Retire Smarter with Kevin Kroskey, CFP® & Tyler Emrick, CFA® CFP®
Retire Smarter with Kevin Kroskey, CFP® & Tyler Emrick, CFA® CFP®
Kevin Kroskey, CFP® & Tyler Emrick, CFA® CFP®
The Retirement Spending Myth: Why the 80% Rule Gets It Wrong
20 minutes Posted Mar 5, 2026 at 2:19 pm.
0:00
20:56
Download MP3
Show notes
Most retirement plans assume your spending will stay flat, or that you will need about 80 percent of your pre-retirement income.
But retirement does not actually work that way.
In this episode, Tyler Emrick, CFP®, CFA®, explains what the research shows about how retirement spending changes over time and why relying on outdated rules like the 80 percent rule can lead to over-saving and under-living or under-planning altogether.
Drawing on research from David Blanchett’s Retirement Spending Smile, Morningstar data, and EBRI studies, Tyler covers:
Why retirement spending is not a straight line
How spending often declines in mid-retirement and rises again later
The Go Go, Slow Go, and No Go phases of retirement
How fear of running out of money causes many retirees to under-spend
A practical way to estimate your real retirement spending needs
 
Have questions?
Need help making sure your investments and retirement plan are on track? Click to schedule a free 20-minute call with one of True Wealth's CFP® Professionals.
http://bit.ly/calltruewealth