The Next Five Years Define Your Retirement
The years leading up to retirement are when wealth preservation, income planning, and investment discipline need to blend together with attention and care.
Financial Planning for
Pre-Retirees in Maryland
Marks Wealth Management works with individuals and families who are approaching retirement with $1 million or more in investable assets. The years leading into retirement, often called the Retirement Red Zone, require careful coordination between income planning, investment strategy, taxes, and long-term risk management.
Our team is led by a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and supported by a Chartered Market Technician (CMT), combining retirement planning with active investment oversight. As an independent, fee-only fiduciary firm, we help clients build retirement strategies designed to support long-term financial security and flexibility.
Why the Years Before Retirement Carry the Most Weight
The years leading into retirement often carry more financial consequence than the decades before them. Decisions about income, withdrawals, taxes, and portfolio risk can shape how retirement unfolds for years to come.
These are some of the questions we help pre-retirees navigate through the Retirement Red Zone.
When Can I Afford to Retire?
Retirement timing depends on more than reaching a number. Income needs, healthcare costs, Social Security timing, and portfolio longevity all influence when work becomes optional.
We build retirement projections across multiple scenarios so your decision is grounded in planning rather than assumptions.
Will My Money Last Through Retirement?
Market losses early in retirement can have an outsized impact on long-term income sustainability, especially once withdrawals begin.
Our investment process includes active oversight designed to help manage downside risk while keeping your long-term plan intact.
Is My Portfolio Built for Income or Still Built for Growth?
The portfolio that helped build your wealth may not be structured for retirement distributions. Income generation, downside protection, and long-term growth often need to be balanced differently after retirement begins.
We align portfolio strategy with your retirement income needs, risk tolerance, and long-term goals.
How Do I Navigate Social Security, Taxes, and Retirement Income?
The timing of Social Security benefits and retirement withdrawals can materially affect long-term income and tax exposure, particularly in Maryland’s state and local tax environment.
We model multiple withdrawal and income strategies to help improve coordination between taxes, Social Security, and retirement income planning.
Financial Planning Built for the Retirement Red Zone
Retirement planning in the last five years before retirement requires coordination across income, investments, taxes, and long-term risk management. These are the services Marks Wealth Management uses to help pre-retirees prepare for the transition into retirement.
Retirement and Social Security Planning
Retirement income planning coordinates Social Security timing, withdrawal strategy, pensions, and portfolio income within one long-term plan. We model multiple retirement scenarios to help clients evaluate when retirement becomes financially sustainable and how income may hold up over time.
Supporting Your Retirement Plan Across Every Dimension
Retirement planning affects investment strategy, taxes, estate planning, and long-term risk management. These services help support the broader financial decisions that shape retirement.
Active Investment Management
Your portfolio is managed with ongoing oversight designed to help address market risk. Our investment process incorporates technical analysis, risk evaluation, and active management rather than relying solely on periodic rebalancing.
Risk Management Services
Risk management in retirement extends beyond portfolio allocation alone. We evaluate insurance coverage, withdrawal exposure, market risk, and long-term income sustainability within the context of your broader financial plan.
Tax Planning and Strategy
Retirement withdrawals, Roth conversions, and investment decisions all carry tax implications. We help coordinate tax-aware strategies designed to support long-term retirement income planning.
Estate and Legacy Planning
Estate planning helps ensure that beneficiary decisions, trust structures, and wealth-transfer goals remain aligned with your broader financial plan and long-term family priorities.
Featured In
We’re honored to be recognized by Forbes for the work we do on behalf of our clients.
Your Retirement Plan Starts with a Conversation
We begin every engagement with a free financial plan: a full diagnostic of your retirement readiness, built by a Certified Financial Planner and reviewed by our team. No fee is discussed until the plan is complete.
Why Marks Wealth Management?
Financial planning requires more than projections alone. It requires coordinated guidance, informed decision-making, and a long-term strategy built around your goals.
Planning Led by a Certified Financial Planner
Your financial plan is guided by a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) who evaluates retirement, income, taxes, investments, and long-term goals as part of one coordinated strategy.
Portfolio Management Built Around Your Goals
Your portfolio is managed with attention to retirement income, long-term financial stability, and changing market conditions. Our investment process incorporates technical analysis through a Chartered Market Technician (CMT) alongside ongoing risk evaluation designed to support the realities of retirement planning.
