Retire With Style cover art

Retire With Style

Retire With Style

Written by: Wade Pfau & Alex Murguia
Listen for free

About this listen

 The purpose of Retire With Style is to help you discover the retirement income plan that is right for you. The first step is to discover your retirement income personality. Your hosts Wade Pfau, PhD, CFA, RICP and Alex Murguia, PhD walk you through creating and implementing a retirement plan that will help you reach your goals, and that you’ll be able to stick with.
Start by going to risaprofile.com/style and sign up to take the industry’s first financial personality tool for retirement planning.Copyright 2022 All rights reserved. Economics Personal Finance
Episodes
  • Episode 212: A Guided Tour of the Retirement Planning Guidebook: Part 1

    Episode 212: A Guided Tour of the Retirement Planning Guidebook: Part 1
    Jan 21 2026
    Audio Quality Notice: Please note that this episode contains some technical audio issues affecting portions of the recording. While we’ve made every effort to improve the sound quality, some disruptions may remain. For clarity, full transcripts and closed captions are available and linked here for your reference. In this episode of Retire With Style, Alex and Wade kick off a new arc focused on the fully revised Third Edition of the Retirement Planning Guidebook. The conversation walks through the foundational ideas behind the book, beginning with retirement income styles and why there is no single “best” strategy for everyone. Wade explains the importance of aligning retirement income decisions with personal preferences, comfort with risk, and behavioral realities rather than forcing a one-size-fits-all approach. The discussion then expands into efficiency-focused retirement planning, highlighting practical ways retirees can improve outcomes through Social Security claiming decisions, tax planning, and organization for incapacity and estate planning. The episode concludes with a framework for understanding the three major risks retirees face: longevity risk, market risk, and spending shocks, as well as why planning becomes especially critical during the transition into retirement. Takeaways Retirement income planning does not have a single correct answer; multiple viable strategies exist, and the best choice depends on personal preferences and behavior.Understanding your retirement income style helps prioritize which strategies, tools, and chapters of the planning process deserve the most focus.Retirement efficiency means getting more after-tax spending power or legacy from the same set of assets, often by making better decisions rather than taking more risk.Social Security claiming decisions remain one of the most impactful and accessible efficiency opportunities for many retirees.Strategic tax planning, including Roth conversions, can create immediate and long-term benefits without requiring market forecasts.Organizing documents for incapacity and estate planning is a major but often overlooked source of efficiency with both financial and psychological benefits.Retirees face three primary categories of risk: longevity risk, market risk amplified by withdrawals, and unpredictable spending shocks.The years leading up to and immediately following retirement are a fragile transition period where early planning creates significantly more flexibility and better outcomes. Chapters 00:00 – Retirement Planning Guidebook Series Introduction 05:35 – What’s New in the Fully Revised 3rd Edition 06:36 – Why Retirement Income Styles Come First 08:11 – Is There a “Best” Retirement Income Strategy? 10:33 – Investing vs. Annuities: Where Each Fits 11:18 – Addressing Bias in Retirement Planning Advice 14:29 – Getting a Second Opinion on Retirement Strategies 17:14 – Risk Premium vs. Risk Pooling Explained 19:22 – What Retirement Planning Efficiency Really Means 21:32 – Social Security Claiming as a Planning Lever 23:22 – Roth Conversions and Tax Planning in Retirement 24:57 – Estate and Incapacity Planning Mistakes to Avoid 26:45 – The 3 Biggest Risks in Retirement 29:22 – Why Retirement Risk Is Different Than Accumulation 31:41 – The Fragile Retirement Transition Period 33:20 – Why Planning Early Improves Retirement Outcomes Links 📘 New Release: The Retirement Planning Guidebook (3rd Edition) Wade Pfau’s must-read Retirement Planning Guidebook just got even better. The 3rd Edition is now available and packed with the latest updates to help you design your retirement strategy with confidence. Grab your copy on Amazon or your favorite book retailer: https://books2read.com/Retirement 📅 Upcoming Webinar: Tax Planning for Retirement in 2026 Join Wade Pfau live for a free Retirement Researcher webinar on Wednesday, January 28 at 1PM ET. He’ll walk through what proactive tax planning should look like before the 2026 tax changes kick in. Reserve your spot now at retirewithstyle.com/podcast Explore the New RetireWithStyle.com! We’ve launched a brand-new home for the podcast! Visit RetireWithStyle.com to catch up on all our latest episodes, explore topics by category, and send us your questions or ideas for future episodes. If there’s something you’ve been wondering about retirement, we want to hear it! This episode is sponsored by Retirement Researcher https://retirementresearcher.com/. Download their free eBook, 8 Tips to Becoming A Retirement Income Investor at retirementresearcher.com/8tips
    Show More Show Less
    32 mins
  • Episode 211: The Math Behind Retirement Decisions (and Why It Matters)

