Retire Strong Online

I read so many posts from folks in the near or retirement community on investing strategy. Lots of fear of the market crashing but also concerns about inflation and buying power over time. I am not a professional financial planner but just some thoughts that help me anyway.

The "Sleep Better at Night" Retirement Strategy
If you’re nearing retirement and the stock market makes you nervous, try thinking of your money in three buckets. This keeps you from having to sell your stocks when the market is down.

🛒 Bucket 1: The Grocery Store (Short-Term)
Timeline: Next 1–2 years of living expenses.
Where to put it: High-yield savings, CDs, or Money Market accounts.
The Goal: Absolute certainty. You know exactly how much is there, and you can get to it tomorrow.

🛡️ Bucket 2: The Safety Net (Medium-Term)
Timeline: Years 3–7 of retirement.
Where to put it: “Boring" investments. Think Treasury bills, high-quality bonds, or conservative dividend funds.
The Goal: To grow slightly more than a savings account, but stay stable enough to refill Bucket 1 if the stock market has a bad year.

📈 Bucket 3: The Engine (Long-Term)
Timeline: 8+ years into the future.
Where to put it: Low-cost equity index funds that track the diversified market without you having to be a stock picker or time the market. No magic crystal ball needed.
The Goal: Growth. This money needs to beat inflation so you don't run out of cash when you're 90. Because you have Buckets 1 and 2, you can ignore the "noise" of the stock market for years at a time.

💡 Pro-Tip: The "Magic" of this strategy is the Refill. When the stock market (Bucket 3) is doing great, you sell a little bit of the profit to top off your Cash (Bucket 1). If the market crashes? You don't touch Bucket 3 at all—you just live off your "Grocery Store" cash and wait for the market to recover.

One final "Safe Advice" Disclaimer:
“Simple" doesn't mean "No Risk." Even the best plan needs a quick annual check-up to make sure the buckets aren't leaking!

Most of us spent 30+ years saving for retirement.
But almost nobody taught us how to get paid in retirement.

A friend and I were talking the other day. He’s smart, successful, and has more than enough saved. I asked him one question:
“Where will next year’s paycheck come from?”

He could list accounts. He could quote balances. But there was no paycheck plan—no simple, repeatable system for turning those accounts into steady income without getting crushed by taxes, market swings, and rising costs.

That gap is exactly why I’m building RetireStrong and why I’ve started writing a new series for recently retired (or almost retired) couples.
I
n the first article, I break down:
• The difference between saving for retirement and spending in retirement
• What a “retirement paycheck” really is
• Why “4% and hope” is not a real plan
• The key risks your paycheck has to survive over 25–30 years

If you’re in your 50s or 60s, financially comfortable but not totally confident about “what happens after the paycheck stops,” this is for you.

👉 Read the first post here: https://open.substack.com/pub/retirestrong/p/your-retirement-paycheck-not-your?r=7pqs83&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

If it resonates, hit subscribe there and follow this page—I’ll be sharing the rest of the RetireStrong curriculum over the coming weeks.

Your Retirement Paycheck, Not Your Portfolio Why retirees need a system, not just a number

Most retirement advice focuses on one big question: “Do I have enough to retire?”

But once you’re actually retired, the question that comes up over and over is much simpler:
“Where does next month’s money come from?”

When you have a mix of accounts—taxable, IRA/401(k), Roth, cash—that question isn’t simple at all. Every withdrawal has tradeoffs:
• taxes and brackets
• IRMAA (Medicare premiums)
• how much cash you keep on hand
• how exposed you are if the market drops

That’s why people talk about things like “three buckets” (cash / bonds / growth) and “guardrails” (spend a little less when markets are down, a little more when they’re strong).

On paper it sounds neat. In real life, it can feel messy and stressful.

So I’m curious:
If you’re retired or close to it, how do you actually decide which account to pull from each month?

Where is My Retirement Mug?

The notice came in a middle of the night email. No party, no gag gifts, no closure and no retirement mug.

Please join me in RetireStrong and comment. What was your story on the end of your career?