Most retirees aren’t spending anywhere near what they safely could — often barely 2% of their savings — and that hesitation may be costing them the very retirement they worked for. Don and Tom make the case for permission to spend, walking through why flexible withdrawal strategies beat rigid rules, how the “go-go / slow-go / no-go” years actually play out, and why fear of future healthcare costs often leads to unnecessary deprivation today. Listener questions cover tilted portfolios inspired by Paul Merriman, early-retirement home financing decisions, inheritance timing versus helping kids now, and whether ACATS fraud fears are overblown. The through-line: have a real plan, update it annually, and then — finally — live it. 0:04 You did everything right — now spend some of the darn money 1:06 Retirees spending only ~2% of savings (why this happens) 2:03 Permission to spend is harder than permission to save 3:16 Go-go, slow-go, no-go years (and why front-loading joy matters) 4:34 Healthcare fear vs. actual retirement guardrails 6:19 Helping kids before inheritance (when it matters most) 6:35 Why “winging it” works for some — and fails for most 7:58 Flexible percentage withdrawals vs. fixed rules 8:59 Vacations, Hawaii, and spending after strong market years 10:55 Great Wolf Lodge economics (and parental survival strategies) 13:00 Listener Q: Portfolio tilts (US, SCV, international, EM) 15:49 Listener Q: Downsizing early, mortgages vs. IRA withdrawals 18:34 Liquidity matters more than interest rates pre-59½ 21:15 Retirement planning as a map, not a spreadsheet 21:46 Listener Q: ACATS fraud fears and account security 24:40 Why total safety often makes life worse, not better Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices