Retirement Planning
Retirement Income Planning for Couples
Couples need a coordinated plan across Social Security, portfolio withdrawals, pensions, and required distributions. Without sequencing, taxes and cash flow volatility can reduce long-run outcomes.
Key coordination decisions
- Who claims Social Security first and why.
- Which accounts fund early retirement years.
- How to manage taxes across pre-tax, Roth, and taxable assets.
Survivor-focused planning matters
- Income often drops after first spouse death.
- Tax filing status changes can raise effective tax rates.
- Portfolio strategy should include survivor cash-flow stress test.
Practical move: model retirement as both a joint-life plan and a survivor-only plan to avoid hidden risk.
Implementation sequence
- Define required monthly income floor and discretionary spending bucket.
- Sequence guaranteed and portfolio income sources by tax impact.
- Review the plan annually after market or health changes.