TheRetirementCoach.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can benefit from your program?
Why do your clients choose to work with
you and your program?
What do you actually do for your clients?
Can we partipate in The Retirement Coach
Investment Endurance Program™
without having a Retirement
Blueprint™ designed first?
If you design our Retirement Blueprint™,
do we have to participate in The
Retirement Coach Investment
Endurance Program™?
How are you compensated?
Do you provide any guarantees?
Who will I meet with?
How often will you meet with me?
Will my information be kept confidential?
Will you work with our accountant and/or
estate planning attorney?
Will you work with me if I live outside of Massachusetts?
What's the first step?

Who can benefit from your program?
The Relaxing Retirement Coaching Program^™ is only for individuals and couples who are experiencing one of two situations:

1. You've reached the point in your life, which we call The Employment Dependency Threshold^™, where you're looking to determine if you've accumulated enough money to be able to stop working in the near future (whether or not you even want to stop), and then specifically how to confidently make a seamless transition.

2. Or, you've already stopped working, you're already "retired", and you're dissatisfied with some facet of your retirement (cash flow, investment performance and/or volatility, paying too much in income taxes, etc.), and you want to develop the financial confidence you need to spend the money you've taken your entire life to save, and enjoy your retirement without worrying about money.
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Why do your clients choose to work with
you and your program?
The best way to answer this great question is with a brief story: For 17 years of my life, I wore glasses. Every year, I went to a local optometrist, had an examination, and had my prescription updated if necessary.

When I chose what optometrist to go to each year, I was not very selective. I really didn't give it much thought.

Then, about 9 years ago, I heard about corrective laser eye surgery which would eliminate my need for glasses and contact lenses. I was fascinated to say the least! After carefully researching it, I decided to do it.

But, when I sought out the doctor to perform the surgery, I didn't go to the local optometrist. Why? Because the stakes were way too high!

One of my biggest fears in life is losing my eyesight! So, instead of going to a local optometrist, I sought out the doctor who had performed over three thousand successful procedures. I even had the opportunity to watch him perform one of them live!

This is the reason our clients choose to work with us in The Relaxing Retirement Coaching Program.^™

When you're younger and working, making a costly mistake with your money is important, but probably not catastrophic because you have time on your side to earn more money and make up for the mistake.

But, when you've reached the point in your life where you need to rely on the money you've saved to support you for the rest of your life, the downside risk of a "generalist" making a mistake with your money is huge! You may have to make drastic cuts in your spending and reduce the lifestyle you've worked your whole life to enjoy. Or, you may have to go back to work to make up the difference, which your health may prohibit you from doing in the future.

So, just like I chose the "specialist" to perform my laser eye surgery instead of a local optometrist (a generalist), our clients choose to work with us in The Relaxing Retirement Coaching Program^™ because coaching retirees is our only area of focus. They can't afford to run out of money at this critical point in their lives because of unnecessary mistakes made by a "generalist" financial planner.

What do you actually do for your clients?
Think about the task of building a house from the ground up. You can't begin the process by discussing what type of kitchen countertop you want, or what color carpeting you'd like in your master bedroom.

You have to take a step back first and carefully think and prioritize where you'd like the house to be, what kind of layout you want, where will you spend most of your time, how many bedrooms you need, closet and storage space, etc. And, last but not least, how much money you're willing to spend on your house.

The same is true for your finances at this unique stage in your life. Before you can begin to take the steps necessary to put yourself on track, especially the positioning your investments, you've got to be crystal clear on the investment rate of return you must earn in order to live exactly the way you want without running out of money.

If you're not crystal clear on the rate of return you must earn, you may be subjecting yourself to massive amounts of risk, volatility, and potential losses because you're being more aggressive than you need to be. Or, you may run out of money too soon because your investments aren't keeping pace with inflation.

Our program is all about subjecting you to less risk and investment volatility while still earning the rate of return you need to earn in order for you to do everything you've ever wanted to do without running out of money.

To do that, you can't just casually and randomly select investments. Our belief is that, in order to do this right, you have to take a step back and create a Retirement Blueprint^™.

Phase One: The Retirement Blueprint
Development Program^™

In The Retirement Blueprint Development Program^™, we use a seven step process to meticulously create your custom designed Retirement Blueprint^™. Utilizing all of the relevant personal information you've provided in The Retirement Confidence Preparation System^™, your Retirement Blueprint^™ answers questions like:

How much can we afford to spend without running out of money?
What rate of return do our investments need to earn in order to keep pace with inflation?
Specifically how do we position and allocate our investments to earn the rate of return we need while reducing volatility and income taxes?
Where will our income come from? Which accounts should we draw from first?
How can we reduce or eliminate our income taxes?
Can we afford to buy a vacation home down South or out West to avoid these harsh New England winters?
What is the most cost effective way to protect ourselves and manage all of the risks we face, like a long term illness, property loss, or a lawsuit?
What steps should I take to make sure that my spouse will be OK if I'm not here?
How can we make sure that everything we've worked so hard for all of our lives goes to who we want with the massive delays and cost of probate fees and estate taxes?

Once created, your Retirement Blueprint^™ becomes the foundation for all current and future financial decisions so that you're not just randomly making impulsive decisions.

You will receive a step-by-step Action Plan at the end with a list of specific recommendations for you to implement in order to reach all of your goals that you've prioritized during our meetings.

Phase Two: The Retirement Coach
Investment Endurance Program^™

Once your Retirement Blueprint^™ has been meticulously crafted, the next step is to carefully select investments to implement your custom-designed Investment Volatility Regulator^™ model, track their performance, and stick to a disciplined investment strategy in the face of a volatile and ever-changing market.

