What’s Your Retirement Income Plan?

Saving for retirement is one thing. Living off those savings is another.

For decades, the focus is all about accumulation — setting money aside, contributing to 401(k)s or IRAs, and watching your balance grow. But when retirement finally arrives, the question shifts:
How do you turn that savings into a reliable, sustainable income?

This is where many people feel unprepared.

It’s easy to assume you’ll “just withdraw what you need,” but without a clear strategy, that approach can lead to surprises — sometimes costly ones. You may withdraw too much too early, outlive your savings, or create unexpected tax consequences. You might pull from the wrong accounts at the wrong time or miss opportunities to make your money last longer.

Creating a retirement income plan means shifting from how much you’ve saved to how best to use what you’ve saved.

It’s not just about numbers — it’s about timing, taxes, market conditions, and lifestyle needs. Do you have a plan for which accounts you’ll draw from first? Have you factored in required minimum distributions (RMDs)? What about Social Security timing, inflation, or healthcare costs?

These aren’t easy questions to answer alone — and you shouldn’t have to.

A retirement income plan built with an advisor can help you avoid surprises. It brings structure to your withdrawals, helps reduce the chance of running out of money, and gives you a strategy to support the life you want to live.

If you’re within a few years of retirement — or already there — now is the time to turn your savings into a plan.

Because retiring without a clear income strategy isn't really a plan at all.