- Home
- Retirement
- Happy Retirement
For real retirement security, forget about chasing returns and focus instead on the things you can control: income, taxes, risk-taking and decision-making.
By
Adam J. Bruno, Certified Financial Fiduciary®
published
18 January 2026
in Features
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.
Share Share by:- Copy link
- X
Retirement articles often start (and end) by discussing the markets. I'm going to start with your mornings.
Do you wake up most days feeling good about your money and your future? Or do you frequently fret about your financial security and whether your savings can last and provide the lifestyle you worked so hard for?
If you lack confidence in your retirement future, you need a better retirement plan. And that's about so much more than the markets.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
CLICK FOR FREE ISSUE
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Sign upBecause retirement isn't about growth — it's more about control. And control doesn't come from an adviser; it comes from your goals and the retirement plan you assemble. Beating the markets sounds good, but it's a tiring, stress-inducing and unmaintainable goal.
However, controlling your income, taxes, risk-taking and decision-making is possible.
Most people don't need another pitch or product to improve their chances of achieving retirement success. They need a clear and comprehensive roadmap for what could be a long journey.
So how do you build that plan?
1. Start by finding your ‘dignity number’
This isn't the amount in your portfolio — the $1 million, $2 million or more you've been told you'll need to have invested when you retire. It's the reliable monthly income that will protect your lifestyle and your financial confidence.
About Adviser Intel
The author of this article is a participant in Kiplinger's Adviser Intel program, a curated network of trusted financial professionals who share expert insights on wealth building and preservation. Contributors, including fiduciary financial planners, wealth managers, CEOs and attorneys, provide actionable advice about retirement planning, estate planning, tax strategies and more. Experts are invited to contribute and do not pay to be included, so you can trust their advice is honest and valuable.
Before chasing returns, it's essential to lock in the resources that will pay the bills — keeping the lights on, literally and emotionally. Your retirement income has to be thoughtfully designed to serve as a replacement for your paycheck.
That means decisions must be made about Social Security timing, pensions, annuity or bond ladders, where appropriate, and a realistic portfolio withdrawal strategy that protects your nest egg's longevity.
When these essentials are secured, market volatility becomes background noise.
2. Next, turn your attention to taxes
For many retirees, taxes will be the largest lifetime expense. Proactive Roth conversions, smart withdrawal sequencing and bracket management often add more to net worth than a few extra basis points of performance.
The markets give, and the markets take. Taxes can take only if you let them.
Your plan can help you avoid stealth costs such as taxes on your Social Security benefits, the Medicare surcharge that penalizes savers for their financial success or a one-time spike from a Roth conversion or the sale of your business.
3. Prepare for inflation, medical and long-term care costs and other common retirement risks
You'll need to plan for a retirement that could last 30 years or more. And that requires transitioning to a portfolio that balances safety and growth.
Safety is the shock absorber that keeps everything else intact when life or the market takes an unexpected turn. With the right amount of liquidity (think Treasury bills, notes and bonds; Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS); certificates of deposit; high-yield savings), you won't ever feel forced to sell during a downturn or delay a critical decision.
Growth must be purposeful, tax-aware and aligned with your comfort level — because the best strategy is the one you can actually stick with. Without growth, purchasing power erodes and options shrink. Which is why it makes sense for many retirees to keep some risk in their portfolio (such as stocks, exchange-traded funds and mutual funds).
In retirement, it's important to feel certain about where you stand. You don't want to be either too conservative or too aggressive with risk-taking.
Looking for expert tips to grow and preserve your wealth? Sign up for Adviser Intel, our free, twice-weekly newsletter.
Talk to a financial adviser about stress-testing your portfolio to see how it would hold up under various scenarios, such as a prolonged period of inflation or a serious market downturn, early in retirement.
Many soon-to-be retirees I meet think they have a moderate or conservative portfolio. They don't.
4. Finally, look at your legacy as a living system, not just your final documents
Your beneficiaries matter. So do your values. Your money can outlive you — and tell the right story when it does.
