Take The Free Retirement Readiness Assessment from Morrow

Whether you’re an experienced investor or a complete beginner, chances are that you could probably use a helping hand when it comes to retirement planning.

Navigating the retirement planning process on your own can be confusing, exhausting, and dangerous depending on your level of experience. I’m a big proponent of doing your own research and being as informed as you can be. And obviously, there’s a wealth of information online regarding retirement planning and financial independence—but when it comes to ensuring that you’ll be set for the rest of your life…it’s definitely worth getting an expert opinion to make sure that you’re on the right track.

That’s where our friends over at Morrow come in. Morrow is a platform that helps everyday people successfully navigate the challenges of retirement by offering fantastic resources at very reasonable rates.

Let’s take a look at what Morrow has to offer.

The Retirement Readiness Assessment

One of our favorite resources from Morrow is the Retirement Readiness Assessment that they graciously offer free of charge. You can take the assessment in just a few minutes and it will give you a snapshot of where you are in your retirement journey.

I had a chance to catch up with Morrow’s CEO, Sammy MacFarlane, and he gave us some insight into the full value of the report.

“The retirement readiness report is a personalized report that gives a comprehensive picture of how ready you are for all areas of retirement - maybe even some that you haven’t considered before. Too many people, and even more financial advisors, think only of investments when they consider retirement. This report expands that thinking.

It was developed by a team of CFP® Professionals, with advanced degrees, and over 25 years of combined retirement planning experience. Our team was focused on helping people think differently about retirement planning in order to help them become more prepared”.

After taking the assessment myself, I can tell you that the questions were designed to be comprehensive, without asking for personal information, which I know a lot of people can be hesitant to share. Some questions test knowledge, while others encourage thinking about retirement preparedness. All can be answered without any advanced preparation.

The only personal information Morrow asks for is your name and email address so that they know where to send your report. The other questions are more general in nature. More importantly, any information they receive from you will stay with Morrow. If you indicate that you’d like to hear more about Morrow’s resources, then you’ll continue to receive emails from them in the future.

Once you submit your assessment, Morrow’s team evaluates your answers and generates your scores - usually within one business day.

1-on-1 Access to Retirement Professionals

The primary value of Morrow’s service is the 1-on-1 access subscribers get to the retirement professionals that they refer to as “Navigators”. Instead of having an app or robo-advisor spit out generic advice, Morrow’s navigators will work with you personally to understand your specific retirement goals, and then they’ll develop a custom-made plan that you’ll work together to execute.

So what makes Morrow’s Navigators qualified to advise you? MacFarlane was able to shed some light on their retirement professionals' qualifications.

“Every Navigator is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with years of experience helping people of all backgrounds retire with confidence. The Morrow Navigator acts as a retirement “care-coordinator” who works with the member to understand their goals and needs to effectively provide actionable steps for building a secure retirement.”

When it comes to buying things off the internet, trust and authority are obviously concerns—especially in the fintech industry. But you can be assured that all of Morrow’s retirement Navigators are Certified Financial Planners.

Other platforms offer cookie-cutter resources—but Morrow’s philosophy is to personalize their advice to fit the specific needs of each individual user.

While the 1-on1 access to Morrow’s Navigators is the highlight of their service, they also provide a number of resources like webinars, educational materials, and virtual learning sessions to help make sure that their members are informed and up to date.

Pricing

So what does all this cost? You would think that 1-on-1 access to a CFP and a personalized retirement plan has to be pretty spendy, but you would be wrong. Regarding the price, “Morrow was started to make professional retirement support accessible to everyday individuals, not just the ultra-wealthy. That is reflected in our price point at just $20 per month” MacFarlane commented.

But should you be skeptical of $20 retirement advice? MacFarlane weighs in on that too.

“...we know people can be wary of financial advisors and our price could appear “too good to be true.” So, we also offer a $50, single-fee Starter Experience package, which includes two 1:1 calls with a Navigator to answer someone’s most pressing retirement questions and concerns.”

A final word on Morrow & Retirement Readiness

Since the time that I was in middle school, I can recall conversations about how my generation shouldn’t rely on Social Security being there for us by the time we retire. And for most of my adult life, my idea of “retirement planning” was haphazardly dumping money into a 401(K) without having any idea what I was actually investing in.  

Morrow is the type of service that I wish I had access to a decade ago, and I am beyond thrilled that they collaborated with us to bring you this free retirement readiness assessment. Learn more about Morrow here.