Pension planning
Pension planning is its own corner of retirement work: lump-sum versus annuity elections, survivor-benefit choices, federal employee FERS and CSRS coordination, military retirement integration, corporate pension freezes and buyouts, and the cash-flow modeling required to integrate a pension stream with Social Security and portfolio drawdown. Specialty advisors here run the irreversible elections through several lenses before the deadline closes.
By the numbers
The Wellspent public graph lists 391 fee-only financial advisors focused on pension planning at 214 firms, most in Columbus, Milwaukee and Orem. 54% hold the CFP certification. Of the 386 with fees on file, 82% charge percentage of assets.
- Advisors listed
- 391
- Firms
- 214
- Cities
- 190
- Hold the CFP
- 54%
- Other credentials: CFA 6% · CPA 3% · EA 2%
- How they charge (of 386 with fees on file): percentage of assets 82% · fixed fees 35% · hourly 31% · one-time planning fee 23%
Source: Wellspent public graph, data as of . Shares are of advisors listed here; an advisor can hold several credentials or fee types. Methodology
Advisors with depth in pension planning
| Advisor | Firm | City | Credentials | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Suttmiller | LRC Aviation Advisors | Milwaukee | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Gabriel Uruburo | Prudent Investor Advisors | Folsom | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Gary Allen | Prudent Investor Advisors | Folsom | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Ian Foster | Innova Wealth Partners | Newtown | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Jaclyn Gruber | LRC Aviation Advisors | Milwaukee | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| James Hunt | PrimeTRUST Advisors | Greenville | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Jamie Tulip | Forth Capital | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Jeffrey Coontz | Prudent Investor Advisors | Folsom | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| John Orobono | Innova Wealth Partners | Newtown | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Joshua Bruckert | LRC Aviation Advisors | Milwaukee | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Julian Hunt | PrimeTRUST Advisors | Greenville | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Karina Kingman | Spectrum Advisors | Plano | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Kenneth Haren | Prudent Investor Advisors | Folsom | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Kurt Mihelich | LRC Aviation Advisors | Milwaukee | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Kyle Bruner | Innova Wealth Partners | Newtown | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Lettie Sihota | Capstone RIA | Sumas | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Michael Martinez | The Pension Group | Dublin | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Nathan Magdanz | Convergence | Omaha | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Niamh Aitken | Forth Capital | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Nicholas Lehman | Spectrum Advisors | Plano | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Nicola Barton | Forth Capital | Houston | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Nicole Wasiakowski | Brightside Wealth Planning | Center Valley | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Peter Lautmann | LRC Aviation Advisors | Milwaukee | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Peter Schumacher | LRC Aviation Advisors | Milwaukee | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Ralph Wasiakowski | Brightside Wealth Planning | Center Valley | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Robert Phelps | LRC Aviation Advisors | Milwaukee | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Stephen Schmidt | Innova Wealth Partners | Newtown | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Thomas Tracy | Forth Capital | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Torry Whitcher | Generation Capital Management | Pittsford | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Tyler Kanne | Convergence | Omaha | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Tyler Ryan | Capstone RIA | Bellingham | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Tyler Skutnik | LRC Aviation Advisors | Milwaukee | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| William Bromley | Innova Wealth Partners | Newtown | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Anastasiya Sembay | Cornerstone Wealth Management | Westlake | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Augustine Matheson | Cornerstone Wealth Management | Westlake | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Edmund Malone | Cornerstone Wealth Management | Westlake | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| James Berman | JBGlobal.com | New York | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Jennifer Traynor | Inland Financial Planning | Spokane | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Nick Dionisos | Cornerstone Wealth Management | Westlake | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Messner | Bill Messner Contrarian Investment Advisory | New Castle | Not listed | Hourly, Ongoing planning fee |
| William Tiedt | A to Z Financial Planning | Oak Creek | Not listed | One-time planning fee, Ongoing planning fee |
Guides
-
Pension commuted value: take the lump sum or keep the pension?
Leaving a defined benefit pension in Canada usually means choosing between a monthly pension for life and a lump sum you invest yourself. Only part of the lump sum can move tax-free, and the choice can't be undone. Here's how to decide, and what a fee-only planner charges to check it.
-
Pension income splitting: how it works and what it saves
Couples can move up to half of eligible pension income to the lower-income spouse on their tax returns each year. For a retired couple with C$110,000 and C$30,000 of income, splitting C$40,000 saves about C$4,180 in federal tax and OAS repayment in 2026.
-
Pension lump sum or monthly payments: how to decide
A pension lump sum is the plan's price for your monthly payments, set with IRS interest rates. The test is what that money would have to earn to pay you as much, for as long, and who carries the risk.
-
Divorce and money in Canada: property, pensions and CPP
Divorce is federal law, but how property is divided depends on your province, and whether you were married. A fee-only planner can show what a settlement is worth after tax, at a median C$250 an hour or C$1,900 for a one-time plan.
-
Financial advisors for teachers, federal employees and tech workers
Each of these jobs comes with its own rulebook: 403(b), 457(b) and a pension for teachers, FERS and the TSP for federal workers, RSUs for tech. The right advisor knows yours. Fee-only planners charge a median $300 an hour or $2,000 for a one-time plan.
-
Military retirement and transition planning
The choices with the most money in them come in your last year of service: the Survivor Benefit Plan, the Blended Retirement System lump sum, your TSP and your VA claim. A one-time plan from a fee-only planner has a median of $2,000.