Retirement Planning

Retirement planning is more complex than simply projecting savings and withdrawals. How you save and where you hold your money can be just as important as how much you save. The decisions you make now about account types, withdrawal strategies, and timing can affect your taxes for decades. My background as an IRS economist shapes how I approach each of these decisions. I help clients:

  • Determine the right mix of traditional, Roth, and taxable accounts

  • Model different retirement dates and spending scenarios

  • Create tax-efficient withdrawal strategies

  • Evaluate Social Security timing and claiming options

  • Plan for healthcare costs before Medicare eligibility

Turning Savings into Retirement Income

Building savings is one challenge. Turning them into retirement income is another: which accounts to draw from, in what order, and how much you can sustainably spend each year. The years after you stop working but before Social Security and required minimum distributions (RMDs) begin are often a window for Roth conversions at lower tax rates than you’ll face later. I build withdrawal plans that coordinate these decisions year by year, with spending guardrails that adjust to how markets actually perform instead of relying on a fixed withdrawal rule.

Planning Around an Inheritance

An inheritance that arrives in the years before retirement can reshape your plan. Most inherited IRAs must be emptied within 10 years, and the timing of those withdrawals can make a meaningful difference in your tax bill, especially if they overlap with your peak earning years. I help clients fit an inheritance into their broader retirement plan: when to draw down inherited accounts, how they affect Roth conversion opportunities, and how to invest the proceeds alongside existing savings.

Common Retirement Planning Mistakes

Even careful planners make preventable mistakes. One of the most common is claiming Social Security too early. While you can claim at 62, each year you wait past full retirement age, up to 70, increases your benefit by 8%. For many people, delaying is the best longevity insurance available.

Another frequent oversight is ignoring healthcare costs before Medicare eligibility. Many people underestimate how much they'll spend on insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs in the gap years between retirement and Medicare at 65.

Underestimating taxes in retirement surprises many retirees who assume their tax burden will drop significantly. Between RMDs, pensions, Social Security, and investment income, some retirees find themselves in similar or even higher tax brackets than when they were working. This is where tax planning during your working years becomes crucial.

Finally, failing to plan for sequence-of-returns risk (the danger of market downturns early in retirement) can derail even well-funded plans. How you structure withdrawals in the first few years of retirement can significantly affect how long your portfolio lasts.

Tax laws change, markets shift, and your circumstances evolve, so retirement strategies work best when they’re revisited as life unfolds.

Retirement Planning for Business Owners

If you own a business, it likely represents a significant share of your net worth, but it’s illiquid and hard to convert into retirement income. The retirement plan you choose matters too: a SEP-IRA, solo 401(k), or cash balance plan each comes with different contribution limits and administrative demands. I help business owners compare plan options, model exit scenarios, and coordinate with attorneys and CPAs so the transition from running a business to living off its value is planned years in advance.

How Retirement Planning Integrates with Your Financial Plan

Retirement planning doesn't exist in isolation from your other financial decisions. It's deeply connected to tax planning, investment management, and estate planning. You can learn more about related services through Financial Planning, Tax Planning, and Investment Management.

Next Steps

Ready to build a retirement plan tailored to your situation? Schedule a free introductory call to discuss your goals and see if we're a good fit. You can also review fees and service options or visit the FAQ for answers to common questions about the planning process.