Our clients know that we work towards creating a realistic understanding of future financial needs. It is easy to proffer that "the kids will be gone, the house paid for and our day-to day-expenses are modest" but the reality is post-retirement living expenses usually mirror pre- retirement expenses. In fact, in many cases living expenses are higher in retirement. The first step to reaching financial goals is to know where you are now.  Can the assets you have support the lifestyle you desire or is there a gap? If a gap exists (which in our experience is likely), changes will need to be made. 

Oftentimes we see clients saying they only spend "x amount" per year and we find upon closer examination, actual spending is 25% or even 50% higher.  An easy way to check spending is to take your tax return income, subtract out taxable retirement savings (since that will disappear once you are retired) and the rest is spending. Sure, the kids may be out of the house but grandkids, travel and healthcare can quickly fill that void.  Attached here is a simple checklist from USAA to help project retirement spending.

We encourage clients to create a realistic vision of retirement and then solve the financial equation to support that vision.  Our role is to guide and counsel clients away from the fictional versions of retirement so prevalent in advertising to their very own version.  We also work to avoid behavioral mistakes (doing the wrong thing; at the wrong time and for the wrong reason) as retirement nears. These can be particularly devastating at this life stage since the ability to recover from mistakes is limited.  The transition into retirement can be the most important period for both sound planning and proper follow-through.

We provide an experienced and objective prism for looking at relevant goals and helping clients make smart decisions. Our fiduciary approach along with ideas proven in practice provides the edge. Don't keep us a secret.