How We Help

Effective retirement planning requires the examination of many different issues and aspects, starting with your lifestyle goals. Social Security and Medicare must be included, as well as addressing how you will create a stream of tax-advantaged income from your accumulated assets. Portfolio diversification and mitigating market risk is also critical, and we have multiple strategies to help. There are many moving pieces when it comes to retirement planning, and together we can create a plan that will be as comprehensive as possible.

With a strategic and disciplined approach to asset management in line with your risk profile and time horizon to retirement, individuals can help ensure that their investments are aligned with their retirement goals, while optimizing their financial performance and positioning themselves for long-term success. Diversifying and decreasing market risk as you get older requires finding innovative options—let’s discuss this. Accumulating wealth is no small feat, which is why it should be protected once it is earned, especially when you are getting close to retirement.

We believe it’s important to round out your portfolio with non-correlated options that can also provide other retirement benefits. In some cases, we will consider life insurance and annuity options which have been completely redesigned in recent years to provide even more flexibility for retirees and pre-retirees. For example, insurance can now be used to create a tax-free source of retirement income. This can be beneficial to retirees who may be worried about required minimum distributions, tax obligations or transitioning their wealth to the next generation. Modern options can also offer a source of income retirees cannot outlive, ideally eliminating the potential of running out of money entirely based on the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company.

At age 65, you must file for Medicare or potentially pay higher premiums for life. Because premiums are based on a two-year income look-back, it’s important to start planning your retirement early, keeping your income lower, if possible, during the years that immediately precede when you file for Medicare. Exact Wealth can help you with the retirement planning considerations, while our sister company, Exact Medicare, can help you through the filing process. And they can also help you choose and procure the Medicare plan or plans that fit your budget and medical parameters.

Deciding when to file for Social Security is another important piece of the retirement planning puzzle. You can file early beginning at age 62, but your monthly benefit will then be permanently lower than if you file at your full retirement age (around age 67 depending on your month and year of birth), and lower than if you wait from your full retirement age up until age 70, when your benefit can grow by 8% yearly. Additionally, if you are married or were married in the past, you may have even more filing options, as one of you might want to file early while the other waits. As part of your retirement planning process, we can help you work through these considerations and do the math.

If you have a lot of money saved in tax-deferred retirement accounts like traditional 401(k)s, 403(b)s, 457(b), or IRAs, you will owe ordinary income tax on all of the money that you withdraw—and you will have to start withdrawing money each year from these traditional accounts starting at age 73. Working with your CPA or accountant, we will see if a series of Roth conversions—which are taxable in the years which they are completed, but not subject to tax or RMDs later—might benefit you before you retire. We will also look at other tax planning strategies as part of your overall plan, with the goal of lowering your tax burden so you have more spendable income in retirement.

Passing on tax-advantaged wealth is another concern that retirees have, and we partner with you and your estate attorney—or we can bring one to the table—to help you design and implement an estate plan for your family. We believe having an estate plan is important for everyone, and furthermore, keeping your plan up to date is mandatory as your family grows and changes with marriages, births, divorces, etc. As estate tax exclusions are set to drop back down for the 2026 tax year without legislative changes, this may be an even more important time for people who own expensive assets like land, real estate or a business.

Holistic financial plans endeavor to account for each aspect of your life, including your current benefits, salary, savings, circumstances, tax obligations and more. We have experience working with clients of all asset totals and needs, and we form a complete partnership based on an easy-to-follow yet still malleable plan that allows you to take control of your future and steer the ship toward your retirement dreams. Holistic financial planning is important for everyone, and can help you achieve multiple life milestones like purchasing a home, having a family, paying for college for your children, and ultimately, retirement.