“When you retire, there are two doors in which you can walk through.  Door #1, the people outlive the money.  Door #2, the money outlives the people.  My mission is to help people walk through door #2.”  – Nick Murray

Karen and Pat had a goal to retire in 2009 at the age of 62.  They planned to take Social Security, start drawing Pat’s pension, and then supplement the difference with withdrawals from their retirement portfolio.  Who could have predicted that the Great Recession would wipe out 50% of the stock market value the year before they planned to retire?  They lost nearly 35% of their portfolio, and the decisions that followed ultimately pushed their retirement plans back 11 years!  Pat was a classic “Do-it-yourselfer” and seemed to have the financial house in order, and Karen relied on his handling of their financial affairs.  What I’ve learned is the closer major milestones become, such as retirement, the fear of loss is amplified.  The only way to mitigate the risk of loss is to have a disciplined process that can be followed during the good times, and the bad times, which would have helped Karen and Pat navigate through the Great Recession relatively unscathed. 

Since that experience, I have seen many different events play out that have derailed retirement goals.  On a more positive note, I have personally helped countless families prepare for and execute a successful retirement.  I have come to the conclusion there are 5 major financial risks that could seriously impact financial independence and put you in jeopardy of running out of money.  As part of our financial planning process, we stress test each of these risks to see how our client’s financial goals would be impacted.  The 5 stress tests are as follows: 

1.  Bear Market Risk (a 20% or more drop in the stock market)

2.  Longevity Risk (living longer than you anticipate)

3.  Inflation Risk (what if inflation is higher than we anticipate?)

4.  Prolonged Low Return Risk (experiencing lower returns than expected)

5.  Long-term Care Risk (the cost of needing custodial care later in life)

For a limited time only, we are offering a complimentary Retirement Review to stress test your retirement goals to see how we can help you on your path to financial independence.  By clicking the START HERE below, you will begin the process with a brief questionnaire.  My team will process this information and get in touch with you if we have any questions or initial thoughts.  We will then schedule a 30-45 minute Retirement Review to show you our findings to improve your probability of success.  We look forward to helping you!