Your Roadmap to Retiring from Intermountain Health: What You Need to Know Before You Go

For decades, you’ve dedicated yourself to the mission of Intermountain Health—providing compassionate care and improving lives. As retirement approaches, it’s time to focus some of that same energy on your own financial wellness. 

Retiring from Intermountain Health comes with a unique set of benefits, decisions, and opportunities. Understanding your pension options, knowing how your 401(k) works, and making the best decisions on how to replace your paycheck with a reliable stream of income throughout retirement all need your attention.  

All of this requires much more than guesswork. It requires careful planning.  

At Peterson Wealth Advisors, we specialize in helping Intermountain Health caregivers retire with clarity and peace of mind. Here’s your step-by-step roadmap. 

1. Review Your Retirement Timeline and Pension Options 

First, understand when you’re eligible to retire with full benefits. Many Intermountain employees consider retiring in their early 60s, especially once they qualify for: 

• Pension benefits (if grandfathered) 

• Full vesting in the 401(k) match 

• Medicare or retiree healthcare options 

It’s important to look at more than just your age. Reviewing years of service, health coverage options, and whether retiring early will penalize your benefits.

2. Understand Your 401(k) Plan Options

Intermountain’s 401(k) is a key retirement asset. You may have both pre-tax (Traditional) and after-tax (Roth) contributions, as well as employer match money. At retirement, you’ll face decisions like: 

• Should I roll over my 401(k) to an IRA? 

• How should I draw income from it? 

• What’s the best way to reduce taxes on withdrawals? 

We help Intermountain retirees analyze these options and build a plan that maximizes retirement income while minimizing unnecessary taxes.

3. Coordinate Social Security and Medicare

Many healthcare professionals delay Social Security to increase their benefit. But is that right for you? Timing your benefits matters. And if you’re retiring before age 65, you’ll need a healthcare bridge until Medicare kicks in. 

We walk you through: 

• Medicare enrollment windows 

• Spousal coverage options 

• Social Security timing strategies

4. Replace Your Paycheck with Purpose

One of the biggest questions we help answer is: “How do I turn my savings into income I can count on?” 

That’s where our proprietary Perennial Income Model™ comes in. It breaks retirement into six 5-year segments and aligns your investments accordingly. You get: 

• A structured “retirement paycheck” every month 

• Protection against market downturns in early retirement 

• Protection against inflation later in retirement 

• Clarity on how much you can spend, give, and save 

It’s the opposite of guesswork. And it brings our clients tremendous peace of mind.

5. Don’t Forget Taxes and Legacy Planning

Retiring isn’t just about income; it’s also about efficiency. We help Intermountain retirees with: 

• Roth IRA conversions 

• Charitable giving and Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) 

• Updating estate plans to reflect new goals 

You’ve worked hard. Let’s make sure your retirement dollars work hard for you. 

 

Ready to retire from Intermountain Health with confidence? 

Visit petersonwealth.com or call (801) 225-0000 for a personalized consultation.