The Retirement Decision Lab

Cohort 01 · Live on ZoomEnrollment opens October 11Closes Fri Oct 23, noon EasternFirst 20 get a private Decision Review

The Retirement Decision Lab

For Americans 55 and older deciding when, whether and where to retire. At home or abroad.

You get one retirement. Don't guess your way through it.

Most people make the biggest financial decision of their life on a hunch, a rule of thumb, and a Social Security statement. Four weeks. Four decisions. Your own numbers, worked live.

$297 once · Live Wednesdays, 7pm Eastern, from Nov 4 · Waitlist hears first on Oct 11. We only email you about the Lab. Privacy.

Todd Allyn in a black shirt and black sport coat against a black background
Todd AllynFounding Director, Sovereo Intelligence24 years teaching economics, finance and business. Former business school dean. His work is decision integrity. Not a financial advisor.

Answer these honestly

Four questions. Can you answer any of them with a number?

Not a feeling. Not "I think we'll be fine." A number you worked out yourself.

  • At the way you spend today, how many years until your money runs out?Your answer
  • If the dollar drops against the currency where you live, what happens to your monthly budget?Your answer
  • If you stop working completely, what do you lose besides the paycheck?Your answer
  • Is where you live the best place for your money, or just the place you're used to?Your answer

If you left those blank, you don't have a retirement plan. You have a hope.

The cost of guessing

A wrong retirement decision doesn't cost you once. It costs you every month.

Retire too soon

You run short when you can least fix it.

At 80, going back to work isn't a plan. The shortfall shows up when your options are fewest.

Wait too long

You trade healthy years for money you didn't need.

Every extra year of work you didn't have to do is a year you don't get back.

Live in the wrong place

You pay a premium for the rest of your life.

The same income buys a different life in different places. Staying put is a decision too.

30 yrs

Retire at 65 and your money may need to last into your 90s. That's a long time to live with a decision you never tested.

How it works · The four decisions

One live 90-minute working session for each

The order matters. Each week builds on the answer from the week before. You bring your numbers. We work them together.

  1. Week 1

    Can you afford to retire?

    Your real income, measured in the currency you'll actually spend it in.

    Wed Nov 4
  2. Week 2

    Should you stop earning?

    Retirement doesn't have to mean zero income. Ways to keep money coming in after 60.

    Wed Nov 11
  3. Week 3

    Where does your money work hardest?

    The price of place. Locations compared on total value, not cost of living alone.

    Wed Nov 18
  4. Week 4

    What will your retirement look like?

    Income, work, location and lifestyle put together into one strategy.

    Wed Dec 2

What you walk away with

Your personal Retirement Decision Brief

Four weeks of work end in one written document, built from your own numbers. One decision per part.

Part 1 · Afford

Your runway

How long your money lasts at the way you spend, measured in the currency you will spend it in.

Part 2 · Earn

Your income decision

Whether to keep some income after 60, and how much it changes your runway.

Part 3 · Place

Your place decision

Where you live now compared with your shortlist, on total value rather than cost of living alone.

Part 4 · Plan

Your strategy

Income, work, location and lifestyle in one plan, with the reasons written down.

You keep the method. Run it again whenever your situation changes.

What you get

Built on your numbers, not examples

  • Four live 90-minute working sessions with Todd, Wednesdays at 7pm Eastern
  • Your personal Retirement Decision Brief, written from your own numbers
  • Worksheets you fill in with your own income and costs
  • Replays of every session, in case you miss one
  • Three months of the Sovereo Brief
  • A free seat in any future cohort, to rerun your numbers
  • First 20 to enrollA private 30-minute Decision Review with Todd

$297

See it side by side with buying the same help separately.

Enrollment runs Oct 11 to Friday Oct 23 at noon Eastern. The waitlist hears first.

All enrollments are final. Can't make this cohort? Your seat moves to a future cohort at no charge.

Before you join

This won't pick your investments, file your taxes, or tell you where to move.

It will make you run your own numbers and make four decisions on purpose. If you want someone to decide for you, this isn't it.

