Question: “My husband and I are a young 66. We are very active and preparing for retirement. We have been consumed with careers, travel and adoption of two boys who are now on their own working. We sold our home of 23 years in Charleston to be with our parents in Florida. Thankfully, our home in Florida has appreciated since we bought it, but not as much as I would’ve hoped. Now that our parents have passed and we are in good health, we don’t want to stay in Florida.

Our plan was always to return to Southern California where we started out after college. Since California taxes are high, it seems like Charleston might be a better option, but we don’t love the energy of the East Coast anymore. We don’t have much of a mortgage and we’re debt free. We struggle with where to retire, where we can enjoy the outdoors, outdoor living and meet new folks. We also don’t know how much we can safely spend and we need help on tax protection. I’d build a home as there is an enormous shortage but money is expensive with current interest rates. We’re conservative adventurers. How can we find an adviser who is a good match for us?”

Answer: At a high level, hiring a financial planner might be a good idea, especially for people like you who are preparing for retirement, pros say. You can use this free tool to get matched with financial advisers, from our partner SmartAsset, as well as sites like CFP Board and NAPFA. “Retirement spending is best set through detailed cash flow modeling that a financial adviser can help you with. At 66, you should assume around 25 years of spending and base the plan on taxes and all available income sources,” says Bill Harris, founder and CEO of Evergreen Wealth.

Have an issue with your financial planner or looking for a new one? Email questions or concerns to picks@marketwatch.com.

A good adviser would want to talk to you about everything from outdoor living, travel, spending time with grandkids, community and more, says financial professional and career strategist Trevor Houston at ClearPath Wealth Strategies.

“When an uncertain couple comes to me at this moment, I always start with their monthly lifestyle budget before I analyze their full financial situation. What does a great month actually cost you?” says Houston. “You need to be honest about the rhythm you want in retirement because everyone is different. Once you know that number [the monthly cost], you can test and evaluate its compatibility with Social Security benefits, investment withdrawals and all other available income sources.”

Things to consider when deciding where to live

As for moving to another state, you’ll want to carefully choose where you end up. “Relocating to a high-tax state [could be] doable if you model the full financial impact. Consider state income taxes, housing costs, healthcare and how your future investment withdrawals during retirement will be taxed,” says Harris.

That said, JB Beckett of Beckett Financial Group says you don’t just want to move because of emotional reasons or because of recently lowered taxes. “With the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the temporary tax relief [referring to the expanded SALT deduction limits] is less of a strain on residents in states like California and New York, but what happens if the increased SALT exemptions go away? Taxes can be a huge issue when it comes to where to live for the long-term — and financially, moving to a state with historically high taxes can be a detriment to a thriving retirement. That’s only part of the puzzle when it comes to not running out of money in retirement. It’s also important to be sure you move for the right reasons,” says Beckett.

Moving to a high-tax state can certainly be viable. “It’s just important to create a realistic estimate of the higher costs and make sure your financial plan can accommodate them. If you decide to move to California, factor in state income tax if you’ll be relying on pre-tax retirement account withdrawals or investment accounts with large capital gains,” says Matt Hylland at Arnold and Mote Wealth Management.

Indeed, the tax bracket you end up in largely comes down to tax planning. “You can plan appropriately by leveraging daily screens for loss harvesting, proper asset allocation and using tax-gain harvesting to move appreciated stock into a donor-advised fund,” says Harris.

One plan that some pros recommend is test-driving places — by renting for 6 months or so — before you move full-time. You’ll get to see if you enjoy the people, lifestyle and more.

Should you build your own house?

To plan for building a new home amid high borrowing costs, Harris says with the right tax-aware plan, you can set aside cash for the rebuild, keep your reserves intact and finance what’s needed without liquidating long-term investments at the wrong time.

Furthermore, the phrase “marry the house, date the rate” comes to mind here, but when it comes to retirement, you don’t want to have your budget go down to the penny just because of a high interest rate, says Beckett.

It’s not uncommon for some form of borrowing to be advantageous to retirees in years with high expenses, says Hylland. “If a significant portion of your net worth is in a pre-tax retirement account, such as an IRA or 401(k), the tax costs could be very high to do a large one-time withdrawal,” says Hylland.

For this reason, you may want to compare the financing costs to the tax costs to see which is lower. “Given today’s mortgage rates, paying 6% on a mortgage may ultimately be cheaper than jumping into a higher tax bracket,” says Hylland.

What kind of financial planner is right?

Of course, not everyone needs a financial planner, but if you’re ever going to get one, leading into retirement is a good time. “A good adviser manages your money in an optimal way so you can focus on living your life and not worrying about your money,” says Harris.  

Working with a financial adviser should provide you with a detailed tax-efficient withdrawal plan and validation that your plan is in strong shape, says Hylland. “Even if a long term relationship with an adviser is not warranted, a short term engagement focused on financial planning with a fee-only, flat fee adviser could help you walk away confident and equipped with a strategy going forward,” says Hylland.

When it comes to your finances, it may help to think of them the way you think about your health. “Consider what might happen if you need major specialty surgery down the line. Would you go see a general practitioner or would you go to a highly rated specialist? The same goes with finances. It’s vitally important to meet with an experienced financial adviser with the experience and know-how working with pre-retirees and retirees to know how much is safe to spend in retirement. Find someone with many successful years in the financial trenches helping people protect their nest eggs and helping people thrive in retirement,” says Beckett.

If you’re still considering whether it’s worth it to outsource and hire a professional, Houston recommends asking yourself three essential questions: “Do you fully understand it? Do you enjoy it? Do you have the time? If you answer no to any of these questions, chances are it would make sense to outsource to a professional who does,” says Houston. You can use this free tool to match you with financial advisers, from our partner SmartAsset, as well as sites like CFP Board and NAPFA.

Have an issue with your financial planner or looking for a new one? Email questions or concerns to picks@marketwatch.com.

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