The Retirement Planning Group

What The Retirement Planning Group does

The Retirement Planning Group (TRPG) is a fiduciary, fee-based registered investment adviser founded in 2004 and headquartered in Leawood, Kansas, serving primarily individuals, families, and high-net-worth clients with integrated retirement planning, wealth management, portfolio management, estate planning, and in-house tax preparation services. The firm's core platform delivers these services through a team-based advisory model in which each client is assigned a dedicated team consisting of a Wealth Manager, Tax Professional, Investment Team member, and Client Relationship Manager, supported by a mobile application with Timeline and Vault features for portfolio visibility and secure document storage. Portfolio construction is plan-driven rather than risk-tolerance-only, drawing on 100+ years of return probability data to align allocations with each client's financial plan.

TRPG generates revenue through fiduciary advisory and wealth management fees, tax return preparation and filing, and ancillary bookkeeping and payroll services — explicitly with no commissions, no sales people, and no hidden fees. The firm was acquired by Cetera Financial Group in May 2023, which triggered an aggressive acquisition program that grew assets under management from roughly the legacy book to over $2.63 billion by Q1 2025 across more than 2,000 clients, with expansion into New York, California, Washington, North Carolina, Texas, and Hawaii. In April 2026, TRPG was merged with Avantax Planning Partners and rebranded as Cetera Planning Partners, a national employee-advisor RIA managing approximately $19 billion in assets under advisement with over 100 advisors.

Name

The Retirement Planning Group

Legal name

The Retirement Planning Group, LLC

Website

https://planningretirements.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Retirement Planning Group is a fiduciary, fee-based RIA founded in 2004, serving individuals, families, and high-net-worth clients with team-based retirement planning, wealth management, portfolio management, estate planning, and integrated tax preparation services; since its 2023 acquisition by Cetera, it has scaled to over $2.63B AUM before merging into Cetera Planning Partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Planning and Wealth Management Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services (54121)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Retirement & Pension Wealth (401(k)/IRA/SIPP/Superannuation Retail) (FSAAAAAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retirement Income Planning & Decumulation Advisory (FSAEABAD), Retirement Benefits & Social Security/Medicare Planning (FSAEABAI), Retirement Plan Participant Advice & Managed Accounts (FSAEABAF), Private Wealth Planning (Tax, Estate & Succession) (FSAAABAE)

Keywords

• Retirement planning
• Wealth management
• Portfolio management
• Estate planning
• Tax preparation

Headquarters

HQ city

Overland Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Financial Advisory and Wealth Management Fees: TRPG charges fees for comprehensive financial planning, wealth management, and investment advisory services. The firm operates on a fiduciary basis with no commissions, no sales people, and no hidden fees, suggesting a fee-based advisory model.
2. Tax Return Preparation and Filing Services: TRPG offers personal and business tax return preparation and filing services, both as standalone offerings and as part of the integrated financial planning service. Clients are under no obligation to pay for any tax or accounting service separately.
3. Payroll and Bookkeeping Services: TRPG provides payroll and bookkeeping accounting services to clients, offered as part of its comprehensive service model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Retirement Planning Group provides comprehensive retirement planning, wealth management, and portfolio management services to individuals and families approaching or in retirement. Each client is supported by a dedicated in-house team of specialists covering financial planning, investment management, tax preparation, and estate planning, delivered on a fiduciary fee-only basis without commissions or product sales.

