Scott Burns: The Case for a Simple Retirement Plan

The Long View

We’re hitting pause on new episodes during this holiday week. But we wanted to resurface one of our favorite conversations of the past year—the one that Jeff Ptak and I had with author and longtime columnist Scott Burns. We hope that you’ll enjoy it, and we’ll be back with a fresh episode next week.

Our guest on the podcast today is syndicated personal finance columnist and author, Scott Burns. Scott began his career as a newspaper columnist in The Boston Herald in 1977, where he was also the financial editor. In 1985, he joined the staff of The Dallas Morning News, where his column became one of the most widely read features in the paper. Along the way, he created what he called Couch Potato Investing, which involves buying and holding a broadly diversified portfolio of low-cost index mutual funds. Scott has authored or co-authored several books, including The Coming Generational Storm and Spend ‘Til the End, both of which he co-authored with Laurence Kotlikoff. He received bachelor’s degrees in humanities and biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Background

Bio

Couch Potato Investing

The Coming Generational Storm: What You Need to Know About America’s Economic Future, by Laurence J. Kotlikoff and Scott Burns

Spend ‘Til the End: Raising Your Living Standard in Today’s Economy and When You Retire, by Laurence J. Kotlikoff and Scott Burns

Bonds and Retirement

“Do Bonds Have a Future?” by Scott Burns, Scottburns.com, May 14, 2022.

“Scott Burns: These Four Pillars of Investing Stand the Test of Time,” by Scott Burns, Dallasnews.com, July 20, 2023.

Allan Roth

“TIPS Ladder Funds Don’t Yet Exist, but They Should,” by John Rekenthaler, Morningstar.com, June 16, 2023.

“Is America Hitting Peak Consumption?” by Scott Burns, Scottburns.com, Oct. 12, 2023.

“The Pudding Report, 2022,” by Scott Burns, Scottburns.com, Jan. 15, 2023.

“Examining the Tax Deferral Gift Horse,” by Scott Burns, Scottburns.com, April 8, 2023.

Investing in Retirement

“What’s a Safe Withdrawal Rate Today?” by Christine Benz, Jeff Ptak, and John Rekenthaler, Morningstar.com, Dec. 13, 2022.

“The 4 Percent Rule Is Not Safe in a Low-Yield World,” by Michael Finke, Wade Pfau, and David Blanchett, papers.ssrn.com, Jan. 15, 2013.

“The High Cost of Immortality,” by Scott Burns, Scottburns.com, Dec. 18, 2022.

“Making a Plan to Retire Now, Not Later,” by Scott Burns, Scottburns.com, April 25, 2022.

“Is Homeownership Bigger Than It Should Be?” by Scott Burns, Scottburns.com, Nov. 14, 2020.

“Is Downsizing in Retirement Actually Possible?” by Scott Burns, Scottburns.com, Nov. 21, 2020.

Other

Portfolio Visualizer

Center for Retirement Research at Boston College

Employee Benefit Research Institute

Kaiser Family Foundation