Retirement Planning for Indiana Families
Will your savings actually last? We help you build a retirement paycheck that doesn't run out.
You spend 30 to 40 years building something. The Other 90 Financial helps Christians turn a lifetime of savings into a reliable, tax-efficient income stream designed to last as long as you do.
"They will still bear fruit in old age; they will stay fresh and green."
Psalm 92:14
THE PROBLEM ────
Retirement income is a different sport than accumulation.
For your entire working life, the math was simple: save more, invest broadly, ignore the noise, repeat. That strategy built your wealth. It is not the strategy that should distribute it.
The portfolio still has to grow in retirement - but now it also has to produce a paycheck, manage taxes across multiple account types, and survive years when the market gives you nothing or actively takes from you.
That last piece - sequence of returns risk - is what most people don't understand until it's too late. Two retirees can earn the same average return over retirement and end up with wildly different outcomes depending on when the bad years happen. A 30% drop in year 25 is a footnote. A 30% drop in year 2, while you're pulling income, can permanently reduce what your portfolio can ever support again.
A good retirement income strategy holds two problems in tension at once: don't run out of money, and don't lose your spending power to inflation. Neither extreme works. That's the balancing act we help you get right.
A 3% inflation rate cuts your purchasing power roughly in half over twenty-five years. The grocery store costs more every year. So do property taxes, medications, insurance premiums, and visits to the grandkids.
Hold too much in cash and inflation eats you alive. Hold too much in stocks and a bad sequence of market returns can wreck your plan in the first decade. The structure has to hold both problems at once.
THE WAR CHEST METHODOLOGY ───
A structured approach to turning savings into income.
We build a retirement income around a three-bucket framework designed to keep near-term needs met, the medium-term protected, and the long-term growth engine running - regardless of what the market does.
List of Services
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01 - Cash Bucket - 1 to 3 years of spendingList Item 1
A pool of cash and short-term reserves that covers near-term spending without touching equities. When the market is down, income comes from here - not from selling stocks at a discount. This is the buffer that lets the rest of the plan breathe.
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02 - Bond Bucket - the medium-term bridgeList Item 2
A laddered portfolio of high-quality bonds that funds the next several years of income beyond cash. As the cash bucket draws down, bonds refill it. This bridge keeps you from being forced to sell equities at the wrong time - the most common retirement mistake.
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03 - Equity Bucket - the long-term growth engineList Item 3
Globally diversified equities invested for the long term, without the pressure of near-term income needs. The cash and bond buckets create the runway needed for equities to do their job - compound over time - without the panic that forces bad decisions in down markets.
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE ──
When charitable planning is working, you'll know it.
Generosity gets easier - not harder - as you age, because the framework is in place and the friction is gone.
1 You give more and pay less in taxes - at the same time.
2 Your church and the ministries you support receive more
3 Your family understands what you're doing and why
4 Giving is integrated with your retirement and estate plan, not a separate stream
5 You stop wondering whether you're "doing it right"
6 Generosity becomes easier, not harder, as retirement progressess
COMMON QUESTIONS ──
Estate planning questions, answered plainly.
Do I need an estate plan if I'm not wealthy?
Yes. Estate planning isn’t about the size of your estate - it’s about what happens when you’re incapacitated or gone. A power of attorney, healthcare directive, and basic beneficiary coordination matter at any asset level. Without them, your family may face court proceedings and difficult decisions that could have been avoided entirely.
What's the difference between a will and a trust?
A will directs who receives your assets after death, but it must go through probate - a public court process that can take months and cost money. A revocable living trust can hold your assets during your lifetime and transfer them to heirs without probate, while also providing incapacity planning if you become unable to manage your affairs. Many Indiana families benefit from having both.
My will is already done. Do I still need to do anything?
Almost certainly. A will is just one piece. If your beneficiary designations haven’t been reviewed recently, your asset titling hasn’t been checked against your plan, your powers of attorney are outdated, or your financial situation has changed significantly since the will was drafted, the plan may not work as intended. We recommend a comprehensive review at least every three to five years, or after any major life event.
What happens to my retirement accounts when I die?
Retirement accounts - 401(k)s, IRAs, and similar plans - pass by beneficiary designation, not by will. Whoever is named on the beneficiary form receives the account, regardless of what your will says. Outdated beneficiary designations are one of the most common and costly estate planning mistakes. We audit these as part of every estate plan review.
What is probate, and how can it be avoided in Indiana?
Probate is the court-supervised process of validating a will and distributing assets. In Indiana, it can take several months to over a year and involves court costs, attorney fees, and public disclosure of your assets. Common strategies to avoid or minimize probate include revocable living trusts, transfer-on-death account registrations, properly structured beneficiary designations, and joint ownership with right of survivorship.
Does Indiana have a state tax?
Indiana does not have a state estate tax. However, federal estate tax applies to estates above the federal exemption threshold. Even without estate tax concerns, income tax planning for inherited retirement accounts, stepped-up basis on inherited assets, and Roth conversion strategy can significantly affect what heirs actually receive.
What does a financial advisor do in estate planning if they're not an attorney?
Attorneys draft the legal documents. We do the surrounding work: reviewing and coordinating the financial plan with the estate documents, auditing beneficiary designations, identifying gaps, providing the attorney with the financial context they need to do good work, and revisiting the plan over time as your life changes. Because we know your full picture, we’re often the first to identify when something needs attention.
What should I do if I don't have any estate documents yet?
Start by scheduling a free assessment with us. We’ll walk you through what you likely need based on your specific situation - age, family structure, asset types, healthcare concerns, and charitable goals - and connect you with estate attorneys we trust. We’ll make sure the attorney has the financial context they need to serve you well, and we’ll coordinate the financial side of the plan from the start so your documents and your financial plan actually agree with each other.
Do you work with families outside of Indiana?
Yes. The Other 90 Financial serves clients in Indiana, Illinois, and across the country. We operate as a fully virtual firm, and most estate planning strategies - beneficiary coordination, asset titling, powers of attorney, charitable estate structures— apply regardless of your state of residence, though state-specific legal documents will need to be drafted by a local estate attorney.
