“When you shift from accumulation mode to income floor mode, you have to change your entire operating basis.”

There’s a moment, usually somewhere around the twelve month mark, when your idea of retirement shifts from “someday” to “soon.”

It’s a quiet click inside your body, part excitement, part disbelief, and part tiny knot of worry sitting just below your ribs.

If you’re a woman in her mid fifties or sixties preparing for early retirement, this isn’t just a countdown year. It’s a transition year. A whole emotional runway into a new identity, a new rhythm, and a new relationship with money.

This final stretch before retirement is where clarity matters most. Not because the math is complicated, but because this is the year your decisions start shaping what daily life will feel like on the other side. Your withdrawal plan, your Social Security timing, your income flow, your emotional readiness. All of it begins to solidify here.

And when it is done with intention, this year becomes less of a pressure cooker and more of a gentle glide into your next season.

So let’s walk through what this runway year is really about.

Why Listen to Me?

Hi, I’m Sarah Nicole Nadler, a financial coach and licensed insurance professional who has helped women build wealth, retire early, and feel confident managing their money without second guessing themselves. My work blends financial planning with emotional readiness, because retirement is not just a math problem. It is an identity shift.

I get it.

Retirement feels a little like cleaning out a purse you have carried for twenty years. You know there is good stuff in there. You also know there are a few mystery items you forgot existed. And the whole thing feels a little sentimental, a little chaotic, and a little overdue for a glow up.

I have guided women who had millions saved but no clarity on how to turn it into income.

I have helped women who spent decades building businesses or careers but felt completely unprepared to step away.

And I have seen how much fear dissolves the moment you understand exactly how your money will support you, year after year.

That’s why I’m so passionate about teaching women how to protect what they’ve built. Not just from market crashes or taxes—but from the hidden costs of aging that no one likes to talk about.

Through my Fear to Fierce Financial Formula, I help women:

• Profit – Making sure you pay yourself first and prioritize revenue streams.

• Prepare – Ensuring you are ready for disaster preparedness and unexpected expenses.

• Eliminate – Paying off debt and building strong credit to create financial freedom.

• Protect – Safeguarding your assets and ensuring your financial security.

• Grow – Building long-term wealth and creating passive income streams.

This week, we're diving into Step 4: PROTECT, using real strategies I recommend to my clients to build retirement plans that allow you to live your boujee best life. Because the sequence of your withdrawals from savings is every bit as important as how you grew it.

My Boujeenomics approach is built for women who want a retirement that feels aligned, intentional, and spacious. Yes, we handle the strategy around withdrawals, timelines, tax efficiency, and income planning. But we also address the softer side of retirement, like the uncertainty that comes with leaving a role you have lived in for decades.

If you want a retirement plan that feels both grounded and elevated, both practical and deeply personal, you are in the right place.

Now let’s walk through what the final twelve months should look like.

With every episode of Fierce Feminine Finance, I like to empower you with a POWERFUL free resource that goes with the episode which you can implement right away to create some of the same results, if not better, in your business.

This week, since we are talking about protecting your nest egg so you don't run out of funds in retirement, I want to invite you to check out my Ultimate Guide To Financially Bulletproof Your Family for Female Entrepreneurs to help you implement the strategies I talk about here...and a few extra I didn't mention!

After going through this free guide you will be able to identify the missing pieces in your family's financial strategy. So you can start taking steps right away to secure your future!

You can download it right away by clicking here or on the photo above 👆

The information contained in this article is NOT financial advice. It's my strategy based on my own financial situation and experience, and is not the advice I would give to every client. If you'd like the support of a financial advisor to work out your own plan, click here to connect with my team.

Understanding Sequence of Withdrawals (So You Don't Run Out of Money)

Let’s talk about something that sounds painfully dry but is actually the financial equivalent of choosing the right outfits to pack before vacation.

Because you would never pull out your cashmere sweater for a beach trip.

And you definitely do not want to pull money from the wrong account on day one of retirement either.

Your sequence of withdrawals is basically the choreography of how your money pays you over time. Think of it like curating your retirement capsule wardrobe. Each account has a purpose. A vibe. A season.

Your taxable accounts are your cute everyday basics.

Easy to reach for.

Flexible.

Great to start with. Pulling from here first lets your other accounts sit back and grow for a while, kind of like reserving your good jewelry for special occasions.

Your traditional 401k and IRA funds are your mid season pieces. They shine when you let them stay tucked away a bit longer. Touching them too soon can create unnecessary taxes, which is the financial version of paying full price when there was a sale coming next week.

And your Roth account?

Oh honey.

That is your vintage Chanel bag. The one you save for the right moment. Roth grows tax free and loves to be left alone so it can become even more valuable over time.

(Your future self will thank you for not grabbing it too early.)

When you follow the right order, your money lasts longer, you keep more in your pocket, and retirement feels like a long, luxurious brunch instead of a countdown timer.

When you do it out of order, things get stressful fast.

It is kind of like packing for a weekend trip, wearing your cutest outfit too soon, and then realizing you have nothing good left for the event you actually wanted to look nice for.

This is why understanding your sequence of withdrawals is the foundation of feeling safe and confident in retirement. It is not about being perfect. It is about being intentional. Think of it as your wardrobe planning, but for your wealth.

Deciding When to Take Social Security (Without Accidentally Shrinking Your Future Paycheck)

Alright love, let’s talk about Social Security.

