Retirement Planning

Fee-Only Financial Planning for High-Income Families and Commercial Real Estate Executives

Retirement planning at Envision is less about picking a date and more about buying yourself options. We help you build taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth "buckets" in proportions that let you choose when to step back and control what each withdrawal costs. If you'd like work to be optional in your fifties, this is where we start.

Almost everyone walks in asking the same question: is the number big enough? We get it. But it's usually the wrong first question. Two families with identical balances can have very different retirements depending on how that money is split between taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth accounts. That split decides what a withdrawal actually costs you and how much say you have over your taxable income in any given year.

This matters even more if you want out early. Stepping back at 52 instead of 67 means a longer runway, a gap before Social Security and Medicare, and years where your taxable income is largely up to you. Those are the years when having the right buckets to draw from pays off. Our clients aren't chasing a finish line. They want the freedom to slow down, travel, coach the team, and say yes to things. That's what we're planning for.

What This Covers

What Retirement Planning Includes

Building the three buckets on purpose

Taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth money each behave differently on the way out. Piling everything into a 401(k) is common and limits every later decision. Building the mix deliberately is what creates room to manage your income once the paycheck stops.

Picking the right plan for your business

If you're paid on a 1099 or through your own entity, the choice between a solo 401(k), a SEP IRA, and a cash balance plan changes how much you can shelter each year. It's worth revisiting as your income grows, not deciding once and forgetting. Most people decide once and forget.

The bridge years

The stretch between your last paycheck and your first Social Security check is often where the most planning value sits, because your taxable income in those years is unusually controllable. The order we draw from accounts changes what you keep.

Stress-testing against bad timing, not averages

An average return tells you nothing about a retirement that starts in a rough market. We test the plan against unfavorable sequences, because that's the risk that actually derails people. No projection is a guarantee, and we'll never pretend otherwise.

In Practice

How This Looks for the Clients We Serve

Commercial Real Estate Executives

When people think of financial planning, the first thing that often comes to mind is retirement. Much like the tax landscape, the retirement one is constantly changing too. Having diversified buckets of taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth assets is key to having a sustainable nest egg, giving you confidence in and flexibility for your retirement. This is especially important as you may look to start to draw on some of your portfolio in your 50’s.

High-Income Families

Planning for retirement isn’t just about a finish line—it’s about freedom and flexibility along the way. We create diversified “buckets” of taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth assets to help you build a sustainable, confident plan for when and how you want to retire.

Frequently asked questions

Can I retire early if almost everything is in my 401(k)?

It's harder, but it's fixable with enough lead time. Retiring before 59½ with nearly everything in tax-deferred accounts means a penalty, one of the specific exceptions, or a bridge built from taxable assets. Building up the taxable and Roth side deliberately in the years beforehand is usually the cheaper answer.

Solo 401(k) or SEP IRA for my LLC?

It depends on your income, whether you have employees, and whether you want a Roth option. A solo 401(k) generally allows a larger contribution at moderate income and lets you make Roth deferrals. A SEP is simpler to run. The right answer changes as your income does, so we revisit it rather than set it once.

How much do I need to retire?

Anyone who gives you a number before asking about your spending, your timeline, your other income, and how your accounts are split for tax purposes is guessing. We work from your actual life, not a multiple of your salary. The honest answer comes out of the planning process, and it's usually more encouraging than people expect.

Envision Wealth Planners is a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor. This page is educational and is not an offer of personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. See our SEC adviser record for disclosures. Reviewed September 2026.

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