Here’s the retirement quandary for many Americans. They spend years building good financial habits so, if all goes well, they have sufficient funds by the end of their working years. Then, when it’s time to transition, they often struggle in the shift from saving to spending their nest egg.

The no-stress years suddenly become the all-stress years.

“It’s disappointing to get to your first couple of years of retirement, and just constantly be stressed out about your income generation strategy from your portfolio,” said Andy Baxley, senior financial planner at the Planning Center.

But “there are things that can and should be done to mitigate that stress,” he said.

Here are some of his, and other experts’, greatest tips for a smooth retirement. Caveat: Not all of these steps fit every situation. So if you can afford it, consulting with a financial adviser is always a good way to go.

Step 1: Phase out of work gradually

Baxley believes in what he and others call a “phased retirement.” In other words, rather than retiring all at once, slowly phase out of work, “maybe going to third time or halftime,” or even find another job that would accommodate such a plan.

“Then that way, you’re kind of splitting the difference,” he said. “You’re starting to rely on your financial assets a bit but you’re also still earning a paycheck and that can really help to ease the transition financially but also emotionally as well.”

Step 2: Ramp up contributions to your retirement account

Julie Virta, a CFP at Vanguard, explained that folks tend to think they’ll spend less in retirement. But, contrary to popular belief, they often spend the same amount, especially if they have travel or other such plans.

Ideally, around five years out, soon-to-be retirees should begin ramping up contributions to IRAs and 401(k)s to increase their retirement fund, Virta said. That’s often a good thing not only for the nest egg, but also the state of mind. Also, tax laws currently allow people over 50 to put more into retirement plans pre-tax, per the IRS.

“[It] Gives them the opportunity to really bump up the savings in those five plus years ahead of the actual retirement,” she said. “It can also be a good time to look at your budget and see how you would spend from your portfolio without your earnings.”

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Step 3: Create a ‘retirement paycheck’

One great way to turn down the stress meter: Baxley tells clients to “recreate the experience they had while still receiving a paycheck.” That means, receiving regular payments instead of drawing out a year’s worth of cash out of your retirement account.

“It’s easy to replicate how your paycheck is felt by just simply setting up automatic, monthly or even bi-monthly withdrawals from your IRA or from your 401(k),” Baxley said. “So that can be a way to make sure that the experience of growing income from your portfolio feels very similar to the experience that you had when you’re collecting a paycheck in terms of cadence and predictability and that sort of thing.”

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