Financial Planning for Aerospace & Defense Engineers
Retirement planning built around the pensions, benefits, and career paths of the aerospace industry.
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Aerospace and defense careers don’t follow a standard financial template.
Depending on your employer and years of service, you might have a traditional pension, a Thrift Savings Plan, a 401(k) with company stock, or some combination of all three. Add in the security clearance requirements, program cycles, and relocations that often come with this field, and it’s easy to see why generic financial advice often falls short.
We’ve spent real time working with engineers, program managers, and other professionals across the aerospace industry, and we build plans around the benefits structures actually available to you, not a one-size-fits-all formula.
Where We Start: Your Retirement Income Gap
Two aerospace professionals with similar salaries and nearly identical career histories can need very different amounts from their investments. Pension eligibility, Social Security timing, and household income can all pull the number in different directions.
Instead of chasing a generic savings target, we start with your annual portfolio income gap, the difference between what you plan to spend in retirement and what dependable income, such as a pension or Social Security, will already cover. That gap becomes the number your investments actually need to produce, and it’s a far more accurate target than any rule of thumb.
What you plan to spend in retirement
Pension
Social Security
Income gap
Dependable income will already cover
Your annual portfolio income gapWhat your investments actually need to produce
What We Help Aerospace & Defense Professionals With
Pension analysis.
Whether you have a legacy defined-benefit pension, a Blended Retirement System benefit from military service, or no pension at all, we factor your actual projected benefit into your plan.
Thrift Savings Plan and 401(k) strategy.
Making the most of the accounts and match structures available through your specific employer.
Equity compensation.
Many aerospace and defense employers include company stock in total compensation. We help you manage concentration risk without ignoring the value it can add to your plan.
Retirement timing decisions.
Whether to retire now or work one more year is a common question in this field, and the answer depends on your pension formula, your health, and your broader financial picture, not just years of service.
Social Security integration.
Delaying past full retirement age can raise your monthly benefit by roughly 8% for each year of delay, up to age 70. We help you weigh that decision against pension income and other resources.
Stress-testing your plan.
We test your plan against retiring earlier than expected, a market downturn early in retirement, and rising healthcare costs, so you know how it holds up before you decide to leave.
Built From Real Experience in This Industry
Our work with aerospace professionals isn’t a side note. We’ve written extensively about the specific questions this industry raises, from how much aerospace professionals need to retire to whether it makes sense to retire now or work one more year. We bring that depth directly into your plan.
Our Approach
As fiduciaries, we’re legally obligated to act in your best interest, and we keep our own assets invested alongside our clients’, so our incentives stay aligned with yours. We favor a long-term, tactical approach built on fundamental analysis, using low-cost, transparent holdings that give you more direct control than a typical mutual fund or annuity.
A fiduciary, in your best interest
Our assets invested alongside yours
Low-cost, transparent holdings
Common questions
Aerospace & Defense Financial Planning FAQs
Straight answers to the questions aerospace and defense professionals ask us most.
Got more questions?
Ask us anythingHow much do aerospace professionals need to retire?
There’s no universal figure. The right number depends on your expected spending, pension eligibility, Social Security timing, and other income, translated into an annual portfolio income gap and then into an asset range using withdrawal assumptions.
How much is a 20-year military pension worth?
Under the current Blended Retirement System, 20 years of service generally produces a pension equal to about 40% of the average of your highest 36 months of basic pay. The legacy High-3 system credits a somewhat higher percentage per year served.
Should I retire now or work one more year?
It depends on your pension formula, your health, your household’s other income, and how close you are to a meaningful benefit milestone. We model both scenarios directly against your numbers so the decision isn’t a guess.
How do pensions and Social Security affect how much I need saved?
Every dollar of dependable pension or Social Security income reduces what your portfolio needs to produce, which narrows both your annual income gap and your overall savings target.
What should I do with company stock from my employer?
It depends on how concentrated your position is relative to your total net worth. We help you build a diversification plan that weighs the tax cost of selling against the risk of holding too much in one company.
Do you only work with aerospace professionals in Southern California?
No. While we’re based in Calabasas, California, in the heart of the aerospace corridor, we work with aerospace and defense professionals across the country.
Words from Our Clients
Independent Google reviews from those who trust us with their financial future.
“Alano has been managing my now quite sizeable Schwab rollover IRA and revocable trust accounts for 11 years. I’ve left practically all investment choices to him. The funds have grown substantially under his guidance. He and his staff have always been available and responsive to any requests I have for documents or explanations.”
— Donald S.
This is an unpaid solicited client testimonial. The client has had a financial relationship with Alano Massi for over 10 years and is providing his opinion. A client testimonial does not guarantee future investment success and should not be that any client or prospective client will experience a higher level of investment performance. This may present a conflict of interest as this particular client’s experience may or may not be the same as another client’s experience.
“I have worked with Alano Massi for several years and it has been an exceptional experience. Alano is very professional and knowledgeable, and he always makes time to understand my specific goals. Alano and his staff provide prompt and friendly communication, always available to answer my questions and ease my concerns.”
— Sarah C.
This is an unpaid solicited client testimonial. The client has had a financial relationship with Alano Massi for over 7 years and is providing her opinion. A client testimonial does not guarantee future investment success and should not be that any client or prospective client will experience a higher level of investment performance. This may present a conflict of interest as this particular client’s experience may or may not be the same as another client’s experience.
Financial Resources for Aerospace & Defense Engineers
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Schedule a complimentary consultation and let’s build a retirement plan around the career you’ve actually had, not a generic template.