Retirement planning
Retirement planning covers the transition from accumulation to distribution: income strategy, withdrawal order, Social Security timing, bridge income before Medicare, Roth conversion runway, sequence-of-returns risk, long-term-care planning, and the tax coordination that determines whether a retirement plan actually survives 30+ years of drawdown.
By the numbers
The Wellspent public graph lists 7,304 fee-only financial advisors focused on retirement planning at 3,218 firms, most in Houston, San Diego and Austin. 46% hold the CFP certification. Of the 7281 with fees on file, 87% charge percentage of assets.
- Advisors listed
- 7,304
- Firms
- 3,218
- Cities
- 1,467
- Hold the CFP
- 46%
- Other credentials: CFA 8% · CPA 2% · EA 2%
- How they charge (of 7281 with fees on file): percentage of assets 87% · fixed fees 47% · hourly 45% · ongoing planning fee 15%
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 retirement planning
| Advisor | Firm | City | Credentials | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mindy Prow | Parr McKnight Wealth Management Group | Minneapolis | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Mitchell Herr | Custos Family Office | Austin | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Molly Devnani | BSW Wealth Partners | Boulder | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Morgan Arriaga | MDT Financial Advisors | Webster | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Muhammad Uddin | Crescent Investment Solutions | Plano | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| N Alexander Alard | Eiger Wealth Management | San Diego | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Natan Bondin | Saxon Financial Group | Houston | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Nathan Dively | Colmina | Seattle | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Nathan Dutzmann | Round Table Investment Strategies | Littleton | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Nathan Fullmer | Fairman Financial | Chesterbrook | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Nathan Magdanz | Convergence | Omaha | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Nathan Townsend | KEB – Kerber, Eck & Braeckel | Springfield | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Nathan White | Paragon Wealth Management | Provo | CFA | Percentage of assets |
| Neal Richards | Axiom Wealth Strategies | Bend | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Neil Murphy | NPM Consulting | Ridgewood | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Nelson Moen | Parr McKnight Wealth Management Group | Minneapolis | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Nicholas Gorry | Eminence WM | Orlando | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Nicholas Ippolito | S.E.E.D. Planning Group | Binghamton | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Nicholas Lehman | Spectrum Advisors | Plano | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Nicholas Noll | RFG Wealth Advisory | Argyle | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Nicholas Powers | California Financial Advisors | San Ramon | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Nicholas Rugh | Rugh Financial | Menlo Park | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Nicholas Venezia | California Financial Advisors | San Ramon | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Nicole Wasiakowski | Brightside Wealth Planning | Center Valley | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Noah Krier | Stordahl Capital Management | Greenwood Village | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Noah Lehman | Boden Wealth | Lemoyne | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Noreen Walsh | Aequitas Investment Advisors | Hingham | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Norman Auger | Alta Strada Wealth | Lincoln | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Olivia Otoole | BSW Wealth Partners | Boulder | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Omid Eftekhari | Towneley Capital Management | Laguna Hills | CFA | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Orlando Johnson | Johnson Wealth Management | Palm Coast | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Oscar Castro | Saxon Financial Group | Houston | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Paige Moon | Perspective Wealth Partners | Boise | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Paola Quintero Salazar | True Wave Financial Planners | Sacramento | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Parker Hann | SimpliFi | San Diego | Not listed | Hourly |
| Patricia Eddy | Oxford Planning Group | Woodstock | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Patricia Kavanagh | Parr McKnight Wealth Management Group | Minneapolis | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Patrick Clark | Charter Research & Investment Group | Southport | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Patrick Dooley | Adirondack Capital Advisors | Syracuse | PFS | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Patrick Knowles | The Knowles Company | Oakton | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Patrick Reid | Plan2Thrive Financial Services | Eldridge | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Patrick Severson | TrueWealth Financial Partners San Diego | Bellevue | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Patrick Vance | Ark Advisors | Bloomington | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Patrick Younis | Minich MacGregor Wealth Management | Saratoga Springs | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Paul Harney | CJM Wealth Advisers | Falls Church | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Paul Hofland | Nexus One Financial Advisors | Plano | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Paul Schatz | Heritage Capital | Woodbridge | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Paul Weaver | CORE Wealth Advisors | Lakeland | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Paul Winkler | Paul Winkler | Goodlettsville | ChFC | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Paula Luciani | Charter Research & Investment Group | Southport | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
Guides
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Downsizing in retirement: the tax and money decisions
Up to $250,000 of gain on your main home is tax-free, or $500,000 for a married couple filing jointly, if you've owned and lived in it for two of the last five years. The bigger questions are how much the move really frees up, and what the sale does to your taxes and Medicare premiums.
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Planning an early retirement (FIRE)
The hard part of retiring early is the gap before 59½ and 65: reaching your savings without the 10% additional tax, paying for health insurance, and spending in low tax brackets. A one-time plan from a fee-only planner has a median of $2,000.
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Financial advisor for retirement: what to look for
A retirement advisor's real job is the income plan: when to claim Social Security, which accounts to draw first, and how to keep the tax bill down for 30 years. Fee-only planners charge a median $4,500 a year.
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How much can I withdraw in retirement?
About 4% of your starting balance, raised each year for inflation, is the historical baseline for a 30-year retirement: $40,000 on $1 million. Fees, taxes, a longer horizon and a rigid spending rule all push it lower; a willingness to cut back after bad years pushes it higher.
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HSA investing strategy: your HSA as a retirement account
For 2026 you can put $4,400 (self-only) or $8,750 (family) into an HSA, plus $1,000 at 55. Invested and left alone, it's the only account that's tax-free going in, growing and coming out for medical costs.
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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.