The Safe Descent

business, investing, education · EN

In mountaineering, reaching the summit is only half the objective — statistically, it's the safer half. Most catastrophic accidents happen on the way down, not the climb. Retirement works the same way. Building your savings is the summit. Turning that balance into income you can't outlive — the descent — is where most plans actually break. The Safe Descent is a narrated companion series exploring the frameworks, math, and real listener questions behind The Income Standard, the retirement income education platform hosted by Tod Long, a licensed insurance professional (FIA/FA, Retirement Income Architect) licensed in 30+ states. Each episode pairs with an episode of the flagship show — two hosts unpacking the same material Tod covers in his own voice, at a slower, more exploratory pace, for listeners who'd rather hear an idea talked through than lectured. This is a companion series, not a substitut