{"podcast":{"title":"Retirement Answer Man","slug":"retirement-answer-man-391124","podcast_index_feed_id":391124,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/retirement-answer-man","website_url":"https://www.rogerwhitney.com/blog","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/0kiUitDUurnzLaKvu-RmSrZo0ix5G32Q2WQOFm_klHQ/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS8zZWM3/NGVlZDE5ZDYyZGY1/MjJlZWUzMmIzODM1/ODlkNS5wbmc.jpg","author":"Roger Whitney, CFP®, CIMA®, RMA, CPWA®","episode_count":656,"summary":"A top retirement podcast. Roger Whitney, CFP®, CIMA®, CPWA®, RMA, guides you on how to actually do retirement well financially and personally. This retirement podcast isn't afraid to talk about the softer side of retirement. It will teach you how to retire with confidence. Two-time PLUTUS winner for best retirement podcast / blog and the 2019 winner for best financial planner blog. This retirement podcast covers how to create a paycheck, medicare, healthcare, Social Security, tax management in retirement as well as retirement travel and other non-financial issues you'll need to address to rock retirement. Retirement isn’t an age OR a financial number. It’s finding that balance between living well today and feeling confident about your retirement. It’s about gaining more freedom to pursue the life you want. Join the rock retirement community at www.rogerwhitney.com","last_synced_at":"2026-07-01T18:22:09.489136+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/retirement-answer-man-391124"},"episode":{"title":"Retirement Toolkit: How Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) Work","slug":"retirement-toolkit-how-required-minimum-distributions-rmds-work","published_at":"2026-07-01T08:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/retirement-answer-man-391124/retirement-toolkit-how-required-minimum-distributions-rmds-work","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/retirement-answer-man-391124","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/a8e8ff63","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/a8e8ff63/7a15d318.mp3","summary":"This week Roger explores the idea of \"digging where your feet are\" and how focusing on what you can do today can reduce anxiety about the future and regret about the past. In the Retirement Toolkit, he explains the basics of Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), including when they begin, which accounts they affect, how they're calculated, and strategies for managing them through retirement. Listener questions cover Roth conversions, 401(k) rollovers, donor-advised funds versus direct charitable giving, and healthcare costs before Medicare. Roger closes the episode with a Fourth of July story about unexpected kindness from strangers in rural Texas. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN (00:00) Roger introduces the idea of \"dig where your feet are\" and explains why focusing on today's actions leads to better retirement planning than living in the future or the past. RETIREMENT TOOLKIT (04:06) Roger breaks down Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), explaining what they are, when they begin, which retirement accounts are affected, how they're calculated, and strategies for minimizing their long-term tax impact. LISTENER QUESTIONS (17:10) Michael asks whether Roth conversions are worthwhile with only a short window between retirement and the start of Required Minimum Distributions. (23:10) Lynn asks how to minimize market risk when rolling a 401(k) into an IRA and worries about being out of the market during the transfer. (28:19) Sandy shares concerns about donor-advised funds and encourages earlier conversations around charitable giving. Roger discusses both the advantages and criticisms of donor-advised funds. (32:52) John shares concerns about healthcare costs before Medicare. Roger discusses replacing vague fears with concrete planning and evaluating t…","meta_description":"This week Roger explores the idea of \"digging where your feet are\" and how focusing on what you can do today can reduce anxiety about the future and regre…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2751,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/retirement-answer-man-391124/episodes/retirement-toolkit-how-required-minimum-distributions-rmds-work/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/retirement-answer-man-391124/retirement-toolkit-how-required-minimum-distributions-rmds-work.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}