She Tracked Every Dollar—But Her Plan Was Still a Mess

Kim was 75, widowed, and incredibly organized.

She'd been a CEO for decades. Every month, she produced her own balance sheets tracking every asset she owned. She lived comfortably off annuity income, spent time with her kids and grandkids, and on paper, everything looked fine.

But something felt off.

Kim had been working with the same advisor for years. Their relationship had become… comfortable. Too comfortable.

She got statements. She got calls when needed. But nothing ever seemed to move forward.

When she came to us—after following our content for a while—we discovered why.

Her financial life was scattered across six different custodians. She had multiple accounts for the same purpose: four IRAs, duplicates everywhere. Her RMD strategy was "take it in April when I file taxes." Her investments included expensive, confusing products like buffer ETFs that didn't fit her situation.

It was like trying to cook in a kitchen where the silverware is in three different drawers, the pots are in the garage, and half the ingredients are at your neighbor's house. You can make dinner. But why would you want to?

We consolidated everything.

Six custodians became one. Four IRAs became one. Confusing investments were replaced with straightforward, low-cost options. Her RMD became automatic—no more April scrambles.

This wasn't about chasing extra returns or squeezing out tax savings. It was about creating clarity where complexity had quietly taken over.

What Changed for Kim

Kim still does her monthly balance sheets. She enjoys it.

But now? It takes her half the time. She's not piecing together statements from six different places. She's not wondering if her advisor remembered to handle her RMD. She's not second-guessing what that buffer ETF is actually doing.

She realized she'd spent a decade adding stress to her life—simply because things seemed fine on the surface.

The financial impact was modest. But the emotional relief was massive.

She went from feeling like she was managing her advisor to feeling like her plan was actually working for her.

The Takeaway

Complexity isn't always obvious.

Sometimes it's just accounts that accumulated over time. Investments that made sense once but don't anymore. Processes that feel "good enough" but quietly drain your energy.

If your retirement plan feels harder than it should—even if the numbers look fine—that's worth paying attention to.

One more thing – I read every single reply to these emails.

I use your responses to guide my content, so it might become next week’s deep dive.

Happy retiring,

Josh Rendler, CFP®

_{For privacy, names and minor details were changed. Education only, not advice. Consult your professional(s).}