Podcast Episode

Should You Retire at a Market All-Time High? Sequence Risk & the Irish ARF

Informed Decisions Independent Financial Planning & Money Podcast·Paddy Delaney (Parent, Educator, Qualified Planner & Executive Coach)·12 September 2026·24 min

About this episode

Should you retire with the market at an all-time high? In Ireland, the record level feels dangerous, but it is not the risk that decides your outcome. In this episode, Paddy asks whether retiring at an all-time high is really the risk Irish savers fear, or whether the thing that decides your outcome is something else entirely. What you'll learn: • Why all-time highs are common, not a warning: global equities sit at or near record highs on roughly a third of trading days • What Japan's lost decades really warn against: concentration in one market, not equities themselves • A sequence-of-returns case study: how two retirees with the same €1.2m and the same average return finished €1.25m apart • The Irish nuance: why Revenue's imputed distribution makes the buffer inside your ARF matter more than any market call If you're within a couple of years of drawing down, and the timing has you worried, this episode is for you. 🎙️ Full podcast episode and 📖 Blog: www.informeddecisions.ie/post/should-i-retire-at-all-time-highs-ireland 📊 Want to check where you are? Try our free 10-minute Retirement Readiness Scorecard: https://www.informeddecisions.ie/pension-calculator 📅 Find out how we work: https://www.informeddecisions.ie DISCLAIMER This content is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute personalised financial advice. Everyone's situation is different. Always speak to a qualified, independent advisor before making pension or investment decisions. Tax rules and pension regulations change; figures quoted are accurate at time of recording. #PensionIreland #RetirementPlanningIreland #SequenceOfReturnsRisk #StockMarketAllTimeHigh #ARFIreland