Dear friend,
My name is Dustin. I’m the founder of Viking Financial Group. Think about your very last payday.
A few weeks later, the house payment still comes due. So do the power bill, the Medicare premium and the gas in the truck. Your expenses don’t retire when you do.
A generation ago, a lot of folks had a pension that mailed a check every month for life. Now just 14% of private-industry workers can even get one.1 The rest of us were handed an account balance and told to figure out how to turn it into income that lasts as long as we do.
So the question isn’t the size of the pile. It’s how much income that pile can reliably pay you, month after month, for the rest of your life.
When “playing it safe” quietly costs you
A lot of people park their money somewhere it can’t drop. It feels secure. Yet the typical savings account earns 0.37%, and a one-year CD 1.73%.2 Over the past year, prices went up 3.4%.3
When your money grows slower than prices, every dollar buys a little less each year. It happens so gradually that most folks only feel it once they’re retired and spending it.
When a spouse passes
Right now your household may get two Social Security checks. After one spouse dies, the checks don’t combine. The one left behind keeps whichever single benefit is larger.4 The smaller one ends.
| Sample couple | Today | Afterward |
|---|---|---|
| Bigger check | $2,200 | $2,200 |
| Smaller check | $1,500 | $0 |
| Total per month | $3,700 | $2,200 |
Made-up numbers to show how the rule works. Your real amounts depend on both of your work histories and when you each claimed.4
Your costs don’t drop by 40% just because the income did. The difference comes out of savings, often right when the spouse who helped handle the money isn’t there anymore.
Why I do this differently
Most of this industry runs on cookie-cutter plans and high-pressure sales. I educate first. I show you the numbers, in plain English, and you make the decision. I do not push products or charge an engagement fee.
There’s no one perfect retirement strategy for everyone. Yours should fit your life: the income you need, the taxes you pay, when you claim Social Security, and what you want to leave your family.
You shouldn’t have to guess whether you can afford to retire. You should know.
Where to start
Below this letter are five quick questions. No account numbers, no balances. You’ll see where you stand on screen as soon as you finish.
If it makes sense after that, you can pick a time for a 30-minute call with my office. No charge. If what you have is already working, I’ll tell you.
Dustin
Founder, Viking Financial Group
