PRE-RETIREES
Thoughtful financial guidance for people nearing retirement
At Craft & Sage Wealth, pre-retirement planning is about more than checking whether the numbers work.
We prepare you for the shift from earning a paycheck to living from the resources you have built, with clarity around income, taxes, timing, healthcare, and the life you want retirement to support.
How We Help
PRE-RETIREES
People approaching retirement often come to us because the questions are no longer abstract.
The next few decisions can have a lasting effect on income, taxes, lifestyle, and long-term flexibility.
Retirement Readiness & Timing
Evaluate whether retirement is financially realistic on your preferred timeline and what decisions may need to happen before work ends.
Social Security & Pension Decisions
Think through timing, claiming options, and how Social Security and pension choices fit into your broader income strategy.
Catch-Up Savings & Tax Planning
Use the final working years more intentionally by coordinating savings opportunities, tax-aware decisions, and account strategy before retirement begins.
Healthcare Planning Before Medicare
Prepare for the healthcare decisions that often become more important as employer coverage changes and Medicare planning gets closer.
Shifting From Accumulation to Income
Build a plan for the transition from saving and growing assets to using them in a way that supports retirement spending, flexibility, and peace of mind.
How We Work Together
Our process starts with context and helps you move toward clearer, more coordinated decisions over time.
01
DISCOVER
We begin by understanding the full picture of your financial life, including your properties, income, liabilities, tax considerations, goals, and the role real estate plays in your broader wealth strategy.
02
CLARIFY
We identify the opportunities, risks, gaps, and decisions that deserve attention first, so the planning process feels focused and intentional rather than overwhelming.
03
COORDINATE
We build a strategy that helps connect your real estate wealth with investment planning, tax-aware decisions, retirement goals, protection, and long-term family priorities.
04
GUIDE
We stay engaged over time, helping you refine your plan as markets shift, properties change, opportunities arise, and life evolves.
We craft an ongoing relationship built to support better decisions over time.
Why This Matters Before Retirement
The years leading up to retirement often create the biggest planning window and some of the most consequential choices.
The right planning approach helps answer those big questions now, while there's still time to prepare before the transition is already underway.
Without a coordinated strategy, it's easy to delay the big questions until the transition is already underway.
Timing Affects Everything
The age you retire can influence income strategy, taxes, healthcare, and long-term flexibility.
The Last Working Years Matter
This stage can create meaningful opportunities for catch-up savings, tax planning, and smarter account decisions.
Healthcare Needs a Plan
Coverage changes and future healthcare costs deserve attention before retirement begins.
Retirement Is a Transition, Not a Date
The shift from paycheck to retirement income often requires more planning than people expect.
Start With The Full Picture, Clarify Opportunities, Coordinate The Plan, Refine The Strategy
We work closely with clients approaching retirement who want more clarity around timing, income, taxes, and the decisions that shape the next chapter of life.
Our approach is thoughtful, steady, and built around helping clients prepare well before retirement begins.
“Retirement planning is not only about whether you can retire. It's about how you want to enter that next chapter and what needs to be in place first.”
If you’re evaluating whether Craft & Sage is the right fit, these are some of the questions people often ask when retirement is getting closer and the planning decisions start to feel more real.
FAQs for Pre-Retirees
Can a financial advisor help before I retire, even if I’m not sure exactly when I’ll stop working?
Yes. Some of the most important retirement planning happens before a retirement date is final. The goal is to help you evaluate timing, income options, tax considerations, healthcare planning, and the broader transition before it becomes urgent.
What should I focus on in the last few years before retirement?
That usually includes retirement timing, income readiness, Social Security and pension decisions, tax-aware planning, healthcare preparation, and making sure savings and investment decisions are aligned with the transition ahead. Consumer retirement guidance consistently emphasizes these years as an important planning window.
Can you help me decide when to claim Social Security or start pension income?
Yes. Craft & Sage helps clients think through how Social Security and pension choices fit into a broader retirement income strategy, rather than treating those decisions in isolation.
How is planning for retirement different when I’m still working?
When you are still working, there is often more room to improve savings, adjust tax strategy, prepare for healthcare changes, and shape the transition on your own terms. That is why pre-retirement planning can be so valuable.
What should I look for in a financial advisor as retirement gets closer?
Look for someone who can help connect timing, retirement income, taxes, Social Security, healthcare considerations, and long-term lifestyle goals into one coordinated plan. The relationship should help retirement feel more prepared and less uncertain.
Clear Timing Decisions. Coordinated Income Planning. Confidence Before The Transition.
That's Craft & Sage Wealth.
Reviews From Clients
These testimonials were provided by current clients of our firm. We did not provide any compensation in exchange for these testimonials. Because the individuals are current clients, their experience and opinions may be influenced by their ongoing relationship with our firm. Clients’ experiences may not be representative of all clients, and results are not guaranteed.
Connect With Craft & Sage
2500 Summit Street, Suite 103
Kansas City, MO 64108
Office: 816-436-9939
Fax: 816-436-7735
