The Retirement Lab

Resources Built to
Close the Knowledge Gap.

Videos, guides, worksheets, and insights — all designed to help you retire with clarity, confidence, and a plan that actually works.

Video Library

The Retirement Lab

Straight talk about retirement planning. No jargon, no sales pitch — just the insights that actually matter for your financial future.

Which Account to Spend From First in Retirement
18 min
Tax Planning

Which Account to Spend From First in Retirement

Avoid years of tax regret. The order in which you draw down your accounts in retirement has a massive impact on how long your money lasts and how much you keep.

Watch on YouTube
The Retirement Trap That Catches the Best Savers
13 min
Income Clarity

The Retirement Trap That Catches the Best Savers

The people who are best at saving for retirement are often the worst at spending in retirement. Here's the psychological trap — and how to escape it.

Watch on YouTube
3 Retirement What-Ifs You Need to Plan For
12 min
Risk Management

3 Retirement What-Ifs You Need to Plan For

What if you retire into a bear market? What if healthcare costs spike? What if you live to 95? The best retirement plans are built around the unexpected.

Watch on YouTube
6 Unexpected Changes in Your First 6 Months of Retirement
13 min
Lifestyle Planning

6 Unexpected Changes in Your First 6 Months of Retirement

Nobody warns you about these. The first six months of retirement bring emotional, relational, and financial shifts that most people aren't prepared for.

Watch on YouTube
The Smarter Way to Retire (Without Losing Who You Are)
12 min
Lifestyle Planning

The Smarter Way to Retire (Without Losing Who You Are)

Retirement is more than a financial transition — it's an identity shift. Here's how to build a retirement that's financially secure and personally fulfilling.

Watch on YouTube
Retirement Changes Your Marriage More Than You Think
13 min
Lifestyle Planning

Retirement Changes Your Marriage More Than You Think

3 shifts to expect when you retire together. Most couples don't talk about this — but the transition to retirement changes the dynamic in ways that matter.

Watch on YouTube
Survive the Crash — Recession-Proof Your Retirement by Jason Rindskopf
New Book by Jason Rindskopf

Survive the Crash

Recession-Proof Your Retirement: Strategies to Protect Your Wealth and Secure Your Future

In this essential guide, Jason Rindskopf draws on years of experience helping families navigate market volatility to deliver a practical, no-nonsense blueprint for protecting your retirement savings. Whether you're approaching retirement or already there, this book gives you the tools to build a plan that can weather any storm.

SMART Retirement Blueprint® Resources
SMART Retirement Blueprint

One Resource for Every Pillar of Your Plan

Each pillar of the SMART Retirement Blueprint® comes with a dedicated planning resource — worksheets, guides, checklists, and roadmaps — designed to help you think through every dimension of a complete retirement plan.

Complete Toolkit

All 6 SMART Blueprint Resources — One Download

Vision workbook, income planner, healthcare guide, asset worksheet, risk checklist, and tax roadmap — the complete set.

Download All 6 Resources
V
Workbook
Vision & Values

Retirement Vision & Values Workbook

Before any numbers are run, the most important question is: what do you actually want your retirement to look like? This guided workbook walks individuals and couples through a structured discovery process to define purpose, clarify priorities, align values, and set meaningful goals — so your financial plan serves your life, not the other way around.

Life vision & purpose mapping exercise
Retirement lifestyle goal setting
Couples values alignment workshop
Defining your personal 'enough' number

Free download — no email required. Use it to prepare for your first conversation with Jason.

Download Free Workbookor Book a Free Consultation
S
Planner
Secure Your Foundation

Income Floor & Foundation Planner

Before any investment strategy is built, the foundation must be solid. This planner walks you through Social Security optimization, pension decisions, short-term liquidity needs, and family protection — so your essential expenses are covered no matter what the market does.

Social Security timing strategy
Pension vs. lump sum decision
Emergency liquidity reserve sizing
Life insurance & estate coordination

Free download — no email required. Use it to prepare for your first conversation with Jason.

Download Free Planneror Book a Free Consultation
M
Guide
Medical & Healthcare Plan

Healthcare Cost & Coverage Guide

Healthcare is consistently the most underestimated retirement expense. This guide covers all three stages: bridging the gap before Medicare eligibility, Medicare enrollment and plan selection, and long-term care and impairment planning.

Pre-65 coverage options & costs
Medicare Parts A, B, C & D explained
Medigap vs. Medicare Advantage
Long-term care planning strategies

Free download — no email required. Use it to prepare for your first conversation with Jason.

Download Free Guideor Book a Free Consultation
A
Worksheet
Asset Management

Fiscal House Asset Allocation Worksheet

Every dollar should be working the right job, in the right place, at the right time. This worksheet applies the Fiscal House framework — Foundation (safety), Walls (growth and income), and Roof (long-horizon legacy assets) — to organize your portfolio with tax-efficient asset location.

Fiscal House framework overview
Tax-efficient account location
Foundation vs. growth allocation
Legacy asset positioning

Free download — no email required. Use it to prepare for your first conversation with Jason.

Download Free Worksheetor Book a Free Consultation
R
Checklist
Risk Management

Retirement Risk Identification Checklist

Retirement doesn't fail on average — it fails at the extremes. This checklist helps you systematically identify and build guardrails around the five risks that most often derail retirement: longevity, sequence-of-returns, healthcare cost escalation, spousal loss, and tax law changes.

