Retirement income planning · Staunton, Virginia
A bad market year in your forties gets outlasted. The same year, while you're drawing income, can follow you for the rest of your life. Most of the decisions ahead of you get made exactly once. We make sure you make them with your eyes open.
The decisions that don't wait
Most retirement advice is about returns. But the choices that shape a retirement are the ones you only get to make once — and almost nobody tells you which is which.
When you claim Social Security
One narrow do-over: withdraw the application within twelve months and repay every dollar you received. Otherwise the age you choose sets your benefit for life — and your spouse's survivor benefit after that. How claiming age changes the number →
Medicare Advantage, or a Supplement
Your one guaranteed-issue window opens when you turn 65 and enroll in Part B. Change your mind years later and, in most states, a Supplement can ask about your health first. The two Medicare paths →
Enrolling in Part B late
The late-enrollment penalty isn't a one-time fee. It's added to your premium and it stays there for as long as you have Part B.
Converting an IRA to a Roth
Congress removed the do-over in 2018. Once you convert, the tax is owed for that year and the money stays where you put it — which is exactly why the timing matters. Paying tax on purpose →
Electing how a pension pays out
Lump sum or lifetime income; how much continues to your spouse. Once the payments begin, the election is locked.
How much you withdraw, and from which account
The one big lever you can pull again every single year — and the one that decides whether a bad market early in retirement becomes permanent. Why the order of returns matters →
General information, current for 2026. Every rule here has exceptions, and which ones apply depends on your situation. That's the conversation to have before a deadline, not after one.
What we help with
Each one interacts with the others. Claim early and your tax bracket changes; convert to a Roth and your Medicare premium can follow two years later. They're handled together, or they're not really handled.
What claiming at 62, at full retirement age, or at 70 actually pays — and what it leaves the surviving spouse.
A seven-month window at 65Supplement or Advantage, Part D, and the income surcharge that arrives two years after the income that caused it. No cost to you.
Revisited every yearTurning savings into a paycheck that outlasts you, and the tools — including annuities — that can carry part of that job.
The tax year closes Dec 31Required distributions, Roth conversions, and filling a bracket on purpose instead of being pushed into one.
Easiest while you're healthyRoughly seven in ten people who turn 65 will need some form of care. A plan says how it gets paid for.
Beneficiary forms: change anytimeBeneficiary forms outrank your will, and a traditional IRA is the most heavily taxed thing you can leave behind.
What does your retirement look like?
We all want a lifetime of income to enjoy retirement. But market ups and downs, taxes, inflation, and unforeseen medical expenses can put that at risk without our ever noticing. The answer is planning. We build a plan that works today, then help you keep it current — using software you can log into any time to make your own adjustments and see the results, both for this year and for the ones after it.
Social Security and pensions look complicated because there really are a lot of options. We take the guessing out of it and compare them side by side. We've met many people who were on pace to choose the wrong direction — and once you choose, that's usually final. You can't go back and fix it. So we help you get it right the first time.
Medicare has a great many choices. We help you simplify the process, and there is no cost to you for that help.
Many people aren't sure how much they can safely live on. Some end up living on far too little and never enjoy what they spent decades saving for. We show you how to have confidence in what you spend — so your habits won't drive you into poverty, or leave your estate with far more than you ever intended.
Tax rates will change during your lifetime. So will inflation. Neither is under your control, but your exposure to both is — and there are strategies to reduce it.
Roughly 70% of people who turn 65 will need long-term care at some point. A retirement plan should say how it will be paid for, or insured against, before it's needed.
What your heirs actually keep depends far more on which accounts they inherit than on the size of the estate. We'll show you the options that fit your circumstances — your assets, your family, and your business, if you have one.
Who you'd be working with
Some of the people who read my book go on to work with me, including on the products discussed in it. You deserve to know that plainly, and only once. What I won't do is use these pages to make a pitch.
Instead I'll explain what each tool is actually for, who it tends to help, and who it doesn't — the same way I'd want a professional to explain it to my own parents. This book won't make you a financial professional. It should make you a confident, informed client: someone who can sit across from any advisor and ask the right questions.
More about Goat PlanningDon't Run Out
A practical guide to Social Security, Medicare, and tax-smart retirement income, revised for 2026. No pitch — there's exactly one way to reach me and it's in the back.
Where most people start
They're the nine every retirement plan has to answer. Work through them and you'll know which ones you've already settled — and which ones are still open.
Goat Planning is an insurance and retirement income planning practice. Nothing on this page is investment, tax, or legal advice, and it isn't a recommendation to buy any product. Guarantees on insurance and annuity products are backed by the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurer. Rules described here are general and current as of 2026; exceptions apply and your circumstances may differ. Jeff Batson is licensed in 20 states; copies of licenses and certifications are available on request. We are not a law firm — for estate documents and complex situations, consult a qualified attorney.