When it comes to Social Security for retirees, one of the biggest questions is “When should I start taking my benefits?” This is a strategy that has to be optimized to your retirement plan. It’s important to understand how your benefits are calculated, how they are taxed, and what happens if you continue to work after beginning to receive benefits.

Every retirement plan will be different, so each Social Security optimization strategy will be different as well. This is why we make sure your Social Security benefits are very much a part of our retirement strategy conversation.

Long-term care (LTC) is the term used to describe a variety of services in the areas of health, personal care, and social needs of those who are chronically disabled, ill or infirm. LTC can include services such as nursing home care, assisted living, home health care, or adult day care.

We work closely with our clients to discuss the options of LTC planning within their retirement strategy. In addition to general medical costs in retirement, the cost of long-term care could be significant if not financially prepared.

Starting at age 70 1/2, you are required to start withdrawing money from your qualified plans, such as 401(k)s and traditional IRAs. We’ll develop a withdrawal strategy to help you minimize your taxes so you can keep as much of your life savings as possible for you and/or your heirs.