Product overview

The Retirement Planning Group offers a unified financial services platform combining retirement planning, wealth management, and financial planning. Core services include retirement planning, portfolio management with rebalancing, wealth management, estate planning, and integrated tax preparation and filing services. The firm also provides ancillary services including bookkeeping and payroll for business clients. Digital offerings include a client portal and mobile app with timeline and vault features. As of April 2026, TRPG was rebranded into Cetera Planning Partners, combining with Avantax Planning Partners to form a national employee-advisor RIA managing approximately $19 billion in assets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retirement Planning Comprehensive retirement planning services including retirement income strategies, Social Security optimization, and planning for various retirement scenarios for individuals and families approaching or in retirement.
• Portfolio Management Investment portfolio management service that creates customized, diversified portfolios aligned with clients' financial plans, risk tolerance, and long-term objectives, including regular rebalancing and tax-efficient strategies.
• Wealth Management Comprehensive wealth management services for high-income and high-net-worth individuals, including asset management, income planning, and financial advisory.
• Tax Return Preparation and Filing In-house tax preparation and filing services for both personal and business clients, integrated with financial planning strategies.
• Estate Planning Estate planning services including will preparation, trust setup, beneficiary designation, and legacy wealth strategies.
• Bookkeeping Business bookkeeping services for clients, provided as part of comprehensive financial management.
• Payroll Payroll processing services for business clients as part of integrated business financial services.
• TRPG Mobile App Mobile application providing clients access to account progress, transaction history, conversations, and reports through a Timeline and Vault feature.

Quantifiable outcome

• Net Promoter Score of 90 (compared to Apple NPS of 72 and financial services sector average of 44)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Avantax Planning PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 April 2026Avantax Planning Partners was merged with The Retirement Planning Group in April 2026 to form Cetera Planning Partners, a unified national employee-advisor RIA with approximately $19 billion in assets under advisement and over 100 advisors. The combined entity offers coordinated services across financial planning, tax, investments, estate planning, insurance, trust services, and retirement solutions.
• Summit Financial NetworksminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 September 2025Acquired by Cetera's TRPG in 2025, bringing $425 million in client assets to the firm in North Carolina.
• Hawkes Wealth ManagementminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2025Acquired by TRPG in Q1 2025 as part of TRPG's ongoing inorganic growth strategy. Hawkes Wealth Management expanded TRPG's geographic presence into New York.
• Wealtheon AdvisorsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2025Acquired by TRPG in Q1 2025, expanding TRPG's presence into California.
• Financial Research, Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 April 2025Acquired by TRPG in Q1 2025, expanding TRPG's presence into Washington.
• Parrott Wealth Management, LLCminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 September 2024Acquired by TRPG in September 2024, marking TRPG's fourth major expansion since being acquired by Cetera in 2023. Parrott manages approximately $185 million in assets, bringing TRPG's AUM to over $2.6 billion. Three full-time employees joined TRPG as part of the acquisition.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fiduciary-focused RIA providing comprehensive financial planning, retirement, and investment management; comparable fee-only model and integrated service approach.
• Savant Wealth Management: Mid-sized RIA offering wealth management, retirement planning, and tax services with an acquisition-driven growth strategy; comparable scale and fiduciary positioning.
• Carson Group: RIA platform providing financial advisors with wealth management, retirement planning, and tax services; directly comparable business model with a tech-enabled advisor support infrastructure.
• Mercer Advisors: National RIA specializing in comprehensive wealth management, retirement planning, and tax planning for HNW individuals; comparable integrated service offering and acquisition-driven growth strategy.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large national RIA offering comprehensive wealth management, tax, estate planning, and retirement advisory with a team-based model — directly comparable to TRPG's integrated fiduciary approach.
• Creative Planning: Large independent RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, retirement, tax, and estate services with a national footprint — directly comparable scale and service breadth to TRPG.
• Sequoia Financial Group: Fee-only RIA with a team-based advisory model and integrated tax, retirement, and estate services; comparable offering to TRPG's integrated financial life management.

Broad incumbents

• Cetera Financial Group: Parent company of TRPG and a broad financial services holding company with multiple RIA subsidiaries; provides context for TRPG's platform and acquisition infrastructure.
• Edward Jones: Large national brokerage offering retirement planning, wealth management, and investment advisory; broad incumbent with overlapping retirement planning capabilities though more commission-driven.
• Schwab Intelligent Portfolios: Charles Schwab's robo-advisor and wealth management platform targeting retirement savers; competes for similar retail retirement planning clients via a low-cost digital model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-retirement-planning-group

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A8 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Retirement Planning Group