How we help
From inflation to recessions, the retirement game has always been an ever–moving target. Predicting the economy is not only exhausting, it can also feel like no amount will ever be enough to truly face the future.
If this sounds familiar, a financial advisor can be the key to helping you put your portfolio in perspective. Increasing income during retirement isn’t just a pipe dream for the ultra– successful, it’s a reality that can give you more than just peace of mind after you no longer have a paycheck to fall back on.
Securing Your Income for Retirement in Washington
While there’s a lot to consider about how to plan your retirement, there are a few concrete ways to build a solid foundation that can keep you going in even the worst case scenarios. From taxes to annuities to Social Security, your net worth will benefit from their experience and in depth understanding of the systems that ultimately determine your margins.
You already know that there’s a lot to consider when you’re working through the details of your golden years. From where you live to how you spend your days, even the basics can be difficult to nail down. In addition, even the most modest retirements will need to account for anything from a long–term illness to extreme downturns in the market. Tony and Angela can put your IRA, pension, investments, and other assets in context, so you have a better understanding of how you can leverage individual holdings for more lucrative margins.
MAXIMIZING SOCIAL SECURITY
There has been a lot of chatter over the past few decades about the changes in Social Security, which has led to a lot of assumptions about the program. People might easily dismiss the revenue source as nothing more than a token from the government. However, there may be more value to the system than people think, particularly if they have a financial advisor who can create a plan to maximize social security benefits.
How to Maximize Social Security
The Solution People is an independent retirement firm with a staff that understands how to build your retirement income from the ground up. If you’re referencing the “floor” of your revenue during your golden years, chances are it will be your Social Security benefit check. Considering how much you’ve paid into the program during the course of your career, it’s only fair to get the most you can from it. As one of the more reliable sources of income, it can prove to be a real asset in your retirement goals.
Maximizing Social Security starts with talking to a professional who will fill out all your paperwork correctly the first time. The standard online estimators may be tempting, but they gloss over a lot of the nuance that lies behind the program. What you receive every month depends not only on what your chosen industry was, but how long you worked and how much the government took out of your paycheck over the years. In other words, the average check of $2,500 is little more than the starting point. It’s important not to make assumptions about what you’ll receive or how it will impact your finances until you actually go through all the information with your advisor.
Tony and Angela know that the key to getting it all will depend on both the accuracy and the details. While it’s possible to change your paperwork if you make a mistake on your Social Security forms (and receive any impending back pay from it), the back–and–forth that you’ll need to go through with the government can be substantial.
TAX-FREE RETIREMENT
The metrics for retirement have recently shifted yet again, bumping up the recommended percentage of replacement income from 75% of your pre–retirement salary to 135%. It essentially means that you’ll need to make more money during your retirement than you did during your working years to account for all of your regular expenses plus twists like inflation. No matter what school of thought you subscribe to when it comes to your retirement income, a tax–free retirement can help you hit your ideal targets.
How to Have a Tax–Free Retirement in Washington
A tax–free retirement is a financial strategy that helps people take control of their finances during tax season and beyond. A financial advisor can tell you more about how different tax rules apply to your finances, and what you can do to maximize your accounts. This ultimately translates to spending money the way you want to spend it. For instance, you may choose to open several trusts as a way to protect your descendants’ futures. Or, you might consider giving more to your favorite causes as a way to lower your taxable income.
When you work with the right advisor, you can learn more about how to separate your assets into different categories. At The Solution People, Tony Velickoff and Angela Gaston can tell you that the tax treatments on your investments are every bit as critical as the investments themselves. There are also simple precautions that you can take once you know the score.
Your retirement plans, such as your 401(k) or IRA, are dependent on your distribution schedule for taxes. It can be as simple as spreading out your income over the year to save more in taxes. This may not eliminate your obligation to the government, but it can reduce the burden significantly. Or, you might deplete your Roth IRA or savings before moving onto a traditional IRA. The Solution People can implement your roadmap in the correct order of withdrawals to limit your tax liability.
WEALTH MANAGEMENT
By the time you hit a certain level of wealth, it’s clear that you have plenty of money to invest. Some people may choose to put the majority of their wealth into the stock market, diversifying their portfolio so they’re not dependent on a single sector. Others might look more into concrete property, like land or commercial real estate.
However, no matter how much effort a person puts into their investment strategy, most don’t have the time to really keep track of their portfolio. This doesn’t just lead to missed opportunities, it can ultimately open a person up to financial turmoil. A financial advisor who offers management services will do more than just optimize a client’s portfolios, they’ll also track assets to see how they perform over time.
What Is Wealth Management in North Central & Western Washington?
This financial concept refers to how an individual or family monitors and maximizes their assets. It’s constant attention paid to the everyday fluctuations of your assets. Of course, the actual term can be interpreted in different ways, depending on a client’s relationship with risk and investment. Tony and Angela will work within their client’s parameters, but they’ll also encourage them to branch out if necessary or rein it in.
