Investment Management for Retirees

All we do is financial planning for retirees and people close to retirement.
We are retirement specialists with a simple goal of making sure your retirement is a success.

We serve as the single, coordinating point-of-contact for all our clients' financial planning needs.
  • INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
  • SOCIAL SECURITY TIMING
  • RETIREMENT INCOME
  • TAX PLANNING
  • RETIREMENT PLANNING
  • OPTIMIZING INSURANCE
Investment Management for Retirees
A vital part of financial planning is aligning your investments with your goals. If your investments are not serving your personal goals, you don't have an investment plan. Rather, you have a "rudderless and unmoored speculation" to quote Nick Murray.


At Echols Financial Services we use a disciplined, goal-focused, research-driven approach. As a fee-only, financial fiduciary (no commissions), we recommend what we believe to be the best investments available for the sole purpose of supporting your goals.  This is the difference between advice and sales. We have been helping clients near the Cumming, GA area since 2003. 


What’s the Objective of Investment Management for Retirees? 

No single investment delivers high growth, high income, and safety of principal. As baby boomers are retiring, they need portfolios that balance safety, growth, and income in a way that supports their individual goals. At a minimum, these goals must address lifestyle (living expenses), longevity (living long), liquidity (big unexpected expenses), and legacy (inheritance goals).





Investing in retirement usually emphasizes safety, preservation, and distribution. This is different from investing for retirement which focuses more on accumulation.





What are the Safest Investments for Your Retirement Money?

All investments have risks. Bank Certificates of Deposit (CDs), United States Treasuries, money markets, and fixed annuities are very safe from loss of principal, but they have rising-cost-of-living risk. Their low returns can lose purchasing power over time due to inflation.



These "safe" investments are best for short-term goals, such as early retirees bridging to Social Security, for example. Bonds can also be used to meet short-term goals as well as stabilize your portfolio and increase your income in retirement.



In a potentially long retirement, your investment strategy must also focus on growth for the long run. That is where stocks are appropriate. A properly diversified portfolio will usually involve a mix of stocks and bonds.



See my article "Are Annuities a Good Investment - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly".



Sign up by clicking below to receive my Free Guide on how to invest in stocks and bonds in retirement.



Free Guide:  How to Invest in Stocks and Bonds in Retirement

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How to Rebalance your Portfolio

Even if your personal situation doesn’t change, a pure buy-and-hold portfolio will not likely be best. "Portfolio drift" over time can significantly change your risk/return profile and jeopardize your financial goals. Changes in the economy, finances, investment products, and tax laws can also prompt the need for for portfolio adjustments.


Rebalancing will keep your portfolio in line with your goals. Full dynamic rebalancing can also take advantage of valuation changes. See "Investment Basics to the Rescue"  and "How to Build an Optimized Retirement Portfolio".

Download our free Investment Philosophy guide highlighting the 12 key principles of investing by clicking below.


Our Investment Philosophy:

12 Key Principles of Investing

Download it for free

How to Invest When Withdrawing Portfolio Income?

Investing for distribution is very different from investing for accumulation. To prepare for regular withdrawals from your investments, you want to shift toward income investments to supplement your pension, part-time work, rental income, social security, etc.).


Longevity risk becomes your main concern now. How can you structure your retirement savings to generate a dependable income, accounting for a potentially long life span, market volatility, interest rate risk, taxes, and inflation?


You'll want some guidance rules (i.e. income guardrails) that make sure you don't 1) run out of money or 2) leave a mattress full of money behind that you could have enjoyed. At Echols Financial Services, we simplify this complex math problem into a simple, one-page income strategy report that clients appreciate. 



Our Professional Advice Can be of Great Value

Many retirees and soon-to-be retirees understand that the success of their retirement is too important to be doing it themselves. This is where we help. As an eighth-generation Forsyth County resident, I and my team are excited to help individuals and couples in the Cumming, GA area with their investment management needs. 


Echols Financial Services is a fiduciary, fee-only (no-commission) Registered Investment Adviser specializing in financial planning services for retirees and for workers nearing retirement.



Our Process

We have a carefully designed process to help you make an educated and informed decision about working with us. You will receive a free retirement assessment that can also be used to evaluate other advisory firms you may be considering.