Retirement Elevated Podcast with Sean Lee

The years between your final paycheck and the start of Social Security can create a unique planning window, but only if you know how to use it. Sean explains why this stretch of retirement may deserve more attention than many people give it. Thoughtful decisions during these years can create opportunities while helping you avoid unintended consequences later. If retirement is approaching, this could be one of the most valuable windows in your financial plan.
Here’s what we discuss in this episode:
⏳ Tax Window: Use lower-income years strategically
📝 Income Planning: Choose where retirement cash comes from
🔄 Roth Conversions: Evaluate opportunities before income rises
🏥 Medicare Risk: Watch the IRMAA lookback
🧭 Tax Strategy: Build the plan in the right order
⚖️ Future Taxes: Prepare for changing tax laws 
Schedule a 15-minute consultation:  https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
Get your free copy of "Rounding Third:"  http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
Contact us:
(801) 639-0095
slee@erg-slc.com

Some financial decisions look complicated and turn out to be pretty simple. Others look simple and are anything but. Today, Sean’s taking a list of common money moves and sorting them into two piles: harder than it looks, or easier than it looks. Some of this really is easier than it looks, and some of it is a lot harder. The tricky part is knowing which is which before you find out the hard way. That's exactly the kind of thing worth talking through.
 
Here’s what we discuss in this episode:
⏰ Social Security: Find timing that fits
🧺 Diversification: Avoid owning duplicate investments
🔄 401(k) Rollovers: Handle transfers with purpose
👥 Beneficiaries: Keep designations up to date
🐷 Retirement Income: Build your own paycheck
🧾 Future Spending: Estimate real retirement expenses
 
Schedule a 15-minute consultation:  https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
Get your free copy of "Rounding Third:"  http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
Contact us:
(801) 639-0095
slee@erg-slc.com

It's spooky season. And while most people are thinking about haunted houses and horror movies, a lot of pre-retirees have scarier things on their minds: running out of money, or a market crash at exactly the wrong time. Today, Sean’s shining a flashlight on five of the biggest financial frights and how to prepare for them. Most of what scares people about retirement isn't the event itself. It's not knowing what happens next. A plan won't make the unknowns disappear, but it can make them a lot less frightening. Happy Halloween.
Here’s what we discuss in this episode:
💀 Running Out of Money: Longevity makes income planning critical
📉 Market Timing Matters: Early losses can create added pressure
🏥 Healthcare Adds Up: Costs can be easy to underestimate
🧠 Long-Term Care Is Real: One spouse’s care can affect both
💔 Plan for One Survivor: Losing a spouse changes income and taxes
 
Schedule a 15-minute consultation:  https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
Get your free copy of "Rounding Third:"  http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
Contact us:
(801) 639-0095
slee@erg-slc.com

📞 Get your customized planning started by booking a 15-minute consultation:
https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
📘 Grab Your FREE Copy of "Rounding Third"
http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
Talking about money can be hard, and sometimes it just takes the right question to get things moving. Sean walks through five conversation starters designed to uncover the worries, goals, passions, and priorities that often sit underneath the financial numbers. None of these questions are really about money, and that’s kind of the point. Sometimes the best way into a financial conversation is to start somewhere else entirely.
Here’s what we discuss in this episode:
🎯 Daily Purpose: Think beyond the retirement commercial
🏺 Financial Genie: Identify the worries you’d erase
❤️ Personal Passions: What would you do without money concerns?
🔎 Past Decisions: Learn from financial choices you’d change
🪣 Bucket List: Identify what matters most
📅 Prioritize Early: Move physical adventures to the front
🧭 Plan Around Life: Let money support your priorities
Schedule a 15-minute consultation:  https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
Get your free copy of "Rounding Third:"  http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
 
Contact us:
(801) 639-0095
slee@erg-slc.com

📞 Get your customized planning started by booking a 15-minute consultation:
https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
📘 Grab Your FREE Copy of "Rounding Third"
http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
Most people have a retirement date in mind, but life doesn’t always cooperate. A job loss, health issue, or other unexpected change can suddenly move retirement up by several years. Sean explains why it’s important to know how your plan would hold up if that happened and how stress-testing different scenarios can help turn uncertainty into clearer decisions.
Here’s what we discuss in this episode:
📅 Earlier Than Planned: Retirement may arrive before you expect
🧮 Run the Numbers: Test whether your plan works several years early
🌉 Bridge the Gap: Part-time income may help cover shortfalls
🏥 Healthcare Matters: Early retirement can create pre-Medicare expenses
🪜 Plan in Stages: Income needs can change as Social Security and Medicare begin
🔄 Stay Flexible: Adjust spending and income sources as circumstances change
Schedule a 15-minute consultation:  https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
Get your free copy of "Rounding Third:"  http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
 
