformative power of decluttering. They discuss how clearing physical and emotional clutter can pave the way for a joyful and intentional retirement. Lindsey shares practical strategies from the Konmari method, focusing on identifying what truly sparks joy and letting go of the rest. This conversation is perfect for anyone looking to simplify their life and embrace a clutter-free future. 


OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

  • (00:00) Roger previews the episode, announces the June 18 Noodle Live event, and introduces the final installment of the decluttering series.

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT WITH LINDSEY HARDEGREE

  • (03:15) Roger frames retirement as a major life transition and explains how clutter extends beyond possessions into finances, commitments, and relationships.
  • (06:40) Lindsey introduces the KonMari framework and explains why the first step is creating a clear vision for your ideal life before getting rid of anything.
  • (09:14) Lindsey shares common scenarios that prompt people to seek out an organizer.
  • (12:18) Roger and Lindsey discuss practical ways to define what you want your environment and future life to feel like.
  • (15:31) Lindsey explains emotional attachment, sunk costs, and why gratitude can help people let go of possessions tied to previous seasons of life.
  • (18:12) Why decluttering by category—not room—creates better long-term results and why sentimental items should come last.
  • (25:00) Club members discuss challenges involving spouses, differing organizing styles, and when outside help may be more effective than family support.
  • (30:53) Lindsey addresses difficult situations involving aging parents, inherited belongings, and navigating sentimental attachment during life transitions.
  • (33:01) The discussion shifts toward handling deeply personal and sentimental items, including family keepsakes, clothing, photos, and children's memorabilia.
  • (50:41) Lindsey explains why organization systems should fit the person using them and how overly rigid systems can create frustration instead of simplicity.
  • (55:21) Resources and advice for finding professional organizers and deciding when support may be helpful.

SMART SPRINT

  • (59:27) Pick one very small category of personal items—pens, office supplies, coffee mugs, hair clips, or something similar—and spend time decluttering only that category. Focus on building momentum and decision-making reps rather than trying to organize everything at once.

REFERENCES

Note: The opinions expressed are for informational purposes only and should not replace personalized advice from licensed professionals.


Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hey there. Welcome to the show dedicated to helping you not just survive retirement, but to have the confidence to lean in and rock it.

0:10.5

My name is Roger Whitney. I'm a practicing retirement planner with 35 years experience, co-founder of retire ad job.

0:18.7

Today on the show, we are going to finish up this month-long series on decluttering.

0:24.9

And we're going to talk to a organizational expert from Marie Kondo's organization,

0:30.4

Lindsay Hardegree.

0:31.8

And she's going to walk through a protocol to approach to this declutter in your life in a way that won't overwhelm you.

0:41.1

She was kind enough to hang out with club members for about an hour.

0:43.9

You're going to get to listen in to a great discussion on decluttering.

0:47.6

I am going to dry to declutter my sinuses.

0:51.1

I'm a little under the weather today.

0:53.1

So that's what we have on deck today.

0:54.6

Next month on the show, it's going to be answering your questions, and we're going to be doing

0:59.0

a lot of retirement toolkit segments where we'll teach some basics of different concepts

1:05.0

and things you need to know to have the right tools to rock retirement. Now on, was it June 17th, I believe? No, June 18th at

1:14.7

7 p.m. Central time. We're going to have a live hangout, the noodle live, where I'm going to

1:20.3

hang out with you and other listeners, talk retirement, answer your questions, and just work on

1:27.4

building those skills to lean in to rock retirement. In your questions, and just work on building those skills to lean in to Rock

1:30.2

retirement. In addition to that, we're going to open up enrollment to the Rock Retirement

1:34.9

Club for our summer cohort. So you're welcome to join us. You can check that out at live with

1:40.7

roger.com. So with no further ado, so I can save my voice and you can get busy decluttering,

1:48.6

let's chat with Lindsay.

1:54.6

All right, everybody, welcome to this special session with Lindsay,

...

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