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“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.” Saint Augustine.

You thought the hard part was over; you climbed Mount Everest. Now its time to safely descend the mountain.

A “Google” search of “climbing Mount Everest” shows 15 million inquiries yet “descending mount Everest” brings up only 48,000 findings. So what happened to the other 14,952,000 climbers? Either they didn’t need any help or they wonder aimlessly down the mountain without a real plan.

Reaching your first goal and then shifting gears for your descent down the mountain are important and tricky maneuvers. It’s no different with reaching retirement and actually being in retirement in that they’re both crucial stages when pursuing retirement success.

Like the mountain climber preparing to descend the mountain, women who expect to retire should plan their route. The closer one is to retirement the more likely one is to define fear as the reason for inertia — they’re afraid to make the wrong decisions. So what happens is that we stay stuck, paralyzed by fear or take the first steps with no strategic plan in place and just hope for the best.

Women generally have fewer retirement resources and are more likely to live longer and be on their own at some point. Managing risk is a big piece of retirement planning. Inflation will eat up retirement savings, a market downturn could deplete needed assets, a major illness or disability, or longevity risk the risk of outliving your retirement assets all need to be addressed. The five years before retirement and the first five years into retirement are the most important time when it comes to managing these risks; because, for many, it’s the time they can least afford them.

Imagine reaching the summit and then looking downward only to find a completely different challenge. You knew what to expect on the uphill trek. The views were great, you could see your progress mount and then bam! looking down that mountain is a bit scary.

So what should you look for when planning your path down the mountain? Start with your expected sources of retirement funding. These are social security, 401(k), 403 (b) and 457 plans, personal savings, investments, IRA’s, your own pension or spouse’s pension. You may continue working, have an inheritance, private business/investment real estate income, a personal annuity or life insurance policy, or downsize your home or use a reverse mortgage. Your answers and the path you take will depend on your life experiences, age and health.

One of the reasons that boomers are thinking more about retirement needs (or should be) is that we’re sandwiched between dependent children (of all ages!) and parents needing help. No wonder we feel stretched and stressed at times. About three-quarters of women say they worry about these issues emphasizing the fact that this is serious business.

Maintaining lifestyle in retirement is a priority. As one gets close to retirement and the prospect becomes real. Maintaining your lifestyle, not becoming a financial burden to others and protecting your nest egg become more important.

Personal savings will make the biggest difference in the quality of retirement. It is still important to have an understanding and working knowledge of other ways to provide for your retirement. The more you know, the more you grow — in both confidence and security.

Who do you rely on for guidance? Family, friends, your employer, maybe the internet? Most women gravitate toward a rational process. Confidence is increased by knowledge. Women who do tend to follow their gut or emotions are not quite as confident in their decisions.

Compared to single or married women, divorced women name their first choice for financial information and support as a financial advisor. Single women turn to friends and the Internet as their first choices while married women tend to use their spouse or an advisor. A woman’s intuition may be a positive force in a lot of her life’s decisions, but not so much so with financial issues.

You may have a strong grasp of financial products and services and understand them as presented in your workplace such as retirement plans and insurance. However, when it comes to the distribution phases we may require more involvement, knowledge and use of resources to build preparedness for financial decision-making. An investment policy statement will help you define your goals, assess the risks and assist you in achieving your financial goals.

Staying stuck isn’t the answer. Doing the work is the answer. As with most things in life the results are more than worth the effort.

The Polish writer Stanislaw Lem said that “you climb to reach the summit, but once there, discover that all roads lead down.” Which is the right path for you? The answer is “it depends.”

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Darcie Guerin is a financial adviser and branch manager at Raymond James & Associates Inc. at 606 Bald Eagle Drive, suite 401, Marco Island. Contact her at Darcie.Guerin@raymondjames.com, 389-1041 or toll-free (866) 343-0882.