Retirement Income Planning

Feeling confident about when you can retire is an important goal. We discuss your aspirations, run the numbers, and help you plan your best path to retirement. We then develop sensible and tax-efficient withdrawal strategies for supporting your retirement lifestyle.

Learn More About Our
Retirement Income Planning Process

Helping you feel confident about your retirement readiness is crucial,
and it all starts with creating a solid plan that aligns with your aspirations and financial reality.
Here’s a breakdown of how we approach each part of the process: 

 

Discussing Aspirations & Setting Clear Retirement Goals: 

  • The first step is understanding what you want your retirement to look like. This could include where you plan to live, what kind of activities you’ll be doing, whether you want to travel, and any other personal or family goals. 
  • Running the Numbers: we’ll help you take stock of all retirement assets, including: 
    • 401(k)s, IRAs, Roth IRAs 
    • Pensions or annuities 
    • Other investment accounts (taxable brokerage accounts) 
  • Income Projections: we’ll work together to estimate how much income will be needed in retirement to meet your lifestyle goals. This involves considering: 
    • Living Expenses: Housing, food, utilities, entertainment, and healthcare. 
    • Inflation: Adjusting expenses for future cost-of-living increases. 
    • Taxes: Understanding the tax implications of withdrawals from different retirement accounts (traditional IRAs/401(k)s vs. Roth accounts vs. taxable accounts). 
  • Longevity & Health Considerations: We will make assumptions about how long you might live (considering family history and health status) and include potential healthcare costs in the plan. For example, long-term care or rising medical expenses might require a larger financial cushion. 
  • Retirement Date & “Gap Analysis”: If you’re planning to retire early, there will likely be a gap before you begin receiving Social Security or other government benefits. It’s important to account for this period and find solutions to cover those years (like using taxable accounts or Roth IRA conversions). 
  • Tax-Efficient Withdrawals: Strategic withdrawals can minimize the tax impact on retirement income: 
    • Roth IRAs: Withdrawals are tax-free, so they should generally be tapped last, after using taxable accounts and traditional retirement funds.
    • Tax-Deferred Accounts: Traditional IRAs or 401(k)s should be accessed in a way that minimizes taxes. For instance, withdrawing a small amount from these accounts early in retirement to stay in a lower tax bracket can help.
    • Taxable Accounts: These accounts are often a good first source of retirement income since their withdrawals don’t trigger penalties, and the capital gains tax rate may be lower than ordinary income tax rates.
  • Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs): Once you reach age 73 (as of 2025), you will be required to take RMDs from your traditional IRAs and 401(k)s. Proper planning is needed to ensure these distributions are managed efficiently and don’t push you into a higher tax bracket. 

Adjusting for Changes Over Time: 

  • Lifestyle Shifts: Over time, your retirement goals may shift, and income needs could change. For example, healthcare costs might rise, or you may want to spend more time traveling. Regularly revisiting your plan can ensure that you remain on track. 
  • Annual Checkups: we make it a point to review your retirement income strategies annually to adjust for changes in income, expenses, taxes, and portfolio performance. 

By addressing all these areas, we help clients move toward their ideal retirement with clarity and confidence. The process should be ongoing, and regular check-ins will ensure they stay on track. 

Research &
Resources

StrategicPoint routinely conducts independent research on current economic and market conditions, using our best of breed third party partners. Our portfolio management committee consistently evaluates reports from these partners that help us determine where the economy is in the business cycle. Weekly discussions amongst the committee members provide a tremendous opportunity to challenge investment theses and react to market and economic forces.

Investment
Options

Because we are tactical managers, your portfolio’s asset allocation may change over time based on the current macro-economic landscape and our understanding of risk/reward trade-offs. Whether we are using our proprietary investment models or leveraging Fidelity to partner with third party managers, we will create and maintain the investment approach that's right for you.

Tactical Asset
Allocation

Our tactical approach involves ongoing economic and market analysis that allows us to make investment changes based on our current outlook. Close attention is paid to identifying assets we believe can outperform in different segments of the business cycle. Once an asset class is identified, the committee determines whether a mutual fund or ETF is best suited for the investment thesis, they analyze if the investment should have active or passive management approach, all while remaining fee conscious.

Find Out How We Can Help You

Whether you’ve worked with an advisor before or new to the
experience, learn more about how our process can help you.

Contact Us