Path to Retirement

Thoughtful planning for the next chapter of your journey

Retirement Planning Services to Guide Your Next Financial Chapter

You’ve worked hard to build a meaningful life, now it’s time to plan a retirement that reflects it.

At Pathfinder, we specialize in helping individuals and couples on the path to retirement create personalized retirement strategies that align with their goals, values, and lifestyle needs. Since 2005, we’ve helped hundreds of families retire with confidence!

Let us help you build a solid foundation for your retirement.

Let's Create Your Retirement Plan Together!

Navigating the Path to Retirement

4 Essential Steps to Take Before You Retire

A fulfilling retirement doesn’t just happen, it’s built through intentional planning and timely decisions made along the way. The steps you take now can shape whether your future feels uncertain or confidently aligned with your vision and values.

At Pathfinder Wealth Consulting, we guide you through each stage of retirement planning with personalized strategies and clear direction, so you can move forward with confidence and excitement for your future.

Step 1: Establish a Lifetime Spending Plan
Step 2: Analyze Your Income Streams and Assets
Step 3: Make Sure Your Plan is Stress Tested
Step 4: Take Action & Implement Your Retirement Plan
Step 1: Establish a Lifetime Spending Plan

It’s crucial that you understand how much you’ll need to support your desired lifestyle, and when you’ll need it. A well-structured spending plan helps you stay on track and avoid shortfalls later.

We’ll work with you to estimate future expenses, factor in inflation, and account for changes in spending throughout retirement, from travel and hobbies in the early years to home maintenance and healthcare costs down the road. With a detailed plan in place, you can make informed decisions today that support a more secure tomorrow.

Step 2: Analyze Your Income Streams and Assets

Before you retire, it’s essential to know where your income will come from, and how reliable each source is. From Social Security and pensions to investment accounts, annuities, and real estate, we’ll help you take a complete inventory of your financial resources.

But it’s not just about listing assets. It’s about making them work smarter together. We’ll analyze the timing, tax implications, and sustainability of each income stream to ensure they align with your retirement goals. This integrated approach helps you minimize tax burdens, manage risk, and create a steady, sustainable income throughout retirement.

Step 3: Make Sure Your Plan is Stress Tested

Even the most well-thought-out retirement plan needs to be tested against the unexpected. We’ll run detailed sensitivity analyses to evaluate how your strategy performs under different conditions, like market downturns, inflation spikes, rising healthcare costs, and changes in tax laws.

By modeling a variety of  scenario analysis  through “what-if” situations, we can identify potential vulnerabilities and build in flexible solutions. This proactive approach allows you to adjust your plan before challenges arise, giving you the resilience to navigate uncertainty, and the confidence to move forward knowing you can adapt as your circumstances change.

Step 4: Take Action & Implement Your Retirement Plan

Retirement is your time to enjoy the rewards of all your hard work. Whether that means traveling the world, starting a passion project, spending more time with loved ones, or simply having the freedom to choose how you spend your days, we want your retirement to reflect the life you’ve envisioned.

Once you have a personalized retirement plan in place, it’s time to implement and take action on your plan so you can embrace this next chapter with greater freedom and less stress. The Pathfinder team will lead you through all of the decisions, paperwork and tasks to ensure your plan is complete. We will continue to monitor and adjust your strategy along the way, so you can stay focused on what matters most: living the life you’ve worked so hard to create.

Planning For The Risks That Can Derail Your Retirement

Six Key Retirement Risks

 

Life is full of surprises, and your retirement plan should be flexible enough to handle them. Whether you’re caring for aging parents, downsizing your home, or navigating a major life event, we’ll help you adjust your financial plan so you’re always prepared for what’s next.

Together, we’ll build a strategy to address these risks, helping you move into your retirement years with greater security, adaptability, and confidence.

 

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Spending Too Much

Overspending early in retirement can put long-term security at risk. Our team will help you create a tailored retirement income plan that aligns your savings, investments, and lifestyle goals, so you can enjoy today while protecting your future.

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Adult Dependents

Whether it’s supporting adult children or caring for aging parents, the financial demands of the “sandwich generation” can catch retirees off guard. We’ll help you plan for these possibilities with strategies that balance your needs and protect your long-term goals.

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Longevity

Outliving your savings is one of the most common retirement fears. We’ll help you develop a plan designed to last, optimizing your income sources, maximizing growth potential, and minimizing taxes to support a long, fulfilling retirement.

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Investment Risk

Market volatility can impact your retirement income, especially in the early years. We’ll help you build a diversified investment strategy tailored to your risk tolerance, time horizon, and need for reliable income, so your plan stays strong.

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Healthcare Costs

Healthcare is one of the most significant, and often underestimated, retirement expenses. We’ll help you prepare for rising costs by planning for Medicare, supplemental insurance, and out-of-pocket expenses, so your health needs don’t derail your financial future.

