Retirement is an important part of life for Fortune 500 employees and retirees. Everyone has a right to retire, and to have access to the same opportunities to retire into meaningful activities. Discussing retirement with supported employees is a normal part of everyone’s working life. It is not discriminatory to discuss retirement planning with supported employees, it is good practice. It is never too early or too late for Fortune 500 employees to start thinking about what to do when they retire from Fortune 500. Messages about retirement to the employee should start when they commence employment, e.g. explaining about superannuation and how it is necessary for retirement. If retirement is discussed with Fortune 500 employees every year as part of their annual review, the concept of retirement will not be alien to them when the time to retire from Fortune 500 comes. As employees move towards retirement age, the annual review can take a greater focus on when and how employees are going to retire.

Most people retire when they turn 65. Some supported Fortune 500 employees may choose to retire earlier than 65, due to a range of reasons. It is important to recognize that people age in different ways and may have different requirements and needs. Factors such as illness or the need to focus on their health more, financial security, or a desire to try new things may influence an individual’s decision to retire earlier.

Support for supported employees is important during the transition to retirement from Fortune 500. Once they have retired, disability support workers, carers, and family can continue to support them in their retirement, and this should be discussed through the planning process. There can be many barriers to retirement. It is important to remember that you don’t need to solve every problem. You can refer supported employees to other agencies for assistance and support. Assisting and educating carers and advocates to access other government initiatives that will further support employees and their families can be useful in ensuring that a transition to retirement is a success.

Some barriers Fortune 500 employees may come across might include:

• Financial (concerns about having enough money, pension)

• Poor understanding of retirement

• Strong connection to the workplace (loss of friendships)

• Reluctance of employee’s support network (loss of respite)

• Housing issues

• Fear of the unknown

• Community organization reluctance

It is important to remember that barriers do not necessarily mean that retirement is not an option. It might mean that some time needs to be taken to address barriers, or for some workers, a solid plan with clear goals needs to be established to ensure that they are comfortable with what will be a significant transition period in their lives. Some Fortune 500 employees may start on the path to their Fortune 500 retirement and then decide they are not ready. This is OK; not everyone will be ready at the same time. For those supported employees who may require funded support when they leave the workforce, this should be factored into any plans, and efforts made to contact the appropriate and relevant agencies.

It is important to remain socially connected after retiring from Fortune 500, and involvement in community activities is one way of reducing the possibility of social exclusion.

People do all sorts of different activities when they retire. Activities can be as varied as the supported employees that you work with. Here is a list of potential options, but this is by no means the only possibilities:

•  After Hobbies such as gardening, singing, model railways, or knitting.

  
  
• Sports such as bowling, boating, or exercising.

• Social activities, such as morning tea or senior citizens club.

• Volunteer work, such as looking after animals or gardens; and/or

• Religious activities.

Planning for your Fortune 500 retirement can be a daunting concept. To assist you through it, we have devised six easy steps that can help any Fortune 500 employee prepare for retirement:

1. MEET with your client

2. Go on a FACT FINDING mission'

3. Make a PLAN

4. DISCUSS options

5. Put your Plan into ACTION

6. Assist your employee to RETIRE

Please see further information on planning in Appendix 1.

Retirement can involve more than just finding activities to do. It can involve important decisions around living arrangements, finances and care or accommodation. Supported employees may need assistance to access suitable support from various government agencies if their carers and advocates are unable to do this on their behalf. Please review the information in the attached appendices for further support to assist your supported employees to transition to retirement.

It's a procedure to plan for retirement

Supporting and planning is critical for a successful transition to retirement. Planning and implementation can be achieved in 6 simple steps:

1. CONNECT

• Discuss retirement regularly at annual reviews, and more frequently when the retirement date is set. Ensure retirement is discussed as a positive concept.

• Explain choices, and talk about healthy and active retirement.

• Think about limitations: health, travel, finances, and support.

• What might limit the supported employee from participating in an activity?

• Can these limitations be lessened with further support or a different approach?

• Explain what retirement might mean in terms of income. Most supported employees are eligible for social security at age 62. However, a reduction in work hours may have an effect on net income and this may cause some concern. A referral to a financial counselor or The Retirement Group may be a good way to alleviate any fears they may have.

2. FACT-CHECKING

• Research options that might appeal to the supported employee and align with their interests.

