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Five Mini Plans In Every One Retirement Plan - Streamline Financial Planning

Written by Dave Zoller, CFP® | Dec 11, 2020 5:55:31 PM

These 5 mini-plans make up every successful retirement plan. A retirement plan is not something to take lightly. What you put away now, and where you put it, can greatly impact how much security you will have later on in life when you are looking to retire. When developing a retirement plan, there are a lot of aspects to consider. What will your income look like? How will taxes play into it? What happens if later on in life you face medical complications. There is no way of knowing these things ahead of time, but there are plenty of ways to plan for them so that when the time comes, you will be able to face surprises down the road with some peace of mind. There are five mini plans that we include in an overall retirement plan to help round the plan out and cover all necessary bases.

  1. Income Plan

This plan is important to ensure that when you are ready to retire, you can count on a reasonable and stable income to cover your month to month expenses. There are a variety of  components to this plan including, but not limited to: social security, maximization, spousal planning, and investment income. This plan is foundational to retirement, as it ensures that you will be able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle, even when you are no longer actively working.

2. Investment Plan

All our investment plans are based on your Income Plan. The two work in unison. 

The traditional retirement planning industry commonly decides how to invest your money based on your “risk tolerance”. We think this a deeply flawed approach that leads to higher than needed worry during major market corrections. 

Instead, if we can find the right cashflow needed from investments, we can map out the next 10 years need and design the income plan so you don’t market fluctuations do not affect your income plan. 

3. Tax Plan

Whether you are retired or not, you better believe that you will owe your dues to Uncle Sam. However, it is important to plan for this, and to ensure that you will never end up paying more than needed in your taxes. There are a variety of strategies that we can implement in this plan from withdrawal strategies to Roth conversion strategies.

4. Healthcare Plan

This is the less glamorous, but unfortunately common, side of retirement. Healthcare costs tend to rise pretty consistently upon retirement, and therefore, a healthcare plan is an essential aspect of an overall retirement plan. There are a variety of factors that will impact your healthcare plan. One of the main factors people face is medicare planning in addition to any supplemental and long-term planning.

5. Legacy/Charitable Plan

This is the part of the plan that most people prefer not to think about, however, it is a part that requires thorough consideration. When a person passes away, their money and assets will have to go somewhere. It could end up at any of these three places: to their heirs, to a charity, or to the government. It is important to put consideration into where you would like for your own assets to go, and to set up a plan to ensure that your wishes are granted when that time comes. In addition to estate planning, is the wealth transfer plan. This plan simply alerts those who will be receiving assets upon your death so that they can be prepared to receive it when the day comes. 

There are a variety of essential parts to a retirement plan, and at times this can seem overwhelming. If you are looking to increase security upon retirement, our team of experienced financial advisers is happy to help you develop a plan that best fits your unique needs, income, and interests. Contact Streamline Financial Services today, to meet our team and learn more about our unique approach to each of these essential mini plans.