Meet the Adens: A Chamberlin Retirement Case Study

"You can change your direction, you can turn around, but you always have to be thinking forward."

For Mike Aden, a lifelong aviation enthusiast and general aviation pilot, flying is all about perspective and forward momentum. "A lot of things flow out of flying and a lot of things flow in to flying," Mike reflects. "There's no reverse. You can only think forward. You can't think backwards. You can't think to a stop".

When it comes to retirement, Mike and his wife, Bobbie, realized the exact same rules apply. Every choice you make dictates the next, and there is no hitting the rewind button on your financial future. Working with Chamberlin Lead Planner and Certified Financial Fiduciary® Tom Ponce, the Adens were able to build a retirement flight plan that addresses their biggest concerns — especially taxes — so they can confidently enjoy the view from 12,000 feet.

A text version of this story continues below, but you can also hear directly from the Adens in this video:

• A Pricey Detour
• Finding the Right Co-Pilot
• Maneuvering in Three Dimensions: Taxes and Planning
• Enjoying the View
• Holistic Planning And You
• You're Not Alone: Next Steps
• Disclosures

Mike and Bobbie met in college in 1977 and built long, successful careers before looking toward retirement. Bobbie retired in January 2020 after a career in engineering and supplier management, while Mike — whose diverse career spanned engineering, business consulting, college administration, and working as a pastor — is preparing to retire soon.

Living in Illinois, just across the river from St. Louis, Missouri, the couple knew they needed a solid plan. A primary concern for Bobbie, who serves as the "CFO" of the Aden household, was longevity. "Will we have enough money to take us through retirement?" she asked. "You know, once you're retired, that's it. It's not like you're getting your paycheck every month — will the funds go the distance?"

Initially, they met with a different firm to discuss their future. However, that firm focused almost exclusively on converting their traditional IRAs to Roth IRAs, and getting a plan and analysis from them was going to be "quite pricey." They needed a second opinion.

Finding the Right Co-Pilot

The Adens' trajectory changed when they attended a Chamberlin seminar about retirement and taxes presented by Tom Ponce. They quickly realized that Tom offered the kind of guidance they were looking for without the exorbitant upfront costs for a basic tax analysis.

"We just felt like here's a guy that's listening to us, a guy who's willing to bring resources... but also is knowledgeable himself," Mike says.

Beyond his financial expertise, the Adens valued Tom's flexibility and personal touch. "We've done Zoom meetings, we've met in person, we text, we email, we call. So there's just all kinds of channels of communication," Bobbie notes. "He's just fun to talk with".

Maneuvering in Three Dimensions: Taxes and Planning

For the Adens, the biggest differentiator of the Chamberlin approach was having all their planning under one roof. Instead of isolated advice about Roth conversions, they received a holistic roadmap.

"With Chamberlin, everything is in one spot. The advice that we're getting is not just advice in one area, but it's comprehensive in terms of are we doing the right thing from a financial standpoint? Are we doing the right thing from a tax perspective? And trying to get the best out of both of those." – Mike Aden

Mike compares this comprehensive planning to flying his plane. "It's an expensive hobby. But once you put the clouds up there, you know, now it has a sense of you are maneuvering in three dimensions". By addressing both their financial stability and tax efficiency, Tom helped the Adens maneuver through the complex, three-dimensional clouds of retirement planning.

Enjoying the View

With a secure plan in place, Mike and Bobbie are free to enjoy their passions. Bobbie loves tending to her flowers, pointing out her growing yellow mums and geraniums, and has even taken up quilting.

Mike continues to take to the skies, often serving as a volunteer for Lifeline Pilots, an organization that strings together flights to transport patients for medical treatments. "It provides an opportunity for me to do something I enjoy and to be a blessing to somebody else that just needs transportation," he shares.

When general aviation takes him to 6,000 or 12,000 feet, he is constantly amazed by the perspective it brings. "We saw northern Nebraska like I'd never seen it. It looked like the craters of the moon," Mike recalls.

Because they trusted their retirement plan to a fiduciary who looks at the big picture, the Adens can enjoy that spectacular view with complete peace of mind. As Mike puts it, "The most important book in flying is the checkbook... Knowing that our investments are in a good solid place, we're feeling secure in our retirement".

Holistic Planning and You

Families come to Chamberlin with different needs, dreams and situations, and they work with Chamberlin planners to craft retirement roadmaps specifically tailored to their particular circumstances — nothing one-size-fits-all or cookie-cutter. All of our planners are Certified Financial Fiduciaries, which means they’re obligated by law to act in their clients’ best interest.

