Melinda was a new client who came to us for a second opinion about her retirement. As a long-tenured operations executive, she was passionate about her work and wasn’t sure if she wanted to retire yet. Even so, she told us that she was busy and was concerned she might be overlooking her options. Specifically, Melinda wanted a second opinion on how to navigate her taxes in retirement and make strategic decisions to have enough to sustain her if/when she stopped working.

In a situation like this, we would develop a comprehensive proposal for Melinda which would outline tax-efficient investment strategies and show her timing options for retirement against what her financial reality would look like if she didn’t retire. Our goal would be to give her options to help her understand ways to maximize her benefits, like Social Security, to help reduce any potential tax liabilities. Ultimately, we want Melinda to feel like she has a clearer sense of her plan and is better equipped to determine when the timing is right for her to retire.

We worked with Stan, a CEO at a software company, who was preparing to sell his business as he neared retirement age. He came to us seeking an accurate business valuation, what options he had to transition his business, and how to plan for and mitigate any significant tax implications.

In a situation such as Stan’s, our team could create a plan to work with Stan so that he can obtain guidance around the valuation and sale as well as tax and estate considerations. Our plan would present potential exit options for Stan that align with his goals and his situation, and also present him with a diversified investment plan that can help meet his post-business retirement goals. We would also propose developing a comprehensive estate plan strategy with the goal of giving him confidence about his legacy and wealth transfer options and help him feel that his family would be taken care of in the future.