    Episode 211: The Math Behind Retirement Decisions (and Why It Matters)
    Jan 13 2026

    In this episode of Retire with Style, Wade Pfau and Alex Murguia break down key concepts in retirement income planning, including present value, discount rates, and internal rates of return. They explain how these tools apply to real-world decisions such as Social Security claiming and choosing between a pension and a lump sum. The conversation highlights the importance of understanding cash flows and using sound mathematical analysis to inform decisions, while still accounting for personal preferences and risk. Listen now to learn more!

    Takeaways

    • Present value and breakeven analysis are crucial for financial planning.
    • Understanding discount rates helps evaluate future cash flows.
    • Internal rate of return is essential for comparing investment options.
    • Financial decisions often boil down to present value calculations.
    • Social security optimization relies on present value analysis.
    • Pension versus lump sum decisions require careful discount rate consideration.
    • Cash flow evaluation is key in retirement planning.
    • Investment decisions should factor in opportunity costs.
    • The relationship between interest rates and present value is significant.
    • Financial planning is both a mathematical and an artful process.

    Chapters

    00:00 Introduction to Retirement Income Planning 03:49 Understanding Present Value and Discount Rates 06:40 Evaluating Cash Flows and Internal Rate of Return 09:32 Applications in Financial Planning 12:46 The Impact of Interest Rates on Valuation 15:30 Real-Life Financial Decisions and Break-Even Analysis 18:53 Social Security and Pension Decisions 22:05 The Funded Ratio Tool and Its Importance

    Links

    Explore the New RetireWithStyle.com! We’ve launched a brand-new home for the podcast! Visit RetireWithStyle.com to catch up on all our latest episodes, explore topics by category, and send us your questions or ideas for future episodes. If there’s something you’ve been wondering about retirement, we want to hear it!

    This episode is sponsored by McLean Asset Management. Visit https://www.mcleanam.com/retirement-income-planning-llm/ to download McLean’s free eBook, “Retirement Income Planning”
    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • Episode 210: Navigating Tax Changes for 2026

    Episode 210: Navigating Tax Changes for 2026
    Jan 6 2026

    In this episode of Retire with Style, Alex and Wade break down the key tax changes coming in 2026, including the return of standard ACA subsidies, the extension of current tax rates, and updates to standard deductions. They cover inflation-related adjustments, itemized deductions, charitable giving rules, estate tax exemptions, and what the alternative minimum tax means for retirees. The conversation also explores the new Trump accounts launching in July 2026 and wraps up with a lighthearted discussion on New Year’s resolutions. Listen now to learn more!

    Takeaways

    • The ACA subsidies are reverting to pre-2021 levels in 2026.
    • Tax rates remain unchanged from previous years, providing stability.
    • Standard deductions continue to be higher, affecting itemization rates.
    • Inflation adjustments will impact the thresholds for tax brackets.
    • Charitable contributions now have a deduction floor based on AGI.
    • Estate tax exemptions are increasing significantly for 2026.
    • The alternative minimum tax may affect more high-income earners.
    • 529 plans have expanded eligible expenses for education.
    • Trump accounts will allow contributions for minors starting in July 2026.
    • New Year's resolutions can be a time for reflection and planning.

    Chapters

    00:00 Welcome to 2026: New Beginnings 02:13 Affordable Care Act Changes 07:25 Tax Rates and Standard Deductions 09:16 Inflation Adjustments and Tax Planning 11:34 Itemized Deductions and Charitable Contributions 20:32 Estate Tax Exemptions and Business Income 24:44 Alternative Minimum Tax and 529 Plans 28:19 Trump Accounts and Future Planning 29:42 New Year Reflections and Resolutions

    Links

    Explore the New RetireWithStyle.com! We’ve launched a brand-new home for the podcast! Visit RetireWithStyle.com to catch up on all our latest episodes, explore topics by category, and send us your questions or ideas for future episodes. If there’s something you’ve been wondering about retirement, we want to hear it!

    This episode is sponsored by Retirement Researcher https://retirementresearcher.com/. Download their free eBook, 8 Tips to Becoming A Retirement Income Investor at retirementresearcher.com/8tips
    Show More Show Less
    39 mins
No reviews yet