Retire with More Clarity, Confidence, and Purpose
We help pre-retirees and retirees make informed decisions about retirement income, investments, taxes, healthcare, and the life they hope to live.
At Kastler Financial Planning, we help answer the questions such as "When can I retire?" "Will I run out of money during retirement?" and "How do I create a retirement paycheck?" We create a coordinated retirement strategy that integrates your retirement paycheck, investment portfolio, tax considerations and other planning decisions to support the life you envision.
Your plan doesn't sit on a shelf. With our ongoing planning process and your personalized Client Planning Hub, you'll have a clear view of your progress, priorities, and next steps throughout retirement.
Retirement may involve some of the most important financial decisions you'll ever make. To start visualizing the possibilities, we offer a no-cost no-obligation consultation.
Schedule a ConsultationYour plan doesn't sit on a shelf. With our ongoing planning process and your personalized Client Planning Hub, you'll have a clear view of your progress, priorities, and next steps throughout retirement.
Retirement may involve some of the most important financial decisions you'll ever make. To start visualizing the possibilities, we offer a no-cost no-obligation consultation.
We meet clients either in-person or through secure virtual sessions
A Thoughtful Retirement Planning Approach
Retirement is more than your investment portfolio. Retirement planning involves bringing together income, investments, taxes, healthcare, risk, long-term care, and legacy goals. Often these planning pillars are considered separately.
At Kastler Financial Planning, we help you create a retirement plan, implement it, monitor it, and adapt it throughout retirement using our Planning First approach.
At Kastler Financial Planning, we help you create a retirement plan, implement it, monitor it, and adapt it throughout retirement using our Planning First approach.
Our Planning First Approach
The 7 Pillars Planning Framework™ provides the structure that brings everything together in one coordinated retirement strategy:
- Retirement ProfilerHelps you create the vision for your retirement years
- 7 Pillars Retirement Planning®The process to create the written plan, including your Retirement Paycheck income strategy
- 7 Pillars Investment Planning®Designs an investment portfolio that aligns with your needs, goals, values, and purpose
- Ongoing SupportKeeps your plan on track through periodic reviews and your personalized Client Planning Hub
Retirement planning is not a one-time event. That's why every retirement plan we create can be supported through ongoing reviews and your personalized Client Planning Hub. You'll have24/7 access to planning tools, your Dashboard Report, investment information, and a convenient way to submit questions between reviews.
Clarifying Your Retirement Vision and Goals
At KFP, we believe retirement planning begins with more than financial projections. Before specific strategies can be evaluated, it helps to clarify what retirement means to you—your priorities, your goals, your relationships, and the kind of life you hope to live.
Our retirement profiler is meant to help you reflect on those questions and begin shaping a clearer vision for retirement. For those who would like to begin that process at home, the 7 Pillars Retirement Profiler eGuide is available at no cost and with no obligation.
Explore the Retirement ProfilerOur retirement profiler is meant to help you reflect on those questions and begin shaping a clearer vision for retirement. For those who would like to begin that process at home, the 7 Pillars Retirement Profiler eGuide is available at no cost and with no obligation.
If you are of the Christian faith, we also offer a Christian Retirement Profiler, insight articles, and small group study materials in our Faith-Based Resources center.
Retirement Planning Questions We Help Answer
Many people begin retirement planning with a few important questions. That is understandable because retirement often involves decisions about income, timing, taxes, investments, and long-term sustainability that deserve thoughtful consideration.
Through our 7 Pillars Retirement Planning® framework, we help clients think through those questions within the context of a coordinated retirement plan so they can move forward with greater understanding and confidence. For deeper answers to these and other common questions, you can visit our retirement planning FAQs page.
Through our 7 Pillars Retirement Planning® framework, we help clients think through those questions within the context of a coordinated retirement plan so they can move forward with greater understanding and confidence. For deeper answers to these and other common questions, you can visit our retirement planning FAQs page.
- How much money do I need to retire?In brief: We help you estimate the assets and income needed for your retirement lifestyle, goals, healthcare considerations, and taxes rather than relying on generic rules of thumb.
- When can I retire?In brief: We help evaluate your retirement timeline by reviewing your savings, Social Security timing, healthcare considerations, and income strategy within the context of your retirement plan.
