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As Talking Real Money moves into its final week on terrestrial radio, Don and Tom mix transition talk with a practical rundown of common retirement myths. They push back on the idea that expenses automatically fall in retirement, warn that Social Security was never meant to cover everything, and explain why relying on the market alone can be dangerous when withdrawals begin. Callers bring in questions about the sketchy-sounding Quantum X trading platform, required minimum distributions, whether a high-income worker can retire at 62, ETF bid/ask spreads, and where to hold bonds when a 401(k) offers outrageously expensive fund options. The episode also doubles as a preview of how listeners can keep calling and interacting once the show becomes podcast-only.

0:04 Final countdown to the end of the radio show and shift to podcast-only

1:55 Retirement myths theme introduced

2:37 Myth #1: You’ll need less money in retirement

4:02 Myth #2: Social Security will cover most of your needs

5:41 Myth #3: The market will do all the heavy lifting

7:21 Caller asks about Quantum X; Don and Tom warn it looks like nonsense or worse

9:27 Simple alternative offered: broad diversification with VT

10:52 Caller asks about RMD confusion across multiple accounts

12:01 Advice to simplify scattered retirement accounts

13:58 More digging into Quantum X raises additional scam concerns

16:13 Caller asks if he can retire at 62 with substantial savings and pension income

17:21 Don presses on actual spending, not income, as the key retirement measure

21:23 Myth #4: You’ll be able to work as long as you want

23:34 Myth #5: Taxes will be much lower in retirement

26:13 Podcast listening gets easier through the website and apps

29:22 Caller asks about ETF bid/ask spreads, especially DFAW versus VT

32:55 Caller asks where to hold bonds when 401(k) bond fund costs are absurdly high

35:12 After-hours pricing explains bizarre ETF spread quotes

36:37 Example of a shockingly expensive Transamerica bond fund

38:04 How listeners can keep calling and participating after radio ends
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