2026년 2월 10일 · Unknown · financial · 출처 Yahoo Finance
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What’s the secret sauce to a wealthy retirement? You might think that it’s all about snapping up prime real estate, managing your tax burden with expertise or, like Warren Buffett, investing from the ripe young age of 11. And you’re almost right.
In reality, it’s about creating a plan that pulls these puzzle pieces together.
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Patrick Marcinko, a certified financial planner (CFP) at Bogart Wealth, told Nasdaq (1), “The biggest piece of advice for retirees is to create a financial plan before retiring.” He added, “A good financial plan should provide peace of mind that you are on track for a successful retirement, financially.”
The numbers back him up. A survey from T. Rowe Price found that respondents with a formal financial plan had between two and four times more wealth upon retiring than those who didn’t (2). The study also revealed that people with a financial plan tend to save more for their retirement and are more likely to work with a financial adviser.
Financial guru Dave Ramsey is another believer in the power of planning, and the first step is usually to take stock of your finances, posting on X in 2025 that, “A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went (3).”
Unfortunately, there’s a big difference between knowing you should plan and actually doing it. The same T. Rowe Price survey found that 17% of respondents who were retiring within five years still hadn’t given their retirement any serious thought.
If your head’s swimming, here’s where to start.
How a financial plan drives your retirement
A plan can be a great tool for retirees wondering if they’re saving enough or putting their money in the right places. You will typically build it alongside a CFP, who can help answer retirement questions and show you how to optimize accounts such as your 401(k), IRA or Health Savings Account to take full advantage of tax benefits.
Working with a CFP means you have someone who can help you make the most of your employer matches or tap into other unique savings opportunities.
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Assessing your lifestyle matters too. After all, no two retirements are the same: Your financial plan should align your income with your personal goals, whether you envision traveling the world, downsizing to simplify your expenses or picking up part-time work.
A plan can even protect you against rising costs in critical areas like health care. Fidelity estimates that the average 65-year-old couple will spend around $12,850 on health care in their first year of retirement (4). What’s more, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, premiums will rise further this year (5).
The standard monthly premium for Medicare Part B, which covers services including outpatient care and physician visits, will jump nearly 10% in 2026 — from $185 to $202.90. This will be the program’s biggest single-year increase in four years, according to CNN (6).
Read More: Approaching retirement with no savings? Don’t panic, you're not alone. Here are 6 easy ways you can catch up (and fast)
Choose the best financial planner for your needs
Factoring cost increases, like Medicare, into your financial plan can help you chart a course to your financial future. But when you consider all the potential changes — from inflation to the stock market impacting your retirement accounts — making a plan yourself might seem a little daunting.
That’s where Advisor.com can help. The platform connects you with a pre-vetted financial professional suited to your income level and portfolio.
Just answer a few quick questions about yourself, like your ZIP code, and your finances. Then Advisor.com will comb through its slate of advisors in minutes. Even better, you can schedule an initial consultation for free and with no obligation to hire.
Diversify your portfolio
Risk management is another benefit of building a plan. That’s because it can help you take stock of your finances and improve your portfolio diversification. An outlook report from Morgan Stanley found that investors can get better risk-adjusted returns by broadening their portfolios with non-U.S. equities, compared to investing in the S&P 500 alone (7).
If you’re feeling shaky about the current state of the stock market, there are plenty of ways you can spread out your risk.
Try multifamily real estate investing
One way to boost your portfolio’s diversification is by investing in alternative assets, such as real estate. However, finding and source properties yourself can be cumbersome, costly and admin-heavy.
But there are plenty of real estate investment opportunities out there, so long as you know where to look.
For instance, you could leverage multifamily real estate investing. In a report prepared by JPMorgan, Al Brooks — the firm’s vice chair of Commercial Banking — said, "I think multifamily housing is absolutely where you want to be as an investor (8).” He added, “The multifamily rental market may still feel the impact of a recession, but to a lesser degree than other asset classes.”
If diversifying into multifamily rentals appeals to you, you could consider investing with Lightstone DIRECT, a new investing platform from the Lightstone Group, one of the largest private real estate companies in the country with over 25,000 multifamily units in its portfolio.
Since they eliminate intermediaries — brokers and crowdfund…