Your Money Guide on the Side

Pre-order Tyler's book, Real Wealth, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tylergardner.com/book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be eligible for all monthly incentives between now and December 1st! And as always, a MASSIVE thank you to this week's sponsors: Anthropic⁠ → ⁠⁠⁠claude.ai/tyler⁠ ⁠to experience AI for minds that don't stop at good enough.⁠ Facet⁠ → ⁠⁠facet.com/tyler⁠ for an exclusive $550 kickstart offer! Bilt⁠ → ⁠⁠⁠joinbilt.com/tyler⁠⁠⁠ So you can choose the card that fits your lifestyle without missing out on points and exclusive benefits. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LMNT⁠ → ⁠drinklmnt.com/tyler⁠ - Become an INSIDER, just order the INSIDER Bundle–four boxes for the price of three, best value they offer–and get early access to limited time flavors and cool surprise gifts along the way. And on to the show notes!! There is no single perfect portfolio. There is only the portfolio that is right for you. In Part 2, Tyler looks at five more of the greatest investing thinkers of the last century before pulling all ten together into a practical framework for building a portfolio that can actually survive real life. In this episode, Tyler covers: Robert Merton on building around the income you actually need Martin Leibowitz and why your capacity for risk matters more than a questionnaire Robert Shiller on valuations, behavioral finance, and global diversification Charles Ellis on winning by avoiding mistakes, not making brilliant moves Jeremy Siegel on stocks, long time horizons, and dollar-cost averaging Why TIPS repeatedly appear as the preferred long-term risk-off asset The five principles that emerge when all ten thinkers are compared The conclusions are surprisingly simple: Keep costs low. Know yourself. Diversify broadly. Protect against inflation. And stay the course. The perfect portfolio isn’t the one with the cleverest allocation. It’s the one built around your life, your risk tolerance, and your goals—and simple enough that you won’t abandon it when markets get ugly. If the show’s been helpful, leaving a quick review on Apple or Spotify genuinely helps. Hope this gives you something to think about this week.

Pre-order Tyler's book, Real Wealth, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tylergardner.com/book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be eligible for all monthly incentives between now and December 1st! And as always, a MASSIVE thank you to this week's sponsors: Factor → factormeals.com/tylerg50off and use code tylerg50off to get 50% off and one free breakfast item per box for one year while supplies last until 10/31/2026. LMNT → ⁠drinklmnt.com/tyler⁠ - Become an INSIDER, just order the INSIDER Bundle–four boxes for the price of three, best value they offer–and get early access to limited time flavors and cool surprise gifts along the way. And on to the show notes!! Personal finance is usually very good at answering how. How to invest.How to save.How to retire. The harder question is what any of it is actually for. In this episode, Tyler steps away from the technical side of money to share four lessons that have shaped how he thinks about work, time, happiness, and wealth. In this episode, Tyler explores: Why having more free time means little if you don’t know what to do with it Why work itself isn’t the enemy—the wrong work, people, and structure are The myth of the “heroic week,” and why meaningful progress is built on ordinary weekdays Why money really can buy happiness—if you spend it on what genuinely matters to you How to use your own spending as data through the Path Dividend Why the financial plan should always serve the life, not become the life The core idea: Money is a means, not an end. The goal isn’t simply more wealth, more freedom, or more time. It’s knowing what kind of days, work, people, and experiences you actually want those things to make possible. If the show’s been helpful, leaving a quick review on Apple or Spotify genuinely helps. Hope this gives you something to think about this week.

Pre-order Tyler's book, Real Wealth, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tylergardner.com/book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be eligible for all monthly incentives between now and December 1st! And as always, a MASSIVE thank you to this week's sponsors: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LMNT⁠ → drinklmnt.com/tyler - Become an INSIDER, just order the INSIDER Bundle–four boxes for the price of three, best value they offer–and get early access to limited time flavors and cool surprise gifts along the way. Copilot Money → ⁠⁠www.copilot.money/tyler⁠⁠ — use code TYLER2 for two free months.⁠ Anthropic⁠ → ⁠⁠claude.ai/tyler ⁠to experience AI for minds that don't stop at good enough.⁠ Bilt⁠ → ⁠⁠joinbilt.com/tyler⁠⁠ So you can choose the card that fits your lifestyle without missing out on points and exclusive benefits. And on to the show notes!! A market crash doesn’t usually destroy a retirement. Panic does. In Part 4 of the Art of Decumulation series, Tyler explores how retirees can survive market downturns without turning temporary losses into permanent ones. Because the financial news reports the weather. Your retirement plan needs to be built for the climate. In this episode, Tyler covers: Why the first five years of retirement carry the greatest sequence-of-returns risk How a larger cash buffer can prevent forced selling during downturns Why a rising equity glide path may make more sense than becoming increasingly conservative with age How the Guyton-Klinger guardrails adjust spending in good and bad markets Why modest spending cuts can support a higher sustainable withdrawal rate The behavioral cost of panic selling—and why knowledge alone rarely prevents it How writing a decision plan in advance can protect you when markets turn Why almost every apparent catastrophe eventually proves to be ordinary market weather The core idea: The most valuable skill in retirement investing is often the ability to do nothing. Use the cash buffer.Adjust spending when the guardrails require it.Trust the plan you made while thinking clearly. Then let the storm pass. This is Part 4 of the Art of Decumulation series. Next week, the final episode: how to move from saver to spender and give yourself permission to enjoy what you built. If the show’s been helpful, leaving a quick review on Apple or Spotify genuinely helps. Hope this gives you something to think about this week.

Pre-order Tyler's book, Real Wealth, at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠tylergardner.com/book⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and be eligible for all monthly incentives between now and December 1st! And as always, a MASSIVE thank you to this week's sponsors: Caldera+ Lab⁠: → If you've been meaning to take better care of your skin, head to CalderaLab.com/TYLER and use code TYLER for 20% off your first order. This has been a game-changer for me. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Copilot Money: → ⁠⁠www.copilot.money/tyler⁠⁠ — use code TYLER2 for two free months, and learn why this is the only budgeting app that makes it into our group texts. Momentous⁠: → ⁠⁠livemomentous.com⁠ Use code Tyler for up to 35% off your first order! ⁠⁠LMNT⁠: → ⁠drinklmnt.com/tyler⁠ Become an INSIDER, just order the INSIDER Bundle–four boxes for the price of three, best value they offer–and get early access to limited time flavors and cool surprise gifts along the way. And On to the Show Notes! Most retirement advice gives you a simple withdrawal order: Taxable.Traditional.Roth. Useful? Yes. Always right? Not even close. In Part 2 of the Art of Decumulation series, Tyler digs into what actually determines where your retirement income should come from each year — taxes, healthcare, market conditions, account type, and the life you’re trying to fund. Because retirement withdrawals aren’t a problem you solve once. They’re a decision you revisit every year. In this episode, Tyler covers: Why the “taxable → traditional → Roth” rule is only a starting point How to use low tax brackets strategically instead of simply minimizing withdrawals Why asset location matters just as much as asset allocation How sequence-of-returns risk changes the early years of retirement Monthly vs. annual withdrawals — and why the mathematically “best” answer may not be the best life answer When ACA subsidies and Roth conversions should override the usual withdrawal order Why the Roth is often best preserved for last The core idea: The best withdrawal strategy changes with the year in front of you. Do the math carefully. But remember what the math is for. This is Part 2 of the Art of Decumulation series. Next week: Roth conversions, RMDs, and IRMAA. If the show’s been helpful, leaving a quick review on Apple or Spotify genuinely helps. Hope this gives you something to think about this week.