About Retirement Planning Guide

I’m Linda Marsh, and I started Retirement Planning Guide after spending the best part of a year getting my own retirement accounts in order and working out how to retire.

I taught school for thirty years and paid into retirement plans the whole time without ever really understanding them. When I finally sat down to plan, I had a 403(b), a couple of old 401(k)s from earlier jobs, a Roth IRA, and a Social Security benefit I could not picture, and no clear sense of whether they added up to enough. The official information was accurate but dry, and most of what I found online was either selling an annuity or written for people who already understood the jargon.

So I built the resource I wish I’d had.

What this site covers

I write about the whole journey, in plain language and from real experience:

• Retirement planning, the big picture and the steps
• How much do I need to retire, working out your number
• When to claim Social Security, the biggest timing decision
• My first year of retirement, what it was really like

I don’t give personalized financial advice or recommend specific products, and nothing here replaces guidance tailored to your own situation.

How we keep it accurate

I’m a saver, not a financial advisor, so every article is reviewed by a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER, Daniel Brookfield, before it’s published. The lived experience is mine; the numbers and rules are checked by someone qualified to check them. We cite authoritative sources, including the IRS, the Social Security Administration, and Medicare, and show the publication, last-updated, and review dates on every article. See our Editorial Policy for details.

Get in touch

I’d genuinely like to hear from other savers and people planning their retirement. You can reach me via the Contact page. And please read our Financial Disclaimer: this site is for general education, not financial advice.