case study

Katherine was working as a marketing executive for a large firm, but she hadn’t really focused on her retirement goals. When we met with her, she didn’t really know how her money was invested, yet she had several different 401(k) accounts from current and previous employers as well as a recently inherited traditional IRA and Roth IRA. Katherine knew she needed to get her money straight for retirement as she finished out the final phase of her career, and she wanted to learn about the different exercise strategies for her stock options. Most of all, she wanted a plan that would help her transition from working and saving to enjoying her retirement later on.

Katherine made it crystal clear she wanted to work with someone who would listen to her without trying to sell her on investment products or hype. The transition between work and retirement can be both exciting and scary, so we sat down to speak with her so we could clearly understand what she wanted from her financial plan.

After many conversations, we gained an understanding of the lifestyle Katherine hoped to have when she retired. Once we knew where she was coming from and what she hoped to accomplish, we got to work creating a personalized investment and retirement plan. Katherine had already been working with a CPA she was happy with, so we joined forces with them right away.

Creating a retirement plan for Katherine was rewarding and exciting for our team. We worked with her to create a timeline of events leading up to her final years of work, and we consolidated her retirement accounts to create a clearer picture of where she stood. From there, we crafted a systematic plan to sell her stock options in a way that was designed to boost her nest egg while minimizing taxes. We also helped Katherine utilize her remaining working years and supercharge her retirement account with additional catch-up contributions. Ultimately, we even found Katherine had enough cash to delay taking Social Security payments so she could receive a larger payout later on.

Currently, Katherine is finishing out the final years in her career with a comprehensive plan that is designed to help her enjoy retirement on her own terms.