Robert and Linda are aiming to retire within the next two years. They’re excited to make the leap but aren’t sure what things will look like. It’s unclear if they are taking the right steps to have a successful retirement. They’ve been diligent savers and prudent spenders their entire life. Watching the financial news and reading online articles provides information but leaves them more confused trying to determine what is relevant to them. Previous encounters with financial professionals have left assets scattered and they don’t feel organized.

Robert currently has a successful career as an Operations Manager at a large company. His career has been fulfilling and he has built many friendships. His compensation plan including salary, a retirement plan and stock options has been gratifying – yet he’s ready to move to the next phase of life. It would be hard for him to give up working completely but he wouldn’t miss coming into the office every day. He’s thought about part-time consulting work to keep him sharp and provide flexibility and another income stream.

Linda has spent her career as an elementary school teacher only breaking for a few years while their children were young. She loves working with kids and would like to give back through volunteer work without the demands of papers, grading, and lesson plans. She’s interested to know how her State pension affects Social Security and which available payout option she should choose.

The couple is excited to enter this new chapter of their life but want to make sure their finances are in order. They see the importance of their upcoming decisions and want to have confidence before taking the plunge. They’ve worked hard to get to this position and aren’t willing to take chances. Currently, they believe they have the elements for a successful retirement, but they are not confident they have a coordinated plan.

After learning about Robert and Linda’s financial situation and their objectives, we guided them in the establishment of their priorities and evaluated their current position. We scheduled a series of meetings at our office to develop a financial and investment plan to help them make decisions as they approached retirement and to continue through their retirement years.

We provided Robert and Linda with a simple and secure personal financial website that organized all their accounts in one place. This is also where they could view financial planning reports and store important documents.

We created a bullet-point action plan to align with their priorities. For example, we focused on the following:

We began an ongoing process to follow-up on progress and answer questions. This provided comfort that they would not miss important steps.

Robert and Linda had their unique priorities, but also shared many of the same concerns as others approaching or in retirement. The couple knew they needed retirement planning for sustainable income but were juggling competing goals like travel and charitable giving. However, through our process they gained the freedom to spend invaluable time with family and instill core family values into the next generation. Developing a plan and coordinating assets provided them with direction to approach this major life transition with purpose and confidence. They felt more secure knowing we would continue to meet, answer their questions, and help them to stay on track.