Book a call with me here: https://calendly.com/john-gosecurus/strategy-session-in-office-clone-1?back=1&month=2026-04
Most people think retirement success comes down to hitting one magic number. Save $1 million, retire, and you’re set.
But that’s not how retirement actually works.
In this video, I explain the 5 Levels of Retirement Wealth—a framework that goes far beyond your account balance. You’ll discover why two retirees with the same net worth can experience completely different retirements, and how proper retirement income planning, tax strategies, and financial planning can help move you from simply surviving to creating a lasting legacy.
In this video, you’ll learn:
– The 5 Levels of Retirement Wealth explained
– Why your retirement account balance doesn’t tell the full story
– How to determine your current retirement level
– Why guaranteed income matters more than many retirees realize
– Common mistakes that keep retirees stuck financially
– The difference between retirement stability, comfort, freedom, and legacy
– How Social Security timing affects retirement income
– Why retirement tax planning is critical
– How withdrawal strategies impact long-term wealth
– Why many retirees underspend despite having enough
– The importance of stress-testing your retirement plan
– How healthcare and long-term care costs affect retirement
– Retirement income planning strategies that create confidence
– How to build a retirement plan around your lifestyle—not just your savings
Retirement isn’t about reaching a single dollar amount. It’s about creating a financial strategy that supports the lifestyle you want while providing flexibility, confidence, and peace of mind throughout retirement.
If you’d like to find out which retirement level you’re on and what it may take to move to the next one, book a consultation using the link above.
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Do a budget . Track every dollar you spend for a year . Note it every day. Very interesting project tells you a lot about your needs and wants. I note my spending every day and look at the total quarterly.
Four legs on the retirement stool, Pension , Social Security, 401 k then House Last. Ideal situation unfortunately One leg pensions is gone for most
Me and my wife are fine, we like liquidity, in case of unforeseen emergencies , about 40% cash 60% in IRA’s and money market account, we are far from rich, but no house or car payment, we buy a car we pay cash and buy what we can afford!
Tween 4and 5, 900k in investments, 900k in real estate(homes) no mortgage, cept for 2 autos we are bank free
Hey John I need to book a call with you when I'm back from Italy
We are near age 80. With MBAs. FICOs over 800. We think your assessment is shortsighted. Wife’s breast cancer ran close to a million dollars. My heart attack another $500k. Not to mention diabetes and MS. What matters is cash flow not nest eggs. And health care insurance to include Medicare. Healthy at 60 not healthy ten years later.
I retired at 63 and a half. 30 days after I lost my wife of 43 years to leukemia. I draw SS Survivers benefits on her account. Next year when I hit 70 my SS income will about double. I have no debt. House, truck and funeral are paid for. I also have enough cash in bank to live a year without income. I live on about half my income. Which is SS Survivers benefits, a pention and a small job income about $75 per month, which I donate. My medical needs and any drug needs are covered for the rest of my life. I have earned a BA in Business, completed an Accounting degree with minors in Economics and Finance. Then I have grad degrees. I worked for an international company, registered financial advisor for a dozen years and taught for a university for over a dozen years.
I retired at 55, now I am 65. The secret for me was to pay off my home and have no car payments. Thereafter, i lived off my pension, investments and social security. Economically, life has been fairly easy. I strongly suggest ignoting others who see your comfort and see to suck your blood asking for never to be paid back loans.
Nice sales pitch
I am 74-years-old, debt-free and have a positive cash flow. I volunteer at my local community hospital. I plan to leave most of my estate to charity.
If you don’t treat yourself to ride up in first class I guarantee your kids will ! 😊
This video remind me how my life completely turned around, I hit $1M this year, two years ago, I was sleeping in a basement apartment with zero savings and mounting debt. I stopped chasing 'get rich quick' schemes and started focusing on risk management and one solid edge. Today, I just cleared my 2026 financial goal. It's not about where you start, it's about the process…Trading advice for anyone new to stock: try not to focus too much on the 1-minute charts. When I first started trading, I made the mistake of reacting to every small price movement, and it cost me a lot of money. Constantly watching the smallest timeframes can create unnecessary stress and lead to impulsive decisions.
Lately I've been paying more attention to my retirement plans. My pension from work will help, but I'm not sure it will be enough to cover everything I might need in the future.
Level 1 and ok with it. SS is enough to cover needs, part time gigs provide for wants.
I spend to live the life I’ve lived for decades. I’m not saving so much as not spending for the sake of spending. I don’t care that I’m going to leave a pile behind. I don’t even understand the concept of trying to spend enough for the pile not to get bigger.
I am retired. Single with $8 millions in brokerage accounts earning about $1 million in returns /year. I have been trying to setup a trust and the Schwab requires $10 millions for the trust division to return your call, the DE trust shops are too busy to return my calls. Which is frustrating and insulting at the same time, I am 65 and in good health and healthy habits and given my investment style, my concern is exceeding the inheritance limit of $5M/child as my net worth continues to grow….a good situation to be in but doesn’t change how people assume your worth before they even talk to you…
Get to the point. You dithered for too long before getting on with the video.
