4 Money Moves to Consider as Your Clients Reach Retirement

For most people, retirement planning is a multistep process that spans the course of their working years. To have a secure and comfortable retirement, consider having your clients take some incremental steps to maximize their budget and income so they can live the life they want in retirement.

Here are four steps they can take to help ensure they will have enough money in their golden years:

Plan ahead. As they approach retirement, you’ll want to get a clear picture of what their nest egg, income, and expenses look like. One way to prep for the future is by diversifying their financial portfolio and strategically allocating their assets across different types of investments — such as stocks, bonds, and annuities. Remember that each investment type plays a specific role in a truly diversified retirement portfolio. Having protected lifetime income from an annuity is one cost-effective way to help guarantee income for life and combat risk.
Talk with your client and their spouse about savings. Talking about money for retirement can be challenging, but it’s important that you have a candid conversation with your clients about finances especially before a crisis occurs. Make sure they fully understand things like what funds are available, where they are located, and any penalties associated with early withdrawals. For individuals with partners, discuss how they would like to spend their retirement years, how they’ll cover their essential needs, and the income they’ll need later in life. You’ll also want to consider what they will leave behind and to whom when the time comes. This will help them develop a retirement income plan with the appropriate savings needed to support their lifestyles.
Help them decide where they want to retire. Retirement can open the door to a new way of life and is a prime opportunity for adventurous retirees to relocate to a new city. However, before leaping to a different town, state or country, it’s worth exploring the impact the choice could have on your clients’ lifestyle, family commitments, and overall quality of life. Other considerations to factor in include state taxes, costs of living, and the availability and access to healthcare services.
Work with the right financial professional. Work with Mike Van Horn to help create retirement income plans that can both grow and protect your clients’ money.