Handle with CARE: 5 Years Before Retirement

Rather than developing an exhaustive list of to do’s that may or may not be appropriate for everyone, our approach is to help the client develop a retirement framework for retirement or way of thinking about retirement. We call this the “CARE” retirement framework and it will help you build a foundation for a successful retirement.
Does Dollar Cost Averaging Make Sense?

The appeal of market timing is obvious. Who wouldn’t want to get in and out of the market at the best time every time? We’ve talked a lot about market timing in the past – timing risk premiums, trying to time the markets on a daily basis, and the importance of staying disciplined even when it seems obvious the markets are going to go down.
How Much Income Do I Need in Retirement?

Most people are focused on saving for retirement so they’ll have the money they need to fund their income in retirement. However, ask most people how much they’re going to spend in retirement and they have no idea. To plan for retirement effectively, you need to have some sense of what your spending needs are actually going to be.
Charitable Planning – Leveraging Those Gains

The IRS encourages charitable giving by classifying donations to qualified charities as tax-deductible. As a result, it’s possible to “do good, while doing well.”
What Does Your Funded Ratio Score Mean?

By providing your financial objectives and the ways you want to fund them with essential and discretionary expenses, you can create a framework. Your Funded Ratio score will tell you how close your aspirations are to your reality.
The Difference Between ‘Safe’ and ‘Optimal’ Withdrawal Rates for Retirement Spending

Distinguishing between “safe” withdrawal rates and “optimal” withdrawal rates is an essential piece of the retirement spending conversation.
Taking Portfolio Spending Into the Real World for Retirees

There has been too much emphasis on the portfolio and spending conservatively to keep failure rates low. This is not the whole story for retirement income. Certain circumstances, which we will explore, may allow retirees to accept a higher probability of “failure,” and spend more aggressively from their investment portfolio.
What Can the Retirement CARE Analysis™ Tell You About Your Retirement Plan?

The Retirement CARE Analysis can help you figure out your asset allocation and an appropriate spending rate for retirement.
The Possibilities of Broader Diversification in Retirement

Often, retirees are limited to accepting whatever a researcher assumes about market returns in order to obtain guidance about sustainable spending rates. I proposed a general framework for determining a safe withdrawal rate for a given retirement duration, acceptable failure probability, asset allocation, and capital market expectations.
Should You Use a Rising Equity Glide Path in Retirement?

Retirement income comes in many forms. Wade Pfau considers the pros and cons of a rising equity glide path.