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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| William George | Luminary Financial Advisors | Cocoa Beach | Not listed | Ongoing planning fee |
| William Hiatt | Red Door Wealth Management | Memphis | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| William Kennedy | RiskBridge Advisors | Norwalk | CFA | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Larson | William B. Larson, CPA | Dallas | Not listed | Hourly |
| William McCaffrey | Glassy Mountain Advisors | Arlington | CFP | Percentage of assets |
| William McDavid | Flavin, Nooney & Person | Gainesville | PFS | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Moore | Whitney & Company | Rochester | CFA | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| William Stone | 46 and 2 Investment Advisors, LLC. | Traverse City | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Taylor | Kirk Capital Advisors | Vienna | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| William Warnke | Pavlic Investment Advisors | Delafield | CFA | Percentage of assets |
| Yehoshua Sternbach | Yields4U | Melville | ChFC | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Yvonne Marsh | Marsh Wealth Management | Knoxville | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Zachary DeBottis | Rockbridge Investment Management | Syracuse | CFP | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Zachary Gutermuth | Legacy Financial Independent Advisors | Louisville | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Zachary Harris | Bellars Harris Wealth Management | Virginia Beach | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Zachary Means | Means Wealth Management | Bangor | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer |
| Zachary Morris | Paces Ferry Wealth Advisors | Atlanta | CFP | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Zachary Robinson | Financial Synergies Wealth Advisors | Houston | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Zachary Willie | Oakridge Financial Planning (OFP) | San Antonio | Not listed | Ongoing planning fee, One-time planning fee |
| Aaron Downs | TSN Wealth & Tax Management | Brownsburg | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Aaron Gardiner | Gardiner Financial | Wellesley | Not listed | Hourly, Ongoing planning fee |
| Aaron Jeffries | Nicholas Hoffman & Company | Atlanta | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Abigail Chao | Cosmos Wealth | La Jolla | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Adam Brown | Castle Coast Wealth | La Jolla | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Adam Oates | Peak Planning Group | Raleigh | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Adam Waitkevich | Caveness Wealth Advisory | Worcester | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Adenikke Soremekun | Chemistry Wealth Management, LLC. | New York | Not listed | Ongoing planning fee |
| Adrian Kutko | Lynx Investment Advisory | Washington | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Aina Moliner I Serra | Lynx Investment Advisory | Washington | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Albert Brown | Wealth Management Partners | Tucson | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Alexander Bateh | Gryphon Wealth | Jacksonville | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Alexander Gambrell | Nicholas Hoffman & Company | Atlanta | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Alexander Marek | Ironwood Wealth Management | Chandler | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Alexander Potenza | Skyview Financial Group | Ponte Vedra Beach | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Alexander Potenza | Skyview Financial Group | Ponte Vedra Beach | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Alexandra Day | Council Oak Wealth Advisors | Tulsa | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Alexandra McConnell | QuadCap Wealth Management | Frisco | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Alexis Buchholz | BFG Wealth Management | Dallas | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Alfred Brady | MBR Financial | Houston | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Flat fee or retainer |
| Alfred Cerrati | Oak Advisors | Bluffton | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Aliredha Walji | ShariaPortfolio | Lake Mary | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Alison Brandt | Pendulum Partners | Itasca | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Allan Paull | ShariaPortfolio | Lake Mary | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Allen Wagner | Wagner Wealth Management | Conyngham | Not listed | Percentage of assets |
| Allisha Curtis | THOR Wealth Management | Cincinnati | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Allison Costas | Round Rock Advisors | Wilton | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Fixed fees |
| Alychandra McFarlane | WealthFolio Advisors | Sonoma | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Amanda Blake | Intelligent Investing | Greenville | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Amir Monsefi | AIRE Advisors | Beverly Hills | Not listed | Percentage of assets, Hourly |
| Amy Delauter | Kooman & Associates | Altoona | 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.