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Life Health > Running Your Business > Prospecting

4 Steps to Retirement Planning Success

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What You Need to Know

  • Clients should start by creating streams of income.
  • Protecting assets is critical.
  • Remember the taxes.
  • If clients do the basics right, then the fun begins.

When your clients quit working permanently, their paycheck stops.

Do you know what the next step is to help them? Tough questions, but lots of strategies, tools, vehicles, and planning you can do.

But where do you start? What is the correct order of operations? What is the best way to help your client? In my opinion, and what I have been using in my practice is the simplest and most effective set of steps to help a client plan for their future.

So, what is retirement planning? It’s a comprehensive process that involves careful consideration of income, protection, tax implications and legacy planning.

Each step plays a crucial role in ensuring financial security and peace of mind during retirement.

With that in mind, let’s take an in-depth look at my four-step retirement planning process.

Important: These steps must be done in this order!

Step 1: Creating Sustainable Income

The foundation of a successful retirement plan begins with creating a reliable income stream.

Without sufficient income, all other aspects of retirement planning become very challenging.

The most important fact you need to know: is how much is being spent each month. Once the baseline is established, you can start using income-producing strategies, tools, and vehicles to create the needed income stream.

Investment strategies: Diversify investments to balance risk and return.

Annuities and pensions: Explore options that provide guaranteed income.

Social Security optimization: Determine the optimal age to begin receiving benefits.

Establishing a stable income ensures financial stability and allows retirees to focus on enjoying their retirement years without financial stress.

Step 2: Protections

Protecting assets and income against unforeseen circumstances is crucial in retirement planning.

Once you have the income streams locked in, now is the time to protect them.

Life insurance: Provides financial security for loved ones in the event of the policyholder’s death.

Long-term care insurance: Covers costs associated with long-term medical care and services.

Health insurance: Ensure comprehensive coverage for healthcare expenses.

By mitigating risks through appropriate insurance coverage, retirees safeguard their financial well-being and maintain peace of mind.

Step 3: Tax Planning

Effective tax planning can significantly affect retirement savings and income distribution. Income and protections are in place.

Now, you can see what assets are left and create a plan to mitigate or eliminate future tax burdens.

Include:

Reducing RMDs (required minimum distributions): Explore options to minimize tax liabilities associated with distributions from retirement accounts.

Roth conversions: Convert traditional IRA assets to Roth IRAs strategically to manage tax obligations.

Investment location optimization: Allocate investments across taxable, tax-deferred and tax-exempt accounts for tax efficiency.

Estate planning: Utilize tax-efficient strategies to transfer wealth to heirs and minimize estate taxes.

Proactive tax planning maximizes retirement income and preserves assets for future generations.

Step 4: Legacy and Gifting

Planning for the transfer of wealth and leaving a legacy involves thoughtful consideration!

Steps 3 and 4 go hand in hand.

How can we reduce taxes and pass money to their heirs and charities in the most efficient way?

Gifting strategies: Determine when and how to gift assets to heirs or charitable organizations.

Trusts: Establish trusts to manage and distribute assets according to specific wishes.

Life insurance in estate planning: Use life insurance policies to provide liquidity for estate taxes or as a means to transfer wealth efficiently.

Charitable giving: Explore charitable trusts or foundations as a tax-efficient way to support philanthropic causes.

By addressing tax planning, legacy, and gifting early on in the retirement planning process, your clients can ensure their wishes are fulfilled while optimizing tax benefits for beneficiaries.

Retirement planning is a dynamic process that requires careful evaluation of income needs, protection strategies, tax considerations, and legacy planning goals.

It all begins with a thorough discovery interview (fact find), asking the right questions to help your prospect see and feel the problems they are facing in retirement.

Then applying sound retirement planning strategies to create income, protect assets, optimize tax efficiency, and plan for legacy — your clients can navigate retirement with confidence and achieve long-term financial security for themselves and their loved ones.

Planning early and conducting annual plan reviews regularly gives your client flexibility to changing circumstances and market conditions, ultimately leading to a fulfilling and stress-free retirement journey.

Credit: hxdbzxy/Shutterstock


Jeremy NasonJeremy B. Nason, RFC, is the co-founder of the Insurance Pro Shop, an insurance coaching, marketing and sales resource center. He can be reached at (877) 297-4608.


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