002 - The Most Expensive Retirement Mistake Can Happen in a Rising Market

Bitesize Retirement · Oct 13, 2026 · 7m · transcript

The portfolio recovered. The retirement plan did not. That sounds contradictory until you look at the money that had to leave the account along the way. A market index can eventually regain its old high while a retiree’s balance remains permanently behind, because the household was withdrawing from the account throughout the recovery. A statement showing strong returns does not tell you how much of those returns were available to the person who needed to spend money every month.

Consider a couple who retire with $2 million in investable assets. They need $100,000 from the portfolio during…