Contact us:
(801) 639-0095
slee@erg-slc.com

📞 Get your customized planning started by booking a 15-minute consultation:
https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
📘 Grab Your FREE Copy of "Rounding Third"
http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
More people in their 60s and 70s are staying on the job than ever before, and it's not always about the money. Sean digs into the real reasons retirees keep showing up to work. Working longer isn't automatically the wrong call. Sometimes it's exactly right. The real question is whether it's a choice or a fallback. That's worth figuring out before you assume the answer.
Here’s what we discuss in this episode:
🤝 Social Connections: Work can provide relationships, routine, and community
🏠 Home Life: Retirement can significantly change the rhythm of a marriage and household
💵 Financial Stress: Uncertainty about money can keep people working longer than necessary
🔦 Plan for Clarity: Understanding the numbers can make retirement feel much less intimidating
🕒 Part-Time Work: Semi-retirement can provide income, structure, and social connection
✅ Work Optional: The goal is having the freedom to decide whether you continue working
Schedule a 15-minute consultation:  https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
Get your free copy of "Rounding Third:"  http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
 
Contact us:
(801) 639-0095
slee@erg-slc.com

📞 Get your customized planning started by booking a 15-minute consultation:
https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
📘 Grab Your FREE Copy of "Rounding Third"
http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
Over the past year, one retirement video on YouTube pulled in 3.7 million views. The title: "Sell These 5 Things Before You Retire." We thought it was worth a conversation, not to tear it apart, but to react honestly. Does Sean agree?
3.7 million people watched this video for a reason. It touches something real. Retirement isn't just about what you've accumulated. Sometimes it's about what you're willing to let go of.
Here’s what we discuss in this episode:
🏡 Oversized Homes: When downsizing makes sense
👨‍👩‍👧 Adult Children: Balancing love and independence
🚤 Expensive Toys: When hobbies become burdens
🚗 Second Vehicles: Needs versus convenience
💼 Work Identity: Finding purpose beyond your career
✨ New Opportunities: What letting go creates
Sell These 5 Things BEFORE You Retire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IltvyKpy8Z4
Schedule a 15-minute consultation:  https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
Get your free copy of "Rounding Third:"  http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
 
Contact us:
(801) 639-0095
slee@erg-slc.com

📞 Get your customized planning started by booking a 15-minute consultation:
https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
📘 Grab Your FREE Copy of "Rounding Third"
http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
Summer's here. And somewhere between the excitement of planning a big trip and the anxiety of what it costs, a lot of retirees end up doing something that surprises us… they feel guilty about it. They worked hard, they saved, they planned for decades, and then they second-guess a beach vacation. Today, Sean talks about how travel fits into a real retirement plan and how to enjoy it without guilt.
Here’s what we discuss in this episode:
✈️ Build Travel Into Retirement: Make vacations part of the plan
📊 Budget for Big Trips: Know exactly what you can afford
💰 Plan Around Retirement Stages: Spend more during go-go years
💵 Fund Travel with Cash Flow: Use dividends instead of selling assets
❤️ Eliminate Money Arguments: Agree on travel spending together
 
Schedule a 15-minute consultation:  https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
Get your free copy of "Rounding Third:"  http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
 
Contact us:
(801) 639-0095
slee@erg-slc.com

📞 Get your customized planning started by booking a 15-minute consultation:
https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
📘 Grab Your FREE Copy of "Rounding Third"
http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
A lot of people think working with a financial advisor is just about picking investments. But a great planning experience is much more than that. Today, Sean walks through what it actually feels like to work with a firm—from the first conversation to ongoing guidance- so you know what to expect. Every firm can tell you what they do. We'd rather show you. If anything we talked about today sounds like the kind of relationship you've been looking for, let’s have a conversation.
Here’s what we discuss in this episode:
🧭 Planning First: Why investments come second
🎯 Defining Goals: Understanding what matters most
💬 Better Questions: Looking beyond risk questionnaires
🔄 Life Changes: Keeping plans aligned over time
🤝 Ongoing Guidance: Decision-making beyond investments
 
Schedule a 15-minute consultation:  https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
Get your free copy of "Rounding Third:"  http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
 
Contact us:
(801) 639-0095
slee@erg-slc.com

📞 Get your customized planning started by booking a 15-minute consultation:
https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
📘 Grab Your FREE Copy of "Rounding Third"
http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
There’s some big retirement news out of Washington worth understanding. President Trump recently signed an executive order aimed at expanding access to retirement savings for the tens of millions of Americans whose employers don't offer a plan. Today we're breaking down what was signed, what it means in practice, and what questions it raises for your own retirement picture.
Here’s what we discuss in this episode:
💰 Why 50 million workers lack retirement plan access
🏛️ What the proposed “Trump IRA” actually is
📈 How the saver’s match could add $1,000 to retirement savings
🧩 Why retirement planning is shifting toward self-funding
🚀 How younger savers may benefit the most from these changes
 
Schedule a 15-minute consultation:  https://calendly.com/erg-slc/15minutediscoverycall
Get your free copy of "Rounding Third:"  http://rounding-third.elevatemyretirement.com/
 
Contact us:
(801) 639-0095
slee@erg-slc.com