Retirement planning services
What we do
We help you get the most out of retirement by optimizing and coordinating all the major financial decisions into a clear, specific plan. We help with all of the following, and more:
How much can you safely spend?
You’ve saved your hard-earned money for decades. We help you turn it into a retirement paycheck designed to last, with clear guidelines around how much you can safely spend. We also coordinate your Social Security claiming strategy and timing as part of your overall retirement income plan.
What you’ll get from us
- Clear guidance on what you can spend in retirement
- A Social Security claiming strategy optimized for your household
- Adjustments as your accounts, spending, and goals change via systematic reviews by us
- Stress-testing against market downturns to ensure your retirement plan is resilient
How do you reduce taxes in retirement?
Our tax code is complicated. For retirees, it can even be sneaky. Social Security can become taxable, RMDs can push you into a higher tax bracket, and triggering IRMAA surcharges can raise your Medicare premiums. Retiring without a tax-smart plan often means paying more tax than you needed to over the course of retirement. We help you use the tax code to your advantage to reduce your taxes and avoid leaving the IRS a tip.
What you’ll get from us
- Annual tax return analysis to identify tax planning opportunities including Roth conversions
- Coordinated tax-efficient strategy around which accounts to withdraw from each year
- Required minimum distribution (RMD) planning before it becomes mandatory
- Coordination around Social Security taxation, ACA subsidy cliffs, and Medicare IRMAA surcharges
We do tax planning, not tax preparation. We don’t file your return and we’re not your CPA, but we coordinate and work closely with your CPA or tax preparer to ensure you’re utilizing the tax planning strategies that benefit you.
How should you be invested in retirement?
Retirement brings an entirely new job for your portfolio. It’s no longer just about growth — it’s also about making sure you’re positioned to weather a market downturn and still receive the retirement income you’re counting on. We manage your investments using a portfolio designed for retirement and a strategy you can understand.
What you’ll get from us
- A portfolio managed entirely by us, so you can focus on your life rather than the markets
- A low-cost and tax-efficient globally diversified portfolio designed for retirement
- Systematic rebalancing to stay at your appropriate targets unique to your retirement goals and risk tolerance
Investing involves risk, including the risk of loss. Past performance does not indicate future results.
How do you navigate health insurance in retirement?
Health insurance gets a lot more complicated after you retire. Before 65, there’s COBRA, ACA Marketplace plans, and private plans to navigate. At 65 you get to decipher the enigma that is Medicare. We help you navigate health insurance and address any long-term care and liability risks to your retirement.
What you’ll get from us
- Guidance evaluating COBRA vs. ACA Marketplace or private plans when retiring before 65
- ACA premium tax credit and Medicare IRMAA surcharge planning
- Expert guidance through the Medicare enrollment process including timing and evaluating plans (we don’t sell Medicare plans, so we have no financial stake in which one you choose)
- A plan for long-term care risk (not always insurance)
- Review of appropriate homeowner’s, auto, and umbrella insurance coverage to protect your retirement from a lawsuit
How do you pass your assets down efficiently to your family?
Now that you’re entering retirement, it’s likely you’ve accumulated the most assets you’ve ever owned in your life. The last thing you want now is an outdated or non-existent estate plan. You need someone able to legally act for you financially if you can’t. And you don’t want unnecessary probate costs and delays, or your assets going to the wrong people. We work with you and your estate planning attorney to make sure your estate plan is efficient and reflects your wishes.
What you’ll get from us
- Collaboration with you and your attorney during the process of creating or updating your estate documents
- Alignment and coordination of your estate documents, beneficiaries, and asset titling
- Help finding an estate planning attorney if you need it
- Guidance on charitable giving through your estate, or gifting to family while you’re alive
How can you stay on the right track throughout retirement?
Retirement isn’t a “set it and forget it” event. Your investments will go through bull and bear markets. Your portfolio balances will fluctuate with markets and withdrawals. The tax code will almost certainly change (possibly many times). Your health and legacy wishes may change. You may decide you want different things out of retirement causing your goals to change. Life brings change. But we’ll be here to help you stay on track and regularly review your plan as your situation changes.
What you’ll get from us
- Ongoing guidance and systematic reviews of everything above
- Regular client strategy meetings with us
- Support during the year for whenever life happens and you have questions outside of our meetings
Who we serve
We serve clients in or near retirement who:
- Want to make sure they’re doing everything right financially to support a better retirement
- Have been diligent savers with typically at least $500,000 saved for retirement
- Are looking for an advisor to work with long-term and want to delegate their retirement planning and investment management
- Want to make sure they’re not overpaying in taxes during retirement
Probably not a fit if you:
- Enjoy managing your own investments and prefer to DIY your retirement planning
- Are looking to trade around the market or time it
- Aren’t concerned about taxes in retirement
- Have less than $200,000 saved for retirement