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Retirement Income Planning

Turn what you have saved into a paycheck that lasts.

For your whole career, the paycheck came automatically. In retirement, you have to build it yourself, from a mix of accounts that each behave differently and are taxed differently. Retirement income planning is how we turn your savings into a dependable, tax-aware stream of income designed to last as long as you do.

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What retirement income planning is

It is the strategy for which dollars you spend, in which order, and when. A good income plan decides how much you can safely withdraw, which accounts to draw from first to manage taxes, how to cover the years before Social Security or a pension begins, and how to keep the plan steady when markets fall.

The goal is income you can count on without the fear of running out.

Signs you need an income plan

I

You are within a few years of retirement and unsure how much you can safely spend.

II
You have savings spread across several accounts with no withdrawal strategy.
III
You worry about running out of money if you live a long life or markets drop early.
IV
You are not sure how Social Security and any pensions fit with your savings.

How income planning fits The Legacy Blueprint

Income planning sits at the heart of the Grow pillar and connects directly to Keep. We design your income stream in Phase 2, stress-test it against long life and market downturns in Phase 3, and adjust it every year in Phase 4 as your life and the markets change.

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What we coordinate

  • Withdrawal sequencing across taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth accounts.
  • Social Security and pension timing.
  • A cash and stability reserve for near-term spending.
  • Required minimum distributions and their tax impact.

Our approach

We build your income plan around the life you actually want, then match the investments and withdrawal strategy to it. Because we are a fiduciary, the plan is built for your security, not to generate a commission.

We model the hard scenarios, a long retirement, an early downturn, a healthcare shock, so you know the paycheck holds up.

Why a fiduciary approach matters here

Income strategy is where retirees are most often sold high-commission products framed as safety. A fiduciary is required to weigh whether any product genuinely serves your plan. The result is an income strategy built around your needs, not a sale.

Live longer than expected and every other risk grows. Markets matter more. Inflation matters more. Tax planning matters more. A good retirement plan starts with the assumption that you’ll live longer than you think.

Related services

Your plan is coordinated, so this service rarely works alone. It connects most closely with:

tax-planning

Tax Planning

Your highest-leverage years are often right now.

social-security-timing

Social Security Optimization

Plan the claiming decision in advance.

estate-and-legacy-planning

Estate and Legacy Planning

Coordinate succession and legacy.

Retirement income FAQ

It depends on your savings, your other income, your time horizon, and how your money is invested. Rather than a rule of thumb, we model your specific situation so you have a number you can trust.

The order matters a great deal for taxes. For many retirees a blended approach works better than draining one account type at a time, but the right answer is specific to you and coordinates with your tax plan.
That risk, called sequence-of-returns risk, is one of the biggest threats early in retirement. We plan for it directly with a stability reserve and a withdrawal strategy designed to avoid selling investments at the worst time.
Sometimes a guaranteed income product fits, and often it does not. As a fiduciary, we only recommend one when it genuinely improves your plan, and we will explain the tradeoffs clearly.
We model your plan against a long life, realistic market ups and downs, and rising costs, then set a withdrawal strategy with a margin of safety. We revisit it regularly, because a plan that is never updated is the real risk, not the markets themselves.
Yes. A good income plan balances the income you need now with what you want to leave behind. We coordinate your withdrawals with your estate goals so spending and legacy work together rather than against each other.
Many advisors focus on managing investments. Retirement income planning is broader: it decides how much you can spend, which accounts to draw from, how taxes fit in, and how the plan holds up over decades. It is the difference between managing a portfolio and managing a retirement.

Build your retirement paycheck

Your free assessment includes a first look at how to turn your savings into reliable income. About 15 minutes, no cost, no obligation.

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Disclosures: Investment advisory services are offered through Kraus Capital, a registered investment adviser. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Kraus Capital and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure.

Brian Kraus is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. The CFP® marks are owned by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. and are used in accordance with CFP Board guidelines.

Charles Schwab serves as the independent custodian for client assets. Kraus Capital is not affiliated with, and does not receive compensation from, Charles Schwab for custodial services. No strategy assures success or protects against loss. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. 

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