{"podcast":{"title":"The What If Show","slug":"the-what-if-show-7769969","podcast_index_feed_id":7769969,"rss_url":"https://feed.pod.co/the-what-if-show","website_url":"https://pod.co/the-what-if-show","image_url":"https://images.pod.co/xfpcGYIy60jFPQ8Lzzo_v_TuuwoNNQmQcgpQvGZtTaU/resize:fill:1500:1500/plain/artwork/e12e88ea-53ad-4b6c-9f07-03e0c7bf1408/the-what-if-show-1773625893.jpg","author":"Thomas Gold Solutions","episode_count":6,"summary":"What if your next client appointment was your best one yet? The What If Show is the podcast for financial advisors and financial planners who want to show up to every client meeting with confidence, clarity, and a plan that actually answers the hard questions. Hosted by Brooke Thomas and Steve Goldstein and powered by the team at Thomas Gold Solutions the company behind Retirement Analyzer... each episode explores the strategies, tools, and mindset shifts that help advisors deliver better retirement planning outcomes for their clients. Because in retirement planning, every client walks in with the same unspoken question: Am...","last_synced_at":"2026-07-25T18:19:37.564298+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-what-if-show-7769969"},"episode":{"title":"Why a Monthly Expense Plan is the Key to a Vibrant Retirement","slug":"why-a-monthly-expense-plan-is-the-key-to-a-vibrant-retirement","published_at":"2026-06-03T22:46:09+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-what-if-show-7769969/why-a-monthly-expense-plan-is-the-key-to-a-vibrant-retirement","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-what-if-show-7769969","url":"https://pod.co/the-what-if-show/why-a-monthly-expense-plan-is-the-key-to-a-vibrant-retirement","audio_url":"https://downloads.pod.co/ebb647a5-2764-4c1a-ba26-f35c9647fe26/cd512616-8fdc-4ac6-be7c-1e1ab3011881.mp3","summary":"In Episode 4 of The What If Show, host Mike Langford sits down with Thomas Gold Solutions co-founders Brooke Thomas and Steve Goldstein to make the case that a monthly expense plan isn't just a budgeting exercise — it's the cornerstone of every great retirement strategy. Fresh off their 86-person Scottsdale Bootcamp, Brooke and Steve explain why \"klumping\" a client's expenses into one round number — even with a reasonable inflation rate attached — produces a fundamentally less accurate plan than itemizing the components. The difference isn't academic: it can shift a plan outcome by more than a million dollars at age 100. Critically, doing the work often allows clients to spend more in retirement, not less. The conversation covers how Retirement Analyzer handles mortgage P&I separately from taxes and insurance, why healthcare inflates at a far faster rate than clothing or life insurance premiums, and how to model the go-go, slow-go, and no-go phases of retirement spending with RA's stairstep expense feature. Brooke recommends advisors explore item-level inflation data from BLS.gov to build inflation assumptions that actually reflect real-world costs — right down to bacon. Steve introduces the concept of \"fluff\" — the gap between a client's net income and their actual tracked expenses — and explains why that number is one of the most powerful leverage points in the entire planning process. The episode wraps with the Retirement BS segment, where Brooke and Steve tackle the long-standing rule of thumb that retirees only need 70–80% of their pre-retirement income — and explain why it's a shortcut that can lead well-meaning advisors in the wrong direction. Resources & Links: 🎯 Try Retirement Analyzer free for 14 days: RetirementAnalyzer.com 🌐 Thomas Gold Solutions: T…","meta_description":"In Episode 4 of The What If Show, host Mike Langford sits down with Thomas Gold Solutions co-founders Brooke Thomas and Steve Goldstein to make the case t…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2241,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-what-if-show-7769969/episodes/why-a-monthly-expense-plan-is-the-key-to-a-vibrant-retirement/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-what-if-show-7769969/why-a-monthly-expense-plan-is-the-key-to-a-vibrant-retirement.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}