Road To Retirement Checklist

Whether retirement is a distant dream or a next step, it is never too early — or too late — to start planning!

Lay Course

Five Years to Retirement: Your Roadmap to Retirement Readiness

About This Course

What’s a practical approach to reaching any destination? Follow a map. That also makes sense for retirement planning. This course offers easy-to-understand information on finance and health for anyone planning to retire in five years or less.

Explore topics such as:

• Balancing retirement income and lifestyle
• Withdrawing retirement savings
• Reducing debt
• Managing roadblocks to retirement plans

With retirement only five years away, now’s the time to determine your route. These suggestions and tips may help you prepare.

Duration

Approximately 10 minutes per section

 

Launch Course

Retirement Planning Checklist

• Set realistic financial goals for retirement.
• Make a budget and stick to it.
• Estimate the cost of college education for children and other family members.
• Review your life insurance policies.
• Review your pension benefits:
  • Defined Contribution Plan: Review your Fidelity account.
  • Defined Benefit Plan: To arrange a time to review the status of your benefits, call Pension Services at (800) 936-7349, Monday - Friday, 8:30AM - 8:00PM ET (excluding holidays).
• Assess your savings, including retirement savings (including your Retirement Savings Plan, if you participate) and other pension plans in which you or your spouse may be vested, as well as other potential sources of retirement income.
• Review your annuities and retirement savings accounts.
• Think about where you would like to live in retirement and research costs.
• Review your Social Security information.
• Download the Defined Benefit Retirement Plan: Summary Plan Description or the Defined Contribution Retirement Plan: Summary Plan Description for details about your pension plan.
• Review your medical insurance needs and options.

If You’re Retiring Soon

If you plan to retire within the next six months, you should:

• Request your Medicare card from the Social Security Administration at least three months before your 65th birthday.
• Decide when to take Social Security benefits.
• Consider opportunities to earn income after retirement, but remember that Social Security and The Church Pension Fund limits retirement earnings.