Building Financial Confidence: Imran Razvi’s Approach to Risk Management Services

Planning for retirement is more than saving a number; it’s about protecting what you’ve built and designing an income plan that supports your life and legacy. Imran "Raz" Razvi, founder of Higher Ground Financial Group, centers his practice on comprehensive risk management—a structured, values-driven process that minimizes exposure to market, tax, and longevity risks while creating a clear, actionable path for retirement. By blending disciplined strategy with purposeful planning, Imran helps clients move from uncertainty to clarity and confidence.

Why Risk Management Services Matter in Retirement

Risk shows up in many forms during retirement: market volatility, inflation, living longer than expected, tax uncertainty, and unplanned healthcare costs. Left unaddressed, these threats can erode lifestyle choices, shrink legacies, and force reactive decisions that cost more in the long run.

Effective risk management services begin with early detection. A careful review of assets, tax profiles, income needs, and spending patterns reveals where portfolios are vulnerable and which steps will have the greatest impact. Imran Razvi emphasizes stewardship—preparing for what can be anticipated and building flexibility for what cannot. The result is an approach that reduces the chance of irreversible mistakes and gives retirees a measured path to both security and opportunity.

Retirement Researcher Wade Pfau highlights how sequence-of-returns risk can permanently damage retirement outcomes when bad market years occur early in retirement. That insight shapes how Higher Ground structures income so portfolios aren’t left exposed at the most vulnerable moments.

Social Security as Part of Your Retirement Income Planning

Conventional wisdom often tells people to delay Social Security to maximize lifetime benefits. While that advice can be appropriate for many, Higher Ground Financial Group takes a situational approach. For clients who have sufficient savings and a desire to preserve investment assets for heirs or other legacy goals, Imran Razvi frequently recommends claiming Social Security earlier.

Why? Social Security taken earlier often provides a useful, guaranteed cash flow that allows investment portfolios to remain invested and compound longer. You can’t bequeath Social Security; you can bequeath investments. For many households, the smarter legacy decision is to spend Social Security first and leave appreciated investments for beneficiaries. This timing choice prioritizes liquidity, reduces pressure on portfolios in early retirement, and supports intergenerational planning.

The decision is always individualized—HGFG examines each person’s cash flow needs, tax picture, and legacy objectives to determine the optimal Social Security timing.

Imran Razvi’s Approach to Sustainable Income Planning

Income planning at Higher Ground is built on balancing guaranteed and growth-oriented sources. Common tools include:

• Contract-based assets (income annuities, certain insurance-based instruments) to cover essential, nondiscretionary cash needs.

• Diversified investment portfolios that provide growth potential and liquidity.

• Pensions and other guaranteed sources when available.

Imran Razvi’s process integrates risk management with income construction so stability and growth coexist. Central to his philosophy is combating the “three retirement killers”: risk, fees, and taxes. Reducing management fees, minimizing unnecessary trading, choosing tax-efficient products, and aligning asset allocation to income goals are routine parts of HGFG’s playbook. The aim is to deliver dependable income without sacrificing long-term growth or legacy outcomes.

Crafting a Smart Withdrawal and Risk Strategy

Withdrawal strategy is the point where planning becomes real-life decision-making—and where small missteps can create long-term consequences. At Higher Ground Financial Group, Imran Razvi ensures clients avoid rigid, generic withdrawal rules. Instead of following a formulaic tax order, HGFG designs strategies that reflect tax law, market behavior, sequence-of-returns risk, and long-term legacy goals.

One of HGFG’s core principles is protecting the power of tax-free growth. When completing Roth conversions, clients are encouraged not to use IRA funds to pay the conversion taxes. Paying taxes with outside assets allows the full IRA balance to convert and compound inside the Roth. Even if a client temporarily borrows to cover taxes, that loan can later be repaid with Roth assets—preserving the benefits of long-term, tax-free growth without diminishing the conversion itself.

HGFG also challenges the traditional idea that withdrawals should always begin with taxable accounts before tapping tax-deferred or tax-free assets. For many individuals, especially those with substantial IRA balances, addressing tax-deferred accounts earlier—either through strategic spending or Roth conversions—can prevent future required minimum distributions from pushing them into higher tax brackets. HGFG’s tax attorneys create personalized plans that may recommend drawing from IRAs sooner to help smooth out lifetime tax exposure.

When designing an income strategy, HGFG frequently uses structured approaches that add protection and reduce stress during market volatility. One method is the volatility-buffer strategy, which divides assets between contract-based and market-based vehicles. During market downturns, withdrawals are taken from the contract-based assets, preserving the market accounts. When markets recover, withdrawals shift back to the growth-oriented investments. This approach helps reduce the risk of locking in losses during poor market periods.

Another option is the Paychecks & Playchecks® approach, originally popularized by Tom Hegna. This method creates a guaranteed “private pension” to cover essential lifestyle costs—your “paycheck”—while the remaining assets form the “playcheck,” used for discretionary goals, travel, giving, or legacy planning. The guaranteed income reduces pressure on market-exposed assets and supports both stability and enjoyment in retirement.

By combining tax-aware strategies with structured income planning, HGFG helps clients maintain spending power, reduce the likelihood of tax shocks, and protect the assets they want to pass on. These techniques ensure retirees have a plan that adapts, endures, and supports confidence for decades to come.

Common Risk Management Mistakes to Avoid

Retirees frequently make a handful of avoidable missteps:

• Withdrawing from the wrong accounts at the wrong time, which can trigger unnecessary taxes and reduce lifelong income.

• Overconcentration in opinion-based (market-only) assets without a contract-based income layer.

• No contingency plan for market downturns, leaving retirees to sell at the worst time.

• Operating without a coordinated tax strategy, resulting in surprise tax bills or poor timing for RMDs.

• Ignoring inflation or longevity, underestimating how long income must last and how much it must buy.

Imran Razvi’s risk management services address these errors with proactive oversight, regular plan reviews, and adjustments that reflect life changes and market conditions. HGFG focuses on controlling what can be controlled—taxes, fees, and strategy—to reduce anxiety and increase long-term confidence.

Imran Razvi’s Key Lessons on Financial Stewardship

At its core, Imran Razvi’s approach is about stewardship. The goal is not only to protect assets, but to empower clients to live intentionally—today and for future generations. His guiding lessons include:

• Discipline in planning and execution.

• Diversified income structures that combine guaranteed and growth components.

• Tax-aware decisions that prevent future surprises.

• Purpose-driven choices that align financial decisions with family values and legacy goals.

Risk management under this framework becomes a vehicle for freedom, not just defense.

Secure Your Next Chapter with Strategic Risk Management

If you seek a retirement plan that protects lifestyle, preserves legacy, and provides clarity in uncertain markets, connect with Imran Razvi and the team at Higher Ground Financial Group. Thoughtful, tax-aware risk management can transform retirement from a source of worry into a season of purpose and confidence.

Visit Higher Ground’s contact page or reach out to schedule a conversation about how tailored risk management can secure your next chapter.