Ep 12 · Jul 22, 2026 · 42:10
The First 90 Days of Retirement
What changes the moment the paycheck stops — cash flow, routine, and the mistakes that cost the most early on.
Show notes
- Why the first paycheck-free month feels like a vacation and the second one doesn't.
- Setting up a 12-month cash bucket before you touch invested money.
- The three early withdrawals that quietly create a tax bill in April.
- Building a weekly structure that isn't just errands.
Transcript
00:00 · Host
Welcome back to Da Smoke Is Showin Podcast. Today we're talking about the first ninety days — the stretch nobody plans for because it looks like a holiday on paper.
03:12 · Co-host
The money part is simpler than people think. You need one year of spending sitting somewhere boring. That's the whole trick for the first year.
11:45 · Host
And the mistake is pulling that year of spending out of a brokerage account in one December transaction. You just handed yourself a tax bracket you didn't need.
24:30 · Co-host
The harder question is the calendar. Retirees who thrive have three or four fixed anchors a week. Not hobbies — appointments with other humans.
38:02 · Host
So: cash bucket funded, withdrawals spread across the year, and something on the calendar every Tuesday. That's the ninety-day scorecard.