I know.

Not the sexiest topic. But think of this like choosing when to open that fancy bottle of champagne you have been saving.

Sure, you could pop it early because it has been a long week and you deserve a treat. But if you wait just a little longer for the right moment, the experience is richer, sweeter, and way more satisfying.

Social Security works the same way.

If you take it early, at sixty two, the government basically says, Cute, but since you were in a hurry, we are giving you the baby size paycheck forever.

And if you wait until your full retirement age or even age seventy, they hand you the grown woman glass. The one with extra bubbles, extra height, and extra monthly income. For the rest of your life.

Most women I coach have saved beautifully but still feel nervous that their money will not last. They want to retire early, but also want the comfort of knowing their future self will not be stressed on Sunday nights wondering if she can afford brunch.

Delaying Social Security is one of the easiest ways to give that future self a pay raise without lifting a finger.

Now here is the important part.

There is no one perfect timeline for everyone. This is where we look at your savings, your lifestyle, the income floor you want, and your retirement runway, then make a choice that feels aligned and not just theoretical.

But what you absolutely do not want is to rush into taking it early just because you are excited to retire. That early claim sticks with you forever. It is basically the financial version of cutting your own bangs on an impulse.

Remember: This is your year to take a breath, run the numbers, and make the champagne decision, not the microwave popcorn one.

Why You Want To Rollover (And Create An Income Floor)

The strategies that got you here were incredible. You saved, you hustled, you pushed through busy seasons and slow seasons, and you built a solid nest egg. Truly iconic behavior.

But the truth is simple:

What got you here is not what gets you through thirty years of retirement.

Accumulation and distribution are two totally different skill sets.

Saving money is a grind.

Turning it into a lifetime paycheck is an art.

And this is exactly why rollovers matter.

When your retirement money is scattered across old employer plans like abandoned carts on Amazon, you do not have the control or flexibility you need for this next stage. A rollover brings everything into one place, where you call the shots. It is like upgrading from a cluttered closet to a custom walk in where every piece has a purpose.

But the glow up does not stop there.

Once everything is in one place, you can finally create your income floor.

So what is an income floor?

Your income floor is the amount of money that shows up every single month no matter what. It is the baseline that covers your essentials. Housing. Food. Insurance. Healthcare. The things your future self does not ever want to stress about.

Think of it like having your non negotiable bills on autopay with a fairy godmother funding them. Your essentials are handled before you even finish your morning latte.

You sleep better. You breathe easier. Your nervous system knows it is safe.

How do you create an income floor?

It is not as complicated as people make it.

Your income floor is built by choosing the most stable, dependable sources of cash flow available to you. For some women, that includes Social Security. For others, it may include pensions, rental income, passive income streams, annuity payouts, or predictable withdrawals from your OWL Account.

You choose the combination that feels aligned, steady, and sustainable. You do not need ten different income streams. You need the right ones, structured with intention.

This is the real transformation that makes retirement a breeze.

When you shift from accumulation mode to income floor mode, you have to change your entire operating basis. You stop living in that old identity of the woman who saved and multiplied. You step into the identity of a woman who is focused on spending wisely, supported by a financial system she designed.

When you do this right:

• You stop worrying about whether the market is up or down.

• You stop checking your accounts like a nervous tic.

• You stop feeling like retirement is a countdown to poverty.

Your income floor becomes the foundation of your retired lifestyle. It's your soft landing. Your stability. Your peace.

And once this is in place, everything else about your retirement plan becomes easier, calmer, and more aligned with the life you actually want to live.

The Cost of Doing Nothing

Here's what I see happen all too often, because women are not given the same financial literacy & support as men. You approach retirement thinking it's just an extension of what you've already been doing.

And that's how you end up spending your entire retirement nest egg in a few years.

Here's how it happens:

Not choosing your withdrawal strategy means you accidentally overpay taxes and drain your savings faster than you expect.

Not rolling over old accounts means you stay stuck with limited options, hidden fees, and zero control.

Not creating an income floor means you walk into retirement hoping your money lasts instead of knowing it will.

Not deciding when to take Social Security means the decision gets made for you by default, and your future paycheck pays the price.

And not preparing emotionally means you arrive at your first day of retirement wondering who you are now instead of stepping confidently into your next chapter.

Doing nothing is the most expensive decision of all, because it keeps you in the same energy that built your savings, instead of stepping into the energy that turns your savings into a joyful, abundant lifestyle.

You deserve a retirement that feels intentional.
You deserve daily life that feels safe, supported, and soft.
You deserve to glide into this next season feeling prepared, not panicked.

Retirement is not a cliff you fall off of.

It is a runway you get to walk down.

And planning now is how you make sure you land exactly where you want to be.

Your future self is already thanking you for choosing action over avoidance, clarity over confusion, and confidence over fear.

Summary

So there you have it. The runway to retirement doesn't have to be scary, so long as you stay informed and make decisions from a place of certainty, not scarcity. When you are ready, I can help you map out your own personalized retirement runway so you feel held every step of the way.

✨ Your challenge this week: Pick ONE of these runway checklist items and take action. Are you starting to see the possibilities? Talk to your tax accountant, decide when to take Social Security, or schedule a call with my team about doing a rollover.

If this article helped you, DM me on Instagram (@sarahnicolenadler) and let me know your biggest takeaway!