I'm Roger Whitney, the not-so-alter-ego of the Retirement Answer Man®.
As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional for more than 25 years, I’m using my credentials (CFP® certificant, CIMA®, CPWA®, and more) and every channel possible to help people live well today without sacrificing tomorrow.
Three-time PLUTUS award winner for Best Retirement blog/podcast
Host of one of the top retirement podcasts in iTunes with more than 8 million downloads and over 475 episodes (and counting!)
Author of Rock Retirement: A Simple Guide to Help You Take Control and be More Optimistic About the Future (Morgan James, 2018)
More than 25 years experience walking the journey into retirement with clients and listeners
Ranked by Investopedia as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Advisors 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021
Inc. Magazine named Retirement Answer Man® as one of the best blogs to follow in 2018
Creator of Rock Retirement Club, an online community providing education, tools, and support for building an amazing retirement
My Story
Growing up, my mother was always worried about the future.
She lived her life saving more, sacrificing more, and settling for less —all with the hope that one day she would have the financial and time freedom to spend it all on the family and activities she loved.
Mom passed away at the age of 48.
It's tragic, and not just because my mom was an amazing human (she was). It's sad because I see this kind of thing happen a lot. How many of us will spend most of our present saving for a future we never get to have?
The answer will always be too many. And I've dedicated my entire career to helping people shift what's possible in retirement by changing how they live, work, and celebrate what's possible right now—and keep doing it.
Why I love what I do
I love what happens when people shift their mindset from investing in a portfolio to investing in what they love.
So much of retirement is a guessing game, but that doesn’t mean no one knows what’s going on. There’s definitely a place for a historical data, equations, algorithms, and spreadsheets—as long as they support your life and goals, and not the other way around.
The best retirement strategies are grounded in what’s important in your life right now and in the future. They take into consideration if you want to launch a new career in retirement, if you want to sell your house and travel the world, and if the job that's filling your 401k is draining the life out of you. When done well, financial planning isn’t boring or constricting; it’s one of the best tools for building your best life.
It’s what I call Agile Retirement Management®. And it changes everything.
PROUD MEMBER OF THE RETIREMENT PODCAST NETWORK
How the the podcast began
The Retirement Answer Man Show® was born out of years of experience, a deep need to help people, and creative restlessness. Every episode takes difficult (or boring) financial conversations, concepts, and strategies and makes them more approachable. And occasionally more humorous.
THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE
Like family, friends, air, love—and helpful financial resources.
I’ve created a huge catalog of worksheets, templates, and guides as tools for helping you build a life and retirement you can’t wait to have. They will support your conversations with your spouse and your financial planner (even if you don’t work with me), your day-to-day decision-making, your short-term financial goals, and your big picture dreams. And they are all FREE.
Invest your time with these resources so you can invest your money where it matters.