Retirement Planning Strategies for a Changing Economic Landscape

In times of uncertainty, it’s vital that advisors can deliver versatile retirement planning strategies to meet the ever-evolving needs of their clients.

According to our 2023 Retirement Income Literacy Survey, individuals who work with advisors often have higher retirement literacy and experience better outcomes than those who don’t. However, the average literacy score was just 31%, revealing a widespread lack of understanding of key retirement topics. This underscores the critical need for expert guidance — especially among those in or nearing retirement.

With today’s uncertain markets and increasing life expectancy unearthing fears of outliving savings or becoming a burden on loved ones, the demand for professional retirement planning is at an all-time high. To help ensure retirement income security for clients in unpredictable times, advisors need retirement planning strategies that are both sound and flexible.

Ensuring Stability Through Smart Adjustments

Market uncertainty can upend traditional retirement longevity planning approaches, demanding quick thinking and flexibility from an industry built on long-term stability. Yet even small shifts in strategy can make all the difference.

In a recent discussion, Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) Program Director Eric Ludwig, PhD, CFP® and CEO of Bryn Mawr Capital Management Jamie Hopkins, Esq., LLM, CFP®, ChFC®, CLU®, RICP® identified two key strategies for stability in retirement planning.

The first tactic Ludwig and Hopkins discussed was diversifying your clients’ income streams through a “bucketing” approach. Rather than treating assets as a single, unified pool of money, you can categorize them into separate “buckets” based on when they might need the funds. By aligning their assets with time-specific goals, like short-term investments, savings, and growth, you can prevent panic and instead provide peace of mind.

Another powerful strategy they offered was implementing spending guardrails based on market conditions. Rather than sticking to a fixed annual spending amount, you can help clients adjust their spending based on predefined thresholds. If the market performs well and their portfolio grows beyond a certain point, they can increase their spending into an “upper guardrail.” If their investments drop past the “lower guardrail,” then they can reduce their spending accordingly. By focusing on the probability of portfolio adjustment rather than success or failure, this dynamic approach helps preserve retirement income security and longevity without sacrificing lifestyle.

These adaptive approaches ensure your clients’ investments match their time horizon and keep their spending in check, creating a flexible, resilient retirement plan that can weather market volatility.

Getting Ahead of Long-Term Care Costs

As people live longer and healthcare costs climb, the likelihood of needing some form of long-term care grows, making it a crucial element of retirement longevity planning. In a workshop session at Horizons 2025, Director of College Research Kaylee Ranck, PhD, and Managing Director of the American College Center for Special Needs Joellen Meckley, JD, MHS, ChSNC® delved into this topic.

Ranck and Meckley revealed that projections show 70% of people aged 65 or older will at some point require long-term care, and the costs can be substantial and unpredictable.¹ Without a plan in place, long-term care costs can drain retirement funds quickly, threatening financial independence and potentially placing an emotional burden on family or caregivers. This possibility causes anxiety among the majority of individuals in or nearing retirement, with 77% saying becoming a burden is their main longevity concern.²

Couple rising longevity with current market uncertainty, and it becomes more and more apparent that proactive planning — rather than waiting for a caregiving-related crisis to hit — is not just a wise decision, but an imperative one. By helping clients plan ahead through long-term care insurance, hybrid life insurance policies, or even Health Savings Accounts (HSAs), you can protect their portfolios from large, sudden losses during market downturns.

Having a long-term care plan in place ensures your clients have greater choice and control over their futures — and in uncertain times, that stability makes all the difference.

Utilizing Historical Context and Behavioral Finance

One of the most effective tools in an advisor’s toolkit is historical context, said Professor of Practice Steve Parrish, JD, RICP®, CLU®, ChFC®, AEP® in a recent Shares episode. Market downturns, while undeniably uncomfortable, are not new. These downturns often trigger strong emotional responses — fear, anxiety, and the impulse to act quickly. Reminding clients of the market’s long history of recovery after major crashes can help combat reactionary decisions that might derail long-term goals.

However, historical perspective alone isn’t enough. According to Hopkins, the quality of client service is critical, especially in uncertain times. Understanding your client’s personal financial journey — their past experiences with economic downturns, job loss, or caregiving responsibilities — adds a layer of behavioral finance insight that purely technical strategies can’t.

Ultimately, the financial services industry is just that: service. During uncertain times, making clients feel heard and understood is more than just a best practice, it’s a fundamental part of building retirement plans that endure.

More on Retirement Income Planning

• See more takeaways from our Retirement Income Literacy Study
• Give your clients the gift of knowledge with a free education program, The Retirement Course™
• Become a retirement expert with our Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) Program