Retirement Blueprint: The First Steps to Building a Better Lifestyle in Retirement

When Ed Downey was growing up, his father owned a law practice that focused on estate planning. In the same building, his uncle was a CPA who helped families and small businesses with their taxes.

This family influence provided Ed the foundation for the financial principles he still uses to this day. As the president of Downey Financial Group, he shares his diverse knowledge of the industry on a daily basis to help people prepare for financially stable retirements.

By using the firm's Retirement Blueprint process, Ed helps pre-retirees and retirees build their own "financial house." He believes people often already have many of the pieces in place they need for retirement, but just as you would hire an architect before building a home, working with a professional can be a big help while laying the groundwork for your financial house.

In his first book, Ed shares some of the ideas and processes he's developed since founding Downey Financial Group twenty years ago, including:

- Ways to prepare for longer lifespans, and the potential increases to taxes and inflation that could provide additional challenges

- Why the timing and sequence of your withdrawals can have a significant impact on the sustainability of your savings

- How a comprehensive, written plan may reveal you can retire earlier than you expected

Everyone wants to get their finances nailed down. Taking the time to create a Retirement Blueprint can help ensure you're building on a sound foundation.