Are you looking forward to the day when you can permanently turn off your alarm clock? Or perhaps finally tell the boss what you really think? That day can be sooner, rather than later, and here are some ways I help my clients achieve that goal:
Make a plan to have your house paid off. You need a lot less savings in your retirement account if you don’t have a big mortgage to pay each month.
Budget for health insurance in the gap between the end of your employer plan and the beginning of Medicare at age 65. Use the healthcare exchange to estimate how much an individual policy will cost and make sure you understand the true cost of Medicare once it begins.
If you are married, create a Social Security claiming strategy that will allow you to take one SS benefit at age 62 (or age 60 if widowed), while allowing the second SS benefit to continue to grow. I have powerful software that identifies that strategy.
Have an after-tax emergency fund available so every time you need a new water heater or car repair, you don’t create taxable income dipping into your 401k or IRA.
Segregate your investments into time horizons. More conservatively invest the portion of assets earmarked for phase one of your retirement years, while using more of a growth focus for the phase two and beyond assets.
Take advantage of the recent DOL and IRS rulings that allow you to segregate up to $125,000 of your retirement accounts into a Qualified Longevity Annuity Contract. The IRS allows you to delay your required distributions, so you may be able to use this investment for phase two income and create guaranteed lifetime income for you and your spouse in your later years.
Call us today for a complimentary one-hour meeting to learn more about how you can retire early.
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