Barack Obama will make tackling the economic crisis engulfing the country his priority, aides said.
America's first black president will meet with his economic advisers on Friday before holding his first news conference with reporters after winning the election.
Mr Obama will also discuss key issues such as the war and the economy with incumbent President George Bush at the White House on Monday.
Earlier, Mr Bush said the historic election of the 44th president of the United States "gives us all reason to be proud of our democracy and our country".
It will be America's first wartime transition in four decades and an "unprecedented" effort is under way to ensure a peaceful transition, one of the "hallmarks of a great democracy", the president said.
Speaking to members of his executive staff on the South Lawn of the White House, Mr Bush said: "All of us must ensure that the next president and his team can hit the ground running."
He was surrounded by members of his cabinet as he made the traditional transition announcement.
"This peaceful transfer of power is one of the hallmarks of a true democracy," Mr Bush said.
"And ensuring that this transition is as smooth as possible is a priority for the rest of my presidency.
"We face economic challenges that will not pause to let a new president settle in.
"This will also be America's first wartime presidential transition in four decades.
"We're in a struggle against violent extremists determined to attack us - and they would like nothing more than to exploit this period of change to harm the American people.
"So over the next 75 days, all of us must ensure that the next president and his team can hit the ground running."
The president said work was already under way on "an unprecedented effort to ensure that the executive branch is prepared to fulfil its responsibilities at all times".
