Retirement Planning

Customized planning with the end game in mind

The prospect of retirement can be an exciting one, giving almost anyone the possibly of two or three decades of freedom from a “9-to-5” (or far worse) regimen.   Ideally, it will free up plenty of time to pursue interests, and to draw satisfaction from a broad array of family or personal events and other milestones.

However (especially at 3am), the eve of retirement can also be a quite unnerving time:

• If I have a spouse or partner, is s/he also retiring?
• How will my/our monthly expenses change?  What should be done about existing debt?
• Which of several payment options is the best one for collecting my pension?
• What factors influence whether I/we should take or defer Social Security?  Or, what if I am younger than 62 and it is not even available yet?
• When can retirement plan assets be accessed without penalty taxes?  When must retirement plan assets be withdrawn?
• Given that I can no longer contribute to retirement plans, are there other saving alternatives in retirement?
• How rapidly should I/we reallocate retirement plan funds to safer asset classes?

Stacey Braun planners often work with clients to help study a primary, two-part question: Am I ready for retirement, and can I afford it?  Even if the answer is “not yet,” planners can offer suggestions for a game plan that should allow for an eventual, more comfortable transition.

And if the answer is “yes,” it is vital to understand and weigh options–especially because certain choices (when to commence Social Security, or which pension payout should be elected) are irrevocable, even if one’s circumstances change.

Stacey Braun planners can help sketch a “retirement roadmap” which frames when and how certain income sources can be brought on-stream in retirement, and help clients weigh the pros and cons of activating each source at various points in time.

One need not be 50 or 60 years old to commence retirement planning.  Stacey Braun planners often work with clients in their 20s, 30s, and 40s to help them understand the power of time and compounding in accumulating wealth.  Even if amounts saved during years when mortgages, child care, and college-saving place heavy claims on cash flow , a carefully allocated portfolio consistent with long-term goals and risk tolerance can set the stage for a more comfortable and satisfying retirement.

Ideally, retirement should be a time of peace, satisfaction, and comfort. Our planners can help with recommendations to make this goal as much a reality as is possible.