Todd is not a financial advisor. His work is decision integrity: making life's biggest decisions on purpose, with your own numbers, and owning the outcome.

Side by side

Buy it piece by piece, or get all of it in the Lab.

Bought separately $3,518
The Retirement Decision Lab $297
You keep$3,221The Lab is 8% of the price of the same help bought separately.
What you need, bought separately versus included in the Lab
What you needSeparatelyIn the Lab
Expert time on your own numbersOne-time plan from a financial advisor$2,926IncludedFour live 90-minute working sessions with Todd
A written result you keepIncluded in the plan fee abovein planIncludedYour Retirement Decision Brief
A one-on-one review30 minutes at $307 an hour$154IncludedPrivate Decision Review, first 20 to enroll
Intelligence on what is changingThree months of the Sovereo Brief$141IncludedThree months of the Sovereo Brief
A rerun when life changesA seat in another cohort$297IncludedA free seat in any future cohort
Only in the LabA live cohort working the same four decisions, every session recorded, worksheets built for your numbersNot soldIncluded
Total$3,518$297
Get first access on Oct 11

$297 once. Enrollment Oct 11 to Oct 23, noon Eastern.

The Lab is education, not financial planning. It does not manage money, sell products or tell you what to choose. Outside prices: a one-time plan from a financial advisor averages $2,926 and hourly advisors average $307 an hour, according to NerdWallet (updated September 9, 2026). Sovereo Brief and cohort prices are Sovereo's own.

One-time investment

$297 once, against what a wrong guess costs every month

A small mistake, repeatedWhat it adds up to
Overspending $150 a month on housing you didn't need, for 20 years$36,000
Your local currency gains 10% against a $3,000 monthly budget, for one year$3,600
Giving up $800 a month of part-time income you could have kept, for 5 years$48,000
Retiring two years early on a plan that runs short at 85Your options
The Retirement Decision Lab. The method is yours for life.$297 once

Illustrations, not predictions. Your numbers will differ. That's the point: in the Lab you run your own.

Todd Allyn

Why this Lab exists

I had to make these four decisions myself.

I taught economics, finance and business for 24 years and served as a business school dean. My retirement was not planned. When my college required me back on campus, I chose my family in Bogotá over the position and retired at 62.

Then I had to answer the same four questions this Lab is built on, with my own numbers: could I afford it, should I keep earning, where does our money work hardest, and what should the next thirty years look like.

The Lab is the method I used, taught live, so you can work through your own decisions on purpose.

Todd Allyn

Founding Director, Sovereo Intelligence

Have a question first?

Straight answers, sourced and dated.

68 answers to the questions people ask before they decide: Social Security timing, Medicare and health costs, working after 60, where to live, and planning the years ahead.

How much money do I need to retire? What is the earliest age I can retire? How do I get health insurance if I retire before 65? Which countries have retirement visas, and how much income do they require? See all answers or ask your own

Questions

Before you join

Is this only for people moving abroad?

No. Week 3 compares places, including where you live now. Deciding to stay put is a good outcome when it is chosen on purpose.

What if I miss a live session?

Every session is recorded. You get the replay and the worksheet, and you can bring your questions to the next session.

Can I get a refund?

No. All enrollments are final. If something comes up and you can't attend this cohort, your seat moves to any future cohort at no charge. Read the page, answer the four questions, and join only if you're ready to do the work.

What do I need to take part?

A computer or tablet with internet, and your own numbers: income sources, monthly spending, and any savings you plan to draw on. You'll get a short intake form after you enroll.

Is this financial advice?

No. Todd is an educator, not a financial advisor. The Lab teaches decision integrity: a method for making big decisions deliberately and applying it to your own situation. It does not recommend investments or provide tax, legal or financial planning.

When and where does it happen?

Live on Zoom, Wednesdays at 7pm Eastern: November 4, 11, 18 and December 2. No session the night before Thanksgiving.

Waitlist

Stop guessing. Get first access on October 11.

Waitlist members hear first when enrollment opens, before it's announced anywhere else. Your answer below shapes what we cover.

Which decision keeps you up at night?

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