1. How do I know if I need a retirement income strategy?

Successfully transitioning from the accumulation to the decumulation phase of life comes with different priorities, risks and concerns. Properly planning and addressing them can be improved with specific knowledge, strategies and a retirement income strategy customized and designed to meet your personal financial needs and comfort level.

As an American at or approaching retirement, you are unique, with questions about Social Security benefits, managing your employer-sponsored retirement plan, tax planning, wealth transfer, and other concerns that have accumulated over a lifetime. 

Yet while there are over 300,000 financial advisors in this country, less than 4% have earned the Retirement Income Certified Professional  RICP® designation. 

2. What should a retirement income strategy address? 

With market volatility and historically extreme valuations, tenuous economic and heightened geopolitical risks, and a myriad of additional very real risks confronting retirees, some of the more significant critical risks you face as a near or new retiree include:  

• Longevity Risk: The risk of outliving your assets 
• Inflation Risk: How do you maintain the necessary spendable income and purchasing power to maintain your desired lifestyle 
• Sequence of Return Risk: How do you mitigate the potentially devastating impact of negative or prolonged low returns 
• Taxation Risk: With accelerating massive government debt, raising taxes could be likely

• Fee Risk: With excessive or unnecessary fees, your capital can be prematurely depleted 
• Health Care Risk: Rising costs can put increasing pressure on portfolio drawdowns 
• Long Term Care Risk: Over 70% of those 65+ will require some form of long-term care which can pose a serious principal depletion risk   

TO PRIORITIZE YOUR CONCERNS AND SPECIFY DESIRED SOLUTIONS, CLICK HERE

3. With all the conflicting opinions, strategies, and investment choices out there, how do I know who and what is best for me? 

You’ve made it this far, after decades of work, saving and investing for growth, now you will likely need to shift your priorities and strategies to protect capital, secure income and possibly leave a legacy after making sure your assets and income will support your desired lifestyle.  
This can be facilitated by accessing a specialized knowledge base and tool set to designed to map out and improve your financial security and give you the peace of mind to enjoy a memory filled retirement. Just as your personal health and longevity requires specialized expertise, so too does the health, longevity, and financial well-being of your assets. This is exactly when and where the help of a Retirement Income Certified Professional RICP® can help. 

4. What type of clients do you typically work with? 

• Clients who want to reduce the fear and anxiety of running out of money or not securing enough income for a comfortable lifestyle. 
• Clients who want clarity and structure with a customized retirement income strategy designed to mitigate the risks retirees face. 
• Clients who want secure income, capital preservation, and risk-adjusted growth so they can relax and enjoy creating lasting memories.
• Clients who want to minimize risk, taxes, and fees, while increasing their secure income to maintain purchasing power, assets & legacy.
• Clients who understand they don't have to and should not make critical financial retirement decisions without professional guidance.

TO PRIORITIZE YOUR CONCERNS AND SPECIFY DESIRED SOLUTIONS, CLICK HERE

5. What makes you different from other alternatives? 

Many years of successful portfolio management, a deep knowledge base, highly specialized Retirement Income Certified Professional RICP® training, a structured process, as well respected analytical tools, and a genuine passion for helping pre and new retirees enjoy the retirement of their dreams. My entire professional focus is on helping near and new retirees to maximize their secure income, minimize their risk, taxes and fees, protect and preserve their capital and address the critical risks they may face during retirement. We utilize a combination of three specific risk assessment tools and three top rated analytical tools designed to help our clients improve their financial security and their peace of mind.

6. What is your investment philosophy? 

Take as little risk as possible to achieve stated financial goals. Use knowledge, experience and specialized retirement income training and tools to design and implement tax-efficient income strategies to help clients reduce financial stress and anxiety.  

7. What does your process entail? 

Client experience as follows:  

• First Meeting: Mutual Discovery Session for qualitative and quantitative assessment 
• Second Meeting: Review customized, goal, and risk tolerance-aligned strategy alternatives.
• Third Meeting: Discuss the client-selected strategy and begin implementation.
• Thereafter: Meet periodically to review any lifestyle and income need changes.   

To request schedule your Complimentary Discovery Session, click here. To request your Complimentary Discovery Kit, click here.

8. What strategies do you utilize? 

The combination of strategies is driven by each clients needs and circumstances. Every strategy is customized and designed to meet each client's quantified risk tolerance and stated financial objectives.  

Foundational strategies include:  

• Lifetime and Generational Tax, Fee and Behavioral Error Mitigation Strategies.
• Need Based Secure Income Laddering to Help Protect Against Risks Such as: Longevity, Inflation, Healthcare & Long-Term Care Expenses.
• Strategies to Reduce Market and Sequence of Return Risk to Help Preserve Capital and Meet Legacy Objectives. 
• Sequenced Withdrawal and Roth Conversion Strategies to Improve Spendable Cash Flow. 
• Coordinated Social Security and Pension Benefit Claiming Strategies. 
• Health Care and Long-Term Care Solutions. 
• Legacy and Estate Strategies.  
• Coordination with Professional Team, such as: Accountant, Estate Attorney, and Health Care Specialist.  

