Financial Planning Case Studies*

Meet Kate & Camila

Kate is 52 and has achieved success in many areas of her life, including her business, but never received financial guidance from family or in school. She knew her finances needed attention, but she was overwhelmed where to start. Kate wanted to know how much to save and what that meant for retirement. She and her wife, Camila, needed to get on the same page and decide what to do with their various accounts, including old 401(k)s, IRAs, and a bank account that had more cash than they needed any time soon. Kate knew she should have more questions, but she was embarrassed that she didn’t know what to ask. On top of that, Kate didn’t know who to trust…

Meet Judy & James

Judy is 64 and is preparing to retire in the next year or so. Her husband, James, is a few years older. Both have saved diligently and are excited at the prospect of having freedom from their work to spend time with grandchildren and check activities off their bucket list. At this point, Judy’s excitement is overshadowed with fear. The idea of spending their portfolio is terrifying because she doesn’t know how much more she’ll spend when she stops working or how long she’ll live. She’s also nervous about lacking fulfillment when she isn’t showing up to work she loves each day, and wonders if she’ll experience boredom. The reality of being a senior makes her anxious and she is concerned about what will happen to her lifestyle if her husband passes first…