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What could be more comforting than a dependable, consistent paycheck in retirement ? You can give yourself the opportunity to enjoy an attractive retirement income stream, month after month. But, planning to optimize your retirement income stream is just as critical as planning to accumulate your retirement nest egg.

Here are some steps you can take to help you plan to optimize your retirement paycheck.

1. Identify the source(s) of your retirement income. You will most likely receive income from several sources including Social Security, a pension or 401(k), an IRA, a taxable investment account or annuity.

2. Carefully time your first retirement paycheck. It may result in a larger paycheck. And, you may be able to retire sooner than you think. For example, the recent decline in interest rates has triggered a significant increase in the lump sum retirement benefit for many pension and defined benefit plan participants.

3. Estimate the amount of income you will need. It is important to do some cash-flow projections. These will allow you to match the size of your retirement paycheck to your expenses. It also helps determine the frequency with which you should draw your income, such as monthly or quarterly.

4. Pinpoint how much you can afford to pay yourself. The goal here is to pace your paychecks to avoid running short of money during retirement. Experts do not agree on one safe withdrawal rate. However, they do agree that your annual withdrawal rate generally should not exceed your average annual earnings rate.

5. Target the initial Asset Allocation you should maintain in retirement. The factors discussed above, such as the source of your retirement paycheck and your cash-flow requirements will influence your initial asset allocation. A general recommendation is to hold three to four years worth of income in cash and cash equivalents.

6. Determine whether to draw your paycheck from taxable accounts, tax-deferred accounts or a mix of both. The rule of thumb is to spend down your taxable accounts first. This permits your tax-deferred accounts to continue their tax-deferred or tax-free (as with Roth IRAs) growth.

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