TO PRIORITIZE YOUR CONCERNS AND SPECIFY DESIRED SOLUTIONS, CLICK HERE

9. What tools and resources do you utilize? 

As a Certified Retirement Income Specialist (RICP®), Certified National Association of Social Security Advisor (NSSA®) and Certified IRMAA Professional (IRMAACP™), I have access to a wealth of knowledge and retirement focused resources.  

As a Seasoned Professional with a solid knowledge base, I combine utilizing THREE Risk Analysis Tools and THREE Top-Rated Retirement Analytical Software Platforms, to help select and blend strategies such as:  Secure Income Structuring, Social Security and Pension Claiming, Tax-Efficient Withdrawal Sequencing and Roth Conversions, Annuity & Insurance strategies and more.

To request schedule your Complimentary Discovery Session, click here. To request your Complimentary Discovery Kit, click here.

10. How are your fees structured? 

We focus on providing value and earning your trust.  It is our belief that once you experience our knowledge and process, you will engage us to help you implement your selected customized retirement income strategy. Therefore, we do not charge fees for our consultations, nor do we manage or charge asset under management fees. Rather than paying us a fee directly, we are typically compensated directly from Insurance or Annuity Carriers based on the selections you make as part of your retirement income strategy.  

For your convenience, you may choose to meet in the comfort of a professional office or via web from the comfort of your own home.  

To learn more about our process, click here to schedule your complimentary consultation. 

11. With high market valuations, increased volatility, inflation concerns and uncertain economic conditions, how can I protect and preserve my assets to make sure I don’t run out of money? 

Protective measures can be taken. We utilize a combination of strategies and tools designed to help reduce your risk, taxes, fees and increase your secure income, capital preservation, and purchasing power. We do this with a structured  process designed to provide you with greater financial security and peace of mind.  

12. How can I reduce market risk and mitigate sequence of return risk? 

By utilizing a combination of strategies like income laddering, glide path, guardrails, and other risk mitigation strategies, you can lower your exposure, increase your income and your ability to preserve capital.  

13. How do I secure a predictable income to make sure I can have enough money to live a comfortable lifestyle throughout my retirement? 

By utilizing strategies and products focused on need-based income requirements (liabilities) matched to asset-based (secure income sources) along with other prudent strategies, you can increase your spendable income designed to last a lifetime.  

14. How can I guard against the erosion of purchasing power due to inflation, which threatens the integrity of my assets, income, goals, and retirement plans?

With the use of specific income-producing strategies and products, along with other strategies, you can enhance your ability to provide improved purchasing power throughout your retirement.  

15. How do I know if Roth Conversions or what other withdrawal strategies might help control my tax bracket, minimizing social security benefit taxation, and reduce IRMAA surcharges?

We combine and utilize three of the top retirement analytical software platforms to explore Roth Conversion and Withdrawal Strategies which can be customized and designed to be consistent with your needs and comfort level.  We provide you with multiple alternative scenarios so you can choose which you would like to implement. 

16. How do I coordinate my social security and pension benefits?

We utilize several  social security and pension benefit analytical tools for you to clearly see alternative choices. We can explore multiple scenarios including but not limited to: breakeven analysis of benefits based on different life expectancies, look at spousal benefits as well as survivor benefits, the potential impact of early or later claiming, and more, all so you and your spouse can make informed decisions. 

To learn more about our process, click here to schedule your complimentary consultation. 

17. What is the “Widow’s Tax Penalty” and how can it impact our secure retirement? 

This refers to the statistics evidencing that when one spouse predeceases the other, the surviving spouse not only may lose some social security and/or pension benefits, but they also typically go from filing jointly to single, which is typically accompanied by a significant tax bracket increase and tax liability, which could impact lifestyle choices.  Often, the surviving spouse can live an additional 10+ years, so this could result in a reduction in spendable income if not properly planned for. 

18. What is the “Financial Ticking Time Bomb or Tax Torpedo” that many refer to? 

This is the period where, after a lifetime of contributions to qualified tax-deferred savings plans such as IRA’s, 401k’s, 403b’s, Pension Plans, etc..., you reach the age where required minimum distributions (RMD's) kick in. This can result in a higher tax bracket than anticipated, increased taxation on social security benefits, increased IRMAA surcharges and result in less spendable income than expected.  Many people are also unaware that medicare premium payments are directly deducted from their social security payment each month. 

To discuss how you can plan and prepare for this, click here to schedule your complimentary consultation.

19. How do I calculate and address the risk of Long-Term Care expenses?

This is a very important part of a secure retirement that cannot be overlooked. There are multipurpose or hybrid products available today that can serve to protect your assets from the degree of potential erosion due to expensive Long-Term Care Costs. 

To explore the impact and latest solutions to long-term care exposure, click here to schedule your complimentary consultation.

20. How do I choose the right annuity type for my needs?

When used properly, the right type of annuity can serve as a safe and reliable source of predictable income while offering protection against sequence of return and market risk, longevity risk, inflation risk, tax risk, health care, and long-term care risk. 

To learn more about annuities, click here to schedule your complimentary consultation.