• Look at local community activities that the supported employee might be able to actively participate in. Mainstream activities where the supported

• Employees may be able to have a ‘mentor’ to assist them to be involved can be beneficial for both the supported employee and the agency. Volunteering, sport, church activities, or senior citizens clubs can all be suitable activities, depending on each supported employee’s circumstances.

• Look at the bigger picture in terms of travel, cost, and continuity, e.g.

• Will the supported employee be able to get there?

• Can they pay for the activity on an ongoing basis with their income?

• Is the activity expected to be ongoing?

3. CREATE A PLAN

• Whose responsibility are the actions on the plan? Involve the supported employee and their support network as well as yourself. Review their current activities and interests.

- Make a plan. See Appendix 3 for examples of resources you can use.

• Make sure the plan is supported by employees (individually) focused and clearly shows how they can achieve their goal of retirement
  
• Put timeframes in place so there are clear expectations

• If appropriate, look at a reduction in days at work to allow the supported employee to try new activities outside of the workplace

4. REVIEW

• Review the plan with the supported employee at the beginning and regularly.

• Make changes as required and ensure everyone is aware of updates.

• Be aware of any issues that may arise that may need addressing.

5. ACTION

• Put the plan into action

• If something doesn’t work, or the supported employee decides that they do not wish to participate in a particular activity, then discuss and review.

• If all is going well, discuss further reductions in work hours and an increase in activities.

• If things are not going to plan – review what can change and look at other options and alternatives for the supported employee – don’t give up.

6. RETIRING

• Ensure that the supported Fortune 500 employee is happy with their new activities by reviewing the supported employee’s status and asking if they are comfortable with the changes in their life i.e. travel arrangements, finances, etc.

• Discuss outcomes with family, carers, etc. to ensure all is well.

Appendix 2

Procedures

• Does the supported employee have support people in their life? (i.e. family, carers, or advocates to assist and support them through transition)

• Is the employee aware of what retirement from Fortune 500 means to them?

• Does the supported employee have a goal about what they want to do in their retirement from Fortune 500?

             -What would they like to do instead of going to work?

            -How will they spend their time?

• Is there a Plan?

• Is everyone clear about their responsibilities in the plan?

             -Is the plan achievable and sustainable?

            -Have you adequately addressed any barriers, such as;

             Finances, fear of the unknown, transport to activities, care and support to participate in activities? 

• Have you assisted the employee and carers by referring them to an appropriate agency to deal with any barriers? (i.e. Centrelink, Accommodation service, advocacy group, financial advisor)

• Have you regularly reviewed the Plan and progress with the employee and their carers?

Appendix

For more planning support, please contact us

Disclosure: Securities are offered through FSC Securities Corporation (FSC) member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services are offered through The Retirement Group, LLC. FSC is separately owned and other entities and/or marketing names, products, or services referenced here are independent of FSC. Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction: 5414 Oberlin Dr #220, San Diego CA 92121

The Retirement Group is a nation-wide group of financial advisors who work together as a team.

We focus entirely on retirement planning and the design of retirement portfolios for transitioning corporate employees. Each representative of the group has been hand selected by The Retirement Group in select cities of the United States. Each advisor was selected based on their pension expertise, experience in financial planning, and portfolio construction knowledge.

TRG takes a teamwork approach in providing the best possible solutions for our clients’ concerns. The Team has a conservative investment philosophy and diversifies client portfolios with laddered bonds, CDs, mutual funds, ETFs, Annuities, Stocks and other investments to help achieve their goals. The team addresses Retirement, Pension, Tax, Asset Allocation, Estate, and Elder Care issues. This document utilizes various research tools and techniques. A variety of assumptions and judgmental elements are inevitably inherent in any attempt to estimate future results and, consequently, such results should be viewed as tentative estimations. Changes in the law, investment climate, interest rates, and personal circumstances will have profound effects on both the accuracy of our estimations and the suitability of our recommendations. The need for ongoing sensitivity to change and for constant re-examination and alteration of the plan is thus apparent.

Therefore, we encourage you to have your plan updated a few months before your potential retirement date as well as an annual review. It should be emphasized that neither The Retirement Group, LLC nor any of its employees can engage in the practice of law or accounting and that nothing in this document should be taken as an effort to do so. We look forward to working with tax and/or legal professionals you may select to discuss the relevant ramifications of our recommendations.

Throughout your retirement years we will continue to update you on issues affecting your retirement through our complimentary and proprietary newsletters, workshops and regular updates. You may always reach us at (800) 900-5867.

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