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Retirement Has Two Doors. Which One Will You Choose? Thumbnail

Retirement Has Two Doors. Which One Will You Choose?

Retirement has only two possible outcomes

Retirement has two doors. One leads to a chance of success. One leads to certain failure. Which will you choose? In retirement there are only two possible financial outcomes.

  1. Door number one, your money outlives you. Behind that door lies dignity, independence, and legacies.
  2. Door number two, you outlive your money. Behind that door lies dependence on family or the state, death of any legacy, poverty and destitution.

Everyone that retires will get one outcome or the other. Your choice.

The only difference between the two outcomes is a plan

"If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time." Zig Ziglar. Failing to plan is planning to fail. With a plan you have a chance for door number one. Without a plan you are almost guaranteed door number two.

The real risk

We were raised to think that the real risk in retirement was losing your money. However, in a 30 year retirement, the real risk is outliving your purchasing power. Money not invested strategically will be swallowed whole by inflation.

Fixed income and rising living costs equal door number two 

Real safety in retirement is an income that rises more than your living costs do. Bonds don't do that nor were they designed to do that. The constantly rising dividends and capital values of America's best companies do that and have historically done that for 100 years. It's counterintuitive but factually true.

At 80/20 Financial Services we invest your money and our own money in the best companies in the United States and the world. We don't base our investment philosophy on the latest fads nor do we change our philosophy based on the latest fears. We don't believe in creating wealth quickly, we believe in creating wealth for certain.

You need a plan

At 80/20 Financial Services, we are retirement planners and we specialize in working with electric cooperative employees. We can help you answer questions like:

  • Should you take your cooperative's monthly pension or lump sum offer?
  • Do you have enough money between your R&S and/or 401k to retire?
  • Could you possibly retire at age 55?
  • Is your cooperative 401k invested correctly for your retirement goals?
  • Should you be investing in a Traditional 401k or a Roth 401k?
  • Are you contributing too much or too little to your 401k?
  • Should you quasi-retire from your cooperative?
  • Should you accept an early retirement offer from your cooperative?
  • When should you claim Social Security benefits?
  • How can you lower your tax bill in retirement?
  • How do you invest your retirement money so that you increase your income in retirement?
  • How do you create an income stream in retirement that is similar to when you were working?

I started this firm specifically to help electric cooperative employees with retirement planning. I worked for an electric cooperative for 11 years and I know your profession and benefit plans better than any other financial advisor will. You have excellent retirement benefits available to you. I can help you optimize those benefits while creating a retirement income and investing plan that aligns with your retirement goals.

Contact us to set up a consultation. The consultation is free and without obligation.

For more articles about retirement planning and investing, click here. You may also sign up to receive our weekly retirement blog here.

Thanks for reading!

Brian Coleman/Retirement Income & Investment Planner

80/20 Financial Services is an Independent Registered Investment Advisory Firm. We help Electric Cooperative Employees create their retirement income and investment plans.

Photo by James Balensiefen on Unsplash