Retired at 58. Fortunate to have a good 401k, started taking SS at 62 plus a pension from a major oil company. We built a nice house in a coastal retirement community, I played a lot of golf, wife got involved in a lot of community activities, we bought an old trawler and spent time with friends on the water…. Got into a lot of cruises too, Caribbean, Europe, Alaska, so I guess we filled up our bucket lists. All starting with right around that magic $1mm nest egg number, and 25 years later it’s still intact, sadly my wife’s passed, but we had a great 25+ years together in a wonderful home we built together. At 83 I figure whatever years I have left are "bonus time"!
Hey, everyone! I recently hit $1M in investments and wanted to share my journey. I believe that hard economies can be opportunities if approached correctly.
My spouse and I are both retired. I am 78, my spouse is 14 years younger. When there is an age difference, everything changes. You need to have money many more years down the road. So we get by on a little over two percent of our retirement funds a year. We traveled when we were young, and it is too exhausting for me now. We will hopefully be able to leave a good bit for my children and six grandkids. They may need it more than we do. It's nice to feel secure. That is the only function of money for me.
I'm at the level where I'm waiting on my spouse to retire. Retirement has been an interesting experience. It has been nothing like what I thought it would be like and I'm not talking about money.
Hello sir, are you looking for professional YouTube thumbnail designer?
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Just too vague! No value in this! No help.
SCAMMED: I am a senior and a Vietnam Vet. Do Not Invest with NEW YORK LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, they refuse to give back MY $25,000, They went behind my back and switched Annuity Policy on me, MY Family Is So Very Hurt. update: If I die tomorrow NEW YORK LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY get to KEEP my $25.000. My Family gets Not one $1
Level 2 here. No planning. 65 in Aug but have to work my low paying job till 67. Even then not comfortable in not working due to funds which will have to tightly manged to last.. Remote job not possible i my home.
If I can live well, eat well, and travel when I want, why should I be concerned about my level of wealth?
Retired at age 47 as the investments had paid off. The wife and I have been traveling and living overseas the past 18 years. Lived in Latin America for 5 years. Next year we are moving to Asia and will stay at lease a few years.
No kids, no debts or obligations of any kind. Dividends from the portfolio pay our very comfortable lifestyle x3. As a result, the portfolio pays out larger dividends every year and is growing faster than we spend it. Everything is good.
How did we do this? We made average incomes but invested 20% of take home pay. Stocks/REITs every month regardless of what the market did.
No fancy cars (we drove Hyundai's for years and lived in a Townhouse). My co-workers bought BMWs and million dollar homes when times were good. They are still working today, or dead. The 6 P's….. Proper planning prevents piss poor performance.
Greetings from Portugal.
If you are at level 5, you may be living life fully and only spending about 1/4 of your income. It depends on what you like to do. The guy who has decided to reread the Iliad and the Odyssey in Greek has an entirely different idea of fun than the guy who wants to travel to Paris and stay at fancy hotel.
🔥 Becoming financially secure isn't about having unlimited money. It's about reaching the point where unexpected expenses, career changes, or economic uncertainty no longer control your decisions. That's real wealth. 💰
52 and i’m at level 5. born into nothing; both parents passed insolvent and working on passing generational wealth to my kids. i’m not at the level for charity yet. setting up a “pension style” system to live on income and leaving principal alone. screw the opaque “4% rule” which is over simplification. withdraw your income from investments and live below that number 90% max. know difference from “income” and “capital gain/loss” and educate yourself or you’ll give away 1% minimum to “financial advisors”.
I've started planning for retirement. My pension will help, but I know I need a more complete financial plan.
Wealth is an interesting thing, and so is money. I have a hard time wrapping my head around someone who has built a $5 million portfolio but can't figure out how much they can comfortably spend in retirement.
Using the old conservative 4% rule, a $5 million portfolio could generate about $200,000 a year. Most people could live a very comfortable life on that income. After all, there's only so much traveling you can do in retirement, and only so much expensive food you can eat before it all starts to feel ordinary.
Now, if your goal is to constantly buy luxury items and impress other people, then perhaps $200,000 a year isn't enough. But for a typical retiree, it's more than sufficient to enjoy a comfortable and fulfilling lifestyle. And that's before factoring in other income sources like Social Security or a pension.
So I struggle to understand it. How can someone be disciplined and financially savvy enough to accumulate a $5 million portfolio, yet still be unable to determine how much they can safely spend in retirement?
I need to book an appointment with you!
I have a pension and I estimate $12k per month but I don’t feel above level 3.
We have zero debt but I don’t feel like I can just go.
Working with $150 k annual income and we can only afford one big trip to Europe per year.
I don’t see it being any different in retirement and 12k per month in retirement is above average.
We'll likely be in Level 4 in this demonstration, but with caveats. Sure, we'll be able to pack up and go wherever on a whim, help whenever we choose to say yes, and dine out without breaking out the calculator first, but all within reason. International travel will have to be once a year at most during our Go-Go years. Travel within the states, south of the border, or cruises will be limitless as long as we shop for last minute resort or cruise deals.