The Stacking Benjamins Show

Episode: Breaking Money Rules and Playing Survivor Pantry (SB1789) Date: January 12, 2026

Overview

In this episode, hosts Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and neighbor Doug bring their characteristic humor and relatable banter to a deeply practical personal finance theme: Questioning financial planning assumptions. They tackle the debate around the "right" time to claim Social Security; discuss the behavioral vs. mathematical sides of financial decision-making; challenge common projection mistakes; and riff on strategies for more realistic, flexible retirement planning. Along the way, they drop practical wisdom, share listener insights, and sprinkle in some “Survivor Pantry” fun, all with their signature light-hearted, offbeat style.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Challenging Assumptions in Financial Plans

(03:33–06:59)

• The hosts play with the "farm-to-table" analogy, suggesting just as “local, unprocessed” is better for food, so is customizing money rules for your own life rather than following industry “organics.”
• Joe: “We’re going into some of the assumptions we make when we build financial plans. So if you’re building your 2026 and beyond money plan, this is the episode for you.”

2. Social Security Claiming Age: Should You Really Wait?

(09:07–26:17)

• Prompted by an Elijah Nicholson Messmer article, the team explores Derek Tharp’s new research, which argues that claiming Social Security early (at 62) can be rational for many—contradicting the standard advice to delay for a bigger payout.
• Traditional advice: “Delay until 70 for an 80% bigger check.”
• But new thinking (Tharp):
  • Behavioral factors often outweigh the math:
    1. People want to spend more in their “Go Go” early-retirement years.
    2. People balk at spending down their personal savings.
    3. Desire for simplicity and clarity—retire and claim at the same time for peace of mind.
• Memorable Quote (Joe, 12:33):
  “While traditional economic models often frame early claiming as a costly mistake, what Tharp says is that it's likely a rational response to real world retiree problems and preferences.”
• OG cautions: Don’t use behavioral comfort as a blanket excuse for poor money decisions; make sure any “emotional” choice doesn’t lead to long-term regret.
• They break down the buckets analogy:
  • Social Security is a “guaranteed to grow” bucket (8-10%/yr after 67, plus COLA).
  • Your investment portfolio is variable.
  • Which would you rather delay tapping?
• Key Takeaway: Math isn’t everything—behavior matters, but so does understanding the cost of early claiming, especially if you have a long or uncertain life expectancy.
• Notable Quote (OG, 15:20): “The only thing you can’t predict with any of this is your life expectancy... If you have a rational reason you won’t live long, taking early makes sense. Otherwise, you’re leaving guaranteed money on the table.”
• Nuanced conclusion: Claiming at 62 might be right for you, but only if it fits your true circumstances. Don’t decide out of habit or fear.

3. Common Money Plan Mistakes: Projections & Human Behavior

(26:17–32:07)

• Projecting level spending in retirement is a mistake—people’s spending and desires change with age and net worth.
• Joe’s Observations:
  • Many plans use overly rosy investment return assumptions.
  • Many people assume they’ll want to (or be able to) work longer to “make up” for under-saving.
• “You have to build changing feelings and unexpected life events into your plan.”
• OG, on lifestyle inflation (29:53): “Your definition of a ‘normal person’ will change. ...Even the best spenders see lifestyle creep—they help family with college, splurge on big family trips, or just give away more. Spending does go up.”

4. The TikTok Minute: Real Talk on Retirement Spending

(42:56–47:15)

• Featured TikTok by Genie (former 401k pro, 4 years into retirement):
  • “Yes, of course retirement is about the money. But what’s actually more important than ‘do you have enough?’ is how much are you going to spend?”
  • Says seeing your investments drain is emotionally different than just knowing the math.
• OG:
  “If the market’s going up, you can fool yourself into feeling rich and spend too much. But you need to be tracking what you should have, not just congratulate yourself for any portfolio gain… When hard years come, you still have to eat.”
• Key lesson: Building a basic spending “fence”—learning to budget—is crucial, especially before retirement removes the paycheck safety net.

