As you get closer to retirement, you may be relieved and excited to realize you can finally afford to stop working. Careful planning in the months leading up to retirement can help you ensure a smooth transition from employee or business owner to retiree. Key decisions you make at this phase will have a significant impact on your upcoming retirement, such as
- How will I spend my time once I leave my job (ie., what will I retire to?
- Should I try and pay down my mortgage faster or invest the excess and add to my nest egg?
- How will I pay the rising costs of health care in retirement?
- When should I begin taking my Social Security benefits?
- My spouse has a pension plan through their employer. How can we maximize these benefits for our family?
- How should I allocate my investments this close to retirement to ensure a stock market drop won’t derail my retirement plan?
