The HARMONY Client
The Golden Years are hopeful times. Most of the stress of children and growing careers has subsided and life seems to have a standard enjoyable routine filled with work, rest, hobbies and visits from the grandchildren. However, other issues arise: the estate, healthcare, taxes, and income stream start to become looming “unknowns”. Since life has taught them to persevere, they are confident that all their hard work will harvest harmony for their future.
For Barb and Evan, this was their dream – and it came true! All their lives, they had been working very hard, trying to save and invest every penny they could put aside. When thinking about retirement, they are worried about protecting and optimizing their assets long-term, estate planning for their daughter and her family (and the charities they support), and navigating healthcare and social security. They dreamed of retiring early and going back to their native country, Belize. They didn’t have any clear plan and didn’t know if they were on the right path.
We began our relationship by understanding their personal and financial situations and quantified timing and financial resources needed for their goals. Just like you, Barb and Evan's schedules were packed. Evan was operating a challenging catering business and Barb was receiving a complex compensation due to her company being Australian based and her executive level. As we were working on gathering the specifics, our trusted relationship was developing and getting stronger. Barbara was in the financial industry and understood a lot … but didn’t have the time or full knowledge to do planning on her own. They came prepared with many questions:
How can we create a reasonable budget and increase our savings? How can we keep our accumulated assets working for us our entire lives?
Barb is the primary wage earner. How can we ensure that Evan is protected if I pass away early? What can we do for our children?
Can we realistically retire in Belize and open up our own hotel?
When should we retire to maximize our benefits? What should we do about social security and Medicare? Can our savings support us for the rest of our lives?
How should we invest current and additional savings to match our retirement goals?
How should we plan for our healthcare? Should we think about long-term care insurance?
When should we sell our home and how should we make related major decisions leading up to retirement?
Overtime, working side-by-side, we helped Barb and Evan with all of their questions. We divided and conquered: Marianna working on the financial side of the plan and Barb and Evan on researching opportunities in Belize. Once the land was purchased, it became very real. We had a timeline in place: hiring architects, financing the construction, understanding local laws and Evan transitioning business to their daughter so he can concentrate on spending more time in Belize. We would discuss every step often, assigned money related transactions to certain timelines (like medical insurance, when to start collecting social security, when to sell the house to reduce expenses and etc.) We worked as a team to discuss every major decision and its financial implications today and further in retirement and adjusted our plan accordingly. We are so proud that we could help Barb and Evan make their dreams come true!
We are proud to help individuals and couples achieve their goals and offer a variety of services to address their specific needs.