What you'll learn
This topic is built around one question that matters more than almost any other in personal finance — and the honest, economics-based answer to it.
The 4% withdrawal rule was derived from historical portfolio returns, not from economic principles. You'll see exactly where it goes wrong and what it misses about your actual situation.
Retiring one year earlier or later isn't just a portfolio question — it changes your sustainable living standard for the rest of your life. You'll see how to think about that trade-off clearly.
Social Security timing, spouse income, housing equity, expected longevity, and spending flexibility all interact. This topic shows you how to hold all of them together instead of optimizing one at a time.
Full stop vs. full go is rarely the only choice. You'll learn how part-time work, consulting, or phased retirement changes the lifetime math — often dramatically.
By the end you'll have a clear framework for answering this for yourself — and know exactly what inputs you'd need to run the numbers with planning software like MaxiFi.
A free 1:1 session with Professor Puelz — for students who complete the topic
Finish the course and score 7 or higher on the closing quiz, and you unlock a free 15-minute live Zoom session with Professor Robert Puelz — focused entirely on your retirement question and situation.
This is not a webinar or a group call. It is a 1:1.
Scheduling is simple: after you pass, a form appears inside the course. Fill in a few good times and a sentence about what you want to discuss, and your request goes straight to the Moneygimme team.
Unlock this topic
This is a standalone topic — you don't need to have completed Path 1 or Path 2 first. If you've been wrestling with the retirement question, start here.
You'll get the full lesson sequence, the retirement trade-off framework, the closing quiz, and — after you pass — the chance to schedule a 1:1 Zoom session with Professor Puelz to talk through your own situation.
Price: One-time purchase of $99 for full access.
After purchase, you'll receive access instructions by email.
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