Subscribe to the Retirement Sage and receive free expert advice on:

• Planning for Retirement
• Retiring Early With More Money
• Effective Investing for Retirement
• Successful Tax Planning
• Supplemental Retirement Income
• ...and more

Q: When should I start saving for retirement? Is it possible with a late start to “catch up”?

A: It’s wise, if possible, to start saving for retirement as early as possible. However, if you need to “catch up”, you can do so by contributing to a plan that doesn’t limit your contributions. Even if you’re over age 50 the extra contributions allowed by the government in most qualified plans (401K, IRA, SEP-IRA, Profit Sharing, Simple IRA, etc.) may not be enough to fund the retirement lifestyle you desire.

You will want to take advantage of educational tools that are available: teleseminars, webinars, booklets on retirement strategies, online research, live seminars, etc.

Just make sure that the people or companies sponsoring such events are qualified to do so.

Q: I’m approaching my targeted retirement age. How do I know if I have enough money accumulated to support me in retirement?

A: The rule of thumb with “Conventional Financial Advice” suggests that your money will last as long as you do if you don’t exceed a 4% withdrawal rate on your funds.

The question then becomes, how much income will a 4% withdrawal rate produce and will it support your desired retirement lifestyle. There are almost assuredly better options available to you than what “Conventional Financial Advice” suggests.

Q: I am retired, but I’m not making ends meet. What do Ido now as I cannot go back to work and don’t want to?

A: Our firm has helped numerous people already in retirement solve this daunting problem. The simplest answer to this problem is that you need to take the generate more income for you. This can be done as I’ve done it quite often. The outstanding question, though, is whether this new level of increased income is going to be enough? That, of course, depends upon the size of the pot of money you have. Furthermore, there may be additional sources of funds available to help you that you may not be aware of.

Q: Can I really have an early retirement?

A: Absolutely! As long as you do what we have done for ourselves, and recommended to others, you can retire early. We are very glad that you’re inquiring now so that we don’t have to try to RESCUE YOU later. We have been asked to rescue so many others who either waited too long to save, received bad advice, no advice or in some way picked the wrong path.

Q: How do you NOT end up with “too much life at the end of the money”?

A: That’s easy. You must make the right choices regarding where to put your money so that your money works harder for you than you did for it. And it preferably should generate tax-free income. Why? Because with taxes almost assuredly going to go up, tax-free income becomes more important than ever in terms of having your money last longer than you do. With taxes, you deplete your funds more quickly. Let’s say that you are in a combined Federal and State tax bracket of 33%. And you need to have $20,000 to spend. In this example, you actually must withdraw $30,000 from your retirement account to net the $20,000 to spend. Why? Because $30,000 less 33% in tax = $20,000 spendable after taxes. Withdrawing $30,000 that is taxable instead of $20,000 tax-free forces you deplete your funds at a faster rate.

Q: What problems exist with my current retirement plans?

A: Actually, quite a few. A list of them is beyond a simple question and answer format. Email me and I’ll be happy to send you such a list.

Q: What does your firm do to help your clients succeed in meeting their financial retirement goals?

A: We take a comprehensive approach. We take the time to understand your financial goals, to evaluate whether they’re realistic or not predicated upon your assets, and then outline the options that are available in reaching your financial goals for retirement or early retirement. It’s our job to leave nothing to chance regarding your future.

Q: I’ve seen the testimonials on this website. Do you have industry references as well?

A: Absolutely. We’re proud of the high esteem that our firm enjoys in our industry.