Retirement Planning & Contribution Review

An existing client, nearing retirement, reviews their retirement savings plan with their advisor. They discuss current contributions, projected income in retirement, potential gaps, and strategies to ensure a comfortable financial future.

Dialogue

Listen and follow along with the conversation

Emily (Female)

Good morning, Michael. Thanks for fitting me in. I wanted to revisit my retirement plan, especially as I'm getting closer to stopping work.

Michael (Male)

Good morning, Emily. Of course. It's always a good idea to review your plan periodically. I have your current portfolio up. What specific areas are you keen to discuss today?

Emily (Female)

Primarily, I'm concerned about my current contribution rate. Am I putting enough aside to maintain my current lifestyle? And what does that look like in terms of projected income once I retire?

Michael (Male)

That's a very valid question. Based on your current contributions and assuming a consistent market return, your projected income at retirement would be X dollars per month. We anticipate that covering about 70-75% of your current expenses.

Emily (Female)

Only 70-75%? I was hoping for closer to 85-90%. What would be the implications of increasing my contributions by, say, another 5% each month starting now?

Michael (Male)

Excellent idea. Increasing your contributions by 5% would indeed significantly boost your projected income. Let me quickly run the numbers. Yes, that change would push your projected coverage closer to 88-90%, which aligns with your goal.

Emily (Female)

That's much better. Are there any other strategies we should consider? Perhaps rebalancing the portfolio for slightly more aggressive growth, given my time horizon?

Michael (Male)

We can certainly look at that. A slight rebalance towards growth assets could enhance returns, but it would also introduce a bit more volatility. We need to strike a balance between growth and risk tolerance, especially as you approach retirement. Let's explore a few scenarios for that.

Emily (Female)

Sounds good. I feel much more comfortable discussing these options. Thank you for your insights.

Michael (Male)

My pleasure, Emily. We'll adjust your contribution plan and then schedule another meeting next week to dive into portfolio adjustments based on those scenarios. Does that work for you?

Emily (Female)

Perfect. Thank you, Michael. See you then.

Vocabulary

Essential words and phrases from the dialogue

revisit

To look at something again to check or change it. Here, Emily wants to review her retirement plan.

contribution rate

The percentage of your salary that you put into a retirement or savings plan every month.

projected income

An estimate of how much money you will receive in the future, based on current numbers.

run the numbers

A casual way to say 'do the calculations' or 'check the math'.

rebalance

To change the mix of investments in a portfolio to keep the desired level of risk and return.

time horizon

The length of time you expect to hold an investment before you need the money.

volatility

How much the price of an investment goes up and down; higher volatility means bigger swings.

Key Sentences

Important phrases to remember and practice

Thanks for fitting me in.

A polite way to thank someone for scheduling you into a busy day. 'Fit someone in' means to find time for them.

I wanted to revisit my retirement plan.

Use 'revisit' when you need to review or update a previous decision or document. It sounds professional yet friendly.

What specific areas are you keen to discuss today?

Michael asks politely which topics Emily wants to focus on. 'Keen to' means 'interested in' and keeps the tone light.

Am I putting enough aside to maintain my current lifestyle?

A clear way to ask if your savings rate will let you keep living the way you do now. 'Put aside' means to save money.

Let me quickly run the numbers.

A natural phrase when you need to calculate something during a conversation. It shows efficiency and confidence.

That aligns with your goal.

Means 'that matches what you want'. 'Align with' is a handy business expression for showing agreement between numbers and targets.