Retirement Planning Is Cash Flow Planning
Cash flow planning may sound complicated, but what it boils down to is comparing your assets to your expenses over time and identifying periods when you may fall short and when you may come out ahead.


Years ago I saw a poster that said, “Happiness is a positive cash flow.” I believe that’s true, especially when it comes to your retirement. And I believe that one of the best ways to find that particular form of financial happiness is to use cash flow analysis in your retirement planning.
It’s a simple exercise. To begin with, gather information for all the sources of income you’ll have during retirement. Since this analysis will help you determine what you’ll need to earn from your liquid assets (stocks, bonds, 401(k)s, etc.) to meet your income needs, leave them out of the equation for now. Instead, list income from pensions, real estate, Social Security or part-time employment. Then figure out how the timing of each of those income sources will affect your finances year by year. In other words, when will you receive that money? For example, will you receive Social Security benefits at beginning at age 66, or do you plan to wait?
Carefully Consider Your Expenses
Next, add up your projected expenses year by year. The amount you use in your analysis needs to include everything. Many times clients say something like, "That’s easy. Our expenses are $3,000 a month." So I ask, “Do you play golf? Do you give money to your church? To your children or grandchildren?” Almost everyone I question has overlooked one or more expenses.

Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Look at the timing of your expenses, i.e. when exactly will you spend that money? Have you planned a big vacation to Europe right after you retire? Add the cost of the trip to that year’s expenses. Will you need a new car? Figure out when you’ll make that purchase, and put the cost in the appropriate year’s expenses. Want to refurbish your house? Ditto. Many people want to do all the things they didn't have time to do when they were working, and many of those things cost money. Don’t forget those costs when it comes time to plan your cash flow analysis.
Do Your Best, But Be Ready for Updates
By this point in the process, you’ll realize that financial planning is an art, not a science. You can’t predict your exact income or expenses. You may not get that part-time job. You may incur unexpected medical expenses. You may receive an inheritance. Start with your best guess, with the idea that you will review your plan annually, if not two to three times a year.
Once you have your best guesstimates laid out year by year, you’ll probably find that your planned cash flow is not consistent. The money you’ll spend on that long-awaited European vacation the year you retire will take your cash flow down a notch, while the proceeds from the lake house you plan to sell when you’re 70 will bump up the flow.
As you can see, at its core, cash flow analysis is a simple exercise. It’s also an incredibly important one that helps you recognize your cash flow needs and their timing. Once you know what costs you’ll need to cover when, you can plan to set money aside or use money from your investments to carry you through any lean times.
Planning can help you achieve a positive cash flow, which can help you attain happiness in retirement.
Profit and prosper with the best of Kiplinger's advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and much more. Delivered daily. Enter your email in the box and click Sign Me Up.

Ken Moraif is the CEO and founder of Retirement Planners of America (RPOA), a Dallas-based wealth management and investment firm with over $3.58 billion in assets under management and serving 6,635 households in 48 states (as of Dec. 31, 2023).
-
AI vs the Stock Market: How Did Alphabet, Nike and Industrial Stocks Perform in June?
AI is a new tool to help investors analyze data, but can it beat the stock market? Here's how a chatbot's stock picks fared in June.
-
Stock Market Today: A Historic Quarter Closes on High Notes
"All's well that ends well" is one way to describe the second quarter of 2025, at least from a pure price-action perspective.
-
Eight Tips From a Financial Caddie: How to Keep Your Retirement on the Fairway
Think of your financial adviser as a golf caddie — giving you the advice you need to nail the retirement course, avoiding financial bunkers and bogeys.
-
Just Sold Your Business? Avoid These Five Hasty Moves
If you've exited your business, financial advice is likely to be flooding in from all quarters. But wait until the dust settles before making any big moves.
-
You Were Planning to Retire This Year: Should You Go Ahead?
If the economic climate is making you doubt whether you should retire this year, these three questions will help you make up your mind.
-
Are You Owed Money Thanks to the SSFA? You Might Need to Do Something to Get It
The Social Security Fairness Act removed restrictions on benefits for people with government pensions. If you're one of them, don't leave money on the table. Here's how you can be proactive in claiming what you're due.
-
From Wills to Wishes: An Expert Guide to Your Estate Planning Playbook
Consider supplementing your traditional legal documents with this essential road map to guide your loved ones through the emotional and logistical details that will follow your loss.
-
Your Home + Your IRA = Your Long-Term Care Solution
If you're worried that long-term care costs will drain your retirement savings, consider a personalized retirement plan that could solve your problem.
-
I'm a Financial Planner: Retirees Should Never Do These Four Things in a Recession
Recessions are scary business, especially for retirees. They can scare even the most prepared folks into making bad moves — like these.
-
A Retirement Planner's Advice for Taking the Guesswork Out of Income Planning
Once you've saved for retirement, you'll need your nest egg to support you for as many as 30 years. For that, you need a clear income strategy, not guesswork.