When you’re ready to start your retirement planning journey, we’re ready with a playbook and a process that’s designed to empower you and help you make decisions with confidence. We call it the REP Process.

What is Chamberlin’s REP process in retirement planning? The Retirement Education Process (REP) is a four-step framework designed to put you in control of your financial future through education, strategy calls, customized mini-plans, and long-term plan mastery.

What is included in a no-cost retirement mini-plan? A comprehensive mini-plan includes a Social Security Maximization Report, a Tax and Portfolio Audit, and a customized "Wells of Wealth" Plan.

Why is education important for retirement? Education is vital because your retirement plan is essentially your "education in action," allowing you to make informed decisions and create a more predictable future.

So why choose Chamberlin? Two key reasons:

• Unlike traditional sales-focused approaches, Chamberlin is an education-first company. Our Retirement Educators are not licensed to sell products; they are trained specifically to provide knowledge and peace of mind without sales pressure.
• Our holistic planning process is tailored to you and takes seven important factors into consideration when strategizing how to achieve your hopes and goals.

If you're ready to take the next step, let's work together on a retirement plan that offers you confidence, stability and peace of mind.

Frequently Asked Questions/TL;DR

Q: What is the Chamberlin Retirement Education Process (REP)?
A: The Chamberlin Retirement Education Process (REP) is a systematic approach to retirement planning that prioritizes education over sales. It consists of four stages: initial financial education, no-pressure strategy calls, the creation of customized Mini-Plans, and long-term plan mastery guided by a certified fiduciary.

Q: What is included in a Chamberlin Retirement Mini-Plan?
A: A Chamberlin Mini-Plan includes three essential financial reports: a Social Security Maximization Report, a comprehensive Tax & Portfolio Audit, and a tailored Wells of Wealth Plan. These reports analyze your current financial standing to create a predictable retirement income strategy.

Q: What is Holistic Retirement Planning?
A: Holistic retirement planning is a comprehensive strategy that coordinates seven critical financial factors — including taxes, healthcare, legacy planning, and income — rather than focusing solely on investments. At Chamberlin, this approach ensures that all pieces of a client’s financial life work together to provide peace of mind during market volatility.

Q: Is the Chamberlin Mini-Plan free?
A: Yes. While Chamberlin previously charged $2,500 for this comprehensive analysis, the Mini-Plan is now offered at no cost. This initiative aims to help more Americans access professional financial audits to create more predictable retirements.

You’re Not Alone

Take the first step today. Are you ready to get your REPs in?

Click here and book a session today, and we'll create a customized Mini Plan at no cost to you.

Remember, this Mini Plan includes 3 essential reports.

• Your Social Security Maximization Report,
• Your Tax & Portfolio Audit,
• And based on those first two reports, your custom, tailored Wells of Wealth Plan.

We used to charge our clients $2,500 for this comprehensive analysis, but we’ve made it free as our way of helping Americans create more predictable retirements.

When you schedule your 20-minute, no-pressure strategy call with one of our experienced retirement educators at Chamberlin, they’ll walk you through the Holistic Planning process, talk through your current financial situation, and, if we seem like a good fit for each other, they’ll pair you with a certified financial planner and fiduciary who will guide you through the rest of the journey toward a comprehensive plan.

And even if you’re not quite ready to take that step, we still want you to feel knowledgeable and empowered as you move that direction. Check out the Learning Center on our website for videos and blog posts that will help you understand the different factors at play in a holistic retirement plan and how you can start making small changes today that will have a big impact tomorrow.

Disclosures

This commentary reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints and analyses of The Chamberlin Group. It does not necessarily reflect the views of Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC (“Foundations”) and is provided for educational purposes only and the contents are solely maintained by and the responsibility of the applicable 3rd party. The 3rd party content is subject to change at any time without notice, and does not represent an express or implied opinion or endorsement of any specific investment opportunity, investment strategy or planning strategy. Foundations in no way deems reliable any statistical data or information obtained from or prepared by third party sources in this commentary, nor does Foundations guarantee its accuracy or completeness. No legal or tax advice is provided or intended.

This is an unpaid, solicited client testimonial. This client has had a financial relationship with Chamberlin for approximately 5 years and is providing personal opinions. This may present a conflict of interest as this particular client’s experience may or may not be the same as another client’s experience. This conflict is mitigated by our financial advisor’s fiduciary duty to tailor each client’s investment objectives to each individual client’s own financial situation. No compensation was paid to the client for this testimonial. A client testimonial does not guarantee future investment success and should not be indicative that any client or prospective client will experience the same or a higher level of investment performance. Foundations Investment Advisors, LLC is an SEC registered investment adviser. Past performance is not indicative of future results.