The Single Most Important Planning Step I Learned After I Retired

Jeanne Thompson, Senior Retirement Consultant at LPL Financial, shares how spending habits shift in retirement and why managing expenses is key. Read the summary below.

Last Edited by: Jeanne Thompson, Retirement Readiness

Last Updated: June 03, 2026

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How Much Will You Spend in Retirement?

Typically retirement planning focuses on how much to save, but LPL Financial's Jeanne Thompson argues that understanding how much you'll spend may be even more important. Drawing on her own retirement experience, she explains why spending habits often change after leaving the workforce and how retirement outcomes depend as much on managing expenses as building savings.

Read Jeanne Thompson's article on Kiplinger to gain practical insights on creating a retirement budget, adapting to market volatility, and building a plan that can last a lifetime.

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