Financial Advice

Trex395

New Member
We are new to this forum and have thus far gotten some great advice from the health insurance section. I am hoping I might get a little advice on retirement planning as described below.

I am heading into retirement in about a year and my wife has recently retired. We would like to move from Portland Oregon to a smaller town in Oregon or Washington. My wife and I are trying to decide which is our best option for the move. As one option, we own a small rental house that we could move into as a way to sell our current more valuable house in a hot market but delay buying our retirement house till the market cools down.

We are interested in getting some professional financial advice that covers: strategies on selling our current house and then buying our next house, possibly holding onto our rental, handling social security and 401k/IRAs, capital gains, taxes and budgets.

We have gotten some advice from our 401K advisors but I feel like I want an impartial person that we are paying for this service so we will get the full attention to our questions.

I would be very appreciative of any advice on what type of financial advisor we should be looking for.

Thanks,
 

We knew we wanted to move when we retired, so spent a few years doing research, visiting places and pinpointing our first choice. We visited the area and were referred to an amazing Realtor who was patient for a few years until DH came home one day to say, "I cannot do this anymore." We called the Realtor, who did the preliminary legwork for us and made offers on our behalf. (you can do a LOT online!) We found it to be easier to purchase another home while DH was still employed. On the day we closed in Maine, he gave his notice in Tennessee and we were moved in by the holidays while the TN house went on the market.

Our Prudential and Thrivent advisors have been big helps BUT, I found it to be really helpful once I was able to understand both our current monthly expenses and our projected for retirement ones. It made it easier to ensure we had a little more coming in, than was going out - with at least one account set aside for cash options like a new kitchen or a trip.

We retired earlier than we had planned. We had alot of issues like 2 years of vacation pay, insurance, disability and now Soc. Sec. and a small pension. All starting and stopping at different times along the way. A spreadsheet with weekly updates, helps me keep track of our accounts and current income sources. Good luck and ENJOY!
 

For the taxes side, you should find and talk to a good tax advisor in WA state, and also discuss any OR move with your current tax advisor. Getting advice on the web is worth the paper it is printed on, when it comes to individual tax issues.

Remember that if you will need financing for another house, as myquest55 notes, it is MUCH easier to get any loan while you are working. Banks do not consider portfolio distributions as "hard" earned income, unlike pensions and SocSec.
 
We knew we wanted to move when we retired, so spent a few years doing research, visiting places and pinpointing our first choice. We visited the area and were referred to an amazing Realtor who was patient for a few years until DH came home one day to say, "I cannot do this anymore." We called the Realtor, who did the preliminary legwork for us and made offers on our behalf. (you can do a LOT online!) We found it to be easier to purchase another home while DH was still employed. On the day we closed in Maine, he gave his notice in Tennessee and we were moved in by the holidays while the TN house went on the market.

Our Prudential and Thrivent advisors have been big helps BUT, I found it to be really helpful once I was able to understand both our current monthly expenses and our projected for retirement ones. It made it easier to ensure we had a little more coming in, than was going out - with at least one account set aside for cash options like a new kitchen or a trip.

We retired earlier than we had planned. We had alot of issues like 2 years of vacation pay, insurance, disability and now Soc. Sec. and a small pension. All starting and stopping at different times along the way. A spreadsheet with weekly updates, helps me keep track of our accounts and current income sources. Good luck and ENJOY!
Im very glad to know your experience on loans being easier when employed. This is something I need to consider. Thanks.
 
For the taxes side, you should find and talk to a good tax advisor in WA state, and also discuss any OR move with your current tax advisor. Getting advice on the web is worth the paper it is printed on, when it comes to individual tax issues.

Remember that if you will need financing for another house, as myquest55 notes, it is MUCH easier to get any loan while you are working. Banks do not consider portfolio distributions as "hard" earned income, unlike pensions and SocSec.
Thanks!
 


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