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What If Now Is The Worst Possible Time To Retire?
10/12/2026
What If Now Is The Worst Possible Time To Retire?
What happens when you save for decades, you stop working, and then the market completely falls apart? If you’ve asked this question and you worry about retiring at the worst possible time, you are not alone. I’ve seen people get so paralyzed by the thought of retiring into a bad market or a bad economy that they put off retirement indefinitely. So today, I’m going to talk about why it can be truly devastating if you retire at the wrong time - and how you can take steps now to make sure that doesn’t happen to you. If you’re new here, hi, I’m Ashley, and I’m a financial advisor. For the last 19 years, I’ve been helping my clients navigate their retirement. If you’re trying to plan for and live a fulfilled and financially secure retirement, that’s exactly what this podcast is dedicated to. Please subscribe. All right, so I actually have been through this firsthand with my clients because I started my career back in 2007. In fact, September of 2007 is when I started, and it was right before the market peaked—before everything completely fell apart during the great financial crisis. I had clients who I was brand new to working with, and they were on the cusp of retirement or had just recently retired when the financial crisis hit. Sequence of returns risk: Before I talk about what you can do to prevent bad timing leading to really bad consequences, we need to talk about why investment losses early in retirement can be especially damaging… Why the order of your investment returns matters when you’re taking withdrawals -- If you don’t take steps to build a moat around your retirement to protect yourself from sequence of returns risk, it can and has been devastating for many people who unfortunately simply retired at the wrong time. Here’s what I tell my clients, and here’s how you can build that moat: Stress test your plan: What a significant market decline could mean for your retirement income, spending, and investment portfolio. Backup income: How part-time work, consulting, or gradually transitioning into retirement can reduce pressure on your investments. Cash reserves: Why I recommend setting aside emergency savings, money for upcoming major purchases, and a separate reserve for planned portfolio withdrawals. Spending flexibility: How knowing your expenses and entering retirement debt free can make it easier to adjust during a downturn. Social Security timing: Why revisiting your claiming strategy may be worth considering, depending on your circumstances. Your takeaway: Look at your retirement plan and ask: Where can I be flexible? What could I adjust now to give my portfolio more breathing room during the next downturn? Thanks so much for listening! If you found this useful and you're looking for time-tested ideas and strategies to plan a financially secure retirement, please hit that subscribe button and I’ll see you next time! ---------- >>> Apple Podcasts: >>> Spotify: >>> Pandora: >>> Stream Online: ---------- Tags: retirement, investing, money, finance, financial planning, retirement planning, saving money, personal finance
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