Setting Retirement Goals: The Paradox of Knowing What You Want

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

🗓️ 8 October 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

💬 Show Notes

In this episode, Roger Whitney kicks off a four-week series on retirement goal setting, tackling the paradox of knowing what you want in retirement. He discusses the challenges of articulating desires for a life stage that many have never experienced, emphasizing the importance of not oversimplifying retirement goals. Tune in to explore how to set the right conditions for a fulfilling retirement and avoid the pitfalls of external scripts and societal expectations.

OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN

PRACTICAL PLANNING

(01:32) We are starting a four week series on retirement goal setting.
(02:44) Why “What do you want to spend in retirement?” isn’t the right question.
(05:54) Next week, we'll talk about how to be more nuanced when setting retirement goals.
(09:40) The problem with following other people’s scripts
(13:14) The problem of getting too detailed

LISTENER QUESTIONS

(16:36) Am I required to keep an Inherited IRA separate from my other IRA's or can it be combined with an existing IRA for simplicity?
(19:11) Richard wants to noodle on the retirement distribution order.
(23:40) I’m 3-5 years from retirement. Is now the right time to join Rock Retirement Club?
(26:29) Estate preparation hint from Jane on the three passwords a family needs

SMART SPRINT

(28:19) In the next seven days, revisit your retirement goals.

EXTRA

(29:11) Shauna and I are celebrating our 35th wedding anniversary this week!

REFERENCES

Transcript

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0:00.0	I optimized for a retirement that would have impressed my 40-year-old self, not one that would
0:05.5	fulfill my 70-year-old self.
0:08.2	Lee Eisenberg's the number.
0:10.2	Oops.
0:13.4	Welcome to the show dedicated to helping you not just survive retirement, but to have the
0:18.3	confidence to lean in and rock it.
0:22.2	Oops.
0:24.5	My name is Roger Whitney.
0:26.7	Welcome to the show.
0:27.7	If you are new here, we don't do this very often.
0:29.7	If you are new here, new to listening to this show, two things I want to tell you.
0:34.9	One is welcome.
0:36.7	In this show, every week, for the last 11 years, we
0:39.6	noodle on how to do retirement planning well, getting the reps in on doing the financial part
0:47.5	well, so that you can create a great life. Remember, that's the point of the exercise.
0:55.8	And it's so easy to miss that when we're geeking out on the number.
0:59.0	So we talk about both sides on the show.
1:01.1	That's the first thing I wanted to share.
1:02.7	Second is, if you haven't already, sign up for our noodle.
1:08.2	Sign up for the noodle, which is our weekly email that comes out every
1:12.2	Saturday where we share a recap of the show. We share resources we think are helpful,
1:19.3	and especially resources that we mentioned on the show. This is an easy way to get links to those
	...

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