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WEALTH MANAGEMENT | FINANCIAL PLANNING
Retirement Income Planning
You've worked hard to the live the way you want to. Heirloom ensures it will stay that way.
For high-net-worth families, retirement is a transition from building wealth to using it - often over several decades, with complex income sources, changing tax rules, and evolving goals.
Heirloom Wealth’s Retirement Income Planning service is built for that reality.
The Problem
Retirement is not a single date on the calendar.
An optimal Retirement plan requires significant foresight. Let Us Help Prepare You For the rest of your life
Rather than focusing only on “the number” you need to retire, Heirloom helps you answer a more practical set of questions:
What does a good life look like in the next phase?
How much can you reasonably spend, and from where, year by year?
How should your portfolio, taxes, and estate plan adapt as you move through retirement?
The result is a coordinated strategy that addresses your retirement plans holistically so you can focus on living the life you envision, with a clear understanding of how your wealth supports it.
Even for successful investors, approaching retirement often raises the same core concerns:
““How much can we safely spend without jeopardizing our future?”
“Which accounts should we use first—and how will that affect our taxes?”
“When should we claim Social Security or start pension benefits?”
“How do we plan for healthcare, long-term care, and what’s left for family or charity?”
Common challenges Heirloom sees for high-net-worth clients include:
Fragmented accounts – 401(k)s, IRAs, taxable accounts, options, RSUs, deferred comp, and business proceeds all handled separately rather than as one plan.
Unclear withdrawal strategy – No defined approach to which accounts to draw from, in what order, and at what pace.
Sequence-of-returns risk – Significant exposure to market downturns early in retirement without a plan to manage that risk.
Tax surprises – Higher-than-expected tax bills due to uncoordinated withdrawals, required minimum distributions, or one-time income events.
No clear “permission to spend” – A reluctance to use wealth for meaningful experiences because the long-term impact is unknown.
Heirloom’s Approach to Retirement Income Planning
Even when working with an advisor, many investors find the focus remains on portfolio performance, not on the day-to-day reality of turning assets into a sustainable, tax-aware income stream.
Heirloom’s Retirement Income Planning is designed to address that gap.
Our Approach
1. Defining Your Retirement Vision and Spending
The process begins with you, not with spreadsheets.
Heirloom takes time to understand:
How you want to spend your time in retirement
Where you plan to live (and whether that may change)
Travel, hobbies, family support, and philanthropic priorities
Commitments to children, grandchildren, or other dependents
Your comfort level with spending versus preserving capital
From there, the team helps you translate that vision into realistic spending ranges, distinguishing:
Any specialty or business-related coverage connected to your role or companyEssential expenses
Discretionary or lifestyle spending
One-time or episodic goals (remodels, properties, gifts, major trips)
This provides a grounded starting point for all subsequent planning.
Our Approach
2. Comprehensive Cash-Flow and Balance-Sheet Analysis
Next, Heirloom organizes your current financial picture, including:
Employer plans, stock options, RSUs, deferred comp, and other benefits
Pensions, annuities, and other guaranteed income sources
Social Security scenarios for you and a spouse, if applicable
Real estate, business interests, and other illiquid assets
Liabilities: mortgages, lines of credit, or other debt
Current and anticipated healthcare and insurance costs
This allows the firm to see how your assets, income sources, and obligations interact—across both the near term and the full retirement horizon.
Our Approach
3. Long-Term Retirement Projections and Scenario Testing
With a detailed baseline in place, Heirloom builds projections that look across your retirement years, often out to age ranges that reflect long life expectancies.
These projections may explore:
Different retirement dates or partial-retirement scenarios
Spending at various levels, including “base,” “preferred,” and “stretch” lifestyles
Alternative Social Security and pension claiming strategies
The impact of selling a business, property, or concentrated position
Varying market return assumptions and volatility
Potential long-term care needs and their financial impact
The goal is not to forecast the future precisely—no one can—but to understand how different decisions and conditions may affect the durability of your plan..
Our Approach
4. Coordinated Income Strategy Design
Heirloom then designs a retirement income strategy that coordinates:
Which accounts to use and when – Balancing taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts to support spending while being mindful of tax implications.
How much to withdraw – Establishing target ranges that reflect both your needs and the realities of markets and longevity.
How guaranteed income fits in – Integrating Social Security, pensions, and other predictable income sources into the cash-flow plan.
This is where planning, investments, and taxes intersect. The team focuses on structuring income in a way that is understandable, repeatable, and flexible enough to adapt to change.
Important note: Heirloom does not provide tax or legal advice. Retirement income and tax-related strategies are developed in coordination with your existing tax and legal professionals, and outcomes depend on individual circumstances.
Our Approach
5. Tax-Aware Withdrawal and Distribution Planning
Taxes can have a meaningful impact on retirement income. Heirloom works alongside your tax advisor to consider:
Timing and sequencing of withdrawals from various account types
The interaction between withdrawals, Social Security, pensions, and other income
Opportunities for strategies such as Roth conversions where appropriate
Coordination with required minimum distributions and other mandated events
While no strategy can guarantee lower taxes, a thoughtful, forward-looking approach may help manage tax drag and provide greater flexibility over time, depending on your specific situation.
Our Approach
6. Aligning Portfolio Risk With Retirement Needs
Retirement income planning and portfolio design go hand in hand.
