Nearly half of retirees risk running out of money before they run out of retirement. In this episode, Dave Hall traces how retirement planning quietly became a "do-it-yourself" project — from the creation of Social Security in 1935, through the era of employer pensions, to the 1974 IRA and 1978 401(k) that shifted the responsibility for retirement income onto individuals. Dave explains why accumulating money for retirement is relatively simple, but spending it down safely is a different skill entirely, and walks through the four areas where self-directed retirees most often run into trouble: tax coordination and required minimum distributions, income and liquidity planning, healthcare and Medicare decisions, and legacy planning.

Whether you're managing your own 401(k) and IRA or just want to understand where retirement plans tend to break down, this episode covers the decisions that matter most once you shift from saving to spending.

In this episode:

• How Social Security, pensions, and the 401(k)/IRA shaped today's "do-it-yourself" retirement model
• Why nearly 46% of Americans are at risk of running out of money in retirement
• The difference between accumulating assets and living off them (and why it's a much harder problem)
• Tax coordination: required minimum distributions, Roth conversions, and why portfolios often outgrow tax brackets
• Income planning: liquidity, sequence of return risk, and why a 5-year liquid asset bucket matters
• Healthcare planning: Medicare Advantage vs. Medigap, and the real cost of long-term care
• Legacy planning: making sure your assets go where you want them to, not where probate sends them
• The "tunnel vision" mistake that causes otherwise careful retirees to miss bigger risks

Learn more:
Visit retirementriskadvisors.com for educational tools, webinars, Dave's books, and to schedule time to talk through your own retirement plan.

Investment advisory services offered through AlphaStar Capital Management LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser. SEC registration does not constitute an endorsement of the firm by the SEC, nor does it indicate the adviser has attained a particular level of skill or ability. Fixed insurance products are offered through Retirement Risk Advisors, and AlphaStar Capital Management is not involved with the offer, recommendation, sale, or management of commission-based fixed insurance products. AlphaStar Capital Management and Retirement Risk Advisors are separate and independent entities. This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal, tax, or investment advice or a recommendation of any particular security, investment product, or investment strategy.

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