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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephanie Harris | S. Harris Financial Group | San Antonio | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Stephanie Williams | TradeWinds | Raleigh | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Stephen Esposito | Accretive Wealth Partners | Parsippany | CFP | Percentage of assets |
| Stephen Sanders | Life Planning Partners | Jacksonville | CFP | Ongoing planning fee |
| Steven Lugar | Beaird Harris | Dallas | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Steven Nelson | Faith Investor Services | Scottsdale | CFA | Percentage of assets |
| Stone Churby | Presidio Capital Management | San Diego | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Stuart Schiffman | Compound Wealth Advisors | San Diego | CFP, ChFC | One-time planning fee |
| Sylvain Michelin | Walkner Condon Financial Advisors | Verona | CFA | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Tai Chu | Beaird Harris | Dallas | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Tanner Banister | Richard P. Slaughter Associates | Austin | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Tanya Steinhofer | Redwood Grove Wealth Management | San Rafael | CFP, CFA | One-time planning fee |
| Tara Hefty | Peak Asset Management | Louisville | CFA | Percentage of assets |
| Taylor Heininger | Cloud Capital Management | El Segundo | CFA | Percentage of assets |
| Tedi Hughes | Destiny Capital | Lake Ozark | CFP | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer |
| Tendai Charasika | Saling Wealth Advisors | Louisville | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Thaddeus Toal | RCS Financial Planning | Annapolis | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Theodore Noble | Sherrill & Hutchins | Atlanta | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Thomas Bengtson | Lakeshore Advisors | Charlotte | CFP | Percentage of assets |
| Thomas Bowman | Investors Portfolio Services | Puyallup | CFP, CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Thomas Cooney | Wealth Dimensions Group | Cincinnati | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Thomas Curti | Wealth Dimensions Group | Cincinnati | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Thomas Falkner | Legacy Financial Independent Advisors | Louisville | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Thomas Gruber | AMG Wealth Management | Land O Lakes | PFS | Percentage of assets, Ongoing planning fee |
| Thomas Koleski | Cedar Capital Advisors | Glen Ellyn | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Thomas Schiller | Wealth Dimensions Group | Cincinnati | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Timothy Burt | Peak Asset Management | Louisville | CFA | Percentage of assets |
| Timothy Doyle | Destiny Capital | Denver | CFP | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer |
| Timothy Dutton | Dutton Financial Planning | Aledo | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Timothy Goodwin | Goodwin Investment Advisory | Woodstock | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Timothy McGrath | Riverpoint Wealth Management | Chicago | CFP, ChFC | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Timothy Whitney | TradeWinds | Raleigh | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Tina Yang | Tanglewood Total Wealth Management | Houston | CFP | Percentage of assets |
| Tracy Kasing | Regimen Wealth | Atlanta | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Travis Russell | Glassman Wealth | Vienna | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Trent Lakes | Ballast | Lexington | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Trevor York | River's Edge Wealth Management | Beaver | CFP, ChFC | Percentage of assets |
| Trey Ellington | Steelhead Wealth Management | Glen Allen | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Troy Daum | Wealth Analytics | Poway | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Tyler Abney | Tidemark Financial Partners | San Diego | CFP | Flat fee or retainer, Percentage of assets |
| Tyler Thompson | Tanara Wealth Management | Lehi | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Vahick Yedgarian | Regency Financial Group | Olhão, Portugal | CFP | Percentage of assets, One-time planning fee |
| Vincent Barrett | Acorn Financial Services | Bethesda | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Virginia Baker | Beaird Harris | Dallas | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Wai Ngan Yu | Summa Global Advisors | Clackamas | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Walter Hurt | Covenant Wealth Advisors | Richmond | CFP | Percentage of assets |
| Wesley Kotys | Kotys Wealth Professionals | Valparaiso | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Allen | Red Door Wealth Management | Memphis | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| William Bunch | Maze Financial Planning | Chapel Hill | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Goodson | Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors | Houston | CFP | Percentage of assets |
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.