While retirement can be filled with rewarding milestones, it doesn’t always follow a precise
timeline. More significantly for executives, their peak earning years can experience a wide range
of financial changes. You may experience everything from highly valuable equity compensation
to liquidity events to layoffs. With such a range of financial variables, we want to help clients
plan for flexibility and freedom in their retirement timeline.
Planning for the Predictable—and the Unexpected
For the clients we work with, things like employment contracts often shape the trajectory of their
careers. These contracts are common at the senior level and are designed with a goal to
encourage long-term commitment. We want our clients to know what they’re committing to and
how it fits into their long-term financial plan.
What we see though is that it’s not usually the contract that throws off the plan—it’s when
someone “loses that position,” as we put it. That’s the moment that can cause real stress to the
plan.
We often say: “We like to plan while they’re going up.” In other words, the best time to build
flexibility into your retirement timeline is while your career is thriving—not when you’re
suddenly forced to make a change.
We want to know–if you had to pull the parachute, could you?
What’s the Real Goal? Lifestyle Preservation
When we talk about planning, it’s not just about dollars—it’s about safeguarding your lifestyle.
That means making sure:
- Your kids are educated.
- Your parents are taken care of.
- You can maintain the way you live now—even if the career path shifts suddenly.
We find that many of our clients do have strong retirement instincts—they’re good planners–but
it’s those unexpected moments, the “I’m not the one” moments, where planning really proves its
worth.
Retirement Is a Path, Not a Date
Most clients want to know not just when they can retire but what it looks like. They’re asking for
clarity.
That’s why we focus on building a plan that gives answers.
- What’s your income going to be if things change?
- Do you have the resources to make a pivot if you need to?
- Are your priorities—your family, your lifestyle, your future—insulated even if the timeline
shifts?
Whatever unfolds, the goal is to retire with options, optimism, and clarity in what comes next.