Weekend Reading: Check Before Leaving
This article appears as part of Casey Weade's Weekend Reading for Retirees series. Every Friday, Casey highlights four hand-picked articles on trending retirement topics and delivers them straight to your email inbox. Get on the list here.
Weekend Reading
Planning for retirement involves asking the big questions, such as: How do I protect and grow my savings? Or, do I have enough? Beyond this, however, you have other factors to consider, both financial and non-financial.
READ THE ARTICLEHere are several key areas:
📌 Work: You may benefit from continuing to work part-time to maintain structure, socialization or future employment options.
📌 Activities: Consider how you'll spend your time in retirement. Plan for pursuits that bring joy and fulfillment.
📌 Timing: Coordinating retirement dates with your spouse can enhance your experience and allow for shared activities and travel.
📌 Housing: Think about the crucial aspects of housing decisions, including mortgage status and proximity to family and friends.
📌 Cash flow: Establish a consistent withdrawal plan from your investments to create a "retirement paycheck" for better budgeting.
📌 Taxes: You have more control over your tax bill in retirement, so be intentional with tax planning, including timing Social Security benefits and capital gains realization.
📌 Levers: Plan for potential financial challenges by identifying levers you can use to adjust your financial situation, such as part-time work or a home equity line of credit.
You need a checklist for retirement preparedness that goes beyond the finances, which requires significant planning prior to your retirement date.