Future Retiree with Questions

Hi, my name is Barbara Gulin, and I’m president of Safe Harbor Financial Planning Group, LLC. Thanks for stopping by our website. My husband and I founded our independent investment advisory firm over ten years ago because we felt that it was important for investors and people preparing for retirement to have the opportunity to get an unbiased opinion of what their plan was for retirement and to make sure that they were on track to achieve all of their financial goals. You might have questions about whether you’ve saved enough, what pending changes in the tax law could do to your nest egg, or whether inflation or something else outside your control is going to end up changing all your plans altogether. Either way, we welcome the opportunity to visit with you, help you understand where you’re headed, and navigate the choppy waters of retirement.

Q: How do I know if I have enough to retire?
A: That’s a complicated question. It depends on a few things: your cash flow, monthly expenses, debt, and what you plan to do in retirement.

Q: When should I start planning for retirement?
A: The sooner, the better. If you have to make some sort of course correction with how much you are saving (or where you are saving it), smaller changes earlier in the process can create greater benefits.

Q: How much should I set aside for retirement?
A: If you participate in your employer’s plan, and they match your contribution up to a certain amount, we suggest contributing at least that much (the matching funds are FREE MONEY!) Beyond that, we’d need to have a conversation with you to see what makes sense to meet your financial goals.

Q: Why should I work with a financial advisor?
A: Much like you don’t self-diagnose an illness and go to a doctor, working with a financial advisor who is a fiduciary can help ensure you navigate a good course for your retirement. Financial advisors can help identify obstacles to retirement you may not have considered.

Q: What is a fiduciary? Are the financial advisors at Safe Harbor fiduciaries?
A: A fiduciary must always act in the best interest of the client. Yes, Adam Gulin, Barbara Gulin, and Michael Porembski are all fiduciaries.