Will Your Money Last as Long as You Do?

You've spent a lifetime working, saving, and being careful with your money. That's the hard part, and you've done it.

Here's what catches a lot of people off guard: the rules that helped you build a nest egg aren't the same ones that make it last. Building wealth is about growing a pile. Retirement is about turning that pile into income that lasts as long as you do — and protecting it along the way. A different job entirely.

Below are seven honest questions worth answering before you retire, or as you settle into it. If you can answer all seven with confidence, you're in wonderful shape. If a couple give you pause, that's not a failure — that's simply where a good conversation begins.

↓ Download the free guide (PDF)

Seven questions worth answering

1. Will my money last as long as I do? A retirement can now stretch 25 or 30 years. The paycheck stops, but the bills keep coming — so the goal shifts from growing your savings to making them last.
2. Where will my monthly "paycheck" come from now? Cover your essential bills with income you can count on no matter what, and let the rest of your money take on other jobs. When the necessities are covered, a rocky market gets far less frightening.
3. What happens if the market drops early in my retirement? The same downturn can be harmless at 45 and damaging at 72. Selling while prices are down to pay the bills can permanently shrink how long your money lasts. The money you live on shouldn't be fully exposed to the market's mood.
4. Is my "safe" money actually keeping up? If your savings earn less than the cost of living rises, they're quietly losing ground even while the balance looks steady. Safe from the market isn't the same as safe from inflation.
5. How much of my retirement savings does the IRS still own? Money in a 401(k) or traditional IRA was always a partnership with the IRS. When you withdraw, your partner wants their share — and required withdrawals can push you into a higher bracket than you expected.
6. If something happened to me, would the people I love be okay? A pension can shrink or stop, and one Social Security check goes away, while most of the bills remain. Some of the most efficient ways to pass money to your family aren't investments at all — they can transfer a larger gift, income-tax-free.
7. How do I know who and what to trust with this? You don't need to become an expert. You just need good questions: Is this suitable for my goals, or someone else's? What's actually guaranteed, versus hoped-for? Are you licensed, and how are you paid? Anyone worth trusting will welcome those questions, not dodge them.

What happens on the call

1. We look at your numbers, your goals, and your worries — especially the questions above that gave you pause.
2. I tell you honestly what I see, including if I think you're in better shape than you believe. That happens more often than people expect.
3. We identify the one or two decisions that matter most for you right now — often, how to build dependable income that covers your essentials for life.
4. If a lifetime-income annuity or another guarantee is part of the answer, I show you real illustrations for your age — including the guaranteed columns. If it isn't part of the answer, I tell you that instead.
5. You leave with a written summary, whether or not you ever work with me.

What does not happen

• No pressure to decide anything on the call. Nothing about lifetime income is urgent.
• No "this rate expires Friday." That's a sales tactic, and it should end a conversation rather than start one.
• No requirement to buy anything, from me or anyone.
• No judgment about where you're starting. Nobody has ever shocked me.