Frequently Asked Questions

So U.S. News and World Report came out with 13 frequently asked questions of Advisors. So I’d like to run through those with you starting with the first of, how do I retire? And you know, how do you transition from having a paycheck to ultimately using your retirement savings to cover your income needs? Second question, when can I retire? You know ultimately it depends can you afford it? Do you essentially have enough assets to generate an income stream to cover those expenses for the remainder of your life or if you’re married, both your life and your spouse’s life. Number three, how much money do I need? Well, ultimately that depends on your lifestyle. I’ve come across over the past 17 years here working at Centennial Wealth Advisory, where I’ve come across situations where people may have a significant amount of assets, but they are spending so much that they may not be able to retire. So these top three are essentially based on income planning. Number four, how much will I spend in retirement? Well that’s something for you to determine. But along with that, we factor in what’s the inflationary impact of those dollars over time? Number five, should I retire early? Well you know, you might be in a situation where you’re fortunate enough you could potentially retire early. You’d want to factor in Social Security. Should you start that perhaps at age 62? Leading into number six, when should I take Social Security? Ultimately, can you afford to delay your Social Security to full retirement age or perhaps to age 70? That ultimately might benefit a surviving spouse scenario where one spouse passes and their surviving spouse keeps the higher of the two benefits. Number seven, how do I apply for Social Security? Well you’ve got http://ssa.gov is a natural way to go online or you’ve got different local offices to talk to. Number eight, how much will I pay in taxes? You need to look at your combination of IRAs, Roth IRAs, what after-tax assets you have and how you’re going to draw income and ultimately then, what taxes you’ll pay. Number nine, pension, lump sum or an annuity? This is an area where if you’re in a situation like that, we definitely have to run a detailed analysis to better determine what the best way to handle that would be. Number 10, how do I afford medical expenses in retirement? So you know perhaps with that, do you have a health savings account? Is that something that you’ve already established or may want to consider establishing? Number 11, how should my money be invested for retirement? A lot of different options you can go with there and one that you’d be want to be paying close detail to. Number 12, what will I do in retirement? You know, I’d encourage you to set some goals. Maybe that’s volunteering. Maybe it’s part-time work somewhere. Something that you choose to do that you want to be doing and enjoy doing. Number 13, should I pay off my mortgage? Obviously it’s one where no debt is going to be ideal, but not necessarily everyone is in that position. So all great questions and something that perhaps caught your attention, we’d love to sit down and discuss further with you.