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Adjusting Your Retirement Mindset

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retirement mindset
How to Manage Common Challenges in this Phase of Life

At Peak Financial Freedom Group, we work with people every day who are preparing for retirement. We talk about when they’d like to retire, any goals they have, and what they envision their retirement lifestyle looking like. We review things like assets and liabilities, and we discuss cash flow. We use conservative risk-reduction strategies to help them protect their investments and provide the opportunity for growth. In short, we help our clients start working toward achieving the financial freedom they desire so they can enjoy a retirement free of money fears.

Alongside all this financial preparation, though, we have found that it’s also important to prepare your mindset for retirement. It represents a significant life change – and a massive psychological shift, too. That’s why you shouldn’t go into this phase of life unprepared from any standpoint. So, let’s discuss a few common mindset issues, and what near-retirees and recent retirees can do to overcome them.

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Total Fees – You Are Probably Paying Lot More Than 1% Per Year

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Do you really know the total fees you’re paying to have your assets managed? 1 percent is the typical advisor fee. An additional 1 percent is the typical money manager fee to manage your assets.

According to the New York Times, 1.23 percent is an average mutual fund expense…. you can find it listed in your prospectus. Add to this a 1.44 percent average mutual fund trading cost, which is, according to Forbes, a hidden cost at the mutual fund level, incurred when each mutual fund manager buys and sells stocks and/or bonds in the portfolio.

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Dan Ahmad & Jim Files Were Recently Featured on “Your California Life”

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your california life

Dan Ahmad and Jim Files of Peak Financial Freedom Group recently sat down with “Your California Life” to discuss what they see as the biggest mistake retirees make when it comes to their finances. They also provide insight into how you can smartly manage your investments and mitigate risk in your portfolio as you approach retirement as well as once you’re in retirement. Watch the whole interview here, or learn more about Dan and Jim’s golden rule for assessing financial risk here.

Why Money Brings Up Such Powerful Emotions

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money and emotions
Tips to Tame the Fear and Anxiety You May Feel About Your Finances

The following content has been adapted from Chapter 24 of Momma’s Secret Recipe for Retirement Success, by Dan Ahmad & Jim Files.

For many people, money is scary. It produces anxiety and many other powerful emotions, too. Oftentimes, the root of fear or anxiety is that you don’t truly understand your finances. You may even blame yourself for your “lack of financial intelligence.” However, we believe that for the overwhelming majority of retirees, the confusion and lack of understanding have nothing to do with personal shortcomings. If you feel confused and don’t understand your money, it’s because you don’t have an actual plan in writing.

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Have You Had A Risk Stress Test Performed On Your Portfolio?

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You can’t suffer a big loss to your savings now you’re retired or nearing retirement, you might not make it up, and you could run out of money. Most retirees we meet with are taking far more risk than they thought and could lose twenty to fifty percent of their savings. Even if you have a diversified portfolio, you could lose a lot, so you should have a risk stress test on your portfolio. You need to know how much risk you’re taking right now before you suffer a big loss because then it would be too late.

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The Most Important Thing About Retirement Success

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The single most important way to achieve retirement success is to have an actual written plan. You can’t buy a home, get a mortgage, buy a car, open a bank account, get health insurance, or even get married without having all the details in writing. So why would you let your advisor invest 1 million dollars or more of your money without everything in writing?

It’s because your advisor said don’t worry, everything will be OK. Why would you take someone’s word for this? You can’t know for certain everything will be OK unless you have an actual comprehensive written plan. Your statements don’t count.

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What is a ‘Safe’ Income Withdrawal Rate?

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income withdrawal rate
It’s Crucial to Ensure You Won’t Run Out of Money in Retirement

What does the phrase “safe income withdrawal rate” mean to you? Most people would answer, “the amount of income you can withdraw from your assets without the fear of running out of income during your lifetime.” This seems cut and dried. But you have to look at what the word “safe” means to different people.

“Safe” to some people might actually mean “safer than something else,” such as you stating that you are “driving safe” because you are going 80 miles per hour while everyone else on the road is driving 90 miles per hour, but the posted speed limit is 65 miles per hour. And then, “safe” to other people might mean the chance of anything negative happening is 0%. In planning for retirement, safe better mean safe, something you can count on for sure. Safe better not mean “kind of safe.”

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Episode 13: Tackling Retirees Biggest Fear: Establishing Income in Retirement

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Once you retire, that consistent paycheck that you’ve been depending on your whole life suddenly disappears. Now is the time to look towards all of those assets that you’ve saved and turn them into a new kind of income. Finding a way to do this, and ensuring that you’ll have enough income to last your entire retirement is one of the biggest fears that retirees struggle with as they plan to retire. This week on the Peak Financial Freedom Show, Jim and Dan are here to help teach you the basics of generating income in retirement.

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Episode 12: Why Retirees Must Keep Control of Their Finances

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When having a financial advisor, it can be tempting to take a back seat with your finances. However, no matter who you have in your corner helping you, it’s still crucial for you to stay in control of your finances and what’s going on with your investments at all times. In this episode of the Peak Financial Freedom Show, Jim and Dan discuss why it’s so important that you’re steering your financial advisor and not the other way around. Nobody knows what’s best for you, your financial reality, and your future dreams as well as you do, so be sure to stay engaged and alert as to what is happening with your money.

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