Mission: Retirement
A series for Lockheed Martin employees
For Lockheed Martin Employees
Twelve moves between you and a real retirement plan.
A flight plan built around the benefits you actually have.
Your advisors walk you through the board.
A few minutes on the whole board, which phase each move belongs to, and what order to work them in.
Your advisors walk you through the board.
A few minutes on the whole board, which phase each move belongs to, and what order to work them in.
The twelve episodes
Bonus episode
The COO’s Playbook (Finale)
A Lockheed Martin COO shares his personal journey with Lockheed Martin and the firm. You finished all 12 boxes — that’s more planning than most people ever do.
The board. Twelve moves, three phases.
Answer what you can. Your answers build the plan at the bottom.
Phase 01 · Build
Moves 1–4 — get the money in and the process set-
1
12 Retirement Mistakes
- The most common 12 mistakes we see clients make every day.
- 12: company stock, too many choices, benefits gap, taxes, Social Security timing, health costs, retirement date, portfolio mix, withdrawal plan, estate docs, planning in silos, waiting for the perfect time.
Your move
-
2
Your 401(k) — Get the Free Money
- Many employers match a percentage of what you put in.
- Put in less than the match threshold and you lose free money.
Your move
Anything less is a pay cut you volunteered for. - Many employers match a percentage of what you put in.
-
3
RSUs & Bonuses — Have a Plan First
- Vested stock counts as pay. You owe taxes on it.
- Most people just let the stock sit there. That is not a plan.
Your move
Pull up your vest dates. Decide your sell-vs-hold rule before the shares vest.
-
4
Smart Brains, Simple Rules
Understanding why we don’t try to time the market. Have and stick to your process.
- The winners are people who follow the rules and have a process.
- Emotion is not a trigger.
Your move
Phase 02 · Protect
Moves 5–8 — find the gaps before they find you-
5
A Client Journey Worth Copying
A peer successfully navigating retirement — and you can too.
- Copy one smart thing they did, that you don’t.
Your move
-
6
Too Many Eggs in One Basket
Make sure you have the proper allocation for your plan.
- Paycheck + savings plan + company stock can all move together.
- Are you overweight in one company’s stock?
Your move
Over 10–15% of your portfolio is a flag. -
7
The Risks That Don’t Show Up on Your Statement
Find your 2 retirement risks — fix those first.
- Inflation, longevity, healthcare, long-term care, disability, liability, sequence of returns, estate and beneficiaries, and behavior.
Your move
-
8
The Retirement Stage Check
- Retirement isn’t a date — it’s a sequence of decisions on its own timeline.
- The checklist runs in three stages: 55–59, 60–64, and 65 on.
Your move
55–59 — Is my savings plan enough. Roll it or leave it. Medical coverage before 65. Survivor protection. Life insurance.
60–64 — Reassess my risk. Stress test the plan. Request the retirement package. Use up my PTO.
65+ — Medicare A and B. Supplement or Advantage. Social Security timing. RMDs. Replace the paycheck.
Phase 03 · Decide
Moves 9–12 — the date, the paperwork, the life after-
9
What Age Should You Retire?
- Every extra year of work changes Social Security, your savings, and health care.
TAKEAWAY: Have a plan with a real date & stress test your plan.
Your move
-
10
Coordination, Wills & Beneficiaries
- The beneficiary designation generally supersedes your will or trust — is it correct?
- No will? Then the state decides who gets your stuff.
Your move
-
11
Time in the Market
Money that isn’t invested isn’t compounding.
- You may have money sitting at an old employer you haven’t looked at in years.
Your move
-
12
Life After the Badge
- Focus and plow — one topic, one project.
- Get the rocks out of your backpack — clear the small nagging stuff.
- Velocity — speed and direction.
TAKEAWAY: Steal one. Use it this week.
Your move
Fill in what you know. The rest becomes the agenda.
Prints on one page.
Why these twelve
In our experience the decisions that cost the most are administrative, not investment-related.
Four things sit quietly in a benefits portal for years, then show up the day the paycheck stops.
01 · The match
A contribution rate set in your thirties and never revisited.
Company matching formulas have thresholds. Contribute under yours and the difference generally isn't recoverable later. Confirm your current rate against your plan documents.
