Navigating Next Steps With Clients: Retirement Planning Checklist

These steps are sometimes irreversible, so it is important to get it right the first time. Failure to choose wisely can have permanent consequences.

Although retirement from employment usually has a firm date involved, this date does not necessarily determine when other retirement decisions must be made. There are many steps associated with retiring, such as leaving employment, signing up for government benefits, and possibly moving from a current residence. Not all these retirement activities will occur at the same time.  

Your Role as a Retirement Planner

As a retirement planner, you can help your clients with the stress, confusion, and angst that often accompany the process of retiring. By being there for your clients, and providing support and advice, you can earn the opportunity to continue to work with them even after retirement.   

Below is a checklist of common considerations for the three primary retirement decisions that will apply to almost all your clients: employment benefits, Medicare, and Social Security. This checklist is not meant to be exhaustive about all the issues that may arise, but it provides an outline for you to consider as you work with your clients who are preparing for their big day.

Encouraging Client Responsibility

Note that the checklist puts the responsibility on the client – it states “you” (i.e., the client) are the one who is ultimately responsible for accomplishing these tasks. This approach is intentionally designed to remind the client that — even though, as a retirement planner, you are helping them — they will need to personally take actionable steps to retire. Their employer will want paperwork completed, and the government will expect them to fulfill the necessary steps to sign up for benefits such as Medicare, Social Security, and veteran benefits.  

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More From The College

• Explore the Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) Program
• Empower clients with The Retirement Course™