“Retirees tend to gravitate to opposing poles in how they spend their nest eggs, with some too parsimonious and others too carefree. The best course lies somewhere in between, as Steve Vernon explains” in Forbes.
The Spend Safely in Retirement Strategy
is simple enough that you can implement it on your own.
1. optimize your social Security benefits.
2. Follow IRS Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) guidelines for withdrawals from retirement accounts.
3. Work (maybe just part-time) until age 70, enabling delay of Social Security claiming to ensure the highest benefits.
4. Consider tapping home equity (you ARE on track to pay off your mortgage before retiring, right?)
For a summary:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2018/01/16/the-best-way-to-spend-money-safely-in-retirement/#3ae0641b4fdd
For details: http://longevity.stanford.edu/blog/2017/11/29/optimizing-retirement-income-by-integrating-retirement-plans-iras-and-home-equity-a-framework-for-evaluating-retirement-income-decisions/
The main drawback here is that MANY retirees want to do extensive, expensive travel, buy an RV or new vehicles, and splurge during the first few years of retirement. When you are first free of work, have good health and time, and want to enjoy life, it is not uncommon to spend much more in the first years of retirement than you did when working. You can do this with proper planning but be sure you pay off all credit obligations and mortgage before you take the plunge.
Source: Financial Planning for Women