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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thomas Cefalu | Downtown Wealth Studios | New York | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Thomas Hardy | Hardy Financial Planning | Ann Arbor | CFP | Hourly, Fixed fees |
| Thomas Herlihy | Means Wealth Management | Bangor | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer |
| Thomas McGahan | Eamon Capital Management | Wexford | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Thomas Smith | FAPA Financial Services | Peachtree City | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Thomas Vaccaro | Briarcliff Manor Wealth Advisors | Saugerties | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Timothy Bellars | Bellars Harris Wealth Management | Mount Pleasant | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Timothy Flanigan | Brown | Miller Wealth Management | Mclean | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Timothy Garcia-Prats | Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors | Houston | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Timothy Miller | AdviceOne | Glastonbury | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Timothy Nash | Aequitas Investment Advisors | Hingham | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Timothy Parker | Regency Wealth Management | Ramsey | CFA | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Timothy Slevin-Vegdahl | Multnomah Group | Portland | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Timothy Wendt | Wendt Financial Advisors | Battle Creek | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Todd Shand | TradeWinds | Raleigh | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Tony Tran | Wissahickon Wealth Management | Philadelphia | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Tracey Nobles | TradeWinds | Raleigh | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Tracy Kuntz | Towneley Capital Management | Laguna Hills | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Tracy St. John | Financial Avenues, LLC. | Kansas City | Not listed | Hourly, Fixed fees |
| Travis Broadhurst | Sweeney Financial Advisors | Bedford | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Travis Cook | Four Rivers Financial | Columbia | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Travis Shepherd | Prostatis Group | Greenwell Springs | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Travis Tsukayama | Andrews Advisory Associates | Honolulu | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Trent Dysert | James Investment | Xenia | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Trevor Martin | Richard P. Slaughter Associates | Austin | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Trevor O'Connor | Precision Wealth Strategies | St. Louis | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Trevor Reece | Waypoint Financial Planning | Marietta | Not listed | Ongoing planning fee, Hourly |
| Tricia Lepofsky | KFA Private Wealth Group | Tyson | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Triton Lee | Cannon Capital Management | Salt Lake City | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Troy Ferguson | Ferguson Financial Planning | Duncanville | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Troy Katterheinrich | Retire Agile | Palm Beach Gardens | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Troy Veldkamp | CapTrust Wealth Advisors | Holland | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Trystan Cleaver | Seek First | Campbell | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Tyler Madill | Maris Wealth Management | Duluth | Not listed | Percentage of assets, One-time planning fee |
| Tyler Trahan | Lindsey & Lindsey Wealth Management | Irvine | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Tyler Weerden | Layered Financial | Arlington | Not listed | Flat fee or retainer, One-time planning fee |
| Valerie Lemmon | Ridgewood Investments | Springfield | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Valerie Tucker | Summa Global Advisors | Clackamas | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Vanessa Pruett-Urie | Prostatis Group | Hanover | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Vannak Sao | Proactive Financial Solutions 360 | North Attleboro | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Veronica Dibble | Goodwin Investment Advisory | Woodstock | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Vincent Hourigan | Acorn Creek Capital | Fort Collins | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Warner Henderson | Aequitas Investment Advisors | Hingham | ChFC | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Warren Burger | Luminary Financial Advisors | Cocoa Beach | Not listed | Ongoing planning fee |
| Wendy Wyatt | Prentice Financial Planning | Olympia | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Weston Bryan | Accruent Wealth Advisors | Winston-Salem | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Blake | PMG Family Office | Plano | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Bost | Absher Wealth Management | Raleigh | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Brilliant | Century Management Financial Advisors | Austin | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| William Dippell | Milestone Money | Chicago | Not listed | Flat fee or retainer, Ongoing planning fee |
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.