Retirement inside ten years

Ten years out, most of the decisions are still open.

How much to save, when to convert to Roth, when to claim Social Security, which accounts to draw from first, what to do with the house: ten years before you stop work, each of these can still be chosen rather than inherited. I work through them with you in a written plan, year by year, and manage the portfolio to match it.

Does any of this sound like you?

You are somewhere inside ten years of stopping work and want to know whether the number actually holds, and what to do between now and then.
Your 401(k) is maxed out every year and you are not sure where the next dollar should go.
Most of your savings sit in pre-tax accounts, and you wonder what the tax bill looks like once withdrawals begin.
You want to know when to claim Social Security, and whether waiting is worth it.
You may sell the house or stay in it, and want to see what each does to the plan.

If any of these is close to home, a 15-minute conversation is a reasonable next step.

Book a 15-minute call

What I plan, and when

Every figure in the plan is an estimate built from your own numbers, and it is revisited at least once a year as your life and the rules change.

The projection: Year by year: income, spending, taxes and account balances, tested against markets that do worse than expected.
Withdrawal order: Which accounts to draw from first, and how much from each, to keep the lifetime tax bill down.
Roth conversions: Using the lower-income years after work stops and before required distributions begin, at 73, or 75 if you were born in 1960 or later.
Social Security: Each year you wait past full retirement age adds 8% to the benefit, up to 70. Whether waiting is right depends on the rest of the plan.
Medicare premiums: Your income from two years earlier sets your Medicare premiums, so large conversions and sales are timed with that in view.
The house and the estate: Stay, downsize or rent, worked through in the plan; beneficiary designations and titling checked each year with your attorney.

Questions people ask

How does Westlight Wealth plan retirement income for households in Los Angeles?

Gustaf Rounick, CFP®, builds a year-by-year projection from your own numbers: spending, income, taxes, and which accounts to draw from in what order. Social Security timing, Roth conversions in the lower-income years and Medicare premium thresholds are worked in. The projection is an estimate, not a promise, and it is revisited at least once a year.

When should I start planning if I want to retire within ten years?

Ten years out is a good time to start. It leaves room to change how much you save, to convert to Roth in lower-tax years, to decide about the house, and to set the order of withdrawals before the first one. In the last year or two before retiring, fewer of those choices are left.

Does Westlight Wealth manage the portfolio as well as the retirement plan?

Yes. Westlight Wealth is fee-only, and one adviser, Gustaf Rounick, CFP®, writes the plan and manages the portfolio under one published fee, so the portfolio, built from models he maintains himself, follows the withdrawal plan. Planning is included in the fee, and accounts are held at Interactive Brokers in your own name.

Writing on this

What I have written on the decade before retirement, retirement accounts and Roth conversions.

1 Mar 2026Hit Sixty, Plan Seventy: Your Decade-Out Financial Tune-Up
A 60s tune-up: Social Security timing, Medicare and IRMAA, the senior deduction, RMD ages and a calendar to 75.
14 May 2026What to Do With a Maxed-Out 401(k): A Guide for High Earners in Their 40s and 50s
Where high earners save after a maxed-out 401(k): catch-ups, HSAs, backdoor Roths, taxable accounts and California.
21 Aug 2025Roth vs. Traditional: Choosing the Right Retirement Account for Your Situation
Pay tax now or later: how Roth and traditional accounts compare in 2026, and how California treats each.

More writing on this (3)

27 Mar 2026Is a Recession Coming in 2026? How to Prepare Your Finances No Matter What Happens
What the economic data show as of October 2026, and steps that help protect your finances in any economy.
29 Jul 2025Mega-Backdoor Roth in a Solo 401(k): Step-by-Step Playbook
Filling the 2026 limit with after-tax solo 401(k) money and converting it to Roth, step by step.
22 Jul 2025Solo 401(k) or SEP IRA: Picking the Right Plan for a Single-Owner Business
Solo 401(k) or SEP IRA: 2026 limits, worked examples, Roth options and deadlines for a one-person business.

All writing · Equity compensation · A sale, an inheritance or a payout · Services and fees

Want to know whether the number holds?

Fifteen minutes is enough to see where you stand and which decisions are still open. No prep, no pressure.

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