Ez$ Podcasthosted By Zak Leedom, Cfp®

Most people assume retirement success comes down to picking the right investments, earning higher returns, or trying to outperform the market. But that is rarely the deciding factor. In this episode of The Retirement Fiduciary, Adam Koós explains why most retirement plans fail and what truly drives long-term success. He walks through the difference between saving and chasing returns, why controlling fixed expenses matters more than most people realize, how risk should support the plan instead of the ego, and why every successful retirement is built around a written, living, breathing financial plan. Episode Timestamps 00:00 – Welcome and why most people misunderstand retirement success 01:45 – Why savings matters more than portfolio returns 02:30 – The marathon analogy: returns are weather, savings is forward movement 05:15 – The shift from growth to funding your life in retirement 05:55 – Why controlling fixed expenses creates flexibility 06:30 – The 15-year vs. 30-year mortgage example and liquidity risk 09