About this session
Retirement planning in the United States is easier to navigate once the different systems are separated. Social Security is based on covered earnings.
A 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), TSP, or IRA is an individual retirement account or plan with its own contribution, investment, and distribution rules. A defined benefit pension follows a separate benefit formula.
Medicare generally becomes relevant at a different age from Social Security full retirement age. Required distributions can begin at another age again.
This session gives employees a practical framework for bringing those pieces together. Participants first build a U.S. Retirement System Map covering Social Security, workplace retirement, personal accounts, healthcare timing, and other retirement resources.
They then explore employer contributions, Traditional and Roth structures, SECURE 2.0 changes, retirement-plan fees and investment risk, and the differences between workplace plans and IRAs.
The second half moves from accumulation to readiness and retirement income.
Participants estimate retirement spending through scenarios rather than a single magic number, identify the effects of inflation, longevity, healthcare, housing and debt, and then map Social Security, pensions, retirement-account withdrawals, RMDs, annuities, and other assets into an income framework.
They leave with a U.S. Retirement Review Checklist rather than a prescribed contribution, investment, claiming, or withdrawal strategy.
What your people take away
- Understand how Social Security, employer retirement plans, pensions, IRAs, and other retirement resources fit together
- Distinguish the different ages associated with Social Security, Medicare, retirement-account access, and required distributions
- Review employer contributions, account type, fees, investment risk, and important SECURE 2.0 changes without receiving investment or contribution recommendations
- Build a retirement-readiness framework that considers spending, inflation, longevity, healthcare, housing, debt, and family responsibilities
- Understand retirement-income sources, RMDs, annuities, beneficiary questions, and ongoing retirement review
Shared with you
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- What each length covers, 30 minutes to full day
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What each length covers
30 minutes
30 Minutes — Key Points: Build Your U.S. Retirement System MapA focused 30-minute session on three key points from Build Your U.S. Retirement System Map: separate Social Security from retirement accounts, map the different ages that matter and understand the Social Security record & claiming trade-off.
- Separate Social Security from retirement accounts
- Map the different ages that matter
- Understand the Social Security record & claiming trade-off
Covers 3 of 4 points in Build Your U.S. Retirement System Map.
60 minutes
60 Minutes — Module 1: Build Your U.S. Retirement System MapStart with the complete retirement landscape. Participants distinguish Social Security from employer and personal retirement accounts, map the major retirement-age milestones, understand how Social Security claiming changes monthly benefits, and identify the retirement information they already have versus what still needs verification.
- Module 1: Build Your U.S. Retirement System Map
- Social Security & Retirement-Age Timeline
- Workplace Plans vs IRAs vs Pensions
- Social Security Record & Estimate Questions
- Medicare Age Boundary
- U.S. Retirement Information Checklist
- Live Q&A
Covers 1 of 4 parts: Build Your U.S. Retirement System Map.
90 minutes
90 Minutes — Modules 1 and 2: Map the System & Understand Retirement AccountsBuild on the retirement map with a practical comparison of workplace and personal retirement structures. Participants explore 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), TSP, defined benefit pensions, Traditional and Roth contributions, IRAs, employer contributions, catch-up rules, fees, default investments, and SECURE 2.0 changes without being told what to contribute or how to invest.
- Module 1: Build Your U.S. Retirement System Map
- Module 2: Understand Workplace & Personal Retirement Accounts
- Workplace Retirement Plan Comparison
- Traditional vs Roth Tax-Timing Map
- Employer Contribution & Vesting Review
- SECURE 2.0 Retirement Rule Updates
- Retirement Fees & Investment Questions
- Live Q&A
Covers 2 of 4 parts: Build Your U.S. Retirement System Map and Understand Workplace & Personal Retirement Accounts.
3 hours
Covers 3 of 4 parts: Build Your U.S. Retirement System Map, Understand Workplace & Personal Retirement Accounts and Build a Retirement Readiness Framework.
Full day
Full Day — Complete U.S. Retirement Planning WorkshopExplore all four modules with time for Social Security scenarios, retirement-account comparison, employer-plan review, retirement-readiness exercises, retirement-age mapping, Medicare timing, RMD education, and retirement-income planning. Participants leave with a U.S. Retirement Review Checklist rather than a prescribed retirement age, contribution, account, investment, Social Security claim date, or withdrawal strategy.
- Module 1: Build Your U.S. Retirement System Map
- Module 2: Understand Workplace & Personal Retirement Accounts
- Module 3: Build a Retirement Readiness Framework
- Module 4: Coordinate Retirement Income & Ongoing Decisions
- Social Security record and claiming scenarios
- Workplace retirement and IRA comparison
- Employer contribution and vesting review
- SECURE 2.0 catch-up and plan-feature education
- Retirement spending, inflation and longevity scenarios
- Medicare and retirement-age milestone map
- RMD and retirement-income education
- U.S. Retirement Review Checklist
- Live Q&A
Covers all 4 parts.
Also available as a 4-week or 8-week program, for change that lasts. Ask us about it.
What’s covered
Build Your U.S. Retirement System Map
Every length- Separate Social Security from retirement accountsParticipants learn that Social Security is a statutory retirement benefit based on covered earnings, while a 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), TSP, IRA, or other defined contribution arrangement is a funded retirement account.
- Map the different ages that matterParticipants distinguish Social Security's earliest claiming age, full retirement age, age 70 delayed-credit boundary, Medicare's typical age-65 milestone, retirement-account distribution ages, plan-specific pension ages, and RMD ages.