A Long-Term Partner for the Years Ahead
We know your financial life does not follow a straight line, and neither should your advisory relationship. As your goals, responsibilities, and situations change over time, so should your financial plan.
Our team is structured to support you throughout the years to come and adapt alongside every stage of life.
Meet Charlie Marks, Your Retirement Red Zone Advisor
Charlie Marks founded Marks Wealth Management to provide pre-retirees with active, fiduciary retirement planning during the years leading into retirement. Recognized by Forbes as a Best-In-State Wealth Advisor, he works with clients navigating the Retirement Red Zone through coordinated investment, income, and long-term financial planning.
What Our Clients Say
Have been with MWM since retiring in 2022 and it’s one of the best financial decisions I’ve ever made. They have solid investment strategies with expert analysis that adapts to the ever changing markets in order to grow your portfolio. This coupled with regular communications and support have made the financial side of retirement a piece of cake. So, check out MWM and make your life easy.
Cary Allen
The entire Marks Wealth Management team is great to work with. Since investing with them, my portfolio has steadily increased and reaffirms what a great decision it was to trust them with my portfolio.
Donnie Halloway
As an older retiree, I have depended on Charles and his team to help keep me as independent as possible. I am one of the few among my friends who doesn’t seem to have money worries. Special thanks to Catherine and Taylor for all your care.
Jan Dove
I’ve been with Charlie MWM for 11 years now and could not be more pleased. His staff is very attentive, knowledgeable and professional. In a word …outstanding!
Joe Karl
Our Process
The best financial decisions start with a clear understanding of your goals, your current position, and then understanding the path ahead.
Our process is built around bringing clarity, transparency, and ongoing guidance to every stage of your financial future.
Goal Orientation
We start by getting to know your goals, priorities, and ambitions so every recommendation begins with what matters most to you.
Financial Review
We assess your current financial picture, including existing accounts, investments, contributions, and opportunities for improvements, to understand exactly where you stand today and see where we can help.
Planning & Forecasting
We build a forward-looking plan around your retirement timeline, cash flow needs, and future income sources to map the financial path ahead.
Strategic Guidance
We present clear recommendations and give you full visibility into your plan so you can understand each decision and move forward with confidence.
Implementation
We put your plan into action with careful coordination and clear communication, so each step is carried out smoothly and transparently.
Active Monitoring & Review
We continue to review your holdings, contributions, and overall strategy over time, making thoughtful adjustments as your life and financial needs evolve.
Let’s Talk About Your Retirement Plan
The stress of money is real. So is the relief of having a plan built to support the years ahead.
Questions About Retiring in Maryland
Key Takeaway:
Marks Wealth Management provides fee-only fiduciary financial planning for pre-retirees in Maryland with $1 million or more in investable assets. Our team helps clients coordinate retirement income planning, investment strategy, taxes, Social Security decisions, and long-term risk management during the years leading into retirement.
Many people begin planning 5 to 10 years before retirement, when decisions around Social Security, taxes, retirement income, and portfolio structure become more interconnected. Even starting 1 to 2 years before retirement can create opportunities to improve long-term planning outcomes.
Retirement readiness depends on your income needs, lifestyle goals, healthcare costs, tax exposure, and how long your portfolio needs to support retirement. Because Maryland’s cost of living and tax environment can affect long-term planning, retirement projections should reflect your specific financial situation rather than generalized benchmarks.
The Retirement Red Zone refers to the years immediately before and after retirement, when investment losses and withdrawal decisions can have a greater impact on long-term retirement income. During this period, portfolio strategy, risk management, and income planning often require closer coordination.
There is no universal retirement number. Retirement readiness depends on your spending needs, income sources, healthcare costs, taxes, and long-term goals. We build personalized retirement projections designed around your specific financial situation rather than relying on generalized savings benchmarks.
Key Takeaway:
Marks Wealth Management provides fee-only fiduciary financial planning for individuals, families, business owners, pre-retirees, and professionals across Maryland with complex financial lives and long-term planning needs. Our team helps clients coordinate investment strategy, retirement planning, taxes, employer benefits, and estate considerations within one comprehensive financial plan.