Retirement should be a fun, fulfilling stage of life − an opportunity to travel, spend more time with family and friends, or even get back in shape. But it should also be an opportunity to get your financial house in order. Why? Because most of the fun bits of retirement (and even the not so fun bits) take money, all the more given how much longer we are all living now.

In our view, one of the best ways to enjoy retirement is to have a game plan for what you are going to do and how much you can afford to spend or give away. From a financial perspective, a good plan should address more than just investment planning and rolling over a 401(k) to an IRA. At a minimum, a complete plan should also address budgeting, insurance, tax savings opportunities, Medicare strategy, Social Security strategy, long term care planning, gifting strategies and comprehensive estate planning.

It may also need to address special topics such as reverse mortgages, deferred compensation, expiring stock options, pension payout choices, and even retiring abroad.

At Artemis, we have written extensively on the topic of retirement and take pride in the sheer number of comprehensive retirement plans we have completed over the years. Our retirement planning business is led by Leigh Bivings, the firm’s CEO, who has a special interest in the topic and has accumulated a wealth of practical knowledge.