Retirement can mean many different things from one person to the next. Some people envision traveling the world and seeing places they’ve only read about. Some people simply want to know they will be able to continue to live comfortably and never go back to work. Regardless of whether you will choose to continue to work for fun or charity, have grand plans or simple ones, retirement boils down to financial independence. It’s the ability to live without the need to worry about future income.

Due to the perceived enormity of such a goal, retirement can seem threatening and unreachable. However, retirement planning can make the idea of retiring much easier to grasp and is designed to answer such common questions as:

• How do know I’m saving enough each month?
• How will I know when I have accumulated enough to step away from full-time work?
• How shall I draw from my investments once I retire?
• When should I take Social Security benefits?
• Should I buy years of service for an increased pension?
• Will I be drawing down my assets or maintaining principle?