By: Elias Park, CFP, CRPC

What Is Goal Analysis?

 At RetireUS, we believe that retirement confidence begins with clarity. That's why every personalized plan starts with our Goal Analysis-a collaborative process designed to translate your retirement goals and lifestyle needs into a concrete, numbers-based strategy. This blog explains step-by-step, the first part of the Goal Planning stage for all of our 3 subscription types. 

The end result of the Goal Analysis is to review progress towards your financial goals by analyzing current investments to provide clarity on your strategy, risks, and probability of success. 

Step 1: Define the Vision & Quantify Expenses 

Most people don’t dream of retirement in spreadsheets—they imagine moments. Playing with grandkids. Living beachside. Volunteering. Traveling. Sleeping in. 

That’s why our process begins by asking: What does retirement actually mean to you? 

It may sound simple, but this conversation often uncovers blind spots. Maybe you're dreaming of moving, but haven’t factored in the cost of relocating. Maybe you want to support or care for aging parents, but aren’t sure how that fits financially. The “why” here is to bring intention to your plan. When you define the lifestyle you're building toward, you start making financial decisions based on purpose, not pressure. And that sense of alignment is what transforms retirement planning from stressful to empowering. 

Your RetireUS advisor will help you articulate key lifestyle goals like retirement age, healthcare expectations, taxes, and planned large expenses. Our planning software models them across various time horizons with a goal of determining how the different costs of retirement fit together. 

The graphics below is for example use only and does not represent any specific individual’s information: 

Tax breakdown is from https://smartasset.com/retiremen/tpennsylvania-retirement-taxes  The information presented is being provided to you as a tool to help you analyze your financial needs. It is based on information and assumptions provided by (example client), regarding your goals, expectations, and current financial situation. This is for conceptual and informational use only. The calculations provided should not be construed as legal or tax advice. McAdam LLC dba RetireUS is not a tax advisory firm thus this does not constitute tax advice. Any tax decisions should be made with your tax professionals.

Once your lifestyle goals are clear, we translate those dreams into dollar amounts. Why? Because most people vastly underestimate what retirement will actually cost—especially after adjusting for inflation, taxes, and healthcare.

You might think $70,000/year will be enough. But when you add in Medicare premiums, dental coverage, property taxes, travel, and unforeseen events? It often isn’t. 

That’s why we model out your future expenses with detailed, conservative assumptions. Not to scare you, but to protect you. Financial freedom leaves no time for guesswork.

Step 2: Income & Gap Analysis 

Once we know what you’ll need, we map out what you already have coming in: 

• Social Security 
• Pensions 
• Rental income 
• Other various income sources 

Now, this isn’t just a math equation—it’s a moment of truth. Many pre-retirees think they’re all set. But until they compare income to expenses, they don’t realize they may be facing a $30k, $40k—even $50k+ annual shortfall. 

With the help of your social security estimates and pension statements, we’ll help you calculate reliable retirement income and identify the gap. In this example case, it was $49,280/year that needed to be covered by investments. 

The graphics below is for example use only and does not represent any specific individual’s information:

The information presented is being provided to you as a tool to help you analyze your financial needs. It is based on information and assumptions provided by (example client), regarding your goals, expectations, and current financial situation. This is for conceptual and informational use only. The calculations provided should not be construed as legal or tax advice. Hypothetical predictions have been provided for informational purposes only.

The “why” here is to get ahead of the problem before it’s too late. Understanding your income gap lets you address it while there’s still time to act—whether through increased saving, delayed retirement, or optimizing investment strategy. 

We find that this is oftentimes the first realization of financial clarity for most families, something that they’ll get within the first month of planning.

Step 4: Nest Egg Calculation 

Now that we’ve identified the gap, we reverse-engineer the retirement savings required to support it. Our planning team will often utilize the 4% rule, aiming to avoid overspending or running out of funds in retirement. We will, although, run multiple scenarios of different annual withdrawal rates to cater to your specific goals & needs.

For this example, the family’s income gap is $49,280/year, but their withdrawal rate is unknown. Through proper planning, this withdrawal rate will be uncovered with you & your advisor, one of the key discoveries of the Goal Analysis planning stage. 

The graphics below is for example use only and does not represent any specific individual’s information:

The information presented is being provided to you as a tool to help you analyze your financial needs. It is based on information and assumptions provided by (example client), regarding your goals, expectations, and current financial situation. This is for conceptual and informational use only. The calculations provided should not be construed as legal or tax advice.

But the real value of this step isn’t the number, it’s what that number represents: Financial Freedom. Once your nest egg is ultimately quantified, you now have a finish line. 

When the total nest egg is established, the rest is a lot more simplified. You can finally measure progress, make informed tradeoffs, and always know whether you’re on or off pace to accomplish your goal. That’s why the Goal Analysis phase is such a relief to clients. It replaces vague anxiety with a specific goal, but more importantly, clarity.

Why It Matters

Without goal-based planning, your retirement is a shot in the dark. The Goal Planning stage is highlighted by quantification to help enable you with smarter saving strategies, clearer timelines, and peace of mind.

What's Next?

The Goal Planning Stage of your RetireUS subscription follows along with Investment Strategy & Systems Implementation. Designing a strategy with calculated risk to help ensure you will stay on pace for your goals and helping you execute the strategy, which our next blog will discuss. 

This article is provided by McAdam LLC dba RetireUS for informational purposes only. Investing involves the risk of loss and investors should be prepared to bear potential losses. Past performance may not be indicative of future results and may have been impacted by events and economic conditions that will not prevail in the future. No portion of this article is to be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell a security or the provision of personalized investment, tax, or legal advice. Certain information contained in this report is derived from sources that McAdam believes to be reliable; however, the Firm does not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of such information and assumes no liability for any resulting damages.Opinion piece disclosure: This article is the sole opinion of this individual and is not indicative of the firm’s belief. This represents a very general comparison and may not include all the information related to the product, security, investment shown or pros and cons. Please review the product prospectus provided for full details regarding the specific investments or strategies presented.