What Retirement Researcher does

Retirement Researcher, LLC is a privately held online education platform specializing in retirement income planning, headquartered in McLean, Virginia, and operating in close affiliation with McLean Asset Management Corp., an affiliated investment adviser. The company was founded by Wade Pfau, Ph.D., CFA, RICP — a recognized retirement income researcher who serves as a professor of practice at the American College of Financial Services and as a Research Fellow with the Alliance for Lifetime Income. Day-to-day operations are led by CEO Alex Murguia, Ph.D. Service is restricted to non-EU/EEA residents under GDPR.

The core product is the Retirement Researcher Academy, a membership-based learning platform hosted at academy.retirementresearcher.com. The Academy delivers hundreds of curated workshops, live webinars, an archived video library, a private members-only forum, and practical planning tools including the Funded Ratio, PAY Rule, and HECM Reverse Mortgage calculators. The proprietary RISA (Retirement Income Style Awareness) assessment personalizes each member's learning path. The company also publishes four books by Wade Pfau covering retirement planning, safety-first strategies, reverse mortgages, and sustainable spending, and supports the Retire With Style podcast. Free top-of-funnel assets include articles, downloadable eBooks, the standalone Reverse Mortgage Calculator, and periodic 4-Day Retirement Income Challenge events.

The business is monetized primarily through Academy subscriptions priced at $99/month or $899/year with a 1-week free trial, supplemented by standalone workshop purchases and book sales. The go-to-market is product-led and content-driven: a weekly newsletter, blog, podcast, YouTube, and active social media channels drive organic conversion, with tier-1 media features in the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, and Money Magazine providing earned-media credibility. Primary customer segments are individual pre-retirees and retirees seeking research-based retirement planning education, with financial professionals (including RICP designation holders) serving as a secondary segment. The company is privately funded, with no disclosed external capital, M&A, or leadership changes beyond the appointment of Alex Murguia as CEO.

Name

Retirement Researcher

Legal name

Retirement Researcher, LLC

Website

https://retirementresearcher.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Retirement Researcher is a privately held online education platform that delivers research-based retirement income planning content via a subscription Academy ($99/month or $899/year), books, calculators, and the Retire With Style podcast, serving pre-retirees, retirees, and financial professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Planning Education

NAICS

Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Online Learning Content & Course Publishing Platforms (BPAMAJAL), Digital Learning & Course Subscriptions (CRAFAIAD)

Keywords

• Retirement planning education
• Retirement income research
• Retirement education platform
• Financial planning courses
• Retirement planning tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Mclean

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Academy Membership Subscription: Subscription-based membership providing access to courses, workshops, webinars, tools, calculators, worksheets, checklists, and private forum. Offered as monthly ($99/month) or annual ($899/year) plans with 1-week free trial.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Retirement Researcher operates a membership-based online learning platform called the Retirement Researcher Academy, offering hundreds of curated workshops, courses, live webinars, a video archive, a private member forum, and practical planning tools (calculators, worksheets, checklists) covering Social Security, Medicare, investing, retirement income, tax and distribution planning, and lifestyle decisions. The company supplements the Academy with books authored by founder Wade Pfau and free educational content (articles, eBooks, podcast) used to drive subscription conversion. Pricing is set at $99/month or $899/year with a 1-week free trial and a price-lock guarantee for continuous members.

