The Harbourfront Wealth Management advisory process for educators

Step 1: First conversation by video or phone

Our initial conversation takes about thirty minutes by phone or video. We talk through your target retirement date, your pension payout options, and your balances across 403(b), 457(b), or IRA accounts.

You get a plain explanation of how we work before making any commitments. If our cost-conscious approach and $500,000 asset minimum fit your family, we outline the exact documents needed for our review.

Step 2: Gathering your retirement documents

We examine your state pension estimates, recent pay stubs, and account statements from your school district's approved vendor list. Many public school employees hold older annuity contracts with high administrative charges without realizing it.

Harbourfront Wealth Management conducts a 403(b) fee review across your current holdings. We identify every mortality and expense charge, underlying fund ratio, and surrender restriction so you see where fees erode your balance.

Step 3: Written analysis and cost audit

Our team develops a written plan that coordinates your expected pension benefit with income draws from retirement accounts. This teacher retirement planning review shows your projected monthly income and tests whether waiting an extra school year meaningfully increases your pension tier.

The comparison below demonstrates why Harbourfront Wealth Management focuses heavily on underlying product expenses when building recommendations for educators.

Step 4: Putting your accounts in place

Once you approve the recommendations, we manage the account transfers and direct your balances into low-cost funds. You know the exact cost from a written agreement before work starts, leaving no uncertainty about advisory fees.

And we verify that each transfer is structured directly between custodians so you avoid unexpected tax bills. Keep in mind that investments can lose value, and you may get back less than you invested when markets fluctuate.

Step 5: Ongoing reviews and tax planning

Retirement plans require regular upkeep as state laws, tax brackets, and family needs evolve. Harbourfront Wealth Management schedules regular check-ins to rebalance your portfolio and coordinate tax planning for retirees ahead of each calendar year deadline.

During these discussions, we review key financial checkpoints to keep your retirement on track:

• Auditing required minimum distribution rules if you are turning 73
• Checking tax withholding on state pension payments and annuity distributions
• Rebalancing fund allocations when equity markets move beyond target weights
• Evaluating whether lower tax brackets justify partial Roth conversions