Settled
Social Security claiming strategy
Eva spousal at 62½ + Lance at 65 = $58,524/yr from 2032. Confirmed unchanged Oct 21, 2026 against the re-issued SSA statement (62: $2,788 · 65: $3,498 · 67: $4,085 · 70: $5,149).
Spending target
$78,000/yr comfortable living, excluding mortgage. Total outflow ~$98,400/yr until Jul 2033, then $78,000/yr.
The plan works on paper
With Social Security included, ~4.4% withdrawal for ~18 months, then ~2.2%. No spending cuts needed. Fidelity’s below-average 2032 case ($810K) still works.
Cherry-pick beats all-or-nothing
Moving only the Nationwide annuity (2.22% → ~1.21%) saves ~$890/yr. Moving the Janus accounts costs ~$2,570/yr more. Fidelity Go would be ~$1,986/yr total if self-directed is preferred.
Retirement shape — leaning Ohio
Target 2032. Likely move to a less expensive house in Ohio, close to Jordan in Miamisburg. Current home equity would cover the new house outright. Leesburg house sale prep (2–3 yr horizon) is DIY interior work, no major renovations.
9-question email sent
Sent Oct 13, 2026 to Joe’s team & Anne, CC Eva, after Lance’s edits. Responses are scored above as they arrive.
Confirmed meeting
Drew Stilley meeting — Wed, Nov 4, 2026
Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 2:30–3:00pm EST, video conference. Confirmed by Anne Byerly and by Fidelity’s confirmation email. Lance picked the time, sent the reply, and created a calendar invite with Eva invited (Eva accepted). The Fidelity join link is on the calendar invite.
Waiting on Fidelity / Drew
Fee answers + PGC re-run
PGC re-run is still pending. Fee block (Q4–Q6, Q9 + 1.10% vs. 1.01%) will be covered at the confirmed Nov 4 Drew meeting.
Waiting on Lance
Confirm the annuity exit with Nationwide
Confirm in plain language that no surrender charge remains, and get an updated statement. Exit, when decided, is a direct trustee-to-trustee transfer to a Fidelity Rollover IRA — never a check payable personally.
401(k) contribution change — due Oct 31
Per Joe’s verbal recommendation to favor the 401(k) (with the 100% match on the first 4% at GovCIO) over extra mortgage payments, plus the move to the more aggressive growth fund.
Social Security & the 2032 math
SSA statement re-issued Oct 21, 2026 — identical estimates to Aug 2026 at every age.
Lance — monthly benefit by claiming age
Earnings record through 2025: $163,109. Statement assumes that earnings level continues. Disability $3,946/mo · Survivor (spouse at FRA) $3,974/mo · Family max $6,954/mo.
The settled strategy
Eva takes the spousal benefit at 62½ (~$1,379/mo) — it dwarfs her own record ($1,000/mo at 67, ~$2,043/mo spousal at her FRA) — and Lance files at 65 ($3,498/mo).
Portfolio then bridges only ~$19,500/yr after the mortgage is gone (~2.2% withdrawal) and ~$40,000/yr for the first ~18 months (~4.4%) — both inside Fidelity’s own 4–5% guideline.
Health care — the number to plan around
Fidelity’s 2026 Retiree Health Care Estimate for a 65-year-old retiring today — up 7.5% YoY. ~48% Medicare cost-sharing, ~45% Part B/D premiums, ~7% Rx. Excludes long-term care, dental, vision & hearing. For a couple, roughly double. Anne confirms the plan models health-care inflation above the 2.5% general rate.
401(k) vs. mortgage — Joe’s verbal steer
At the exact 4% match level: $566.67/mo from Lance + $566.67/mo match = $1,133.33/mo into the 401(k), vs. the same $566.67/mo as an extra mortgage payment. Lance plans to move the 401(k) to the plan’s more aggressive growth fund alongside the increase. Contribution change is due Oct 31.
Mortgage on its own: $112,586 at 4.85% pays off Jul 2033 — about 18 months after withdrawals begin.