What Is In The Money Retirement Planning?

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In The Money Retirement Planning is an independent, fee-only financial planning firm based in Connecticut. We help individuals, families, and established business owners make informed financial decisions so they can make work optional as early as possible.

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Retirement planning is about more than picking investments.

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Your income, taxes, investments, insurance, estate plan, Social Security, retirement accounts, and business finances can all affect your ability to retire successfully. Our job is to bring these pieces together into one coordinated financial plan.

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We take a planning-first approach. Instead of starting with an investment portfolio, we start by understanding where you are today, where you want to go, and what decisions need to be made along the way.

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With more than 10 years of experience in financial services, our firm combines comprehensive financial planning with investment management, tax planning, retirement income planning, and business-owner financial planning.

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In The Money Retirement Planning is:

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• We are a fee-only financial planning firm focused on helping clients make work optional as early as possible.

• We are a fiduciary. Our recommendations are designed around your financial goals and circumstances rather than commissions from financial products.

• We are a planning-first firm. We look at the bigger financial picture before making investment recommendations.

• We are a retirement planning resource for individuals and families who want to understand how their savings, taxes, investments, Social Security, insurance, and other financial decisions fit together.

• We are a financial planning resource for established business owners who need help coordinating their personal finances with their business and retirement goals.

• We are a partner for clients who want help making important financial decisions—not simply someone to manage an investment account.

• We are an independent firm. Our planning recommendations are not built around proprietary investment products.

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What In The Money Retirement Planning Is Not

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• We are not a bank or insurance company. We do not sell banking products or insurance products as our primary business.

• We are not a tax preparation firm. We can help coordinate tax planning and, through our tax-filing partners, help clients with tax preparation. Clients can also continue working with their existing CPA if they prefer.

• We are not an estate planning law firm. We help identify estate planning needs and coordinate with attorneys and other professionals when legal advice or more complex estate planning is required.

• We are not simply an investment management firm. Investments are an important part of the financial plan, but they are only one piece of the overall picture.

• We are not a firm that believes every client needs the same financial plan. Your income, family, business, retirement goals, taxes, risk tolerance, and circumstances all matter.

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Who Does In The Money Retirement Planning Help?

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Our clients generally fall into a few different groups.

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Individuals and Families Approaching Retirement

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If retirement is getting closer, you may be asking:

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• Can I actually afford to retire?

• When should I claim Social Security?

• How much can I safely withdraw each year?

• How can I reduce taxes in retirement?

• Should I consider Roth conversions?

• How will Required Minimum Distributions affect my taxes?

• What should I do with my 401(k), IRA, or other retirement accounts?

• Do I have enough income to maintain my lifestyle?

• How should Medicare and other healthcare costs fit into my plan?

• Is my estate plan up to date?

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We help bring these decisions together into a coordinated retirement income plan.

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Established Small Business Owners

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Business owners often have two financial lives happening at the same time:

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The business and the household.

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Your business may be your largest asset, but your retirement plan cannot depend entirely on eventually selling the business.

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We help business owners evaluate:

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• Business cash flow

• Personal and business savings

• Retirement plan options

• Tax planning opportunities

• Investment decisions

• Business distributions

• Debt and working capital

• Hiring and equipment decisions

• Business succession and exit planning

• The ability to eventually make work optional

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For certain business owners, we can also provide fractional CFO-style financial planning, including cash-flow forecasting and business planning.

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High-Earning Professionals

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Higher income can create its own financial planning challenges.

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We help high earners coordinate:

• Retirement savings

• Tax planning

• Roth conversion strategies

• Investment management

• Insurance

• Estate planning

• Charitable giving

• Retirement income

• Employer benefits

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The goal is to make sure the different parts of your financial life are working together rather than being managed independently.

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Our Four-Part Retirement Planning Approach

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A successful retirement plan involves more than investments.

 

We focus on four major areas:

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1. Taxes

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Your tax bill doesn't end when you stop working.

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We look at opportunities to manage your lifetime tax burden, including:

• Roth conversions

• Required Minimum Distributions

• Taxable income in retirement

• Social Security taxation

• Retirement account withdrawals

• Charitable giving strategies

• Tax-efficient investment strategies

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The goal isn't simply to pay less tax this year. We look at how today's decisions may affect your taxes over your lifetime.

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2. Estates

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Your financial plan should account for what happens if you become incapacitated or when your assets eventually pass to your family.

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We help clients identify and coordinate estate planning needs involving:

• Wills

• Trusts

• Powers of attorney

• Healthcare directives

• Beneficiary designations

• Asset titling

• Estate coordination

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When legal advice is required, we coordinate with qualified estate planning attorneys.

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3. Insurance

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Insurance is designed to protect the financial plan you've spent years building.

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We can help review areas such as:

• Homeowners insurance

• Auto insurance

• Umbrella liability coverage

• Life insurance

• Long-term care considerations

• Medicare and healthcare coverage

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When appropriate, we can connect clients with insurance professionals who can provide coverage options.

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4. Investments

Investments are an important part of your financial plan.

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We help clients determine how their investment strategy fits with their:

• Retirement timeline

• Risk tolerance

• Income needs

• Tax situation

• Other assets

• Long-term goals

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For clients who choose our full-service relationship, we provide ongoing investment management alongside comprehensive financial planning.

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How We Work With Clients

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We offer different ways to work with our firm depending on how much help you need.

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Advice-Only Financial Planning

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You maintain control of your investments while we serve as your financial planning partner.

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This can include help with:

• Retirement planning

• Tax-lowering strategies

• Social Security

• Roth conversions

• Investment guidance

• Insurance reviews

• Estate planning coordination

• Retirement income planning

• Major financial decisions

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This approach can be a good fit for people who want professional planning without turning over their investment accounts for management.

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Full-Service Wealth Management

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For clients who want ongoing financial planning and investment management, we provide a more comprehensive relationship.

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This can include:

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• Ongoing financial planning

• Investment management

• Retirement income planning

• Proactive tax strategy

• Roth conversion analysis

• Required Minimum Distribution planning

• Insurance reviews

• Estate planning coordination

• Behavioral coaching during volatile markets

• Regular meetings and decision support

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Our full-service relationships generally begin at $200,000+ in investable assets, depending on the circumstances of the relationship.

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Tax Planning & Tax Preparation

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Taxes are an important part of retirement planning.

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We help clients look beyond simply filing last year's tax return and instead consider how today's financial decisions may affect future tax bills.

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Through our tax-filing partner, clients can also choose to have their tax returns prepared as part of an additional service.

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You can also continue working with your existing CPA if you prefer.

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