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Inflation

Inflation can quietly erode your purchasing power over time. We’ll ensure your retirement plan includes growth-oriented strategies to keep pace with rising costs, while also incorporating an estate plan that reflects your wishes and supports the people and causes that matter most.

Stories of Success. Retirement Planning in Action.

Every retirement journey is unique, and the plan behind it should be too. At Pathfinder, we help clients design retirement strategies that reflect their goals, values, and vision for the future.

Explore how our personalized planning approach has helped our clients retire with a well-defined path for the years ahead.

Disclaimer:
This is a case study for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as a recommendation. It may not be representative of your experience. Names, locations, and certain details have been modified to protect client privacy. These examples do not guarantee future results and should not be considered a testimonial or endorsement.

Case Studies

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Retirement Planning Services

Client: Mark, Age 58, Account Executive and Susan, age 55, Teacher

Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Challenge:
Mark and Susan would like to retire early at age 62 but were not sure if their current assets and income streams could support the lifestyle they envisioned. They also had concerns about healthcare costs, decisions around Susan’s pension timing, and the impact taxes might have on Mark’s stock options.

Solution:

The Pathfinder team worked with Mark and Susan to create a unified financial plan by:

  • Creating a tax-efficient retirement income plan
  • Helping them decide which pension options for Susan would best fit their future needs
  • Consolidating and diversifying their income streams from real estate, IRAs, and brokerage accounts
  • Developing a structured health insurance bridge until Medicare eligibility
  • Analyzing the tax impact (AMT) and timing of when to execute Mark’s stock options

Results:

With Pathfinder’s guidance, Mark and Susan now have a clear path to a fully funded early retirement projected through age 95. Their customized plan not only provides long-term financial security, but also includes proactive strategies to reduce taxes and maximize income. Built-in flexibility helps them stay prepared for future healthcare expenses and market shifts, giving them greater freedom and confidence as they step into retirement on their terms.

Healthcare Professional Seeking Legacy Planning

Client:  Angela, Age 57, Corporate Executive

Location: Boston, MA

Challenge:

Angela had built a sizable estate but lacked a clear plan for her legacy. She wanted to ensure her assets would support her grandchildren’s future education, make charitable contributions, and reduce estate tax exposure.

Solution:

The Pathfinder team provided:

  • A legacy-focused financial and estate plan incorporating Angela’s children and grandchildren
  • A tax efficient asset and income plan
  • A charitable trust and donor advised fund strategies to minimize tax impact
  • A plan to fund education for her young grandchildren with flexible tax-advantaged savings vehicles

Results:

Through thoughtful, strategic planning, the Pathfinder team was able to help Angela increase her charitable giving by 22% without affecting her retirement income. She felt reassured by the legacy plan created to align with her values and long-term vision for impact both for charity, and family. In addition, Angela is funding a tax-efficient education plan for her grandchildren, creating a lasting gift that supports the next generation and reflects the life she’s worked so hard to build.

Dual-Income Couple Preparing for Retirement

Clients: David (48) & Lisa (47), Small Business Owners

Location: Atlanta, GA

Challenge:

David and Lisa were successful business owners, but their income varied from year to year, and so did their confidence about the future. Despite years of hard work, they had done little formal retirement planning and weren’t sure how to turn their business success into lasting personal financial security.

They worried about when they could comfortably retire and how they live off of the proceeds of their business.

With children still living at home, they are concerned they may also have to take care of their aging parents in the years ahead. With no clear roadmap in place, their financial future felt uncertain and overwhelming.

Solution:

The Pathfinder team worked with Davis and Lisa to create a unified financial strategy that:

  • Provided the clarity they needed to understand how and when they could retire
  • Transitioned their business equity into a tax-efficient retirement income stream
  • Helped them understand the financial impact of being in the sandwich generation

Results:

Working together, Pathfinder helped David and Lisa realize they could retire earlier than expected. With a strategic exit plan in place, they were able to sell their business and create a retirement income stream, transforming years of hard work into long-term financial security.

To further support their goals, we also helped them allocate enough to support their children through young adulthood. In addition, we helped them understand the legal and financial impacts of potentially caring for their aging parents while preventing them from becoming a financial burden to their children in the future.

Local Roots. National Reach. Personalized Retirement Planning You Can Count On.

 

Since 2005, Pathfinder Wealth Consulting has helped individuals and families prepare for a confident retirement, combining expert financial guidance, customized strategies, and a fiduciary commitment to putting your interests first.

With local offices in Cary and Wilmington, NC, we proudly serve clients across North Carolina and throughout the United States. Whether your retirement plans are rooted locally or extend across the country and beyond, our team delivers the personalized retirement planning expertise you need.

Let us guide you forward.
Let us guide you forward.
Start Your Journey Toward a Confident Retirement

You’ve worked hard to build a life you’re proud of. We’ll help you create a personalized retirement plan that supports your goals and adapts as life changes, so you can focus on what matters most.

Getting in touch with us is simple! You can complete the form below, or reach us via email at info@pathfinderwc.com or phone at 910-793-0616

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