Retirement Isn't a Number. It's a Different Kind of Income.
Saving for retirement and living on it are two different problems. Brad Blackburn helps Columbia-area professionals make that switch three to five years before it happens, not the week after.
Book a 15-Minute Fit Callsouth carolina pre-retirement checklist
What to Look At Before You Stop Working
Tax-Bracket Positioning
- Reviewing pre-tax versus post-tax account balances before withdrawals begin
- Evaluating whether Roth conversions make sense in the years before retirement, while income is lower than it will be later
- Timing matters here: conversions done in the wrong year can push you into a higher bracket instead of a lower one
South Carolina Retirement Income Rules
- South Carolina does not tax Social Security benefits, at any income level
- South Carolina offers a retirement income deduction that increases at age 65.
- The age-65 threshold changes what's optimal to withdraw and when, this is worth mapping out before you retire, not after
how i build the plan
How I Stress-Test a Retirement Plan
I don't build a retirement projection off one set of assumptions. I run it against a range of scenarios, healthcare costs rising faster than general inflation, a downturn hitting in the first few years of retirement instead of the tenth. That second one has a name, sequence of returns risk, and it's one of the most overlooked variables in a retirement plan.
A short, no-pressure conversation to see whether this is the right kind of help for your situation.
¹ South Carolina does not tax Social Security benefits, at any income level, and offers a retirement income deduction for residents age 65 and older. Source: S.C. Code of Laws §12-6-1170; SC Department of Revenue, SC1040 Instructions, 2025 tax year.