Retirement Wisdom
101 episodes listed below
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Retire Smarter
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Joe Casey connects retirement choices to grandparenting, relationships, brain health, and the practical work of building a meaningful later life.
Joe Casey builds each conversation around a practical question: how can retirement become a deliberate stage of life rather than an empty calendar?
The calendar is finally yours; Joe Casey asks what deserves a place on it.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A grounded case for grandparents as listeners, storytellers, and steady builders of family connection.
Grandparenting is treated here as something more active than a warm supporting role. The episode frames it through the trunk, ear, assembler, and matcher, giving most of its energy to grandparents as holders of family stories, careful listeners, and steady connectors across…
A thoughtful case for designing retirement around curiosity, connection, and something more active than TV.
Ezekiel Emanuel brings a useful provocation to this PlayNext conversation: the wellness industry may be selling plenty of noise, while the habits that support a longer, healthier, happier life often sit in less glamorous places.
A hopeful, practical review of brain reserve, aging, and the everyday choices that can shape retirement.
Retirement is framed less as an ending than as a daily test of brain reserve. Dr. Majeed Fatouhi, a neurologist and neuroscientist with more than three decades in memory, aging, and Alzheimer's disease, makes the case that the brain can stay adaptable into the 70s and 80s, and…
A best-of retirement episode turns "What if?" into small experiments and quiet repair skills.
Retirement is framed as an open question: what happens when a long-held work identity loosens, and how might familiar skills find a new use? Joe Casey gathers a best-of conversation from earlier in the year, with Stephanie Harrison, author of New Happiness, giving shape to the…
A thoughtful challenge to see aging as a choice about wisdom, contribution, and responsibility.
Older to Elder follows Joe Casey in conversation with Dr. Mark Cooper about the distance between getting older and moving deliberately toward elderhood.
Purpose tends to last when it matches real interests, limits, and availability.
Volunteering in retirement comes across as a practical way to move into a new stage of life while still feeling useful. Joe Casey and Dr. Lisa Lewis keep the discussion anchored in fit, asking what a person likes, who they want to spend time with, and what kind of work they…
A practical take on wanting less, with a calmer way to think about retirement.
Joe Casey treats retirement less like a finish line and more like a question about appetite. If the habit of always adding more is part of the trouble, the case for subtraction lands cleanly.
Real-estate freedom, taught in plain numbers.
This episode provides curated advice on retirement planning by sharing key insights from eight expert guests, starting with a focus on developing a vision for retirement inspired by Stephen Covey's principles.
Financial columnist Beth Pinsker discusses her personal journey navigating the complexities of managing her mother's finances and healthcare as a caregiver, drawing from her professional expertise and new book.
This episode explores how insights from end-of-life experiences can transform how we approach living, retirement, and relationships, featuring Diane Button's expertise on finding meaning and avoiding regrets.
This episode explores the challenges and strategies for parents navigating relationships with their adult children during retirement, featuring clinical psychologist Dr.
This episode explores how former Olympic diver Cassidy Krug navigated retirement and identity reinvention after her athletic career ended, offering insights from her book 'Resurface' on managing life transitions.
This episode features an interview with serial entrepreneur Carl Landau about reinventing oneself in retirement, emphasizing that this phase can be about accelerating life rather than slowing down.
This episode features Joe Tarantino discussing how setting ambitious goals like cycling through all 50 states can bring fulfillment and purpose in retirement.
This episode features an interview with Lee Gale Gruen, who shares her journey of reinventing herself after a 37-year career as a probation officer by pursuing acting, writing, volunteering, and public speaking in retirement.
This episode explores Richard Moran's serendipitous journey from being a high-powered management consultant to restoring a Victorian house in Sonoma wine country and building a winery, highlighting themes of openness to experience and career transitions.
This episode explores how feeling loved is key to happiness, based on decades of research, with insights on applying these principles to enhance relationships and well-being in retirement.
This episode features an interview with Rod Yancey discussing his firm's survey findings that reveal retirement planning should focus more on holistic factors like health and life purpose rather than just financial wealth.
A father-daughter duo discusses their collaboration on a historical fiction trilogy about 16th-century witch hunts, exploring how retirement sparked creative pursuits and reshaped family dynamics.
This episode features Dr.
This episode explores the identity crisis many face after retirement and features Michael Kay, a financial life planner and author, discussing how to find meaning and joy in life after full-time work.
This episode features an interview with Dr.
This episode features a conversation with Certified Financial Planner Zach Morris about reassessing retirement risks, including the 'one more year' trap, risk tolerance versus capacity, and aligning financial goals with life journeys.
This episode explores how to thrive in retirement by learning new skills and shifting mindset, featuring author John Rosenberg who combines business insight with positive psychology to help people find meaning.
This episode explores the scientific benefits of hobbies for health and happiness, featuring an interview with author Ashley Merryman about rebranding hobbies as essential tools for well-being in retirement.
This episode introduces the concept of 'joyspan' as a key to thriving in later life, featuring gerontologist Dr.
This episode features an interview with Darrow Kirkpatrick, an early retired software engineer and author, discussing how retirement is about creating meaning through challenges, his experiences with rock climbing, and non-financial considerations for retirement planning.
This episode addresses whether individuals should manage their own retirement investments or hire a financial advisor, featuring expert Glenn Frank's insights.
