A brand-new Merkle Retirement Planning magazine is here, and its first issue puts a spotlight on Adventurous Angie—an energetic retiree proving that retirement isn’t the end of the story; it’s the start of an exciting new chapter.
Meet Angie and discover how she followed a customized retirement plan that helped her retire before Medicare eligibility—and keep saying “yes” to every adventure that comes her way.
Meet “Adventurous Angie”
After 47 years with the same company, Angie didn’t just make a bucket list—she made several. As she told us, “I don’t have one bucket list. I have bucket lists.” Her mix of big adventures and practical projects is relatable: “There’s some big items that she really wants to do. But then she also talked about cleaning out her shed,” Loren Merkle said, adding that balance is “real life.”
Clint Huntrods loves how stories like Angie’s help planning click: “We know often people will learn through stories.” Angie’s story is featured throughout the magazine Retiring Today: Your Retirement Milestone Guide.
Your 50s: Dreaming—and Starting the Plan
The 50s are when many people begin to see retirement as real. Loren put it this way: “You’re starting to really dream. But then you realize a dream without a plan is still just a dream.” That’s where strategy and action steps—like getting organized and using catch-up contributions—start aligning with what you want your next decade to look like.
Clint sees the same pattern with families we serve: “If you start dreaming a little bit…then there starts to be things that get in the way.” Questions about taxes or healthcare can stall momentum, which is why mapping out options early can restore confidence.
Health care Before 65: A Door-Opener
Angie wondered if coverage would keep her working longer than she wanted. She explored the marketplace and then sat down with Director of Health Care & Long-Term Care AnnaMarie Morrow. Her takeaway: “Boy was I surprised that I could actually afford the medical plan before I turned 65 and had to go to Medicare.”
That clarity was pivotal. Loren noted the bigger lesson: “What that gave her was confidence… to say I now know what my healthcare is going to cost.” With numbers in hand, Angie could retire on her timeline, not Medicare’s.
Taxes: Decisions Today, Impact Tomorrow
Tax planning isn’t always top of mind, but the calendar marches on. Clint’s reminder is straightforward: “The sooner that you start tax planning, the better.” Looking ahead to Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), potential law changes, and how Roth versus pre-tax choices fit your plan helps you keep more of what you’ve saved.
Loren’s long-view example sticks: a client turning 73 (his RMD age) told him, “I’m glad we talked about the RMDs 10 years ago and didn’t wait until this year.” Smaller, planned-for RMDs may help increase the money available for the fun stuff.
The Written Plan You Can See
One reason Angie felt ready was that she could literally see her plan. Loren explained the difference a written plan makes: “She said she saw her retirement plan. She saw that she could retire,” which is “way different than what most people experience.” Our RetireSecure Roadmap brings together six pillars—lifestyle, income, taxes, health care, investments, and legacy—so you can visualize where income comes from now and 10–15 years from now.
Spending with Confidence (and Scenarios)
Retirement can be an opportunity to enjoy what you’ve built. Angie put it simply: “I feel comfortable in my retirement plan with what I want to do and what I want to spend.”
And when you want to test options, scenarios help. Clint shared a recent case: “They wanted to see what if we spent extra money over the first 10-12 years of retirement.” Seeing outcomes side-by-side empowered the choice that fit their goals—whether that meant more travel now or a bigger legacy later.
The Big Picture
From bucket lists to budgets, from marketplace premiums to RMD math, the path forward can become clearer when the lifestyle you want sits on a sturdy framework. As Loren summed it up, those six pillars “work together to give you the confidence to say, I’m done working now. I’m going to go and live the dream.”
You can explore more of Angie’s story and see the full list of retirement milestones by downloading a complimentary copy of the magazine at RetiringTodayMagazine.com.
The testimonial shared in this episode and blog is provided by a current client, who did not receive compensation for their experience with Merkle Retirement Planning. This testimonial does not present conflicts of interest due to the relationships or services offered. This published testimonial is representative of this individual’s experience only.
Watch the full episode on YouTube and learn more about retirement milestones by age.
