Institute CEO Highlights Behavioral Risks to Retirement Planning in Kiplinger Column

In a July 2025 column for Kiplinger, Investments & Wealth Institute CEO Sean Walters spotlights the hidden risk often overlooked in retirement plans: client behavior. Walters explains how cognitive and emotional biases — such as loss aversion, recency bias, and confirmation bias — can derail even the most carefully designed strategies, particularly during the “fragile decade” around retirement. He underscores the importance of advisors serving as behavioral coaches, not just portfolio managers, guiding clients through volatility, health shocks, and decumulation anxiety.

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Walters highlights techniques like flooring, bucketing, and proactive behavioral check-ins, while noting how advanced education, such as the Retirement Management Advisor® (RMA®) certification, equips advisors with the skills to address these challenges. By managing behavior as a strategic risk, he argues, advisors can strengthen client trust, deepen relationships, and deliver enduring value.

The full Kiplinger article can be accessed here: https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/retirement-planning/human-behavior-the-hidden-risk-lurking-in-most-retirement-plans