About this episode

In this episode, Jacob Duke discusses the five biggest retirement mistakes and how to avoid them.

You've spent decades saving for retirement, but are you about to make the same mistakes thousands of retirees only spot when it's too late? In this episode, I walk through the five biggest regrets I see in my work as a retirement planner, and exactly what you can do right now to avoid them. Tune into this episode to find out: (01:14) Regret #1 – Claiming Social Security too early costs you (01:44) Early claiming locks in a permanent 30% benefit cut (02:49) How claiming early closes your Roth conversion window (04:12) Regret #2 – Playing it too safe with your investments (06:43) Using the bucket system to balance safety and growth (08:37) Regret #3 – Not spending enough early on (11:06) Regret #4 – Putting off tax planning until it's too late (12:14) How RMDs, Social Security taxes, and IRMAA blindside you (13:46) Regret #5 – Juggling too many accounts and strategies (14:30) Why simplicity leads to clarity and lasting retirement confidence 👉 Work With Us: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/get-started ✅ Get your Important Numbers 2026 PDF here: https://www.rivertreewealth.com/2026-important-numbers Email: jacob@rivertreewealth.com Website: https://www.rivertreewealth.com LinkedIn…

People in this episode

Host: Jacob Duke

Topics covered

• retirement planning
• investment mistakes
• financial regrets
• tax planning
• Social Security

Keywords

• retirement mistakes
• Social Security
• investment strategies
• tax planning
• financial regrets

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Rivertree Wealth

More episodes of Retirement Answers

• The 4% Rule Is A Terrible Retirement Income Strategy (Here's Why) · May 29, 2026 · 14 min
• The Lie That's Holding You Back From Retirement · May 22, 2026 · 13 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Retirement Answers podcast page.