I Retired at 55: My 7 Layers to Avoid Running Out of Money

Early Retirement Roadmap · May 11, 2026 · 30m

Running out of money in retirement is one of the biggest fears. I retired at 55, and in this episode, I share the 7 layers I use to protect my retirement plan.

When I was preparing to retire early, I kept asking myself: What if I’m wrong? What if the market crashes, healthcare costs more than expected, inflation stays high, taxes surprise me, or I live much longer than planned?

I’ll cover:

• Knowing your real spending floor

• Building a cash runway

• Stress-testing your retirement plan

• Understanding why retirement spending is not a straight line

• Why the 4% rule is only a starting point

•…