As you get closer to retirement, it becomes more important to keep track of how your accounts are aligned with your long-term goals. If you picture yourself jet-setting around the globe while also paying for your granddaughter’s Ph.D., wealth management services with The Solution People can make it easier to see how you’ll get there. At The Solution People, a holistic retirement firm, you’ll meet a staff that will take the time to get to know you.
While larger firms may ostensibly have more resources, they don’t offer the personalized attention that a smaller organization can. If you want to partner with professionals who won’t rush you through your decisions or lead you down a path that you’re ultimately uncomfortable with, it’s important to choose people who are as flexible as they are knowledgeable, and have a vested interest in your financial success.
INVESTING
Better Investment Advice in North Central Washington
The Solution People won’t steer you down the same path as all their other clients. They ask questions about how you handle your money today, how you hope to handle it tomorrow, and what you plan to do with it all down the line. They also understand that different people have very different interpretations of how they should plan their investments. Some may love the thrill of the gamble, particularly if they’ve had early success with very risky assets. Others may want to play it closer to the vest, even if their margins are slimmer than they’d like them to be.
Investments are often put in terms of asset classes, with the idea being not to overextend your finances into a single industry. The more you diversify, the more likely you are to withstand the inevitable twists and turns of the economy. Ultimately, though, this is only one side of the story. There is such a thing as diversifying too much, which can lead to a disorganized portfolio. This can also cause you to spread your wealth (and your returns) too thin.
The Solution People will help you both balance your strategy and focus on investments that you ultimately care about. Regardless of whether it’s a short-term rental home on the coast or exciting AI companies listed on the market, the cohesion can make it easier to track how each asset is doing. If you feel like your money should be working for you more than it is now, it’s important to find professionals who can think outside the box if need be.
COLLEGE PLANNING
College planning will look different for every family, based on the students in question. For instance, some will want to earn their bachelor’s degree in a high–income field, like engineering or computer science. Others will want to explore their options, and eventually go on to get several degrees. Your child may want to spend a semester abroad as an exchange student or take a year off entirely before they jump back into school.
However, no matter what you want for your descendants and how they choose to get there, it’s important to map out the expenses before anyone spends anything. If you want to safeguard your retirement, Tony and Angela can tell you more about how to give your loved ones the best chance they have to get ahead without compromising the value of your portfolio.
How Much Savings Do I Need?
Planning for college is ultimately a financial investment in your legacy. At The Solution People, Tony Velickoff and Angela Gaston can help you learn more about what it takes to pay everything from tuition to housing to incidentals. At each turn, they consider how the amount you pay for college will affect your long–term retirement plans. This is not to say that clients are expected to pay for everything.
During your sessions, you’ll learn more about how to break down different costs before deciding who will shoulder the burden of what. For instance, you might decide to cover half of your son’s bachelor’s degree at a state school. Should your son choose to go to a private school, the additional costs will be up to him/her. For example, did you know you can open a Minor Roth IRA for your children and grandchildren to grow tax-free and help pay for college?
These kinds of discussions and agreements won’t just help your descendants predict their future financial situation, it can help them make smarter decisions about what field they want to go into and how they choose to pursue their educational path. While tuition costs may change from year to year, the sooner everyone is clear on the arrangements, the more you’ll be able to estimate the overall impact on your savings.
RETIREMENT INCOME PLANNING
When most people think about how they’ll pay for expenses during retirement, they usually know that they’ll have more sources of revenue than just their savings account. For some people, that may mean a Social Security check every month. For others, though, it will be a wide array of returns from a variety of sources. The more sources you have, the more financially comfortable you’ll be during your retirement years.
Retirement income planning is the process of finding which income sources are right for you and your family. A financial advisor can not only help you understand your options, they can help you figure out how to maximize the revenue you receive from each one.
How to Plan Your Retirement Income in Washington
“How much do I need to retire?” can sometimes be phrased as a rhetorical question, especially when the asker factors in the fickle whims of the economy. When the products you purchase today might cost double in the future, it’s not always possible to predict exactly what you’ll need by the time you hit retirement age.
This is why it’s so important to have as much reliable income as possible coming in every month, preferably tax-free. Just as you have your paycheck now, the goal is to replace your working income with alternative sources. No matter how much wealth you’ve amassed by this point, the team at The Solution People can help you decide on the best path for you.
Throughout the journey, you’ll take time to consider different life paths. For instance, maybe you would prefer not to own property rentals during your retirement years, or maybe you’d be open to the idea with the help of a property manager. Some people will take a part–time job in a beloved industry (e.g., opening a flower shop or golf club) during their retirement as a way to fulfill their passions and supplement their income at the same time. From pensions to stock dividends, the more you can diversify your income, the stronger your overall portfolio will be.