Transitioning into retirement is one of life’s most significant financial milestones. It’s also one that requires careful planning and expert guidance, along with ongoing support and adjustments. At Platt Wealth Management, we specialize in helping retirees in San Diego and nationwide navigate every stage of retirement with clarity and confidence.
As a fee-only fiduciary retirement financial advisor, we’re committed to helping you enjoy the retirement you’ve worked a lifetime to achieve. We focus on retirement income planning, tax-efficient withdrawal strategies, and portfolio preservation, so you can maintain your lifestyle, protect your wealth, and spend more time on what truly matters.
We understand the unique concerns you face, from managing healthcare costs and inflation to ensuring your money lasts through an extended lifespan. At Platt Wealth Management, we bring decades of experience and a fiduciary commitment to every relationship, helping you make confident decisions for today and tomorrow.
Why Retirees Choose Platt Wealth Management
Platt Wealth Management has earned the trust of retirees throughout San Diego and nationwide by providing tailored financial guidance built around stability, tax planning efficiency, and peace of mind. Our experienced retirement advisors have decades of experience guiding clients just like you through the transition from earning income to generating it sustainably in retirement.
Led by Jeff Platt, CFP®, CFA, JD, LLM and Curtis West, CFP®, our team combines deep technical expertise with personal attention. Every financial advisor who works for us takes the time to understand your lifestyle, health needs, and long-term goals. With that knowledge we then design strategies that create reliable income while minimizing taxes and risk through coordinated investment management and comprehensive financial planning services.
Our clients choose us for:
- Retirement-specific expertise in income distribution, RMD strategies, Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), and Social Security optimization.
- A commitment to personalized service, to ensure every plan is unique to your needs and goals.
- Proactive risk management, helping you stay confident even during periods of market volatility.
We believe you deserve financial peace of mind when you retire, and that comes from having a certified financial planner and fiduciary financial advisor who helps you prepare for uncertainty before it arrives.
Comprehensive Retirement Financial Planning Services
Our retirement planning services are designed to help you prepare for and thrive in retirement. Whether you’re five years away from retirement or already enjoying it, we offer comprehensive retirement planning that ensures every aspect of your financial life is aligned for long-term stability and growth. To do that, we divide our approach into two phases: Pre-Retirement Planning (Ages 55 to 65) and Active Retirement Management (Ages 65+).
Pre-Retirement Planning (Ages 55 to 65)
The years leading up to retirement are crucial for preparation and optimization. We’ll help you assess readiness and implement tax-smart strategies before your paychecks stop.
Our pre-retirement services include an evaluation of whether your savings, income sources, and expenses are aligned with your retirement goals, along with Social Security claiming strategy optimization to identify the most advantageous age and claiming strategy for your household.
Additionally, we’ll help you with healthcare and long-term care cost planning to account for out-of-pocket medical and insurance expenses and preserve financial stability.
We will analyze pension benefits to determine the best payout strategy for based on your risk tolerance and income needs. aWe’ll also consider tax-efficient distribution planning and help you coordinate account withdrawals and Roth conversions to minimize your lifetime tax exposure.
Our goal during this phase is to help you enter retirement fully prepared, with a clear roadmap and the confidence that your savings will support your lifestyle.
Active Retirement Management (Ages 65+)
Once your retirement begins, our focus shifts to sustaining income, managing distributions, and protecting your wealth through every stage of life. Our active retirement management services include sustainable retirement income planning to develop a withdrawal strategy that balances your income needs with portfolio longevity, along with required minimum distribution (RMD) strategies to help you structure withdrawals, reduce tax drag, and preserve tax-deferred growth.
We’ll help rebalance your portfolio for income and wealth preservation to maintain an optimal allocation that supports stability while combating inflation. We’ll work with your Estate Planning Attorney to ensure your assets pass efficiently and according to your wishes. Every plan integrates investment management strategies and tax-efficient planning designed to maximize your after-tax income while protecting the principal.
Our Retirement-Focused Planning Process
At Platt Wealth Management, our retirement planning process simplifies complex decisions and builds confidence at every step. Our process begins long before your first withdrawal, and continues throughout your retirement journey. When you work with us, you can expect:
- Assessment: We analyze income sources, expenses, taxes, and longevity projections to determine readiness.
- Customized Income Strategy: We build a sustainable withdrawal plan that aligns with your lifestyle and cash flow needs.
- Tax and Investment Integration: We coordinate tax strategies with your CPA, along with portfolio management strategies to enhance income efficiency and minimize lifetime taxes.
- Ongoing Monitoring and Adjustments: We regularly review and rebalance your plan, ensuring it adapts to market shifts, health changes, and evolving goals.
- Stress Testing and Longevity Planning: We model your plan against inflation, volatility, and long-term care scenarios to strengthen financial resilience.
Our clients appreciate our disciplined yet flexible approach, as well as the ease of working with a dedicated team that respects their time. To learn more, schedule a consultation and discover how our process helps retirees like you achieve lasting financial confidence with objective financial advice and investment strategies.
Key Retirement Challenges We Help You Navigate
Every retiree faces unique challenges, but most share a common goal of ensuring their money lasts as long as they do. At Platt Wealth Management, we can help you manage and overcome:
- Longevity risk, by creating sustainable income strategies that account for living well into your 90s or beyond.
- Market volatility, through structuring portfolios that protect income needs even when markets fluctuate.
- Healthcare and long-term care costs, with planning for rising medical expenses and insurance coordination to protect assets.
- Inflation and cost-of-living increases, through implementing growth strategies that preserve purchasing power over time.
- Tax efficiency, by managing distributions across accounts to minimize taxes throughout retirement.
- Social Security timing decisions, by coordinating spousal and individual benefits for maximum lifetime income.
- Legacy and estate planning, through ensuring your wealth transfers efficiently and reflects your values.
- Philanthropic giving, by designing charitable strategies that balance generosity with tax savings.
By addressing these challenges proactively, we’ll help you move from uncertainty to confidence, knowing that every financial decision supports your comfortable, worry-free retirement.
Why Fee-Only Matters for Your Retirement Security
Working with a fee-only fiduciary retirement advisor ensures your financial guidance is always objective and aligned with your best interests.
Unlike commission-based advisors, Platt Wealth Management operates under a strict fiduciary standard. That means we are legally and ethically bound to act in your best interest, and never recommend products for commissions or incentives.
Ready to Secure Your Retirement?
Whether you’re approaching retirement or already enjoying it, now is the time to take control of your financial future. We offer flexible meeting options for your convenience, including morning, afternoon, and virtual sessions, and every consultation is confidential and obligation-free.
Contact us today to schedule your complimentary consultation and discover how personalized, fiduciary guidance can help you enjoy financial confidence in every stage of retirement.