Madison Financial & Associates

10/26/2026

https://madisonfa.com/

10/15/2026

As retirement gets closer, your financial priorities begin to shift.

It’s no longer just about growing your wealth; it’s about turning what you’ve built into a plan for income, taxes, Social Security, and the life you want in retirement.

The transition doesn’t start on your last day of work. Thoughtful planning begins well before then.

Claiming Social Security too early or too late can impact your entire financial picture in retirement. It pays to carry out a proper analysis before you commit.

10/08/2026

A healthy retirement portfolio doesn’t eliminate the need to plan for long-term care.

With people living longer, the potential cost of care can become an important part of retirement planning, even for families with significant savings.

The question isn’t just whether you can afford care. It’s how those costs could affect your retirement income, investments, and the legacy you hope to leave behind.

Even with a multimillion-dollar portfolio, long-term care costs can be staggering. In our Wealth Wise advice column, we asked experts how wealthy retirees can stress-test their care plans.

10/05/2026

https://madisonfa.com

09/23/2026

Can you use your IRA to help buy a home?

The short answer is yes. But the more important question is: Should you?

Using retirement savings toward a home purchase may sound appealing, especially when you’re trying to cover a down payment. But tapping your IRA can come with tax implications, potential penalties, and perhaps most importantly, the loss of future growth on money intended for retirement.

Before making a move, it’s important to understand the rules, weigh the tradeoffs, and consider how the decision fits into your broader financial plan.

https://workplace.schwab.com/story/can-you-tap-your-ira-to-buy-home-should-you

09/18/2026

For most of your working life, the goal is simple: save, invest, and build.

You move from the accumulation phase, building your wealth, to the distribution phase, where the focus becomes turning those savings into an income stream designed to support your life.

That shift can require a very different strategy. How much should you withdraw? Which accounts should you draw from first? How can taxes, Social Security, healthcare costs, and market fluctuations affect your income?

You spent years building your nest egg. Now it’s time to build a plan for how you’ll use it.

https://www.kiplinger.com/retirement/retirement-planning/are-you-ready-to-spend-in-retirement?

Shifting from saving to spending in retirement requires a new way of thinking. Answer these five questions to find out if you're ready for this next chapter.