Product overview

Retirement Researcher is an educational platform for retirement income planning, operated by McLean Asset Management and founded by Wade Pfau, Ph.D., CFA. The core offering is the Retirement Researcher Academy—a membership-based platform providing structured courses, workshops, webinars, video content, forums, and practical tools (calculators, worksheets, checklists). The company also publishes books by Wade Pfau covering retirement planning, safety-first strategies, reverse mortgages, and sustainable spending. Free content includes articles, eBooks, and a Reverse Mortgage Calculator. The RISA (Retirement Income Style Awareness) assessment personalizes the learning experience. The platform is complemented by the Retire With Style Podcast. Pricing includes Annual ($899/year) and Monthly ($99/month) membership tiers, plus standalone workshop purchases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retirement Researcher Academy A membership-based online learning platform offering hundreds of in-depth courses, workshops, live webinars, video library, member forum, and practical planning tools (calculators, worksheets, checklists) for retirement income planning. Targeted at pre-retirees, retirees, and financial professionals seeking research-based retirement education.
• Retirement Planning Guidebook (Book) A comprehensive book by Wade Pfau covering financial and lifestyle decisions for the retirement transition, including Social Security timing, Medicare choices, tax planning, long-term care, and housing decisions. Sold via Amazon as a standalone purchase.
• Safety-First Retirement Planning (Book) A book by Wade Pfau explaining how to evaluate insurance options and implement integrated solutions for retirement income using safety-first strategies. Sold via Amazon as a standalone purchase.
• Reverse Mortgages for a Secure Retirement (Book) A book by Wade Pfau analyzing reverse mortgages and their strategic role in retirement income planning. Sold via Amazon as a standalone purchase.
• How Much Can I Spend in Retirement (Book) A book addressing sustainable spending strategies and investment-based approaches for retirement income. Sold via Amazon as a standalone purchase.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• McLean Asset ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliated investment adviser where Wade Pfau serves as principal and director of retirement research. Retirement Researcher offers standalone planning services through McLean Asset Management Corp. Close operational and intellectual alignment with retirement research focus.
• Alliance for Lifetime IncomecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWade Pfau serves as Research Fellow with the Alliance for Lifetime Income and Retirement Income Institute, conducting and disseminating retirement income research.
• American College of Financial ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWade Pfau serves as professor of practice at the American College of Financial Services and was past director of the Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP) designation program.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• The American College of Financial Services: The American College is a major provider of financial-services professional designations including the RICP, where Wade Pfau previously directed the program. It is a broad incumbent in the same continuing-education space Retirement Researcher targets, with institutional scale and credentialing authority.
• Dimensional Fund Advisors (Dimensional Academy): Dimensional's educational arm provides advisor and investor CE content with a research-backed curriculum. While broader in investment philosophy, it is a comparable incumbent in the financial-professional continuing-education subscription category where Retirement Researcher competes for member share.

Direct peers

• NewRetirement (Boldin): Boldin (formerly NewRetirement) is a consumer-facing retirement planning platform combining calculators, scenario modeling, and educational content. It directly overlaps Retirement Researcher's individual-investor persona and retirement income planning focus, though with stronger software/calculator emphasis and lighter editorial content.
• Horsesmouth: Horsesmouth provides practice management and continuing education for financial advisors, including retirement-related content. It is a peer in the financial-advisor CE subscription category that Retirement Researcher targets, though broader in topic.
• Income Lab: Income Lab provides retirement income planning software and research for both consumers and advisors, with a focus on sustainable withdrawal strategies. It directly competes in retirement-income education and modeling, with a similar advisor-plus-consumer go-to-market.
• Kitces (Nerd's Eye View): Michael Kitces' platform is the leading financial advisor education and research site, with a member subscription, blog, and deep CE-grade content. It is a direct peer in the financial-professional continuing-education category that Retirement Researcher targets, and competes for the same RICP/retirement-focused advisor member.
• Ed Slott and Company: Ed Slott and Company specializes in retirement tax planning education for advisors and consumers, with subscription content, workshops, and a strong personal brand. It is a direct peer in the retirement-income-and-tax education subscription space, often cited alongside Retirement Researcher.

Emerging players

• Holistiplan: Holistiplan offers tax planning software for financial advisors, with a focus on Roth conversions and distribution planning. It overlaps Retirement Researcher's advisor persona around tax-efficient retirement withdrawal education, though its core is software rather than content.
• WealthTrace: WealthTrace is a retirement planning software platform that combines Monte Carlo simulation, Social Security optimization, and educational content. It overlaps Retirement Researcher's consumer retirement-planning focus, with comparable calculators and consumer subscriptions.
• Timeline (timeline.app): Timeline is a retirement income planning tool for advisors and consumers, focused on tax-efficient withdrawal sequencing. It intersects with Retirement Researcher on advisor education around retirement income, though delivered primarily as software rather than editorial content.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Rtrmnt_Rsrchr
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/retirementresearcher
• Facebookfacebook.com/RetirementResearcher
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/retirement-researcher

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&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Retirement Researcher