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Retirement Planning

At what point does the career become optional?

Most attorneys have never actually run the numbers. They're saving something, roughly, into accounts that may or may not be optimized. No defined target. No timeline. No plan.

It's not about saving more. It's about knowing the target.

Retirement planning at your income level is not a simple calculation. You're likely in the top federal tax bracket now, which means the decisions you make today about where to put your money will have enormous tax consequences in retirement.

The question isn't just "am I saving enough." It's: what does financial independence actually look like for you, when do you want it, and what's the most tax-efficient path to get there?

Those three questions have very different answers for a 35-year-old associate versus a 50-year-old partner versus a solo practitioner trying to exit in 10 years.

"

The number is different for everyone. But almost nobody knows theirs.

Matthew BennettFiduciary Financial Advisor, WealthCode

We build retirement projections that account for your current savings, expected income growth, Social Security, and spending targets. Then we model multiple scenarios so you can see the real trade-offs: save more now versus spend more now, retire at 55 versus 62, work part-time for a few years versus a hard stop. The math is always there. Most people just haven't seen it.

A retirement plan with an actual number attached

Four pieces that turn "I'm saving something" into a real plan with a real target.

01

Retirement income projection

A clear model of what your retirement looks like based on current savings, projected contributions, and realistic return assumptions. A specific number and what it takes to hit it.

02

Account optimization

The right mix of pre-tax, Roth, and taxable accounts for your situation, including strategies like backdoor Roth contributions, mega backdoor Roth, and defined benefit plans for law firm owners.

03

Social Security strategy

When to claim and how to coordinate it with your other income sources. A one-year difference in claiming age can mean over $50,000 in lifetime benefits.

04

Withdrawal sequencing

Which accounts to draw from first in retirement matters. We build a sequencing strategy that minimizes your lifetime tax burden and extends portfolio longevity.

A real example

42 years old. No idea when she could stop.

A partner at a mid-size firm came to us at 42. She'd been saving into her 401k for years, had about $580,000 across retirement accounts, and had never run a full projection. She didn't know her number. She didn't know when retirement was actually possible.

We built a full projection based on her current savings rate, expected income trajectory, and her actual spending goals in retirement. We also identified that she was leaving significant tax-advantaged space unused, and restructured her contributions to maximize both her 401k and a backdoor Roth.

What changed
Determined that retirement at 57 was achievable at her current savings rate
Added $12,000 in annual tax-advantaged contributions she wasn't utilizing
Social Security strategy worth an estimated $64,000 in additional lifetime income
First time she had a specific target and a timeline she actually believed

Questions about retirement planning

What retirement accounts make sense for attorneys?
It depends on how you practice. Associates at firms typically have access to a 401k. Partners and solo practitioners often have more options, including defined benefit plans, which can shelter dramatically more income at higher earnings levels. We evaluate all available options for your specific structure.
I'm behind on retirement savings. Is it too late?
Almost never. The attorneys who feel most behind often make significant ground quickly once they have a real strategy. The key is stopping the improvisation and starting with a clear target. What you do in the next five years matters more than what you did in the last five.
What's the right savings rate?
There's no universal answer. The right savings rate depends on your target retirement age, expected spending, current assets, and expected income growth. We calculate yours specifically rather than citing a generic percentage.

Ready to find out when the career becomes optional?

Book a 30-minute call. We'll look at where you are today and map out what financial independence actually looks like for your specific situation.