Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:
🟨 Stay on the Yellow Brick Road – A written plan helps you avoid emotional decisions when markets, taxes, or inflation shake things up.
🏡 There’s No Place Like Home – Downsizing, relocating, or leveraging home equity should be part of your personalized retirement plan.
🧠 “If I Only Had a Brain” – You don’t need to know everything — that’s what advisors are for. Your job isn’t to master financial planning.
🧙♀️ Good Witch or Bad Witch? – Vet your advisor. Fiduciaries must put your best interest first — unlike brokers who are rewarded to sell.
🚫 Don’t Follow the Munchkins – YouTube “gurus,” pickleball buddies, and neighbors may mean well… but their advice isn’t designed for your situation.
Equipping Points:
Your retirement journey has more in common with The Wizard of Oz than you might think. In this playful but practical episode of the Retirement Ready Podcast, Eric Peterson uses themes from the classic film — the Yellow Brick Road, the Scarecrow, Glinda the Good Witch, and more — to illustrate some of the most important principles in retirement planning.
If you have any questions about what we discussed on the show or want to follow up with any financial planning questions of your own, get in touch with us and schedule a visit here.
Today’s Takeaway:
![]()
Related Episodes:
Financial Lessons from Aesop’s Fables
What Golf Teaches Us About Retirement
What Vacation Planning Can Teach You About Retirement
Subscribe To The Podcast:
Apple Podcasts - Google Podcasts - Spotify - Stitcher - iHeartRadio - TuneIn
Check out some other recent episodes
Mailbag: Working Forever, Safety Nets, and Target Date Funds
A lot of people think they’ll work forever, until life changes the plan. In this special mailbag episode, Eric answers listener questions about retirement timing, backup planning, target date funds, and how to think about risk as retirement gets closer.
Old Accounts Could Be Costing You
Today, Eric discusses why old financial accounts deserve a second look. He explains how reviewing these accounts can uncover missed opportunities, improve efficiency, and help create a more coordinated financial plan.
Good Intentions, Bad Advice: Well-Meaning Advice Can Cost You
Not all bad financial advice comes from bad sources. Sometimes it comes from the people you trust the most. Eric breaks down how well-meaning input from family, friends, professionals, and even the media can lead to the wrong decisions.
When Life Happens, Your Plan Needs to Change
Life doesn’t always go according to plan, and your finances need to be ready when things change. Eric walks through some of the biggest life events that can impact your financial future and why each one is a moment to revisit your plan. The goal isn’t to predict every twist and turn; it’s to be prepared when they happen. A solid plan gives you the flexibility to adjust without losing confidence.
Challenging What You “Know for Sure” About Retirement
Mark Twain once said, “It’s not what you don’t know that gets you into trouble, it’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” How can this wisdom apply to retirement planning?
Questions To Ask Your Advisor
Eric walks through the key questions that can reshape how you think about your plan and explains how the right questions can lead to better clarity, smarter decisions, and a more confident path into retirement.
How the 24/7 News Cycle Hurts Your Portfolio
In today’s 24/7 news cycle, financial headlines are designed to grab attention, not guide smart decisions. The result? Decisions driven more by noise than by strategy. In this episode, Eric explores how media influence, emotional reactions, and misunderstood risk tolerance can quietly derail a financial plan.
Why Most Of Your Financial Goals Fail
Many people talk about setting financial goals, but far fewer people know how to set the right ones, or how to turn them into something that actually works in real life. Eric walks through how to create financial goals that are both meaningful and achievable. It’s easy to aim high, but if your plan isn’t realistic, those goals often fall apart before they ever gain traction.