Turning savings into a paycheck that lasts.
Retirement Income Planning
Why this matters: The shift from accumulation to distribution is the hardest financial transition most people will make. We design a written retirement income strategy that supports sustainable spending, adjusted for inflation, taxes, and the order in which markets cooperate (or don't).
Trusted Retirement Income Planning for Pre-Retirees and Retirees
Retirement is one of the most significant financial transitions you will ever make. At Legacy Ascent, we help individuals and families move from saving to spending with confidence, using detailed, personalized, and written retirement income strategies designed to uncover hidden risks before they become costly mistakes.
As a Retirement Income Certified Professional® , we use proven frameworks — including cash-flow modeling, tax-bracket analysis, sequence-of-returns stress testing, and Social Security optimization to identify vulnerabilities many advisors miss.
Whether you are five years from retirement, already retired, or somewhere in between, our income planning process gives you the clarity, confidence, and peace of mind you need before making irreversible financial decisions.
Fiduciary Standard of Care - WE ARE LEGALLY OBLIGATED TO WORK IN YOUR BEST INTEREST
The shift from accumulating wealth to distributing it is the hardest financial transition most people will ever face. Many risks are hidden beneath the surface, buried inside tax codes, market timing, account structures, and benefit elections and may not be visible until real damage is done.
A professional retirement income plan helps you:
- Avoid running out of money in your lifetime
- Identify tax traps before they reduce your income
- Understand the true sustainability of your spending
- Negotiate better outcomes from pension and Social Security decisions
- Plan for healthcare, inflation, and long-term care costs
- Protect your wealth across decades — not just years
Without a thorough income plan, retirees may inherit costly surprises that impact their lifestyle, tax burden, and long-term financial security.
At Legacy Ascent, our goal is to help you make informed decisions with confidence — and avoid unexpected problems long after you stop working.
Advanced Planning Methodology That Gives Clients More Protection
Unlike advisors who use generic projections or one-size-fits-all models, Legacy Ascent uses a structured, evidence-based planning process to provide deeper insight into your retirement picture.
Our Planning Framework Includes:
✔ Written retirement income strategy — not just a conversation
✔ Monte Carlo and deterministic cash-flow modeling
✔ Tax-bracket analysis and multi-year Roth conversion planning
✔ Social Security and pension optimization software
✔ Sequence-of-returns stress testing
✔ Integrated healthcare and long-term care projections
This allows us to detect hidden vulnerabilities early — before they become major financial setbacks.
Common Retirement Income Problems We Help You Avoid
Many retirees face financial challenges caused by poor timing, inefficient account structures, missed elections, and uncoordinated decisions.
Our planning process commonly uncovers:
- Unnecessary taxes from uncoordinated withdrawals
- Suboptimal Social Security claiming that costs tens of thousands over a lifetime
- Pension elections that leave a surviving spouse under protected
- Sequence-of-returns exposure in the first years of retirement
- Healthcare cost surprises that strain income plans
- Roth conversion opportunities missed during low-income years
Identifying these early can save you tens of thousands of dollars or more over the course of your retirement.
Why Clients Choose Legacy Ascent
Clients throughout Michigan trust Legacy Ascent because we focus on honesty, depth, clarity, and long-term relationships.
Why Clients Choose Us:
- Certified and fiduciary financial planners
- Flexible scheduling for in-person and virtual meetings
- Written strategy delivered after every engagement
- Advanced planning technology and modeling software
- Clear, judgment-free communication
- Trusted by pre-retirees, retirees, and their families
We do not rush the planning process. Our goal is to help you fully understand your retirement income picture before making some of the most important — and irreversible — financial decisions of your life.
Key Benefits of Retirement Income Planning
✓ Sustainable Income for Life
Cash-flow modeling from age 60 through 95 — so your money lasts as long as you do.
✓ Sequence-of-Returns Protection
Cash bucket and glide path strategies so a bad market in year one doesn't derail your decade.
✓ Pension Election Guidance
Lump sum vs. annuity, survivor options — we run the numbers so you choose the right structure.
✓ Optimized Social Security Timing
Analysis for single, married, and survivor scenarios to maximize your lifetime benefit.
✓ Smart Withdrawal Sequencing
We determine the optimal order to draw from taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth accounts — saving thousands in taxes.
✓ RMD Planning & Bracket Management
Required Minimum Distributions coordinated with your overall tax picture to minimize IRS exposure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please reach us at dustin.m.rudolph@gmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Ideally, 5–10 years before your target retirement date, but there's meaningful planning value at any stage. The earlier we start, the more Roth conversion runway, Social Security optimization, and tax bracket management we can do. If you're already retired, it's never too late to build or refine your income strategy.
We build inflation assumptions directly into your cash-flow model — typically 2.5–3.5% annually depending on your spending profile. For essential expenses, we often layer in guaranteed income sources (Social Security, pensions, fixed annuities when appropriate) that provide a cost-of-living floor. Discretionary spending is supported by the investment portfolio, which can grow to offset rising costs.
If the market drops significantly in the first few years of retirement, while you're also withdrawing income — it can permanently damage your portfolio's recovery potential. This is sequence-of-returns risk. We address it with cash bucket strategies: keeping 1–2 years of income in low-volatility assets so you never have to sell equities at the wrong time.
Absolutely. We build all existing income sources — pension, Social Security, rental income, part-time work — into a consolidated income map. Our job is to design the gap-filling strategy around what you already have, in the most tax-efficient way possible.
Serving Clients Across the Twin Cities and Beyond
We proudly provide retirement income planning services to individuals and families throughout the Twin Cities metro area and virtually nationwide, including:
- Woodbury, Minnesota
- St. Paul, Minnesota
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Eagan, Minnesota
- Stillwater, Minnesota
- Oakdale, Minnesota
- Cottage Grove, Minnesota
- Maplewood, Minnesota
- Washington County, Minnesota
- Dakota County, Minnesota
- Ramsey County, Minnesota
- Hennepin County, Minnesota
- And clients across the United States virtually
Searching for a trusted retirement income planner near you in the Twin Cities? Legacy Ascent is ready to help protect your financial future.
Ready to design your income plan?
Book a free 15-minute call to discuss your retirement income picture.
- Important disclosures. Insurance products are offered through the insurance business Legacy Ascent. Legacy Ascent is also an Investment Advisory practice that provides financial planning services and products through Impact Partnership Wealth, LLC (IPW), a Registered Investment Adviser. IPW does not offer insurance products, and the insurance products provided by Legacy Ascent are not subject to Investment Advisor requirements.
- Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal. No investment strategy can guarantee a profit or protect against loss during periods of declining values. None of the information contained on this website shall constitute an offer to sell or solicit any offer to buy a security or any insurance product. Neither the firm nor its agents or representatives may provide tax or legal advice. Individuals should consult with a qualified fiduciary advisor for guidance before making any purchasing decisions, especially regarding retirement income strategies and Social Security taxes.
- Any references to protection benefits, safety, security, steady and reliable income, or lifetime income streams on this website refer only to fixed insurance products. They do not refer, in any way, to securities or investment advisory products. Annuity guarantees are backed by the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurance company. Annuities are insurance products that may be subject to fees, surrender charges, and holding periods which vary by insurance company. Annuities are not FDIC insured.
- The information and opinions contained on this website are provided by third parties and have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable; however, accuracy and completeness cannot be guaranteed. They are given for informational purposes only and are not a solicitation to buy or sell any of the products mentioned. The information is not intended to be used as the sole basis for financial decisions, nor should it be construed as advice designed to meet the particular needs of an individual's situation. 4570353-06/2025
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