Retire by Design: Why a Passive Approach Will Miss the Mark

DID YOU KNOW? 60% of a retiree’s income comes from portfolio gains while in retirement! In fact, only 30% comes from gains while the person was working and just 10% from contributions!

So, why would we stop focusing on our retirement planning when we get to retirement? These figures really show that the strategies you incorporate become even more valuable while in your retirement years.

Retire by Design breaks apart the stereotypical advice and shares the insights that author Brandon Steele, CFP®, ChFC®, uses with his clients to address ALL areas of financial planning. Brandon empowers readers to set up their ideal retirement by design using actionable strategies from tax planning, estate planning, Social Security, and everything in between.


In this book, you’ll learn:

• Why the traditional financial advice will no longer work
• How to break apart this boiler plate advice and develop YOUR financial plan
• How to outline a retirement plan that addresses your needs and wants
• How taxation can impact your financial plan
• How to not let your emotions get in the way of your financial decisions
• How to review and adjust your retirement plan along the way
• A new approach for budgeting

Are you ready to create the retirement that you have always dreamed of?

Read this book to soak up straightforward, easy-to-understand advice! Brandon will guide you through the steps and considerations you need to make as you create a thoughtful retirement plan that is designed just for you.

“With little financial discussions as a child, I knew my family had the best intentions, but I quickly realized I would need to turn to other avenues to learn about finance. Yet, I had a hard time finding an information source that wasn’t suggesting get rich quick schemes.”

Inspired by his upbringing in a middle-class family where they struggled to reach financial freedom, Brandon wrote Retire by Design to break down the barriers surrounding planning for retirement. His book inspires families to have conversations about finances. Talking openly about finances is something he wishes his family had done, so he could have avoided making some of the financial mistakes he did. In fact, Brandon still sees the lasting impacts of financial hardships that his family faced, like putting him through college and the struggles of his grandma’s diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease, to this day.

Brandon knew that things didn’t have to be this way and that financial freedom doesn’t have to be rocket science. However, he often found that books in this category made things too complicated, leading the reader to feel paralyzed and not take action. If not overly complex, he found that many finance books understated or oversimplified what it takes to truly reach financial success.

About the Author
Brandon Steele, CFP®, ChFC® is a financial planner with Mainsail Financial Group located in Bellevue, Washington. Since graduating from Washington State University, Brandon has spent the last decade working to help educate and prepare families for retirement. Additionally, Brandon has been featured in Forbes, U.S. News and World Report, ThriveGlobal, and Puget Sound Business Journal, among others. In his free time, Brandon is an avid golfer and enjoys spending time with his dog, Sophie.