#124 - Why You Should't Be Afraid of Yes
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Today is a day to say “Yes” to something. I mean it. There are so many opportunities out there, so many experiences to enrich your life. What could happen if you took the time to say “yes” to one of those opportunities? You’ll only know if you do it. I’m so thankful you’ve joined me today. We’re going to cover some listener questions today about caring for a dependent adult child as retirement nears, combining retirement accounts, and taking distributions from retirement accounts when you’re blessed to retire before the normal retirement age. And of course, we’re going to talk about the power of saying, “yes.” The term, “Brexit” is in the news lately. What is that all about? 

You may have heard that the nation of Great Britain is considering a move away from the European Union, an economic affiliation of nations that use a shared currency, the Euro. The voters of Britain are set to vote this week as to whether their country will remain in the union. Today I’m going to cover a small bit of how this is impacting the markets and how I think we should all think about this event. That’s in my “What Does that Mean” and “Hot Topic” segments, so be sure to listen if you’re concerned about those issues (and even if you’re not). I’m nearing retirement and have a developmentally delayed adult son. How do you recommend I think of retirement in light of that responsibility? 

This real world question came from a listener to the Retirement Answer Man and I’m happy to give the answer my best shot. It’s a matter close to my heart because I once had a relative in the same situation, but it was back in the early to mid part of the previous century when people born with disabilities were often shuffled off to an insane asylum. But that’s not what happened in my family, I had a valiant grandmother who took on the responsibility of caring for that relative and it changed the lives of everyone in the family. I give my best, most heart-felt suggestions to this listener today and think there are some lessons to be learned for all of us regarding how we care of those we love even when we’re retired and beyond. Can you combine your retirement accounts? And should you? 

On this episode of The Retirement Answer Man a listener wrote in to ask if he should combine his retirement accounts. He’s near retirement and doesn’t believe he’ll be making any additional contributions to any of the accounts, so he’s curious if there are advantages or disadvantages to putting all of those funds in one pot. It’s a great question and I recommend that he does combine them, for a handful of reasons. You can hear what those reasons are and how I got to that conclusion on this episode of the show. Retiring before the legal age for retirement account withdrawals? What do you do? 

On today’s episode a listener asks what he can do to make withdrawals from his retirement accounts since he’s been blessed to retire before the age he can legally make withdrawals from those accounts. That’s a situation most of us have never even thought about. There are actually some legal ways to make withdrawals from retirement accounts in a situation like that, and I cover them on this episode. But I also throw another consideration into the mix and challenge this listener to evaluate the ways he can continue to add value to society and provide a greater amount of security for his retirement at the same time - all while remaining flexible and “retired” in ways that matter. Curious? Take some time to listen to this one. 5 benefits that come from saying, “Yes.” 

There are two schools of thought on the issue of saying yes to things. Some people feel that they say yes to far too many things, stressing themselves out and overloading their schedules. Others, out of fear, don’t say yes to enough things, cloistering themselves away in a self-protective shell. As retirement nears, either one of these could happen and it really depends on your personality and background as to which you might do. On this episode I briefly tell of some of the great experiences I’ve gotten by saying “Yes” to things that I might not have normally said yes to. I end up with a challenge you won’t want to miss, so be sure you listen. OUTLINE OF THIS EPISODE OF THE RETIREMENT ANSWER MAN 

• [0:24] Welcome to this episode of The Retirement Answer Man.
• [1:04] How you can get in on my Six Shot Saturday email resource.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? SEGMENT 

• [2:24] Understanding “Brexit,” a combination of “Britain” and “exit.”

HOT TOPIC SEGMENT 

• [3:47] Britain is set to vote about staying in the European Union or not.
• [4:37] The primary concerns relating to Britain’s possible move.

PRACTICAL PLANNING SEGMENT 

• [6:01] Listener question: Caring for a disabled adult child as retirement nears, any thoughts?
• [14:44] Listener question: 3 retirement accounts: I won’t be making any more contributions, can I combine all three?
• [17:03] Listener question: Can I access retirement accounts if I retire before 55 ½?

THE HAPPY LAB 

• [22:21] The power to say “Yes” and 5 great things that come from saying yes.

TODAY’S SMART SPRINT SEGMENT 

• [28:01] Say yes to something, even something you’re not quite sure about.

RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Andy Traub’s  Take Permission podcast)Contact Roger: http://www.rogerwhitney.com/retirementanswers/)Roger’s retirement learning center: www.RogerWhitney.com/learn)The Retirement Answer Man Facebook page: www.Facebook.com/RetirementAnswerMan)