Using insights from your plan, Heirloom:
Aligns your investment risk level with your spending goals and time horizon
Structures portfolios to provide both growth potential and near-term liquidity
Considers how to manage sequence-of-returns risk in early retirement years
Integrates any concentrated positions, private investments, or legacy holdings into the broader strategy
The objective is to build a portfolio you can realistically stay invested in through both calm and volatile markets because it is designed to serve a clearly defined plan.
Our Approach
7. Ongoing Monitoring and Plan Adjustments
Retirement is not static. Health, family, markets, tax laws, and preferences evolve.
Heirloom revisits your retirement income plan regularly to:
Review actual spending versus projections
Adjust for changes in income, goals, or unexpected events
Reassess risk levels and portfolio positioning
Coordinate with your tax and legal advisors on emerging opportunities or constraints
Updates are not about “starting over” each year; they are about refining a living plan so it stays relevant as your life unfolds.
Outcomes / Results
Heirloom does not present retirement income planning as a way to guarantee that markets, health, or life events will unfold a certain way.
Instead, the focus is on giving you a stronger framework for living the next phase of your life with clarity and confidence.
Clients who go through this process typically experience:
Clearer Answers to “Can We…?”
Can we retire—or scale back work—on this timeline?
Can we support children or grandchildren in meaningful ways?
Can we travel or pursue projects at the level we’re imagining?
Can we give more to causes we care about?
A Thoughtful Spending Framework
A spending range that feels both sustainable and aligned with your values
A structure for adjusting spending when markets are strong or weak
Less second-guessing about whether you are “over- or under-spending”
Integration Across Investments, Taxes, and Estate
Income decisions coordinated with portfolio risk and liquidity
Withdrawal strategies considered in the context of your tax picture
Alignment between retirement income, estate documents, and legacy goal
Reduced Complexity, More Peace of Mind
A single, integrated plan instead of disconnected projections and rules of thumb
Clear documentation that can be shared with a spouse, partner, or next generation
The ability to focus on how you want to use your time, not just your money
Is Heirloom's Retirement Planning For You?
Heirloom’s Retirement Income Planning service is especially well-suited for:
High-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth families
within 5–10 years of retirement who want to know what is possible and what trade-offs exist.
Already-retired investors
who have accumulated significant assets but lack a clear, coordinated income plan.
Executives and professionals
with complex benefit packages, equity compensation, or deferred comp arrangements.
Business owners and entrepreneurs
planning for or post-liquidity events, seeking to translate business success into a durable retirement strategy.
.
Families currently working with an advisor
who feel they have portfolios but not a fully integrated retirement income plan.
If you see yourself in any of these descriptions and you want a retirement strategy that is as thoughtful as the career or business that got you here Heirloom’s planning process is designed for you.
FAQs
Q: What is the biggest misconception people have about retirement income?
Many people believe retirement means steadily “draining” their savings. In reality, well-structured portfolios can generate ongoing income from dividends and interest, allowing many retirees to live on portfolio income without needing to sell assets—even during down markets. Retirement income planning focuses on turning accumulated assets into reliable cash flow.
Q: How does Heirloom help clients avoid selling investments during market downturns?
Heirloom designs portfolios to generate sufficient income in most market environments and often uses a “safe account” strategy, setting aside multiple years of conservative assets for spending needs. This structure allows risk-based assets time to recover, helping clients avoid selling investments at unfavorable times and reducing stress during market volatility.
Q: How does Heirloom determine how much a client can safely spend in retirement?
Spending decisions are guided by a detailed financial plan that includes budgeting, lifestyle goals, and a targeted portfolio withdrawal rate, typically designed to remain at or below sustainable levels over time. Heirloom models retirement year by year—accounting for inflation, longevity, and changing expenses—to ensure spending aligns with long-term sustainability.
Q: How do taxes factor into retirement income planning?
Retirement income planning is closely tied to tax sequencing and asset location. Heirloom evaluates which accounts to draw from—and when—to help manage tax brackets over time, preserve tax-advantaged assets like Roth accounts, and reduce the risk of higher taxes later in retirement. These decisions are made as part of a coordinated, long-term strategy.
Q: Why is Social Security strategy such a critical part of retirement income planning?
Social Security decisions can significantly impact lifetime income. Heirloom often helps clients evaluate the benefits of delaying Social Security to increase guaranteed lifetime payments, while using portfolio assets strategically in earlier years. This approach can enhance long-term income stability and serve as a powerful hedge against longevity risk.
If you are unsure how your current assets translate into a retirement lifestyle - or if you simply want a clearer, more integrated strategy for the next phase - Heirloom can help.
Schedule A Strategy Session with Our Team
This initial conversation is designed to understand your goals, current situation, and priorities. You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions, explore how Heirloom’s integrated approach works, and determine whether a longer-term relationship makes sense—without pressure or obligation.
Our Services
A coordinated approach to managing investments, planning, and cash flow, designed to bring clarity and confidence to your financial life today and over time.
Tax strategies integrated with your broader wealth plan, helping inform decisions, improve efficiency, and support long-term outcomes through coordinated planning.
Contact
6400 S Fiddlers Green Circle
Suite 1970
Greenwood Village, CO 80111
3200 Cherry Creek S Dr.
Suite 130
Denver, CO 80209
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The information provided on this website is for general informational purposes only and is believed to be from reliable sources; however, its accuracy or completeness is not guaranteed. This material is not intended to provide tax, legal, or investment advice. Individuals should consult with qualified tax or legal professionals regarding their specific circumstances. Nothing contained herein should be construed as a solicitation or offer to buy or sell any security.
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