How Should I Invest Once I Retire?

If you're considering retirement soon or are early into your retirement, investing strategies may need to change dramatically. Generally, you'll be moving from a growth-oriented, more aggressive strategy to one that considers many new factors. Your Risk Tolerance, retirement needs, goals, and your legacy aspirations will all play a critical part in your portfolio design. Read the following sections to follow our path from investment philosophy all the way through to a purposeful and thoughtful portfolio design.

The Importance of an Investment Philosophy

At Kastler Financial Planning, we believe that wise investment decisions and execution of an investment strategy is rooted in a well-thought-out philosophy.

Our philosophy centers on aligning your assets with your purpose—empowering you to live intentionally, give generously, and leave a legacy that goes beyond your portfolio.

We view your investment portfolios not merely as a financial tool to meet your needs and goals, but also as a reflection of your deeply held values. Every portfolio should be grounded in clarity, integrity, and alignment with your purpose and passions.

We do this through our 7 Pillars Investment Planning™ process and our purposeful portfolio designs. ..

7 Pillars Investment Planning™

Where Philosophy Meets Investment Planning

We believe investing should reflect more than market trends—it should meet your needs and goals but also reflect your values and purpose. That’s why we created 7 Pillars Investment Planning™, a values-based portfolio design framework built to serve your retirement with intention.

This proprietary approach is an extension of our registered 7 Pillars Retirement Planning® framework where we built your Retirement Plan. Now, with 7 Pillars Investment Planning™, we bring that same depth and clarity into your investment strategy.

7 Pillars Investment Planning™ is built on seven timeless principles of stewardship and financial wisdom. Each pillar guides how we allocate, select, and manage your investments—ensuring that your portfolio reflects your values, supports your lifestyle, and empowers your legacy.

To bring your Retirement Plan to life, our investment philosophy centers on these 7 Pillars:

Purposeful: careful allocation of your investment dollars
Diversified: multi-asset portfolios to spread out your risks
Integrity: income provision to meet needs and goals
Values-driven: fund selections that align with your values and purpose
Stewardship: aligned to your risk; protect what needs to be protected
Adaptive: monitor and re-align portfolio as life circumstances change
Legacy: connection to Estate Planning for charitable giving and multigenerational impact

Purposeful Portfolio Design

Where Investment Planning Meets Purpose

But we don’t stop at philosophy. We bring it to life through a thoughtful investment strategy and our purposeful portfolio investment structure. Our investment strategy consists of:

Core portfolio for meeting your needs and goals
Satellite portfolios for meeting your values and passions

The investment structure consists of leveraging low-cost ETFs across all Core + Satellite portfolios.

Core Portfolio

Built on Solid Ground

At the heart of every purposeful portfolio design is a Core built for clarity, consistency, and stewardship of your hard-earned money. The design points include:

Meet your basic monthly income, needs, and goals
Multiple asset classes for high diversification
Properly correlated

The Core is where your investment plan finds its footing, anchored on solid ground and simplicity. It functions as a base for launching your unique Satellites.

Satellite Portfolios

Customization with Intention

While the Core of your portfolio provides long-term stability, our Satellite portfolios are where your unique story comes to life. These specialized investment strategies are designed to reflect your personal convictions, legacy goals, and risk tolerance—whether that means building generational wealth, supporting innovation, or anchoring your plan in real assets.

Currently Available Satellites:

Dividend Aristocrats
Tax-Efficient Income
Healthcare and Longevity
Faith-Based Values Investing
Real Assets and Infrastructure
Crypto and Blockchain Innovation
Disruptive Technologies
Private Markets

Each satellite is thoughtfully selected to complement your Core, offering targeted exposure to themes that matter most to you. We mix and match these portfolios based on your purpose, your comfort with risk, and the impact you want to leave behind. From faith-based investing to inflation protection, global diversification to income generation—Satellites allow us to customize your portfolio with intention and integrity.

For an example of how Core + Satellites is used in Retirement Income Planning, with a Core + Cash Bucket, see:

Retirement Income Planning

Want to be Purposefully Invested?

If you believe you could benefit from investing in our Purposeful Portfolios, let’s review yours goals to see if you’re a good match for our practice or if you have any questions you can ask here!