In baseball, few positions are more crucial—or more pressure filled—than the closer. The closer steps onto the mound in the final innings of the game, tasked with protecting the lead and finishing strong. It doesn’t matter how well your team performed in the early innings—if the closer can’t seal the deal, the game can still be lost.
When it comes to your financial life, retirement is the ninth inning, and you need a financial “closer” to make sure you win.
You’ve Built the Lead—Now it’s Time to Protect It
You’ve likely spent decades building your wealth—working hard, saving diligently, contributing to your 401(k) or IRA, and investing wisely. That’s the early and middle innings of your financial game. But once retirement begins, the strategy shifts. It’s no longer about accumulating assets—it’s about preserving them and generating consistent, tax-efficient income that lasts as long as you do.
And just like in baseball, the endgame requires a different set of skills.
A Retirement Closer Has a Different Playbook
While accumulation relies on growth and risk tolerance, the distribution phase is all about control, strategy, and avoiding costly errors. A great retirement closer—like a good financial planner—has one goal: help you finish strong by minimizing risks such as:
- Market Volatility: One bad inning (or market downturn) can undo years of progress. A retirement closer knows how to reduce downside risk.
- Tax Exposure: If your retirement income is overly taxed, it’s like giving away runs in the final inning. Strategic Roth conversions and tax planning can preserve more of your income.
- Healthcare & Long-Term Care Costs: These are the unexpected curveballs. Planning ahead ensures they don’t derail your future.
- Legislative Risk: Just as baseball rules change, so do tax laws. Your closer stays ahead of those changes to protect your plan.
The Right Strategy to Close the Game
A good closer doesn’t just show up in the ninth—they’ve studied the hitters, know the strike zone, and have a strategy for every situation. That’s how I approach retirement planning with my clients.
We examine your income needs, tax situation, healthcare planning, and legacy goals to create a strategy that protects your lead and confidently closes the game.
In many cases, this includes tools like:
- Roth IRAs for tax-free income
- Fixed Index Annuities for income you can’t outlive with no downside market risk
- Long-Term Care planning to safeguard against high healthcare costs
- Estate planning coordination to ensure your legacy lives on
Ready to Close Out Your Financial Game?
Whether you’re approaching retirement or already in the late innings, I’d love to help you build a solid plan that gives you peace of mind—and a strategy for finishing strong.
You’ve played a great game so far. Let’s make sure you finish like a champion!