02 · Concentration
Your paycheck and your portfolio can ride the same ticker.
Income, RSUs and possibly an employer stock fund inside the savings plan. Many people have never added the three together on one page.
03 · The date
A retirement age picked by feel, not by the rules.
Service-and-age provisions can govern retiree medical eligibility, and leaving before a threshold may reduce a pension benefit. Check yours before you commit to a date.
04 · The form
A form signed in 2007 can outrank the will you paid for.
Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and group life generally pass outside a will. Whatever name is on the form typically controls.
Two ways to fly it
Fly it solo, or bring a co-pilot.
Plenty of people run the board alone and never speak to us. That's a fine outcome,
and it's why nothing here is gated.
Route A · Fly solo
Work the board yourself
Episodes publish one a week
The printable board, one page
One move per episode, about fifteen minutes each
Tick each box as you go and date it
Route B · Bring a co-pilot
The Retirement Date Check
Twenty minutes, and you keep whatever we work out
We walk your target date against your own plan provisions
We total your employer-stock exposure into one number
We rank the two gaps most worth your attention
Who you'd be talking to
We read Lockheed plan documents for a living.
"You cannot plan around benefits nobody has read. So we read them — the savings plan document, the vesting schedule, the retiree medical provisions — before we say a word about your money."
[Advisor name], CFP® · Security Financial Management · CRD #[number]
One question, one call
Pick a date. Let’s see if we’re a fit.
Twenty minutes. You bring the retirement year you have in mind; we walk it against your plan provisions and tell you what we see. You keep the answer either way.
Bring nothing — no statements, no forms
Video or phone, camera optional. Spouse welcome
If we’re not the right fit, we’ll say so and point you somewhere better
One question, one call
The Retirement Date Check
Tell us the retirement year you have in mind and we’ll come back with times, usually the same business day.
No catch, stated plainly
What this costs and what happens after.
The call
No cost, and nothing is sold on it.
How we're paid
[Fee model — from compliance]
Becoming a client
Optional, and never decided on the first call.
Afterwards
Nothing automatic. No drip sequence, no cold calls.
Before you pick a time
Four questions everybody asks.
Is what I say kept private?
We treat what you share as confidential and we don't sell or rent personal information. Nothing you tell us is reported to your employer. Full detail is in our privacy policy.
I'm ten years out. Is this premature?
No — earlier is when it's worth more. The moves that change a retirement date, such as service years, employer-stock concentration and contribution rate, all need time to work. Wait until eighteen months out and most of those options have already been spent.
I already have a financial adviser.
Keep them, and use this as an audit. If they can walk you through your vest schedule, your concentration percentage, your retiree-medical eligibility and confirm your beneficiary forms are current, you're in good hands. If any of those draw a blank, that's worth knowing too.
Am I too small to be worth your time?
The call has no minimum. If an ongoing relationship wouldn't suit you, we'll say so on the call and point you somewhere that fits better rather than take up your afternoon.
Skip the call if…
You want stock picks or a market call on any single company.
You already have a written plan, a current beneficiary audit and a concentration policy you follow.
You'd like a plan built without sharing a single number.
Mission: Retirement
A series for Lockheed Martin employees
Not affiliated with Lockheed Martin. This series is produced by an independent financial services firm and is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Lockheed Martin Corporation or any of its subsidiaries. "Lockheed Martin" and related marks are the property of their respective owners and are used solely to identify the employee population this educational content is written for.
Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Past performance is not indicative of future results. No strategy assures a profit or protects against loss in declining markets. Diversification does not eliminate the risk of investment losses. Examples and scenarios are hypothetical, for illustration only, do not represent any actual client, and are not a guarantee of future results.
Educational content only. Nothing here is investment, tax, legal or accounting advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold any security. Benefit plan provisions — contribution formulas, matching schedules, vesting terms, pension calculations and retiree medical eligibility — are set by the plan sponsor, change over time, and vary by classification, hire date and bargaining status. Confirm every detail against your current Summary Plan Description or with your plan administrator before acting.
The complimentary review is an introductory conversation. No compensation is paid for participation and no purchase is required. It does not create an advisory relationship and is not a substitute for advice from a professional who has reviewed your individual circumstances.
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