What’s My Perfect Retirement Plan?
The “perfect” plan is what the individual client says it is. That’s because the individual has a vested interest in the outcomes of the financial decisions. The individual attempts to do what’s best for themselves, their family, and loved ones. Ideally, this is in context with all available knowledge and information. Can there ever be […]
Secure Act 2.0: What Matters to Retirees?
The Secure Act 2.0 overhauls, pioneers, and expands upon many new rules for retirement savers. But what are key provisions that new retirees should be aware of? The full text of the Omnibus bill text is here. What are the important retirement provisions? Section 107: Increases to RMD ages for some retirees Effective immediately, certain […]
Simplifying Your Relationship With Stock Options
Stock options can be among the most confusing aspects of the financial planning process. The subjectivity built into these programs will consider personal preferences, planning timing tactics, diversification, and tax efficiency. What kind of options do you have? The first step is identifying what type of option you have. It may be a good idea […]
How Much of a Guarantee Do I Actually Need?
Guaranteed income offers all kinds of benefits to a financial plan but also comes with tradeoffs, namely growth, and cost. Finding the “sweet spot” for a guarantee in a financial plan is tricky and not always readily apparent. Furthermore, differences in opinion within a family unit can cause disagreement about the “perfect” design. When referring […]
Are Retirees Being Real?
The annual Retirement Confidence Survey consistently shows retirees’ expectations pre, and post-retirement may not always be realistic for specific areas of retirement planning. A realistic financial plan will consider all variables and any high-risk scenarios. Being real with expenses Expenses are one of the most disliked aspects of developing a financial plan. It’s impossible to determine the […]
Planning a Sustainable Withdrawal Strategy for Retirement
Planning a sustainable withdrawal strategy is one of the most overlooked areas of financial planning. A clear and coordinated withdrawal strategy is crucial because it will ultimately determine how an individual will create sustainable income throughout retirement. Successfully navigating retirement Sequence risk is the risk in the timing of withdrawals from a market portfolio occurring […]
Top 15 Retirement Planning Mistakes to Avoid
#1 Not having a rational process A process for decision-making helps maintain focus, reduces uncertainty, and ensures that everyone remains on the same page. Having a process translates to efficiency and usually results in more money spent AND less frustration. Having a process should allow individuals to internalize planning subjectivity and view the totality of […]
12 Ways to Perfectly Time Your Retirement Planning
Choosing a retirement date is the final step before entering retirement. But for a smooth transition, most individuals will need to coordinate benefits and potentially make last-minute adjustments to their financial planning retirement strategy. #12 Rethinking the Retirement Budget Generally, retirees enjoy more free time once they retire. In many cases, that means spending more money than […]
Rebuilding the Retirement Planning Buckets
As the COVID-19 pandemic swept the country, we first reported this event’s game-changing effect on retiree income, specifically for those who recently retired or were about to retire. Many individuals do not fully understand how the pandemic (and now the Ukraine invasion) has fundamentally changed retirement planning. Many who do, feel forced to take on […]
Touching The Retirement Accounts. Do’s & Don’ts
When changing jobs or retiring, it’s always prudent to consider all your options as far as employer-sponsored retirement accounts. In rare cases, it can make sense to do nothing, and leave the retirement account with the old employer. There can also be benefits to transferring the account to your new employer’s plan. And sometimes, it […]
