Retirement Planning FAQs

There is no universal retirement number that works for everyone. The amount you may need depends on your expected spending, lifestyle goals, healthcare costs, taxes, income sources, and how long retirement may last.

At Kastler Financial Planning, we help clients answer this question through a personalized retirement planning process rather than relying on generic rules of thumb. We evaluate current spending, expected retirement expenses, Social Security, pensions if applicable, portfolio withdrawals, taxes, and long-term planning needs. From there, we build retirement projections to help you understand what may be possible and what adjustments may strengthen your plan. The goal is not just to identify a number. The goal is to help you understand how your resources may support the retirement life you want to live.

The answer depends on more than age alone. Your retirement timing may depend on savings, expected retirement spending, Social Security timing, healthcare coverage, taxes, and income strategy.

At Kastler Financial Planning, we use our 7 Pillars Retirement Planning® framework to evaluate retirement timing within the context of your full financial picture. We model different scenarios so you can better understand tradeoffs and make a more informed retirement decision. For many people, the better question is not only “When can I retire?” but “When can I retire with confidence?”  Our retirement planning videos will show you the capabilities to answer this and many other questions.

Retirement investing is often different from pre-retirement investing because the portfolio may now need to support withdrawals, provide flexibility, and help manage volatility over time. That means investment decisions should reflect more than growth alone. They should also consider income needs, risk tolerance, risk capacity, time horizon, tax considerations, and how the portfolio fits into your broader retirement plan.

At Kastler Financial Planning, a portfolio design for retirement is guided by our 7 Pillars Investment Planning® framework. For some clients, implementation may include 7 Pillars Purpose-Driven Portfolios™, including a broadly diversified Core and selected Satellite strategies where appropriate. The goal is not speculation. The goal is thoughtful portfolio design aligned with your retirement needs, goals, values, and purpose.

It depends. For some households, paying off the mortgage before retirement may reduce fixed expenses and create greater peace of mind. For others, keeping the mortgage may preserve liquidity or allow assets to be used more effectively elsewhere.

The decision often depends on interest rate, cash flow, tax considerations, portfolio resources, and personal comfort. At Kastler Financial Planning, we help clients evaluate this question within the broader retirement plan so the answer fits both the numbers and the household’s priorities

This is one of the most important retirement questions, even though it is often overlooked.

A successful retirement is not only about finances. It is also about purpose, relationships, health, contribution, and how you want to live in the years ahead. Financial planning can support retirement, but it should also serve a bigger vision for life.

That is one reason the Retirement Profilers matter so much at Kastler Financial Planning. We want financial planning to support not just retirement income, but a retirement lived with greater intention, meaning, and alignment with what matters most to you.  Check our resources page for the Retirement Profilers eGuide and many other no-charge downloadable documents and tools.

The 7 Pillars Retirement Planning® framework is our retirement planning services framework for helping clients think through the major areas that can affect retirement success.

The seven areas are income planning, investment planning, tax planning, risk analysis, health and healthcare planning, long-term care planning, and estate and legacy planning. We believe retirement planning works best when these areas are considered together rather than separately, because a decision in one area often affects another.

The purpose of the framework is to help create a more complete, coordinated, and thoughtful retirement plan.

Advisor fees can have a meaningful effect on retirement, especially when your portfolio may be supporting income rather than simply growing for the future.

Kastler Financial Planning uses a flat-fee, transparent pricing model rather than an assets-under-management percentage fee tied to portfolio size. We believe clients should clearly understand the services they are receiving and the cost of those services.

Because we are fee-only, we do not receive commissions from product sales. Our goal is to provide retirement planning and ongoing support in a way that is clear, transparent, and aligned with a fiduciary standard of care.  See our service modules and pricing page to view the transparant flat-fee tiered pricing schedule.

Kastler Financial Planning is built around a planning-first approach to retirement.

We are fee-only, fiduciary, and independent. That means our advice is not tied to commissions, product sales, or the limitations of a brokerage or insurance platform. We believe thoughtful retirement planning should begin with understanding your goals, values, and overall financial picture before recommendations are made.

We are also a boutique firm by design. That allows for a more personal relationship, a more thoughtful planning process, and a written retirement plan built around your needs rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Read more about how we got started at our About Kastler Financial Planning page.

New laws go into effect on July 1, 2026.  New loan caps and repayment schedules are set to take into affect.  We will handle the new laws in the same way we did previously–analyzing repayment strategies as a separate analysis workflow and then integrating the results into your retirement plan to see the affect of the new laws.  

Widowhood often brings both emotional and financial change. In addition to navigating loss, there may be important planning decisions involving income, Social Security, taxes, beneficiary updates, asset ownership, estate documents, and long-term retirement security.

At Kastler Financial Planning, we approach these situations with patience, clarity, and personal care. We help review the financial issues that may need attention and work to ensure your retirement plan reflects your current reality, future goals, and the decisions that now rest with you.

For women navigating retirement transitions, including widowhood, our planning process is designed to provide thoughtful guidance without product pressure or sales incentives.