5. Building a Money Plan: What Numbers Should You Use?

(50:44–59:43)

• Rate of return assumption:
  • Joe: Many advisors use 7% as a “rule of thumb” for long-term real returns.
  • OG: “7% after inflation return is a good base case. If you want to be conservative, use 6% or even 5% and see what happens.”
  • Cautions against going too conservative and “saving so much you never enjoy your money.”
• Inflation:
  • Joe/OG agree: Use 3% as a practical baseline for inflation—real planning trouble starts if you use too low a number.
  • “If you’re afraid of volatility and keep your money in cash, inflation—the ‘silent killer’—is going to eat you alive. Long-term, you must invest to beat inflation.”

6. Fun & Community Moments

• Survivor Pantry Challenge (62:14–63:48): Listener describes her family’s yearly game of only eating pantry food all January to reduce waste and save groceries.
  • Joe and OG riff on the “game” aspect and how this can force some fun frugality.
• Listener Q&A:
  • Discussion about accessible joint savings accounts for the visually impaired—examples of “stackers helping stackers.”
• Dow Jones Trivia & Index Math (33:19–41:38)
  • Doug explains myths and realities around how stock indices are actually calculated—reminding listeners to be wary of financial urban legends.
  • OG: “If you added up the prices of all the shares, that’s not the index number. It’s way more quirky thanks to the Dow Divisor…”

Notable Quotes (w/ Timestamps & Attribution)

• "While traditional economic models often frame early claiming as a costly mistake, what Tharp says is that it's likely a rational response to real world retiree problems and preferences."
  – Joe (12:33)

• "If you have a rational reason you won’t live to 80... it doesn't make sense for me to wait to 70... Otherwise, you’re giving up hundreds of thousands of dollars for a 'lazy excuse.'"
  – OG (15:20, 18:31)

• "You have to be a hell yes to claim early. If not, it’s a no—because you only get one shot at this."
  – OG (25:36)

• "People look at those net worth increases and go, 'oh, I wouldn’t ever change.' Your definition of normal person will change… Even the most conscious spenders see lifestyle creep."
  – OG (29:53)

• "Yes, retirement is about the money. But what’s actually more important is how much you’re going to spend. Intellectually I knew that, but seeing your assets actually go down is different."
  – Genie (TikTok) (42:56–43:42)

• "If you use too low of a rate, you’re going to be forced to save so much you die with a hundred jillion dollars and you didn’t do the things you wanted to do."
  – OG (54:41)

• "The biggest thing you have to protect against is the rising cost of goods and services. …If you sit on cash, you’re not avoiding risk, you’re guaranteeing loss to inflation."
  – OG (53:43)

Important Segment Timestamps

• Challenging financial plan assumptions: 03:33–06:59
• Social Security debate & new research: 09:07–26:17
• Common projection mistakes (returns, spending): 26:17–32:07
• Lifestyle creep & changing retirement needs: 29:53–32:07
• TikTok Minute: Retirement spending is different: 42:56–47:15
• Projection numbers: returns & inflation: 50:44–59:43
• Survivor Pantry & community stories: 62:14–64:35

Tone and Style

Light, conversational, self-deprecating, with a blend of useful financial information and humorous tangents. The hosts routinely poke fun at themselves and the financial advice industry, making even technical topics approachable and fun. They use real-world anecdotes, listener emails, and relatable metaphors (e.g., “Farm-to-table money plans,” “Survivor Pantry”) to drive points home for a broad audience.

Summary

This episode challenges listeners to scrutinize their inherited financial planning assumptions, especially around Social Security, projections, and retirement spending. The big message: Financial decisions are personal, and “the math” doesn’t always capture your real-world context and feelings. Build your plan for your life—not just for maximum money. Use realistic numbers, question your own biases, and keep it fun—because you only get one chance to get this retirement thing right.

Got a question or story? Join the Stacking Benjamins Facebook group (“the Basement”) or write in for more banter, answers, and possible on-air shoutouts!