Built for How Professors Actually Retire

We work exclusively with university and college employees, administrators, and nonprofit hospital physicians — people whose financial lives don't fit the generic advisor's playbook.

 

Academic retirement is its own category. Tenure-track pay progressions, sabbatical years that affect contribution timing, academic-year contract cycles, TIAA Traditional annuities with accumulation periods that span decades — these aren't edge cases we've learned to handle. They're the reason we built this practice.

What Makes Academic Retirement Plans Different

Most financial advisors understand 401(k)s. Fewer understand 403(b)s. And very few have spent their careers working directly with TIAA, Fidelity, and Vanguard accounts inside university retirement systems.


The difference shows up in the details. A general practitioner may not know how TIAA Traditional's transfer payout annuity structure affects your rollover options. They may not account for the way a sabbatical year compresses contributions or how your institution's vesting schedule interacts with your retirement timeline. We do — because this is something we specialize in.

 

Our team's professional background includes years spent managing TIAA accounts for university employees directly. That experience is one working for you here.

Retirement Planning That Starts Where You Are

Whether you're five years out from retirement or already there, we build a plan around your actual situation — not a template designed for someone with a corporate 401(k) and a defined-contribution-only future.

 

  • TIAA Traditional review: We assess what your TIAA Traditional annuity is doing inside your full retirement income picture before recommending any change — or confirming it's working exactly as it should.
  • 403(b) planning: We review your allocation across TIAA, Fidelity, and Vanguard options and identify adjustments that align with your retirement timeline and income goals.
  • Retirement income planning: We model when and how to draw from each account type — including pension income, Social Security timing, and required minimum distributions — so your income is predictable and tax-efficient.
  • Investment planning: We build and manage an investment strategy that reflects your actual risk tolerance and time horizon, not a generic age-based model.
  • Asset preservation and insurance planning: We review your coverage picture to make sure your retirement assets are structured to last.

Fiduciary Guidance — Not Affiliated with Any Plan Provider

We are not affiliated with TIAA, Fidelity, Vanguard, or any retirement plan provider. We don't receive commissions or compensation from any of them. Our fee structure is transparent, and our advice is governed entirely by what serves your retirement — not any platform's product lineup.

 

This may be beneficial when you're evaluating whether your TIAA Traditional annuity still fits your plan, or deciding whether to consolidate accounts as you approach retirement. You may want a second opinion from someone who has no stake in the answer.

A Note for Mid-Career Academics

If you're earlier in your career — still building toward retirement rather than approaching it — you're welcome here. The planning decisions you make now around contribution rates, account allocation, and TIAA Traditional accumulation will shape your options when retirement gets closer. We're glad to work with you before the five-year window.

Common Questions from Professors and Administrators

  • How is financial planning for college professors different from standard retirement planning?

    Academic retirement plans operate under different rules, structures, and provider relationships than most corporate plans. TIAA Traditional annuities have accumulation and payout mechanics that require specific knowledge to evaluate correctly. Sabbatical years, academic-year contract cycles, and tenure-track compensation progressions all affect contribution timing and account growth in ways a generalist may not account for. We plan specifically around these variables.

  • Should I keep my money in TIAA Traditional as I approach retirement?

    It depends on your full retirement income picture — and the answer isn't always obvious. TIAA Traditional can be a strong source of guaranteed income in retirement, but its transfer payout annuity structure affects how and when you can access or move those funds. We review your TIAA Traditional holdings against your complete retirement timeline before making any recommendation.

  • Can I roll over my TIAA 403(b) into an IRA when I retire?

    In many cases, yes — but the decision involves evaluating what you'd gain and what you'd give up. TIAA Traditional in particular has features that may not transfer to an IRA rollover, and the timing of a rollover can affect your income options. We walk through this analysis with every client who is approaching or entering retirement.

  • How should a college professor plan for retirement if they're within five years of retiring?

    The five years before retirement are when the most consequential decisions get made — Social Security timing, account drawdown sequencing, TIAA annuity elections, and investment de-risking. We specialize in this window. The goal is to arrive at retirement with a clear income plan, not a set of open questions.

  • Do you work with university administrators as well as faculty?

    Yes. Administrators and faculty often share the same retirement plan structures — TIAA, Fidelity, or Vanguard 403(b)s through their institution — but their compensation timelines, benefits packages, and career trajectories can differ. We plan around your specific situation, not a generic faculty or staff profile. Are you affiliated with my university's retirement plan provider? No. We are not affiliated with TIAA, Fidelity, Vanguard, or any institution's retirement plan. Our compensation comes from our clients, not from any plan provider — which means our guidance is based on your best interests.