19 Things to Do Before and After You Retire

Retirement is not one decision. It is dozens of small ones, and most of them are easier to make a year early than a month late.

Here is a two-part list: 10 things for your last year of work and 9 for your first year after. It is general education for Christian households in The Woodlands, Houston, and across Texas, not a plan for any one family.

1. Draw your income map. List every source you expect: Social Security, any pension, savings, and any part-time work. Next to each one, write the month it starts.
2. Write down real spending. Track three months of actual spending, including giving, so your plan starts from facts instead of guesses.
3. Decide Social Security timing as a household. You can start as early as 62. Full retirement age is 67 for anyone born in 1960 or later, and waiting beyond it, up to 70, increases the monthly benefit. (Source: SSA, https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/agereduction.html) For married couples, the choice also affects survivor income.
4. Plan the health coverage bridge. If you retire before 65, know exactly how you will be covered until Medicare. If you are near 65, SSA says to apply for Medicare within three months of your 65th birthday even if you delay Social Security, because waiting longer may make Part B and drug coverage cost more. (Source: same SSA page)
5. Review every beneficiary form. 401(k), IRA, life insurance, and bank accounts. These forms generally control who receives the account, even if your will says something different.
6. Make the 401(k) decision slowly. Leaving it in the plan, rolling it to an IRA, or a mix of both each come with tradeoffs in fees, investment choices, and rules. Our 401(k) rollover guide (https://www.matt25capital.com/blog/401k-rollover-pros-cons/) walks through them.
7. Use your final working months wisely. For 2026, the 401(k) employee limit is $24,500, plus an $8,000 catch-up at 50 or older, or $11,250 at ages 60 to 63 if your plan allows it. (Source: IRS Notice 2025-67, https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-25-67.pdf)
8. Set aside a cash cushion. Some retirees keep a reserve for near-term spending so a down market does not force a sale. The right size depends on your plan.
9. Have the spouse conversation. Where will we live? How much will we give? Who pays the bills? What happens if one of us goes first?
10. Pray about purpose. "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven" (Ecclesiastes 3:1, ESV). Retiring from a job is not retiring from service.

11. Turn savings into a paycheck. Decide which accounts pay you, how often, and in what order.
12. Set up tax withholding. No employer is withholding anymore. You can generally request withholding from Social Security and IRA distributions, or make quarterly estimated payments. (Source: IRS Publication 505, https://www.irs.gov/publications/p505)
13. Put RMDs on the calendar. For many of today's retirees, required minimum distributions begin at 73. A missed RMD can bring a 25% excise tax, reduced to 10% if corrected in time. (Source: IRS RMD FAQs, https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/retirement-plan-and-ira-required-minimum-distributions-faqs)
14. Write a giving plan. Decide what first fruits look like on a retirement income. If you are 70 and a half or older, a qualified charitable distribution from an IRA may be one path.
15. Update estate documents. Your will, powers of attorney, and medical directives should reflect this new season.
16. Watch your income lines. Large withdrawals can raise your tax bracket and, two years later, Medicare premiums through IRMAA.
17. Revisit your investment mix. Risk feels different when you are taking money out instead of adding it.
18. Guard against fraud. New retirees with fresh rollovers can be targets. Be slow to trust urgent calls, emails, or pressure to act today.
19. Find your next assignment. Volunteer, mentor, serve your church, or invest time in grandchildren. Matthew 25 is where our firm's name comes from: "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21, ESV).

A list like this can feel ordinary. That is the point. "One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much" (Luke 16:10, ESV). Faithfulness in retirement often looks like small, careful steps taken on time.

You do not need to finish all 19 this month. Pick the three that worry you most and start there.

If you are retiring in the next year or two and want to see where you stand, take the free Retirement Paycheck Readiness Scorecard at scorecard.matt25capital.com, or call our office at 620-670-9455.

• The Woodlands and Houston Pre-Retiree Money Map
• Should you roll over your 401(k)? Pros and cons
• Social Security timing for married couples

I'm Will Snodgrass, CFP®, with Matt25 Capital, serving Christian pre-retirees and retirees from our office in The Woodlands, Texas, and by video with clients nationwide. Advisory services are available only where Will is properly registered or exempt from registration.

• SSA, Retirement age and benefit reduction https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/agereduction.html
• IRS Notice 2025-67 (2026 plan limits) https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/n-25-67.pdf
• IRS Publication 505, Tax Withholding and Estimated Tax https://www.irs.gov/publications/p505
• IRS RMD FAQs https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/retirement-plan-and-ira-required-minimum-distributions-faqs
• Ecclesiastes 3:1, Matthew 25:21, Luke 16:10 (ESV)