About This Site

The mission of this website is to help people think about their retirement. We have focused on how people end up choosing what they want to do in retirement, including the personal decisions, emotional transitions, and the many ways they might celebrate the final third of their lives.

Part of our creative process involved providing tools and information that any visitor could use to achieve better decisions in retirement planning. So, you will find a host of great planning ideas, profiles* and financial information on this site which will give you nearly everything you may need to "kickstart your retirement planning."

We have also attempted to bring useful information to a local audience of McHenry County residents. The bulk of this local information will be found under Staying Fit & Healthy and in McHenry County Life (although there are many national resources to be found in these sections as well).

However, it is important to realize there are limits to the information presented here. No website is going to answer all of your retirement planning questions. This one was never intended to address every issue that might arise. For example, you may wonder how a website could be created about retiring and not include a section on Medicare or extensive information on Social Security. Yet, the online resources available for this information are nearly endless. Additionally, our firm addresses each of these issues, and much more, in every retirement plan we prepare for our clients.

We Assume You Will Benefit By Seeking Competent, Professional Help From A Qualified Financial Planner

In handling the details of your plan: from Social Security, Taxation, and Estate Planning, to Asset Allocation, 401K Rollovers, and Portfolio Investing you may decide to go it alone. However, we have seen many do-it-yourself plans which have gone awry in practice. And, the mistakes have often been very costly.

Though we caution those who cannot resist the impulse to do their own planning (see Six Reasons Why Your Retirement Could Be a Financial Failure), it is not necessarily a mistake for everyone. If you have the ability to remain objective and realistic, and you have some background in financal planning, you may be able to do well in trusting your own instincts and abilities. However, the majority of people contemplating retirement will do well to seek professional help.

Hopefully, we have given you insight into the areas that you need to consider to begin planning your own very special retirement experience. Understand that if you are prepared, with plan in hand, your retirement stands a very good chance of becoming the best time of your life!

info@doriongray.com