- Understand the Social Security record & claiming trade-offParticipants learn how covered earnings and the highest 35 years of indexed earnings support the retirement-benefit calculation and why claiming before full retirement age or delaying beyond it changes the monthly benefit.
- Keep Medicare visible even when Social Security is delayedParticipants learn that Medicare enrollment can become relevant at age 65 even when Social Security is not being claimed.
Understand Workplace & Personal Retirement Accounts
90 minutes and longer- Distinguish the major employer plan typesParticipants compare 401(k), 403(b), governmental 457(b), TSP, defined benefit, and other employer retirement arrangements at a high level.
- Understand contributions, employer value & Traditional / RothParticipants identify employee salary deferrals, employer match or other employer contributions, vesting, and Traditional versus Roth tax timing.
- Place Traditional IRA, Roth IRA & rollover IRA in the right roleParticipants distinguish individual retirement accounts from the current employer plan and learn why Traditional IRA deduction rules, Roth IRA eligibility, conversions, and rollover decisions can create separate tax questions.
- Review fees, default funds & investment risk without building a portfolioParticipants learn how fees, target-date funds, default investments, diversification, time horizon, employer-stock exposure, and sequence risk can affect retirement savings.
Build a Retirement Readiness Framework
3 hours and longer- Start with future spending — not one magic account balanceParticipants build retirement spending scenarios using essential expenses, flexible spending, housing, debt, healthcare, family commitments, taxes, and lifestyle goals.
- Stress-test inflation & longevityParticipants examine how a multi-decade retirement can affect purchasing power and why planning only to average life expectancy can understate longevity risk.
- Match retirement needs with different types of income & assetsParticipants distinguish guaranteed or formula-based income, market-linked retirement accounts, Roth assets, taxable savings, emergency liquidity, and other resources.
- Use work & life changes as retirement-review triggersParticipants identify job change, promotion, salary change, marriage, divorce, parenthood, caregiving, major health change, relocation, inheritance, approaching age 50, approaching Social Security or Medicare milestones, and retirement as reasons to review accounts, beneficiaries, contributions, coverage, and unresolved planning questions.
Coordinate Retirement Income & Ongoing Decisions
Full day only- Understand retirement-account access before taking money outParticipants learn why age 59½, separation from employment, plan-specific distribution events, early-distribution exceptions, rollovers, Roth rules, and SECURE 2.0 provisions can affect access differently.
- Understand RMDs without turning them into a withdrawal strategyParticipants learn which account types can be subject to required minimum distributions, why the applicable starting age depends on birth cohort, how workplace still-employed rules can differ, and why Roth accounts receive different lifetime treatment under current law.
- Compare Social Security, pension, annuity & market-linked incomeParticipants compare Social Security, defined benefit pension income, annuities, retirement-account withdrawals, and other assets through guarantees, inflation, liquidity, investment risk, survivor features, and longevity.
- Build a retirement review that includes beneficiaries & specialist questionsParticipants bring Social Security, employer plans, IRAs, healthcare milestones, RMDs, beneficiaries, inherited-account questions, taxes, estate issues, and international pension history into one review.
Tools and materials
- U.S. Retirement System Map
- U.S. Retirement Terminology Guide
- Retirement-Age Milestone Guide
- Social Security Record & Claiming Map
- Retirement Earnings Test Explainer
- Social Security / Medicare Age Timeline
- Workplace Retirement Plan Comparison
- Employer Contribution & Vesting Review
- Workplace Retirement Statement Guide
- Traditional / Roth / IRA Comparison
- SECURE 2.0 Current-Rule Guide
- Retirement Fees & Investment Review
- Target-Date Fund Question Guide
- Retirement Readiness Framework
- Retirement Expense & Income Map
How booking works
- Book online. Create a free Workbliss profile, then pay with session credits, by card or by invoice.
- Pick a date. Choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or book now and set the date later.
- Choose your expert. Within 3 working days, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date.
- We deliver it. Your expert is briefed on your people and goals, then runs the session live online or at your site.
Questions about Retirement Planning: Core Principles & Strategies - USA
How long is Retirement Planning: Core Principles & Strategies - USA?
Retirement Planning: Core Principles & Strategies - USA runs as 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 3 hours or full day. You choose the length when you book. A 30-minute session covers three key points from Build Your U.S. Retirement System Map: separate Social Security from retirement accounts, map the different ages that matter and understand the Social Security record & claiming trade-off. A 60-minute session covers Build Your U.S. Retirement System Map in full, with a live Q&A. A 90-minute session adds Understand Workplace & Personal Retirement Accounts. A 3-hour session adds Build a Retirement Readiness Framework. A full-day session adds Coordinate Retirement Income & Ongoing Decisions. It is also available as a 4-week or 8-week program.
Can Retirement Planning: Core Principles & Strategies - USA be delivered online or in person?
Yes, both. It runs live online, so every office can join at the same time, or in person at your site, in any country.
How do we book Retirement Planning: Core Principles & Strategies - USA?
Create a free Workbliss profile with your work email, then open Retirement Planning: Core Principles & Strategies - USA to see the price for each length and book it. You can pay with session credits, by card or by invoice, and choose a date at least 14 days ahead, or set it later.
Who leads the session?
A vetted Workbliss expert, briefed on your people, culture and goals before the session. After you book, we send you profiles of the experts available for your date within 3 working days, so you can choose who leads it.
Can it be tailored to our company?
Yes. Every session is shaped around your goals, your people and the benefits you already offer, and delivered by experts in your people’s languages.