Advice-Only Financial Planning in Connecticut

Can I Work With a Financial Planner Without Moving My Investments?

Yes.

You don't have to transfer your investment accounts to a financial advisor to get professional financial planning.

At In The Money Retirement Planning, our Advice-Only Financial Planning service is designed for people who want ongoing financial advice and a comprehensive retirement plan while continuing to manage their own investments.

You keep control of your accounts.

We help you make better decisions about what to do with them.

Advice-Only Financial Planning: $375/month for portfolio values under 3 million.

$499 per month for portfolio values over 3 million.

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You Don't Have to Hand Over Your Investments to Get Advice

Many people assume working with a financial advisor means transferring their 401(k), IRA, brokerage accounts, or other investments to the advisor.

It doesn't have to.

You may already have investment accounts you're comfortable managing yourself. You may have a 401(k) through your employer that can't be managed by an outside advisor. Or you may simply want professional guidance without giving someone else control of your portfolio.

That's where Advice-Only Financial Planning can make sense.

You manage the investments. We help you make better financial decisions.

Our job isn't limited to picking investments.

We look at how the different pieces of your financial life work together—including retirement income, taxes, Social Security, Medicare, estate planning, insurance, cash flow, and your investment accounts.

What Is Advice-Only Financial Planning?

Advice-Only Financial Planning is a planning relationship where you receive professional financial advice without having your investment accounts managed by us.

Instead of paying us to take over your portfolio, you pay for our financial planning expertise and ongoing advice.

We can help you answer questions such as:

When can I realistically retire?
How much can I spend each year in retirement?
Which accounts should I use first?
Should I make Roth conversions?
How might retirement withdrawals affect my taxes?
When should I claim Social Security?
How should I prepare for Medicare?
How much cash should I keep?
Should I pay down my mortgage or continue investing?
How should I coordinate multiple 401(k)s, IRAs, and brokerage accounts?
What should I be doing with my investments as retirement approaches?
Are my insurance policies still appropriate?
Do my estate documents reflect what I actually want?
How can I turn my retirement savings into a sustainable income stream?

You remain responsible for implementing your investment decisions.

We provide the planning, analysis, recommendations, and ongoing guidance to help you make those decisions.

What Your MOnthly Subscription Includes

Advice-Only Planning is designed to be an ongoing relationship—not a one-time financial plan that sits in a drawer.

Your planning relationship can include:

👉Retirement Planning

We'll help you determine when you can make work optional and how to turn your accumulated savings into retirement income.

This can include:

Retirement readiness analysis
Retirement income planning
Cash-flow planning
Withdrawal strategies
Account sequencing
Required Minimum Distribution planning
Planning around pensions and other income sources

👉Tax Planning

Your investment decisions and retirement-income decisions can have significant tax consequences.

We help identify opportunities to reduce your lifetime tax burden, including:

Roth conversion analysis
Tax-efficient withdrawal strategies
RMD planning
Tax bracket management
Coordination of taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth accounts
Charitable giving strategies

When appropriate, we can also coordinate with your CPA or our tax-filing partner.

👉Social Security Planning

Social Security is more than simply choosing an age to claim benefits.

We'll help you evaluate your claiming strategy in the context of your broader retirement plan, including your other income sources, taxes, and spouse's benefits.

👉Medicare & Healthcare Planning

Healthcare costs can have a major impact on retirement decisions.

We can help you evaluate Medicare and healthcare considerations as they relate to your retirement plan and connect you with insurance professionals in our network when appropriate.

👉Investment Guidance

You manage your investments.

We provide guidance on the investments and accounts you already own, including:

Asset allocation
Investment selection
Account coordination
401(k) investment decisions
IRA and brokerage account decisions
Risk management
Rebalancing considerations
How investments fit into your overall retirement plan

You don't have to transfer your accounts to us.

👉Estate Planning

Your estate plan should work alongside your retirement and investment strategy.

We can help you identify planning needs involving:

Wills
Durable Powers of Attorney
Healthcare Directives
Trust planning
Beneficiary designations
Coordination of your estate plan with your financial accounts

Estate documents can be prepared through our planning partners for an additional cost. More complex situations can be referred to an estate planning attorney.

👉Insurance Review

Insurance is another piece of your overall financial plan.

We can review your homeowners, auto, umbrella, life, and other insurance considerations and connect you with appropriate insurance professionals when additional coverage is needed.

What Makes This Different From Investment Management?

The biggest difference is who manages the investments.

With Advice-Only Planning:

You manage your investments.

We provide:

Financial planning
Investment guidance
Retirement planning
Tax planning
Social Security planning
Medicare and healthcare guidance
Estate planning coordination
Insurance reviews
Ongoing decision support

With investment management, the advisor also takes responsibility for managing the investment portfolio.

Some people want that.

Others don't.

Advice-Only Planning gives you another option.

What If Most of My Money Is in a 401(k)?

You don't need a large brokerage account for financial planning to be valuable.

