Retirement planning questions, answered.

Pete builds retirement income plans for people who are close to retiring or already retired, and for business owners. The work covers where your monthly income will come from, protecting savings from market losses, taxes on withdrawals, long-term care, life insurance and when to claim Social Security.

39510 Paseo Padre Parkway, Suite 120, in Fremont, California. Pete works with families across the East Bay and South Bay, including Fremont, Newark, Union City, Hayward, Pleasanton, Milpitas and San Jose, and meets in person, by phone or by video.

Nothing. It is a 30-minute conversation about where you stand and what worries you. There is no obligation to do anything afterward.

There is no set minimum. If Pete is not the right person to help with your situation, he will tell you on the first call.

Pete explains how he is paid on any recommendation before you decide anything, in writing. Compliance to confirm: commissions, fees or both, in one plain sentence.

A rough idea of your accounts, pensions and insurance policies, and the one question you most want answered. You do not need statements or paperwork for the first call.

Protection (a spouse losing income at the first death), market (losses early in retirement), tax (withdrawals from pre-tax accounts), health care (long-term care costs), income depletion (savings running out) and longevity (a long life that gives the other risks more time). Pete’s plans say what they do about each one.

There is no single number. It depends on your essential monthly expenses, how much of them Social Security and any pensions cover, and how long the money has to last. A useful plan starts from that monthly gap, not from a savings target.

The danger that the market drops in the first years of retirement while you are already withdrawing. Two people with the same average return can end up hundreds of thousands of dollars apart because of the order of good and bad years. Read the guide.

A common approach is to cover essential expenses with income that does not depend on the market, such as Social Security, a pension or an annuity, and let investments pay for the rest. Read the guide.

At 73 if you were born from 1951 through 1959, and at 75 if you were born in 1960 or later. The first one can wait until April 1 of the following year. Read the guide.

California taxes withdrawals from traditional IRAs and 401(k)s and most pension income as regular income. It does not tax Social Security benefits.

It often makes sense in the years between retiring and the start of RMDs, when taxable income is lower. The right amount depends on your tax bracket now and later, Medicare premium thresholds and whether you expect to leave the money to heirs.

CareScout’s 2025 survey put California medians at about $6,900 a month for assisted living, $7,600 a month for a full-time home care aide and $12,200 a month for a semi-private nursing home room. Read the guide.

Not for ongoing custodial care. Medicare covers up to 100 days in a skilled nursing facility after a qualifying hospital stay, with a daily copay after day 20.

Anywhere from 62 to 70. If you were born in 1960 or later, claiming at 62 pays 70 percent of your full benefit and waiting until 70 pays 124 percent. For married couples, the higher earner’s age at claiming also sets the survivor benefit. Read the guide.

Often not to replace a paycheck. It can still make sense if a spouse would lose a pension or a Social Security check at your death, if you own a business, or if you want to leave a set amount to family. Read the guide.

It is the book Pete co-wrote with Brett Kitchen about protecting retirement savings from market crashes, taxes and inflation. More about the book.