This episode features a conversation with Kerry Byrne and Ted Page exploring how modern grandparents can build meaningful connections with grandchildren, navigate challenges like family dynamics, and embrace their role with grace and purpose.
This episode explores how the word 'retirement' varies across cultures and its impact on identity, featuring Cesar Aguirre who shares his 10-chapter framework for transitioning to a purposeful post-career life.
This episode features an interview with Dr.
Dr.
This episode features a conversation with CFP professional Joseph Maugeri about the psychological and emotional challenges of retirement, sharing his personal experiences and framework for a successful transition.
This episode features an interview with Dave Evans about using design thinking to create a meaningful life, particularly for those in the second half of life, based on his new book.
This episode explores how social connection impacts brain health, with neuroscientist Ben Rein discussing the neuroscience behind why relationships are crucial for preventing cognitive decline and enhancing well-being.
This episode explores Dr.
This episode features an interview with Susan Reid, PhD, discussing her research on developing a vision for retirement, particularly for older adults and entrepreneurs, based on her personal and professional experiences.
This episode explores how philosophical concepts of values and goals can help people approaching retirement figure out what matters most in life, featuring an interview with philosopher Valerie Tiberius.
This episode explores navigating life transitions like retirement with happiness strategist Monique Rhodes, who teaches practical approaches to finding joy and purpose through mindset and habits.
This episode features an interview with Nathalie Martin, author of 'The Inspired Retirement,' discussing how to approach retirement with purpose and passion beyond just financial planning.
This episode explores the social challenges of retirement, particularly the difficulty of maintaining friendships after leaving work, through an interview with friendship researcher Janice McCabe.
This episode explores how embracing minimalism by letting go of physical and emotional clutter can lead to greater intentionality and purpose, especially during the retirement transition.
This episode explores phased retirement through an interview with Anna Rappaport, who shares her Life Portfolio framework and insights from decades of research and personal experience transitioning gradually from full-time work.
This episode features psychiatrist Dr.
This episode features an interview with Cyn Meyer about updating outdated retirement beliefs, focusing on mindset rewiring, passion, and mental fitness for a meaningful retirement.
Tom Marks shares his personal journey from a high-pressure advertising career to finding purpose and happiness in retirement, discussing his framework of places, people, purpose, and patience.
This episode explores how feeling like you matter is crucial for a fulfilling retirement, featuring journalist Jennifer Breheny Wallace discussing her research on transitions and practical strategies to build a 'mattering portfolio'.
This episode revisits key conversations from 2025, featuring insights from retired doctor Harry Agress on navigating retirement transitions and making the most of the freedom it offers.
This episode explores how retirees can pursue creative writing through community support, featuring two members of the Vintage Writers Working Group who successfully transitioned from photography and teaching to becoming novelists.
This episode features an interview with Ken Stern, author of 'Healthy to 100,' discussing lessons from the world's healthiest cultures about aging, retirement, social connections, and lifelong learning.
This episode explores psychological richness as a third dimension of well-being beyond happiness and meaning, offering strategies for a fuller life in retirement through curiosity and novel experiences.
This episode features an interview with Neal Lipschutz, a former Wall Street Journal editor, discussing his transition into retirement and new purpose through fiction writing.
Joe Casey interviews Michael Long, co-author of 'Taming the Molecule of More,' exploring dopamine's role as a driver of perpetual wanting rather than happiness.
This episode features Richard Sheffield discussing the psychological challenge of shifting from a saving to a spending mindset in retirement and how he rewrote his financial plan to prioritize enjoyment.
This episode explores the non-financial challenges of retirement with financial planner Dan Haylett, focusing on his five pillars for a successful retirement that go beyond money.
Joe Casey interviews Susan Hartzler about finding purpose in retirement through volunteering, focusing on her journey from caregiving to working with therapy dogs.
Dr.
["Joe Casey talks with Linda and Richard about grandparenting as a deliberate role, using his own experience of becoming a grandparent four years ago and again earlier this year as the entry point.", "Linda and Richard say their advice comes from nine children and 34 grandchildren, which gives them a large working sample across ages and family situations.", "Richard says parents are the managers and grandparents are the consultants, warning that stepping into the manager role can strain adult-child relationships.", "Their TEAM framework breaks grandparenting into trunk, ear, assembler, and matcher, with family roots, listening, gatherings, and careful financial help as the main tools."]
Ezekiel Emanuel argues that the wellness industry turns health into self-punishment, then uses Eat Your Ice Cream to push a model built around joy, social connection, and habits.
The Retirement Wisdom Podcast episode How to Stay Sharp in Retirement - Majid Fotuhi frames retirement as a brain-health decision, not a slow slide into decline.
Host Joe Casey revisits best conversations to inspire listeners to identify one key topic to work on for a great retirement.
The Retirement Wisdom Podcast conversation with Dr.
This episode discusses the emotional and psychological losses in retirement, featuring a career coach and grief recovery specialist to help listeners prepare for the transition.
Interview with a serial entrepreneur who started businesses in retirement, discussing the benefits of pursuing entrepreneurship later in life.
Ed Hajim presents passions, principles, partners, and plans as a practical framework for shaping life after work.
Health psychologist Kari Leibovitz discusses how to harness mindset to thrive during winter.
Interview with a neuropsychologist about preventing dementia through research-backed lifestyle changes.
Joe Casey interviews Christine Benz about her book on retiring happily and successfully, covering both financial and non-financial aspects.
Dr.