Case Studies

Pre-Retirement

(The Working Years)

Tim has been an executive at a large law firm for the last 20 years and during the last 10 years has received various promotions and is now a partner with the firm. He was starting to earn more money and see his wealth grow and wanted to focus on planning for the future, but then he and his wife decided to divorce and his financial picture became uncertain. He loves his career but needs someone to help him plan for the future and keep him on track with the implementation of his financial plan.

With a financial plan, we:

• Organized Tim’s overall financial situation into an easy-to-understand summary
• Reviewed his company benefits package and optimized his options for his specific situation which ranged from 401(k) investments, healthcare options, and company stock plans
• Held multiple meetings regarding what Tim’s life looks like on the road ahead and designed his financial life to support his goals and dreams
• Showed Tim how much his ideal retirement was going to cost and the steps he needed to take to be able to confidently afford his retirement
• Shifted a portion of his assets into a protection strategy to help deal with market volatility and the possibility of rising taxes in the future
• We set Tim up on a uniquely-tailored savings strategy to help him meet his short, near, and long-term goals
• We considered some “what-if” scenarios to show him his overall probability of a successful retirement

Approaching Retirement

(Getting Closer)

Brad and Kelsey worked hard and made it to the executive level in their careers, Brad in the oil industry and Jennifer as a sales executive. They were diligent with putting what they could into a retirement account along the way, but they felt unsure and anxious about what retirement would look like for them, now being five years away from their target retirement date. While they didn’t have too much time to make adjustments, they were able to implement a plan that eased their concerns and paved the way for an enjoyable retirement.

As part of their plan, we:

• Changed their retirement savings strategy so they had a more protected portfolio moving into retirement
• Reviewed their current insurance coverage so they understood how to transition into retirement without leaving holes in coverage or incurring significantly higher premiums
• Examined the total expense of their retirement based on their current spending to understand what lifestyle their assets would support
• Explored how shifting a portion of their savings strategies into an income and protection strategy enabled them to retire more confidently, even in the midst of a bear market
• Showed them that they could self-insure in the midst of a long-term care event in the future
• Discussed the approaches they could take with their investments in order for them to retire five years earlier than they thought possible
• Partnered with an estate planning attorney and discussed potential changes to their estate plan and account titling to achieve the goal of gifting some of their money to charity and grandchildren

Retired

(The Golden Years)

Mary has recently retired and has also received an inheritance from her mother. She has a long bucket list of things she wants to do and has longevity in her family. She may likely have many long years in retirement and wants to make sure that she enjoys it and doesn’t have to worry about her finances.

With an updated financial plan, we:

• Showed Mary the maximum amount she could spend on an annual basis for her financial plan to work successfully
• Shifted a portion of her assets into a strategy that provided protection from a negative market and guaranteed an income stream until the day she dies
• Reviewed her investments and rebalanced them into buckets that are prudent given her age and risk tolerance
• Explored how she could be generous and give to others with her inheritance and we talked about how much joy that would bring her and others

The above case study is hypothetical and does not involve an actual client. No portion of the content should be constructed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience the same or certain level of results or satisfaction if Valenta Capital Management is engaged to provide investment advisory services.