Regularly scheduled family conversations about your goals, a plain-English letter to heirs that explains "why we're doing it this way" and properly prepared paperwork that puts your plan into action can help you align your gifts with what you want your name to stand for.
And remember …
Your portfolio is not a plan.
Neither is panic selling, chasing last year's winner or scattering your money across multiple accounts without knowing why you have what you have. That's called "winging it."
Putting together a comprehensive retirement plan doesn't have to be super complicated. Complex plans may look sophisticated in a binder, but it's the simple plans that are followed.
Look for rules you can stick with on your worst day, not just your best day. Automate as much as possible so that discipline isn't a daily test of willpower.
Because when control shows up, anxiety checks out. And that's the real return retirees are after.
Kim Franke-Folstad contributed to this article.
The appearances in Kiplinger were obtained through a PR program. The columnist received assistance from a public relations firm in preparing this piece for submission to Kiplinger.com. Kiplinger was not compensated in any way.
Related Content
- Nine Things You Need for a Complete Retirement
- Risk in Retirement: What's the Right Level for You?
- I'm a Financial Adviser: This Is How a Balanced Portfolio Builds Confidence Despite Market Storms
- Is It Time for Retirees to Break Up With Bonds?
- Auto-Callable Yield Notes Are the Income Stream Nobody's Talking About
This article was written by and presents the views of our contributing adviser, not the Kiplinger editorial staff. You can check adviser records with the SEC or with FINRA.
TOPICS Adviser Intel Get Kiplinger Today newsletter — freeContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Adam J. Bruno, Certified Financial Fiduciary®Social Links NavigationFounder and President of Evolution Retirement Services Adam Bruno is the founder and president of Evolution Retirement Services and Evolution Wealth Management in Fort Myers, Florida. A former teacher, his goal is to provide a one-stop shop where individuals can receive education and holistic guidance in all aspects of financial planning. Adam is a regular contributor to Fox 4 News in Fort Myers, host of the Retirement Evolved podcast and author of They Lied: The Real Cost of Your Retirement. Adam is married and has four children.
Latest-
Is Your Retirement Based on Social Security Fact or Fiction?
One in two Americans don't know much about Social Security — and some are basing their retirement on mistaken beliefs. It's time to separate fact from fiction.
-
Are You Investing to Make Money or Simply to Score Points?
Have you become numb to risk? Is your brokerage app or website fueling your desire to trade? An investment adviser explains why it always pays to be cautious.
-
5 Investment Opportunities in 2026
As investors game-plan for the year ahead, these five areas of the equity markets deserve their attention.
-
Is Your Retirement Plan Based on Social Security Fact or Fiction?
One in two Americans don't know much about Social Security — and some are basing their retirement on mistaken beliefs. It's time to separate fact from fiction.
-
Are You Investing to Score Points or Make Money? Cautionary Tales From an Investment Adviser
Have you become numb to risk? Is your brokerage app or website fueling your desire to trade? An investment adviser explains why it always pays to be cautious.
-
Are You Overlooking These 5 Investment Opportunities in 2026?
As investors game-plan for the year ahead, these five areas of the equity markets deserve their attention.
-
Your Parents' Retirement Plan Won’t Work for You (The Stats Are In)
Five stats show how you need to rethink retirement, because "the future ain’t what it used to be."
-
Are Roth Conversions for Retirees Dead in 2026 Because of the New Tax Law?
The OBBBA's permanent lower tax rates removed the urgency for Roth conversions. Retirees thinking of stopping or blindly continuing them should do this instead.
-
Worried About Retirement? 4 Tasks to Calm Your Nerves and Build Confidence, From a Retirement Pro
If you're feeling shaky about your finances as you approach retirement, here are four tasks to complete that will help you focus and steady your nerves.
-
Financial Success Isn't Just About What You Save, But Who You Trust: Who's in Your Driver's Seat?
For financial success in 2026, look beyond the numbers to identify the people who influence your decisions, then set them realistic expectations
-
Small Caps Can Only Lead Stocks So High: Stock Market Today
The main U.S. equity indexes were down for the week, but small-cap stocks look as healthy as they ever have.
