Five Years to Freedom: Connie’s Retirement Discovery Plan

Five-Year Retirement Discovery

Five Years to Freedom

Connie’s Retirement Discovery Plan

The goal

Build the real plan from the life you actually want.

This is not a test. Exact numbers are best, estimates are useful, and “I don’t know” is a perfectly good answer because it tells us what to research next. Once the answers come back, we can build your true five-year retirement roadmap.

Privacy first. Do not enter Social Security numbers, bank or card numbers, passwords, IRS account numbers, tax IDs, or other credentials. We only need planning numbers such as balances, payments, income, dates and goals.

1 · Destination
When does work become optional?

2 · Resources
403(b), pension & Social Security

3 · Obstacles
Student, tax & other debt

4 · Freedom Cost
Rent and monthly living

Step 1

Where are you trying to go?

Before we calculate anything, define the life the money needs to support.

Ideal age to stop working full-time If money were not the deciding factor, what year would you choose? What does retirement look like? Choose oneStop working completelyOccasional workPart-time workSeasonal workEasier careerTravel moreNot sure yet Would you work one or two extra years if it dramatically improved security? Choose oneYesNoMaybe What three things do you want more time for?

Step 2

What have you already built?

These numbers tell us what is already working in your favor.

Current Hendrick Health 403(b) balance Current employee contribution percentage Employer match or contribution, if known Other retirement or investment accounts Checking / savings balance Emergency fund balance

Step 3

What income is waiting for you?

Fire-department pension estimate per month Pension eligibility age or date Does the pension include a COLA?Choose oneYesNoI don't know Does it include retiree medical coverage?Choose oneYesNoPossiblyI don't know Social Security estimate at 62 Social Security estimate at full retirement age Social Security estimate at 70

Step 4

What needs to be cleared away?

Student debt

Total balance Monthly payment Interest rate Federal, private, or both?Choose oneFederalPrivateBothI don't know Current repayment plan / possible forgiveness

Past tax debt

Total tax debt Who is it owed to? Current monthly payment Formal payment agreement?Choose oneYesNoUnsure What does the most recent tax notice say?

Other debt

Credit-card balances and monthly payments Car loan balance, payment and expected payoff date Other loans, collections or debts

Step 5

What will retirement actually cost?

Because home ownership is not part of the plan, rent stays in the retirement budget. That makes the model more honest.

Current monthly rent Average utilities and housing-related costs Would you consider a lower-cost rental after retirement if it materially improved the plan?Choose oneYesNoMaybe Approximate current total monthly spending Estimated monthly spending after retirement

Step 6

How much five-year firepower do you have?

Approximate annual income today After bills and debt payments, how much is normally left each month? How much could realistically be redirected each month toward retirement, student debt or tax debt? Would you follow a five-year priority plan if it still left room for normal life?Choose oneYesNoYes, but I want flexibility

Step 7

What does “safe” retirement feel like?

How comfortable are you with normal market ups and downs?Choose oneI want to protect what I haveI can tolerate normal ups and downsI am comfortable with moderate riskLarge swings make me uncomfortableI don't know Which matters most before retiring?Choose oneTax debt goneStudent debt goneNo consumer debtStronger retirement balanceSecure healthcareLarger emergency fundAbility to work part-time Biggest financial fear about retirement Biggest non-financial fear Five years from now, I would feel successful if... Before I stop working full-time, I absolutely want to have accomplished...

Ready for the next step?

Send My Retirement Snapshot

Pressing the button should open your email app with your completed answers addressed to Jason. Review the message before sending. If your browser does not transfer the fields, simply copy the answers into an email instead.

What happens after the answers come back?

We turn the questionnaire into Connie’s Five-Year Retirement Roadmap: projected 403(b) growth, employer contributions, pension and Social Security timing, permanent rent, student-loan strategy, tax-debt payoff, emergency reserves, monthly retirement spending and multiple retirement-date scenarios.

The finish line is not a perfect financial history. The finish line is reaching the point where work becomes a choice instead of a requirement.

Personal retirement-planning worksheet · Educational planning only · AI Workflow Solutions, LLC