FINANCIAL PLANNING BUILT AROUND YOUR PRIORITIES
Financial planning should begin with understanding what matters most to you. At Wilder Wealth Strategies, we start by discussing your goals, priorities, and the financial questions you want answered. From there, we work together to develop a plan that reflects your individual circumstances.
You may be wondering when you can retire, how much you can comfortably spend, or whether you're saving enough in the right places. Perhaps you have questions about Social Security, investment risk, taxes, or how to prepare for unexpected expenses. You may also be thinking about helping your children or grandchildren while protecting your own retirement goals.
Rather than approaching these questions separately, we help you understand how the different parts of your financial life work together.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR COMPLETE FINANCIAL PICTURE
An important part of financial planning is having a clear understanding of where you stand today. Our financial planning clients have access to a personal financial website through eMoney, a financial planning platform owned by Fidelity Investments.
You can connect your investment and retirement accounts, bank accounts, mortgages, credit cards—even real estate—along with other assets and liabilities to your financial website. This gives us a more complete picture of your financial life and allows us to evaluate your finances as a whole rather than looking at each account or decision in isolation.
It also gives us the ability to explore different financial scenarios. For example, what might happen if you retire two years earlier than planned? How would spending more during the first several years of retirement affect your long-term outlook? What if you delay Social Security, purchase a second home, or experience a significant market decline? By modeling these scenarios, we can help you better understand how one decision may affect other parts of your financial plan.
FINANCIAL PLANNING, ONE CHAPTER AT A TIME
We believe financial planning should be a manageable process that helps you make informed decisions. Rather than spending months developing a plan only to deliver an overwhelming collection of recommendations at the end, we break the process into chapters based on your priorities.
At the beginning of our work together, we identify the questions and concerns that are most important to you. Those priorities help determine what we'll address in each meeting. One meeting may focus on retirement projections and cash flow. Another may address the asset allocation of your investments and the overall risk. Other conversations may involve Social Security, tax-aware planning, insurance, estate planning, or other financial considerations.
After each meeting, we review what we've discussed, explain our recommendations, and identify the next steps to consider. When appropriate, we can also help you implement our recommendations. This approach allows you to make progress throughout the planning process rather than waiting until every part of your plan is complete.
EVALUATING YOUR RETIREMENT OPTIONS
For clients approaching retirement, one of the most important questions is whether their financial resources can support the lifestyle they want. We develop financial projections to help you understand how your savings, investments, and other income sources may support you throughout retirement.
Through your personal financial website, we can evaluate different scenarios, including retiring earlier or later, adjusting your savings or spending, delaying Social Security, or experiencing different investment returns. Our goal is to help you understand your options and how different choices may affect your financial future.
PLANNING FOR RETIREMENT INCOME
As retirement approaches, your financial priorities often shift from accumulating assets to determining how those assets may provide income. We help you evaluate your potential retirement income sources, including Social Security, retirement accounts, investments, pensions, and other assets. From there, we consider how those resources may work together to support your income needs.
Taxes are also an important consideration. Different financial decisions can have tax implications that affect your broader plan. We help you consider those potential effects and, when appropriate, coordinate with your CPA, estate planning attorney, and other professionals. The objective is to help you understand how your retirement income decisions fit into your overall financial picture.
PREPARING FOR THE UNEXPECTED
Financial planning also involves considering what could happen if circumstances don't unfold as expected. Market volatility, unexpected expenses, extended-care needs, insurance considerations, and longevity can all affect your financial outlook.
We evaluate these potential risks and use your personal financial website to model how different circumstances may affect your plan. Rather than focusing only on what you expect to happen, we help you consider different possibilities and the options available to address them.
KEEPING YOUR FINANCIAL PLAN CURRENT
Financial planning isn't a one-time event. It's an ongoing process that evolves with you. Your personal financial website allows us to update your financial information, revisit projections, and evaluate new decisions over time. As your goals, priorities, or financial circumstances evolve, we can consider how those changes affect your overall plan.
We also believe it's important to turn planning into action. By addressing your financial priorities in manageable chapters, we help you understand your options, make thoughtful decisions, and take appropriate next steps without feeling overwhelmed.
FREQUENTLY ASKED FINANCIAL PLANNING QUESTIONS
How does the financial planning process work at Wilder Wealth Strategies?
We begin by understanding your financial questions, goals, and priorities. Rather than addressing everything at once, we organize the planning process into chapters. Each meeting focuses on specific areas of your financial life, with recommendations and next steps based on what matters most to you.
Do I have to wait until my entire financial plan is finished to make changes?
No. Our chapter-by-chapter approach allows you to begin taking action throughout the planning process. After each meeting, we identify recommendations and next steps, and when appropriate, help you implement them.
Can financial planning help me decide when to retire?
Yes. We develop financial projections and compare different retirement scenarios to help you evaluate your options. These scenarios may include retiring earlier or later, changing your savings or spending, delaying Social Security, or experiencing different investment returns.
How do you account for unexpected financial events?
We consider potential risks such as market volatility, unexpected expenses, extended-care needs, and longevity. Through scenario modeling, we can evaluate how different events may affect your financial plan and help you understand the options available.
Can Wilder Wealth Strategies work with my CPA or estate planning attorney?
Yes. Financial decisions often involve tax and estate planning considerations. When appropriate, we coordinate with your CPA, estate planning attorney, and other professionals to help you evaluate how those decisions fit into your broader financial plan.
What happens if my financial circumstances change?
Your financial plan can be revisited as your life changes. We can update the information in your personal financial website, evaluate new scenarios, and consider how different decisions may affect your long-term goals.
LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL PLAN
Whether you're preparing for retirement, evaluating important financial decisions, or looking for a clearer understanding of how the pieces of your financial life fit together, Wilder Wealth Strategies can help you explore your options. We'd be happy to start a conversation about your goals, priorities, and the financial questions that matter most to you.
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