Given the enormity of what is at stake, one of the challenges many people have during their "Retirement Stage" of life is having the interest, the time, the experience, the expertise, and, most importantly, the discipline to manage their own investments, while remaining confident that they're not making a costly mistake or missing out on profitable opportunities.

The overriding goal of The Retirement Coach Investment Endurance Program^™ is to provide you with investment results in line with your goals of maintaining the exact lifestyle you desire, and to avoid the market pitfalls and investment mistakes that can undermine your long-term success.

Because we are a completely independent advisory firm, and have no ties to any particular investment company, we utilize that freedom to perform an exhaustive, in-depth fundamental analysis of thousands of investment opportunities in various categories for you.

Several times a year, during pre-scheduled, one-on-one Retirement Coaching Meetings (either at our office or on the telephone), your goals and priorities are revisited, performance (in relation to those goals) is objectively evaluated, and adjustments are made, if necessary.

At these meetings, in addition to receiving a consolidated, "easy-to-read" performance report for all of your investments, you will receive recommendations, if necessary, to maintain disciplined diversification and risk control, and to take advantage of new investment opportunities.

This provides a 'pressure free' environment for each of our Inner Circle members where they can go about doing what they want to do without being 'pre-occupied' that they're "missing something" that they should be doing. They know that we'll be meeting again in 90 days or so to review a complete snapshot of where they were, where they are now, and what changes are needed (if any).

This helps you maintain your confidence by insuring that you remain on the right track despite any changes which otherwise may have taken you off course.

Can we partipate in The Retirement Coach Investment Endurance Program^™ without having a Retirement Blueprint™ designed first?
No. We will not make any recommendations until we've carefully designed your Retirement Blueprint^™ first. Making investments without designing a plan first is like having surgery without a physical exam.

My 20 years of experience has proven to me that making any financial decisions prior to designing a plan first is dangerous and costly.

If you design our Retirement Blueprint^™, do we
have to participate in The Retirement Coach Investment Endurance Program^™?
No. Once your Retirement Blueprint^™ has been created, if you qualify, you may participate in The Retirement Coach Investment Endurance Program^™, but there is no requirement to do so.

How are you compensated?
Phase One: The Retirement Blueprint Development Program^™: To custom design your Retirement Blueprint^™, we are paid a fixed flat dollar fee which covers the preparation of your Blueprint and all meetings involved.

Phase Two: The Retirement Coach Investment
Endurance Program^™: For those who qualify to participate in The Retirement Coach Investment Endurance Program^™, we are paid an advisory fee which is based on your level of investment assets. In addition to all of the value and benefits outlined in a prior answer above, your fee also provides for a completely updated Retirement Blueprint^™ each year. Prior to acceptance, your specific fee rate is calculated and agreed upon with you in writing.

Do you provide any guarantees?
While I can't guarantee that you'll earn a certain rate of return on your investments, I do guarantee your experience with me.

I provide all of my Inner Circle clients with My Retirement Coach Guarantee during their first 12 months of working with me. If, for any reason, you do not feel that our relationship is working or that you are not getting your money's worth, all you have to do is let me know. I'll provide an immediate and prompt refund of any and all fees paid to date.

This motivates me to accept only clients who are serious about their financial future, who want to establish a long-term relationship with my firm, and whom I feel there is a fit.

Who will I meet with?
All of your meetings will take place one-on-one with Jack Phelps, The Retirement Coach. Because of the way we have structured our business for the future, if you are an accepted Inner Circle member, you will never be "passed on" to a "junior advisor".

Assistance with many facets of your planning will be performed by members of our superior staff. However, all recommendations will be made by Jack Phelps, The Retirement Coach.

How often will you meet with me?
Depending on your situation and preference, you will have 3 or 4 pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings each year. And, because many of our Inner Circle clients are retired and spend time down South or out West during the winter, some of these meetings take place on the phone, if necessary. All information for the meeting is sent to you directly prior to your meeting. However, we will meet with you as often and as necessary as your circumstances dictate.

Will my information be kept confidential?
This is something we take very seriously. All information provided to us will be kept strictly confidential as spelled out in our Inner Circle Member Privacy Policy. Click here to see it.

Will you work with our accountant and/or estate planning attorney?
Absolutely. We view your planning as a team approach. In addition to the many professionals who we work with and can recommend to you, we welcome the opportunity and strongly recommend that we speak with your accountant, estate planning attorney, and insurance agent directly to assist in the seamless handling of your needs.

Will you work with me if I live outside of Massachusetts?
The majority of our Inner Circle members live in Massachusetts. However, some have now moved to various parts of the country and our relationship has continued. This is determined on a case-by-case basis.

Mr. Phelps holds a securities license in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, New York, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, and Virginia. He also holds an insurance license in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York.

What's the first step?
There are several ways to get started.

If you'd like to take advantage of The Retirement Strategy Assessment^™: , you can either email my assistant, Pat Stuart, at Pat@TheRetirementCoach.com, or call her directly at 781-235-7550.

If you'd like to begin receiving my Retirement Coach "Strategy of the Week", click here.

If you'd like to receive the Special Report titled, "The 8 Costly Mistakes Too Many People Make When They Retire, and How You Can Potentially Avoid Them" simply click here.

If you'd like to receive the essential Consumer Guide titled, "13 Questions You Must Ask Your Retirement Advisor, (or Any Retirement Advisor You're Thinking of Working With Before You Hire Them!)" just click here.

Finally, if you'd like to learn more about my next Retirement Coaching Clinic where you will discover costly tax mistakes you may be making with your IRA and 401(k), and specific strategies to potentially avoid them, simply click here.

We look forward to helping you.