- How will I create my retirement paycheck?In brief: We help design a coordinated retirement paycheck strategy that draws from the resources available to you and helps support ongoing cash flow needs in retirement.
Who We Are
Kastler Financial Planning is a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent firm. Our Planning First approach helps pre-retirees and retirees make informed decisions about retirement income, investments, taxes, healthcare, and long-term financial security. Our recommendations are shaped by thoughtful analysis, your goals and values, and the broader retirement picture rather than product sales or commission-based incentives. We do not sell commission-based products. We are a boutique firm with a personalized counsultancy approach to serving our clients, meaning we only serve a small number of clients.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide clear, personalized retirement planning through thoughtful guidance, ongoing service, and a fiduciary commitment to act in our clients’ best interests.
Experience and Credentials
Retirement Income Certified Professional®
Master of Science in Finance
20+ years serving families
10+ years Retirement Planning
Meet Mike KastlerMaster of Science in Finance
20+ years serving families
10+ years Retirement Planning
What Shapes Us and Why Clients Choose Us
Built differently from the start, Kastler Financial Planning was shaped by personal service, thoughtful guidance, and a fiduciary commitment to clients’ best interests. View the fiduciary video on the About Us page.
We believe transparent, flat-fee, tiered pricing is part of serving clients well. Our flat-fee structure is publicly available so prospective clients can understand the cost of planning before reaching out. Rather than charging a percentage of assets under management, we use a tiered flat-fee model designed to keep pricing clear and straightforward.
Transparent PricingWe believe transparent, flat-fee, tiered pricing is part of serving clients well. Our flat-fee structure is publicly available so prospective clients can understand the cost of planning before reaching out. Rather than charging a percentage of assets under management, we use a tiered flat-fee model designed to keep pricing clear and straightforward.
Retirement Planning Services at KFP
Through our retirement planning services, we help clients evaluate retirement decisions within one coordinated retirement plan. As a fee-only, fiduciary, and independent firm, our recommendations begin with thoughtful analysis rather than product sales or commission-based incentives. We call that Planning First.
We Start Where You Are
With your retirement vision and goals in view, we begin by looking carefully at your current financial picture. We then use planning tools to model retirement projections and compare different retirement scenarios. This helps you better understand how choices around income, taxes, withdrawals, and timing may shape the years ahead. This process can help you see your options more clearly and Visualize Your Retirement Possibilities®. You can see example videos here:
Retirement Planning VideosRetirement Paycheck Planning
Retirement income planning is about more than taking withdrawals. It involves coordinating income sources such as Social Security, pensions, required minimum distributions, portfolio withdrawals, and other resources. The goal is to help create a retirement paycheck aligned with your needs, goals, and overall retirement plan.
Through retirement income planning, we help clients evaluate these income sources, model distribution strategies, and consider how taxes and other planning decisions may affect sustainable cash flow over time.
Retirement Income PlanningThrough retirement income planning, we help clients evaluate these income sources, model distribution strategies, and consider how taxes and other planning decisions may affect sustainable cash flow over time.
Portfolio Design for Retirement
As you move into retirement, your investment approach may need to shift to support income needs, risk, flexibility, and long-term goals. We evaluate your risk tolerance, risk capacity, time horizon, and preferences to help shape a portfolio design for retirement aligned with your needs, goals, values, and purpose.
Within our 7 Pillars Investment Planning® framework, this may include a bucket strategy to support your retirement paycheck. Depending on your objectives, implementation may also include 7 Pillars Purpose-Driven Portfolios, with a Core portfolio and selected Satellite themes.
Portfolio Design for RetirementWithin our 7 Pillars Investment Planning® framework, this may include a bucket strategy to support your retirement paycheck. Depending on your objectives, implementation may also include 7 Pillars Purpose-Driven Portfolios, with a Core portfolio and selected Satellite themes.
Tax Planning
Retirement tax planning is an important part of retirement planning, especially when income comes from multiple sources with different tax treatment.
At Kastler Financial Planning, we help clients evaluate strategies such as Roth conversions, withdrawal sequencing, and future required minimum distributions. This keeps tax decisions within the context of your retirement plan. We do not prepare tax returns, but we do help clients think proactively about tax-related planning opportunities and coordinate with their tax professional when appropriate.
