Retirement planning goes beyond just saving money—it requires smart decisions and a proper checklist to maximize your benefits. Your retirement payments can start at age 62, but you’ll get 100% of your benefit only if you wait until your full retirement age of 66 or 67, based on when you were born.
Life-changing decisions shape both the moment you retire and your entire retirement experience. We created this month-by-month guide for 2025 to help you confidently plan your next steps. Our generation stands at a unique position regarding retirement planning in Fresno CA available with wealth building. Smart timing makes a huge difference—your benefit actually grows by 8% each year you wait past full retirement age, right up until you turn 70.
January to April: Laying the Financial Foundation
Q1 is a chance to build a strong financial foundation for your retirement. Start with a complete retirement plan checkup. Your retirement plan needs regular attention to run smoothly. You should check simple operations and update plan documents based on recent law changes.
Take time to assess your emergency fund. Most financial planners tell retirees to keep enough cash savings for a full year of expenses. This differs from working adults who typically need three to six months of savings.
Look through your bank and credit card statements to understand your spending habits. This helps you spot money leaks, subscriptions you forgot about, or lifestyle changes that could save you money. Most experts recommend planning to spend about 70-80% of your pre-retirement income when budgeting for retirement.
May to August: Planning for Benefits and Withdrawals
Summer brings the perfect time to map out your benefit strategies and withdrawal plans. Medicare enrollment needs your attention during these months, especially if you turn 65 soon. Your enrollment window lasts seven months. It starts three months before your birthday month and ends three months after. Missing this timeframe could lead to lifelong premium penalties.
Your Social Security claiming strategy needs a fresh look too. Benefits that start at age 62 will reduce your monthly amount by up to 30% compared to waiting until full retirement age. The good news is that waiting past full retirement age gives you an 8% credit each year until age 70.

September to December: Final Touches and Lifestyle Planning
Your final quarter gives you vital time to complete your retirement checklist and think over lifestyle changes. You should review your healthcare strategy first. A typical couple retiring in 2025 will need about $345,000 for medical expenses without long-term care. Research shows 70% of retirees will need long-term care at some point—20% for at least five years. This makes it the perfect time to look into long-term care insurance or hybrid policies.
Make sure to update beneficiary designations on your retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and other assets. These designations will override your will, so you should review them every 3-5 years.
Conclusion
We have a strong team of professionals helping ensure you receive all the assistance you need not only in developing your retirement income strategy, but in maintaining it throughout your retirement. Contact us today at 559-230-1648 or visit us today at Soutas Financial to see how we can help you Retire ”Your Way!”
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Investment advisory services offered through Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser. This commentary reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints and analyses of the author, Dale Soutas. It does not necessarily reflect the views of Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC (“Foundations”) and is provided for educational purposes only and the contents are solely maintained by and the responsibility of the applicable 3rd party . The 3rd party content is subject to change at any time without notice, and does not represent an express or implied opinion or endorsement of any specific investment opportunity, investment strategy or planning strategy. Foundations in no way deems reliable any statistical data or information obtained from or prepared by third party sources in this commentary, nor does Foundations guarantee its accuracy or completeness. No legal or tax advice is provided or intended.
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