I'm in Houston. I'd like to find a CFP to run early retirment models for me so I can have a second opinion on the numbers I've been running with *****, etc. If anyone knows a good FP in the Houston area, please let me know. Preferably fee-only.
If you have a Vanguard account, they will do a low cost plan for you that includes looking over your retirement funding. If you are at Flagship level, it's free.
Don't expect too much from any CFP. They can't see the future any better than FireCalc, *****, i-ORP and ESPlanner can. Having 50 pages of glossy guessing isn't worth $2,000 IMHO.
I hate to tell you this but there is no magic bullet that will guarantee retirement success or eliminate our fears.
That's a reasonable request. But you'll still end up with a crunch that has assumptions similar to the tools you've been using.I agree with that. Just want someone to do a one-time number cruch for me.
Vanguard will be cheaper than anyone you find locally.I agree with that. Just want someone to do a one-time number cruch for me.
That's a reasonable request. But you'll still end up with a crunch that has assumptions similar to the tools you've been using.
Vanguard will be cheaper than anyone you find locally.
When I had my plan done, I was asked to specify an after tax retirement spending budget that would also increase with inflation. I threw out a high end number from FireCalc that gave me a 95.6% result (estimated taxes included) and got a 93% success rate from Vanguard.
Other than that the recommendation was to effectively move to Total Stock Market, Total International Stock Market and Total Bond Index. I've stayed with my including small cap and REIT funds.
The secret to success is being willing to reduce spending if the market goes significantly against you especially in the early years. There is no absolute guarantee no matter what you'd like to believe in. Annuity sales people feed off this insecurity but I believe their products make most retirees less secure.
You can also plan on spending less as you age. It's a rare 80+ year old that's chasing around the world on fancy vacations or spending at the same level they were in their 50's. Most CFPs don't put that into their plans but FireCalc has the Bernicke option and iORP has the "Spend While You Can" feature.
I commented on your other thread. You need to decide whether you want to retire or go OMY (or more) to create a greater illusion of safety.
Go for it. After getting your numbers looked at here, I am confident you won't get any great insight that hasn't already been mentioned.Thanks. Yeah, I need to decide but getting someone to check my numbers is part of my decision process.
Understood. I was referring to assumptions in their model. It's a good topic, too.Actually, I would in fact give them the exact same assumptions I'm using so I can compare the numbers they get to what I get using my early retirement software. Using EarlyRetire Pro mostly but also the free on-line calculators too.
Don't be surprised, though, that MOST FOFP's in NAPFA price on AUM, which tends to raise the ire of most of us. You'll need to shop pretty hard (at least I had to) to find one that will do a one-time hourly number crunch for you. Oh, I tried, but never got one to do my one-time crunch.
Go for it. After getting your numbers looked at here, I am confident you won't get any great insight that hasn't already been mentioned.
With your budget and assets, you will be told you are marginal. ....
Thanks. Yeah, I need to decide but getting someone to check my numbers is part of my decision process.
Please elaborate! How much did it cost? How long did it take? What was your final product like?Bulbar - I did the same thing early last year. I used a planner from the Garrett Planning network. They are truly "hourly only." Here is a link to their site:Find An Advisor
I'm surprised that the advisor was surprised you were managing your own finances. Isn't that why you went to a fee-only planner? If you were using someone to [-]churn[/-] manage your account they would be telling you they were your FA.