Longevity & outliving resources
Sequence-of-returns risk
Healthcare cost escalation
Spousal loss & family risk

Free download — no email required. Use it to prepare for your first conversation with Jason.

Download Free Checklistor Book a Free Consultation
T
Roadmap
Tax-Conscious Planning & Legacy

Tax & Legacy Strategy Roadmap

Taxes are the largest expense most retirees never fully plan for. This roadmap coordinates tax location, Roth conversion windows, RMD planning, bracket management, and tax-efficient legacy strategies — so more of your wealth stays where it belongs.

Roth conversion opportunity windows
RMD planning & bracket management
Tax-efficient withdrawal sequencing
Legacy & estate tax strategies

Free download — no email required. Use it to prepare for your first conversation with Jason.

Download Free Roadmapor Book a Free Consultation

Want all 5 resources plus a personalized review of your retirement plan?

Book a Free Consultation
Insights & Articles

Straight Talk on Retirement

VVision & Values
7 min read

The Question Nobody Asks Before Retiring (And Why It's the Most Important One)

Almost everyone leads with "Do I have enough?" But that's not the first question. The one that actually matters — and that almost nobody thinks to ask — is the one that changes everything about how a retirement plan gets built.

Read Article
SSecure Your Foundation
8 min read

When Should You Take Social Security? The Answer Isn't What You Think

The conventional wisdom says "wait as long as possible." But the right answer depends on your income floor, your spouse, your health, and your tax picture — not a break-even calculator. Here's how to actually think through this decision.

Read Article
TTax-Conscious Planning
9 min read

The Retirement Tax Bomb Nobody Warned You About

You've spent decades building a tax-deferred retirement account. Here's the part nobody told you: the IRS has been a silent partner all along. And at age 75, they're going to force the issue — whether you're ready or not.

Read Article
AAsset Management
8 min read

Sequence of Returns Risk: The Retirement Killer Most People Have Never Heard Of

Two investors. Same returns. Same average. Same withdrawal rate. One runs out of money in year 14. The other ends up with $1.7 million. The only difference? The order in which the returns arrived.

Read Article
MMedical & Healthcare
7 min read

The Medicare Trap: How a Good Year Can Cost You Thousands

Most people assume Medicare is a fixed cost. It's not. A smart financial decision — a Roth conversion, a property sale, a large IRA distribution — can trigger Medicare surcharges two years later. Here's how IRMAA works and how to plan around it.

Read Article
MMedical & Healthcare
9 min read

Long-Term Care: The Conversation That Could Save Your Family

70% of people over 65 will need some form of long-term care. The average cost is $8,000–$12,000 per month. Most families don't have a plan. Here's how to think through this — and why it's ultimately a conversation about love, not money.

Read Article
VVision & Values
8 min read

You're Rich. Why Doesn't It Feel That Way?

The habits that made you financially successful are the same habits that make it hard to enjoy financial success. This is the Permission Problem — and it's the most common threat to a fulfilling retirement that I know of.

Read Article
AAsset Management
9 min read

The Fiscal House: Why Your Retirement Needs a Foundation, Not Just a Portfolio

A portfolio is not a retirement plan. It's a starting point. Here's the framework I use with every client — one that gives each dollar a specific job, coordinates all the pieces, and actually feels secure because it is.

Read Article
VVision & Values
8 min read

4 Hidden Challenges Couples Face in Retirement (And How to Solve Them)

You've handled the financial side. But retirement doesn't just change your finances — it changes your marriage. Here are the four most common sources of friction I see in the first year, and what to do about each one.

Read Article
VVision & Values
7 min read

The Case for Phased Retirement: Why High Achievers Are Ditching the "Dead Stop"

The traditional retirement model — work full-time, then stop completely — doesn't work for everyone. Here's why phased retirement is often the smarter financial and personal choice, and how to do it right.

Read Article
VVision & Values
9 min read

The 6 Unexpected Shocks of Your First 6 Months in Retirement

You've planned the finances. But the first six months of retirement have a way of surprising even the most prepared people. Here are the six things that catch people off guard — and what to do about each one.

Read Article
RRisk Management
8 min read

3 Stress Tests Your Retirement Plan Must Pass Before You Quit Working

Most retirement plans are built for average conditions. But retirement doesn't fail on average — it fails at the extremes. Here are the three stress tests every plan should pass before you hand in your notice.

Read Article
VVision & Values
8 min read

From Saver to Spender: How to Overcome the Fear of Spending in Retirement

You saved for 40 years. You did everything right. So why does spending the money feel so wrong? The shift from saver to spender is one of the hardest psychological transitions in retirement — and it's almost never about the math.

Read Article
TTax-Conscious Planning
9 min read

Defuse the RMD Tax Bomb: The Smart Guide to Retirement Withdrawal Sequencing

The order you withdraw from your retirement accounts matters more than most people realize. Done wrong, it can trigger a tax problem that compounds for decades. Here's how to get it right.

Read Article
Ready to Take the Next Step?

Knowledge Is the First Step.
A Plan Is What Changes Everything.

The resources here are a starting point. A real retirement plan is built around your specific numbers, your goals, and your life. Let's build yours together.

Book a Free Consultation