In fact, many people approaching retirement have most of their savings inside employer-sponsored retirement plans.

That can create important planning questions:

Should you stay in your current 401(k)?
Should you roll an old 401(k) into an IRA?
How should you invest your 401(k)?
When should you begin withdrawals?
How will RMDs affect your taxes?
Should you make Roth conversions before RMDs begin?
How will your 401(k) interact with Social Security and Medicare?
What happens when you leave your employer?

Advice-Only Planning allows us to help coordinate these decisions without requiring you to transfer the account to us.

What If My Accounts Are Spread Across Several Institutions?

That's common.

You may have:

A current employer 401(k)
An old employer 401(k)
An IRA
A Roth IRA
A taxable brokerage account
A bank account
A pension
Social Security
Other retirement assets

The challenge isn't necessarily having multiple accounts.

The challenge is understanding how they work together.

We can help you look at the entire picture and determine how your different accounts can work together as part of one retirement strategy.

Who Is Advice-Only Planning For?

Advice-Only Planning may be a good fit if you:

Want professional advice but want to manage your own investments

You don't want to turn over your portfolio, but you want a professional second set of eyes.

Have substantial savings in a 401(k)

You need help making retirement decisions around accounts that may not be directly managed by an outside advisor.

Have investments at multiple institutions

You want someone looking at the entire picture rather than giving advice on only one account.

Are approaching retirement

You have accumulated savings but aren't sure how to turn those savings into a retirement income strategy.

Want ongoing advice—not just a one-time plan

Your financial decisions don't stop after the plan is created. Advice-Only Planning gives you an ongoing planning relationship as circumstances change.

You Don't Have to Choose Between "Do It Yourself" and "Hand It All Over"

There is a middle ground.

You can continue managing your own investments while having a professional financial planner help you navigate the decisions surrounding them.

That's the purpose of our Advice-Only Planning service.

You manage the investments. We help you make better decisions.

At In The Money Retirement Planning, we focus on helping you make work optional as early as possible by coordinating the financial decisions that affect your retirement.

How Advice-Only Planning Works

1. Start With Your Questions

We begin by understanding what you're trying to solve.

Maybe it's retirement timing.

Maybe it's taxes.

Maybe you're trying to figure out what to do with an old 401(k).

Or maybe you simply want someone to look at everything together.

2. Build the Bigger Picture

We look beyond your investment portfolio.

That can include your income, savings, retirement accounts, taxes, Social Security, healthcare, insurance, estate planning, and spending.

3. Develop Recommendations

We identify strategies and decisions that can improve your overall financial plan.

4. Implement the Decisions

You remain in control of your investments and accounts.

We provide guidance and help you understand the decisions you're making.

5. Continue Planning

Your financial plan changes as your life changes.

That's why Advice-Only Planning is an ongoing relationship rather than a one-time financial plan.

How Much Does Advice-Only Financial Planning Cost?

$375 per month for portfolio values under 3 million.

$499 per month for portfolio values over 3 million.

There is no requirement to transfer your investment accounts to us for Advice-Only Planning.

Additional services may have separate fees, including certain tax preparation and estate-document services.

If you already have a CPA, you can continue working with your existing CPA. If you prefer, we can also coordinate with our tax-filing partners.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hire a financial planner without moving my investments?

Yes. Advice-Only Financial Planning allows you to receive ongoing financial planning and investment guidance while continuing to manage your own investment accounts.

Do I have to transfer my 401(k) to you?

No. You can receive Advice-Only Planning even when your retirement savings are primarily held in an employer-sponsored 401(k).

Do you manage my investments with Advice-Only Planning?

No. With Advice-Only Planning, you manage your own investments. We provide financial planning and investment guidance.

Can you advise me on investments you don't manage?

Yes. Advice-Only Planning includes guidance on non-managed investment accounts and how those accounts fit into your broader financial plan.

Is Advice-Only Planning a one-time financial plan?

No. The Advice-Only relationship is designed to provide ongoing financial planning and decision support.

Can you help with Roth conversions?

Yes. Roth conversion analysis and tax-lowering strategies are part of the financial planning process.

Can you help with Social Security and Medicare?

Yes. Social Security timing and healthcare/Medicare considerations can be incorporated into your retirement plan.

Can you help with estate planning?

Yes. We can help coordinate your estate planning needs, including Powers of Attorney, healthcare directives, beneficiary considerations, and trust planning. Estate-document services may have an additional fee.

Can I keep my existing CPA?

Yes. You can continue working with your existing CPA. We can coordinate with your CPA as part of the planning process.

Is Advice-Only Planning available throughout Connecticut?

Yes. In The Money Retirement Planning provides Advice-Only Financial Planning for clients throughout Connecticut, including clients who prefer to manage their own investments.

Ready to Get Professional Financial Advice Without Moving Your Investments?

If you want professional financial planning but don't want to hand over your investment portfolio, Advice-Only Planning may give you the flexibility you're looking for.

Keep control of your investments. Get help with the decisions.