“The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off.” — Abe Lemons
Planning appropriately to ensure your needs will be met when you are no longer working is the first step toward creating a secure financial future for yourself and creating an enduring legacy for your children– the last thing anyone wants is to be a financial burden on their family after they retire.
Retirement planning allows you to choose the lifestyle you want and the things you hope to give and achieve in retirement, and to take action during your working years to make your vision a reality.
And a good retirement plan is also a gift for you and your family– it frees you from worry about your own quality of life in the future, and frees your family from worrying about how they will take care of you.
For younger people, retirement planning is usually about setting goals and saving wisely and consistently during their working years. For older people who are considering whether and when to retire, the issues are much more concrete, but the basic questions are the same at every age or stage of life:
At Abiding Wealth Advisors, retirement planning starts with learning all about you—your goals, your family and what resources you have to work with.
After we learn about you, we do an in-depth analysis of your situation and your portfolio, assessing the risks you will face as your work toward your goals.
We will also look at multiple scenarios to gauge the potential impact of “what if” on your retirement; we want to be sure your plan gives you enough cushion that you will have the resources you need in retirement even if things along the way don’t go as well as you hoped.
Set and track progress toward your retirement planning goals with the retirement planning widget in our financial planning software– it’s free for all of our Charlotte financial planning clients. Your retirement account balances update automatically, so it’s easy to know how you’re doing.
Once we have a deep understanding of all of the factors that may impact your results, we research all of the possible investments and offer you a range of options that are suited for you, along with our recommendations on which ones we feel will work best.
As an independent firm by choice, we are not limited to proprietary investments; we offer a much wider selection of possibilities to choose from… and more choices often means better results.
Whether you are just starting out in your career or approaching retirement, the best thing you can do is get a clear picture of exactly what you want and what you will need to achieve your goals. You need to be very specific— hard numbers enable you to develop a realistic, workable plan that will get the results you want.
If you need to review or develop your retirement plan, the time is now—time can be your greatest ally if you make it work for you by planning for your retirement sooner rather than later. Investing in the right things and saving at the right pace for a longer time (even if it’s just a few years longer), can make a big difference in your results, and usually means you can do more with less.
If you’re ready to get your retirement plan right, please contact us today to schedule a consultation with one of our Charlotte Retirement Planning Specialists.
We will be happy to help you make sure you are on track to enjoy the comfortable, worry-free retirement you deserve after a lifetime of work.
What are the most common sources of retirement income, how much do you need to save and where can you go for help if you need more information? Here’s a quick animated overview for financial novices from USA.gov. (2:54)
What should you look for when deciding how to invest your 401(K) funds? Learn why it’s important to look at not only the returns for the options available to you, but also the fees– they can make a big difference. (2:23)
What are Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), when do you have to take them, and how much do you have to withdraw? WMUR News 9 in Manchester, New Hampshire reports. (3:17)