Tax PlanningAt Kastler Financial Planning, we help clients evaluate strategies such as Roth conversions, withdrawal sequencing, and future required minimum distributions. This keeps tax decisions within the context of your retirement plan. We do not prepare tax returns, but we do help clients think proactively about tax-related planning opportunities and coordinate with their tax professional when appropriate.
Your Written Retirement Plan
Once the analysis is complete, we review your retirement scenarios with you and prepare a written Initial Plan. Depending on your needs, it may include a concise executive summary, supporting analysis, and Information Briefs tailored to the areas most relevant to your retirement plan. An example Initial Plan may include:
- Executive summary with your goals, projections, and action steps
- Retirement Income Plan with Retirement Paycheck analysis
- Portfolio design recommendations
- Tax planning analysis
- Risk Analysis
- Medicare planning information
- Long-term care planning
- Summary of your estate document review
Ongoing Retirement Planning Support
Some observations we've made over the years:
- You may not have the time or the inclination to implement your Initial Plan
- Retirement Planning is not a one-time event
- Markets may shift
- Tax laws may evolve
- Personal circumstances may require thoughtful adjustments
These are just some reasons why clients may choose ongoing retirement planning support after the Initial Plan is complete. We offer two support paths. One path is for clients who prefer to manage their own investments while receiving periodic reviews. In those instances we provide yearly plan updates, and periodic guidance as retirement unfolds.
Another path combines ongoing planning support with investment management for clients who want portfolio oversight as part of an ongoing advisory relationship. In either case, the goal is to help keep your retirement plan aligned as life changes.
Ongoing SupportAnother path combines ongoing planning support with investment management for clients who want portfolio oversight as part of an ongoing advisory relationship. In either case, the goal is to help keep your retirement plan aligned as life changes.
Who We Help
We serve individuals and households approaching retirement or already retired who value thoughtful, technically grounded retirement planning. That often includes engineers, technology professionals, medical professionals, business owners, and others facing complex financial decisions in the years leading up to and through retirement.
Pre-Retirees and Retirees
Thoughtful retirement planning for those nearing retirement or already living it.
Business Owners
Planning guidance for business owners and households facing more complex financial decisions.
Engineers, Medical, and Technology Professionals
A planning process built for those who value structure, analysis, and thoughtful decision making.
Women
Thoughtful retirement planning guidance for women seeking greater understanding and confidence in decision making.
Those Needing a Second Opinion
Some households are already working with another advisor or managing their planning on their own, but still want an independent review of their retirement plan. A one-time second opinion can be a helpful way to step back, evaluate key assumptions, and consider whether the plan appears aligned with your retirement goals, income needs, and overall retirement plan.
This type of review is not meant to create unnecessary disruption. Instead, it can offer perspective, surface questions worth revisiting, and help you better understand whether your current retirement approach still fits the life you hope to live.
This type of review is not meant to create unnecessary disruption. Instead, it can offer perspective, surface questions worth revisiting, and help you better understand whether your current retirement approach still fits the life you hope to live.
How We Work Together
Our planning approach is designed to bring structure and clarity to retirement decisions through thoughtful discovery, careful analysis, and collaborative review. We begin by understanding your needs, goals, values, and purpose in retirement. From there, through our retirement planning services, we evaluate the major areas of retirement planning together and help bring your retirement picture into a coordinated written plan.
How to Start Your Retirement Plan
Step 1:
Schedule a Consultation
Begin with a no-charge, no-obligation conversation to discuss your goals, ask questions, and explore whether this planning approach may be a good fit for your needs.
Step 2:
Share Your Information
If it appears to be a good mutual fit, we provide a service agreement and begin gathering the information needed to move into thoughtful planning and analysis.
Step 3:
Collaborative Planning
We review your financial information, develop planning observations and recommendations, and work through the analysis together before preparing your Initial Plan.
Alternatively, you may Get Started now to gain access to our Planning software.
Begin with a Retirement Planning Consultation
Schedule a ConsultationYour first conversation is an opportunity to discuss your situation, ask questions, and explore whether this planning approach may be a good fit for you. There is no cost and no obligation, just a chance to get acquainted and decide whether it makes sense to take a next step together.