This is the most common scenario when people need wealth planners. Your golden years are the days when all of your hard work will pay off. Transitioning from living off a salary to living off your retirement income happens only once in your life, so securing your retirement is the best idea. 

It pays to have a good wealth planner in your corner. An advisor can answer questions like: 

• When should I fully retire?
• Do I have enough saved up to live out the retirement I want?
• What is the appropriate mix of bonds, stocks, and cash that I should hold in my portfolio?
• When should I withdraw from my IRA, and when should I start collecting Social Security?
• Which investments should I withdraw from, taking into consideration market conditions and tax implications?

Investing on your own is a big deal. Especially if you find yourself overwhelmed every time the market decides to act up. 

During moments of market uncertainty, investors develop a cloudy vision alongside flashing “sell” or “buy the dip” signs. A wealth planner will help you understand why the market acts up, how market volatility impacts your investments, and how to act. 

Losing a spouse, through divorce or death, can change everything when it comes to your personal finances.

Whether it’s questions regarding property settlements or adjustments in income after a divorce or death benefits and wills after a death, guidance from a qualified fiduciary advisor who specializes in these circumstances can be very valuable.

Receiving a large sum of money often creates a sense of anxiety as to how to properly manage it. Be it a business exit, inheritance, personal injury settlements, lottery winnings or life insurance proceeds; they all come with big decisions that require proper planning.

 If you are accepting employee stock options as part of your compensation package, it’s critical that you understand what they are and how you might exercise or sell them in the future.

A financial planner with experience in employee stock options can be very helpful in understanding what they are, how much they are worth, and how much they can be worth in the future. 

Getting married or starting a family are big life decisions. And as we all know, children are not free. Making the decision of growing your family can impact you when it comes to child expenses, education, estate planning, etc. Some questions that an advisor can help you answer are: 

• How will the budget be handled?
• How do I align my financial goals and make the appropriate changes to beneficiaries in retirement accounts?
• When and how do I start planning & savings for my kids’ college?
• How do I set up life and disability insurance, write or adjust my will, or adjust my budgets now that I have a newborn?

A promotion, a job change, a partner deciding to stay home to take care of the children, unemployment – all of these career changes come with new pending financial decisions. These include, amongst others, possible adjustments to budgets, retirement savings, college planning and health benefits. 

Ultimately, the time is right to speak with an advisor if you’re losing sleep over any of these financial decisions.

Parents with children of special needs have to often plan farther into the future. Considering different government benefits and creating the proper special needs trust after the parents’ deaths is a high priority