Individuals & families
Financial planning, investing for the future, insurance and legacy planning, plus help through life events such as marriage, a job change, an inheritance or a divorce.
Planning for individuals →The Strength of Good Advice
Building and Protecting Your Wealth for Today and Tomorrow.
From financial planning to investing for the future, Strong Tower Advisors works with individuals, families and businesses at every stage of life. Show us where you want to go financially, and we will help build a roadmap to get there—then monitor and review it as your life changes.
Retirement education with visible sources.Primary public sources checked August 15, 2026.How we review content →
Who we help
Financial advice for individuals, families and businesses.
Whatever matters most to you—your family and loved ones, your business, your financial future or your retirement—Strong Tower Advisors helps you plan for it, protect it and keep it on track.
Approaching & in retirement
The final working years and beyond: 401(k) decisions, retiring at 62, Social Security, healthcare before Medicare, Medicare plans and retirement income.
Planning ages 55–65 →
Business owners & employers
Employer-sponsored retirement plans for companies of all sizes, group health and supplemental benefits, and succession planning.
Business planning →If retirement is on the horizon
Retirement is not one decision at 65.
Important decision points can start years earlier and continue well after your final paycheck.
55Employer-plan early-distribution exception may become relevant after qualifying separation.
59½Many retirement distributions are no longer subject to the 10% additional early-distribution tax.
62Earliest Social Security retirement-benefit age for many workers.
65Medicare generally becomes available and enrollment timing matters.
67Full retirement age for people born in 1960 or later.
70Delayed Social Security retirement credits stop increasing benefits.
75Current-law RMD age for many people born in 1960 or later.
Sources: IRS retirement-plan ages · SSA retirement timing · Medicare enrollment. Rules can change; review current official guidance for your circumstances.
The Strong Tower framework
GROW → PROTECT → PLAN TAXES → PLAN HEALTHCARE → CREATE INCOME
GROW
Maintain appropriate long-term growth potential for a retirement that may span decades.
PROTECT
Prepare liquidity and withdrawal flexibility for difficult markets instead of relying on a forecast.
TAX
Evaluate how account type, withdrawal timing and taxable income can interact.
HEALTHCARE
Plan the coverage bridge before Medicare and understand Medicare timing at 65.
INCOME
Coordinate Social Security, pensions, cash and portfolio withdrawals into a usable paycheck.
Compare income strategies →Can I Retire at 62?
Stress-test income, expenses, Social Security, healthcare, investment risk and the 62–65 bridge before choosing the date.
Explore the RoadmapWhat Should Happen to My 401(k)?
Compare leaving assets in the plan, rollovers, transfer options, partial strategies, Rule of 55, NUA and other plan-specific considerations.
Compare the OptionsRetiring Before Medicare?
Evaluate eligible employer, spouse, COBRA, retiree and Marketplace coverage before the final paycheck stops.
Build the BridgeStrong Tower’s process
Education first. Decisions second.
The process starts with your goals, then a financial evaluation of where you stand today, before any recommendation or solution is put in place—and it continues with ongoing monitoring and review.
- GoalsWhat matters most to you: family, business, financial future or retirement.
- Financial EvaluationWhere you are today compared with where you want to go.
- Financial Plan & RecommendationsA custom roadmap with measurable, actionable steps.
- Financial SolutionsPutting the plan into action.
- Monitor and ReviewOngoing involvement and an annual review as life changes.
Relationship. Accountability. Expertise.
A planning relationship built around your goals—not a product pitch.
Since 2005, Eddie J. Valdes has provided financial services to clients in Northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin and beyond. Strong Tower's services include financial planning, investment management, retirement planning, portfolio, pension, NUA and 72(t) analysis, insurance, Medicare, employer retirement plans and group benefits, notary services and coordination with tax and estate professionals.
Meet Strong Tower“The goal is not to optimize one retirement decision in isolation. It is to understand how the decisions fit together before acting.”
Testimonials
What clients and colleagues say.
Mr. Valdes has been exceptional in evaluating my current financials and putting together various options that are in my best interest from which to choose. He is very personable and explains portfolio options in simplistic terms. He continually surprises me with his outstanding customer service and willingness to go the extra mile.
Testimonials may not be representative of other clients’ experience and are no guarantee of future performance or success. Each reviewer’s client status, compensation and material relationships are disclosed with their statement.
Retirement learning center
Start with the question you are already asking.
The 55–65 Retirement Opportunity Guide
Ten decisions to evaluate before your last paycheck.
Read the guide →Can I Retire at 62?
A 22-question checklist covering the bridge from work to Medicare and beyond.
Open checklist →401(k) at Retirement
Compare the paths before assuming a rollover is the answer.
Compare options →Ready for a focused conversation?
Schedule a Retirement Readiness Conversation.
Talk through where you are, when you want to retire and which decisions deserve the most attention. An introductory conversation does not require you to move accounts or make investment decisions.
Schedule a ConversationContent review
Prepared by Strong Tower Advisors for general retirement education. Rule-based content is linked to primary public sources where practical and is reviewed periodically because tax, retirement-plan, Social Security, healthcare and Medicare rules can change.
About Strong Tower Advisors · Editorial and sourcing standards · Last reviewed August 2026