Nassau and Suffolk
Retirement planning on Long Island,
explained plainly.
Understand your 401(k), equity compensation, pension, and more from primary sources, before making decisions difficult to undo.
Booking is handled through Rosefinch Investment Advisors.
Local presence. Global reach.
How we work
Zachary Zanghi
In the industry since 2008
Nassau & Suffolk
Where we work
Why this site exists
This site is written for Long Island, not for the country as a whole. Long Island households retire with a specific pension at the top of its system, an employer’s equity and deferred compensation plans, or an estate within reach of the New York cliff, and the general answer may not fit. This site is written for that gap.
I have spent most of my career advising clients in the United States and abroad, often on questions that span two countries and two tax systems. Many of the same principles apply here. My aim is to help as many Long Island households as I can make sound retirement decisions.
Zachary Zanghi
Start with your situation
Educational content written for the country at large skips the part that matters most.
The specific pension, benefit, and employer rules you are actually working with. These run from the general to the very particular.
Four kinds of pay on four clocks: the deferred compensation election you make once, the 10b5-1 cooling-off period that decides which year your shares sell in, the incentive stock option year, and the final year when everything lands at once.
Business owners
The sale year, the entity, the retirement plan you control, and the estate you did not know you had.
Corporate 401(k) and legacy pensions
Lump sum against annuity, the rollover nobody is paid to discourage, and net unrealized appreciation.
Healthcare professionals
Physicians, nurses, and hospital staff at Northwell, NYU Langone, Catholic Health, Stony Brook, and the rest. Your employer decides which rules apply.
Nassau and Suffolk County
Police and fire 20-year plans, the 457 balance the pension never touched, and the survivor election on a six-figure benefit.
Teachers and administrators
NYSTRS at 58 with 30 years, the 403(b) beside the pension, and the dual-pension household.
LIRR and MTA
Railroad Retirement at the senior end, the 401(k), and timing the railroad annuity against a spouse’s Social Security.
Not sure which of these describes you? That is a good reason to get in touch. We can work it out in a short conversation, at no charge and with no obligation.
Insights
Recent articles.
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The service cliff in the Tier 4 teacher pension, explained
How the NYSTRS teacher pension formula changes at the service cliff, why months of credit can matter, and what to verify before you file…
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Pension or the SUNY ORP: the one-time choice at Stony Brook
Some Stony Brook Medicine staff choose once between a state pension and the SUNY Optional Retirement Program. What each promises and where the rules…
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The household that owes New York $721,694 and nothing to the IRS
A paid-off house, two retirement accounts, a brokerage account, a term policy and a Florida condominium. No federal estate tax at all. A New…
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New York adds gifts back for three years, and never asks what you were thinking
New York has no gift tax, but it adds taxable gifts made in the last three years back into the estate, with four exceptions…
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Medicare open enrollment starts October 15. The premium question was settled two years ago
From October 15 to December 7 you can change Medicare Advantage and Part D coverage for 2027. What you cannot change in that window…
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Turning 73 this year? Your first required withdrawal has two deadlines
If you were born in 1953 you reach 73 in 2026. The first required minimum distribution can wait until April 1, 2027, but waiting…
Written by Zachary Zanghi
Senior partner at Rosefinch Investment Advisors, in the industry since 2008, based on Long Island with his family. His wife is a Long Island public school teacher and a Tier 6 NYSTRS member, so he sits on the same side of the table as the families he works with. He writes from primary sources.
Check the background of this financial professional on FINRA’s BrokerCheck.
Read by topic
Seven subjects that shape a retirement decision.
The guides
Two guides you can work through at your own pace.
The Long Island Retirement Checklist is organized by how much time you have left rather than by topic, because that is what determines what you can still fix. The Rollover Decision Guide covers the four options and the questions to ask anyone recommending one.
Both guides are on this site in full, and reading them asks nothing of you. If you would rather have the PDF, the form asks for your name and email, and a telephone number only if you want a call. We follow up by email after a request.
This page is general. Your situation is not.
Everything here is written for a general reader. What it does not do is tell you which choice is right for your own household. That is a short conversation, at no charge and with no obligation.
Book your Retirement ReviewNot ready to book? Answer a few questions about your situation, or send a message.
Booking is handled through Rosefinch Investment Advisors. LI Retirement is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any government agency, retirement system, plan sponsor, or employer named on this site.