 prepped and added at different times. Knowing when to do this is the difference between having a great dining experience and cold soup. Now, this process, this is a lot of what retirees struggle with. It's one of the biggest missteps they can face. Turning on an income stream too early and you run the risk of not having money later in retirement. Turning it on too late and you run the risk of increasing your taxes to a level that will cripple your lifestyle.