Retirement Income Solutions

What Retirement Income Solutions does

Retirement Income Solutions (RIS) is a fee-only, SEC-registered independent investment advisory firm founded in 1992 and headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The firm provides wealth management and comprehensive financial planning services to over 1,200 families across 30+ states, with a minimum account size of $750,000. Its core offering is active, cross-account investment management combined with retirement, estate, tax, and income planning, delivered through a "householding" model that coordinates client assets held across multiple custodians including TIAA, Fidelity, and Pershing. A defining specialization is the management of university retirement accounts (TIAA 403b/401a and Fidelity 403b) for faculty and staff at institutions such as the University of Michigan, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan, Wayne State, and Oakland University, supported by a team that includes three former TIAA employees with 41 years of combined prior TIAA experience.

The firm monetizes primarily through tiered quarterly AUM fees of 1.0% on the first $1M, 0.8% on the next $1M, and 0.6% on assets above $2M, supplemented by fixed fees for one-time comprehensive financial plans starting at $1,500. Underlying technology is standard RIA infrastructure: the Orion Client Portal (adopted in March 2024, replacing ShareFile) for client-facing reporting, performance, and document management, with custodial access through Pershing NetExchange Investor, TIAA, and Fidelity platforms. A proprietary "Seasonal Approach" to asset management and custom in-house trading systems, developed over decades, form the intellectual property layer. RIS currently manages approximately $2-2.5B in assets and reports a 98% year-over-year client retention rate.

RIS is privately held by its founding principals and current managing partners (Brock Hastie, Todd Kephart, Karen Chapell, and John Goff), with no parent company, no external funding rounds, and no disclosed subsidiaries. The firm completed a generational leadership transition following the 2021-2022 step-back of co-founders K. Larry Hastie and R. Griffith McDonald, and has continued incremental advisor hiring (notably from Vanguard in 2025 and CapTrust in 2023) to support organic growth.

Name

Retirement Income Solutions

Legal name

Retirement Income Solutions, Inc.

Website

https://risadvisory.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Retirement Income Solutions is a fee-only, SEC-registered independent RIA founded in 1992 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, managing approximately $2-2.5B in assets for 1,200+ HNW families across 30+ states. It specializes in active cross-account wealth management and retirement planning, with a niche focus on university employee TIAA and Fidelity accounts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management and Retirement Planning Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Retirement Income Planning & Decumulation Advisory (FSAEABAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE), Retirement Plan Participant Advice & Managed Accounts (FSAEABAF), Retirement & Pension Planning (401(k)/IRA) (FSAEAAAD)

Keywords

• Retirement planning
• Wealth management
• Financial advisory
• Investment management
• Comprehensive financial planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Assets Under Management (AUM) Fees: Quarterly fees based on assets under management (AUM). Fee percentages decrease as assets increase: 1.0% up to $1M AUM, 0.8% for next $1M, 0.6% on AUM above $2M. Fees are transparent and appear on every quarterly performance report.
2. Fixed-Fee Retirement Plans: Customized retirement plans charged as one-time fixed fee starting at $1,500 depending on complexity. These comprehensive retirement plans include hours of analysis, preparation, and explanation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Retirement Income Solutions is a fee-only, independent registered investment advisor that provides wealth management and comprehensive financial planning services to high-net-worth individuals and families (minimum $750,000 investable assets). The firm actively manages client assets across 401k, 403b, IRA, TIAA, Fidelity, pension, and taxable accounts using a proprietary Seasonal Approach to asset management, and offers coordinated retirement, estate, tax, and income planning. Specialized services include management of university retirement accounts (TIAA, Fidelity) for faculty and staff at institutions such as the University of Michigan, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan, Wayne State, and Oakland University.

Product overview

Retirement Income Solutions offers a unified financial advisory service combining wealth management and comprehensive financial planning. The core offering consists of Wealth Management for active investment management across all account types, paired with Comprehensive Financial Planning that encompasses goal setting, retirement planning, estate planning, and income planning. Specialized services include TIAA and Fidelity University Account management, 401k/403b/IRA account coordination, Trust Advisors, and Pension Advisors. Additional services include Roth Conversion Strategies, Tax Coordination, and Income Distribution planning. All services are delivered through a fee-only fiduciary model with a minimum account size of $750,000.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wealth Management Active management of client assets across all account types including 401k, IRA, Fidelity, TIAA, pension, and other savings or retirement accounts, using a proactive, diversified, analytical, and dynamic investment approach with proprietary seasonal market analysis.
• Comprehensive Financial Planning Holistic financial planning service addressing overall client financial wellbeing, including retirement planning, estate planning, tax management, goal setting, income planning, and coordination across all accounts.
• TIAA University Accounts Management
• Fidelity University Accounts Management
• 401k, 403b, and IRA Account Management
• Trust Advisory Services
• Pension Advisory Services
• Goal Setting and Life Planning
• Retirement Planning
• Estate Planning
• Customized Fixed-Fee Retirement Plans

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% client retention rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• TIAAcoreOthersRIS manages over a billion dollars of TIAA money for hundreds of clients across dozens of universities. They enjoy a strong, supported working relationship with TIAA allowing active management of university retirement accounts without transferring assets. RIS can deduct management fees directly from TIAA accounts in many cases, allowing clients to pay with pre-tax dollars.
• FidelitycoreOthersRIS has managed Fidelity accounts for nearly three decades for employees and retirees from University of Michigan, Michigan State, Eastern Michigan, Oakland, Wayne State, and other non-profit entities. As independent advisors not affiliated with Fidelity, they have a long supported relationship allowing direct management of university assets in Fidelity accounts.
• PershingcoreOthersPershing serves as a qualified custodian for RIS client accounts. RIS provides access to Pershing NetExchange Investor platform for clients to view account data, statements, and manage their investment accounts.
• Orion AdvisorcoreTechnology or IntegrationOrion Client Portal is RIS's primary digital platform for clients to access daily portfolio balances, performance, transaction activity, and documents. RIS recently transitioned from ShareFile to Orion for client reporting and document management.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Carson Group: National RIA and coaching/partner platform serving independent financial advisors with wealth management, retirement plan, and practice-management resources. Comparable in offering retirement income and 401(k)/403(b) advisory services; represents both a peer and a potential partner ecosystem for RIS.
• CapTrust Financial Advisors: Large national RIA providing wealth management, retirement plan advisory, and family office services to HNW individuals and institutions. Directly comparable service set to RIS; recent hire of Hank Peyser from CapTrust into RIS shows talent flow between the two firms.
• Creative Planning: One of the largest U.S. independent RIAs with comprehensive wealth management, retirement planning, and tax coordination for HNW clients. Comparable service menu and fiduciary positioning; demonstrates scale benchmarks for advisory firms of RIS's type.
• Hightower Advisors: National RIA partnership model providing wealth management, financial planning, and retirement advisory for HNW clients via partner firms. Comparable client profile and fee model; relevant both as a competitor and as a potential roll-up destination for RIS advisors.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National RIA consolidator offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and retirement advisory to HNW families. Comparable target market, fee-only fiduciary model, and active M&A-driven growth thesis that RIS could pursue or compete against.

Regional players

• Plante Moran Financial Advisors: Michigan-based wealth management arm of Plante Moran serving HNW individuals, families, and business owners with retirement and estate planning. Comparable regional Michigan footprint, fiduciary model, and emphasis on retirement and income planning for affluent professionals.
• Sigma Financial: Michigan-based independent broker-dealer and RIA serving retail HNW clients with financial planning, wealth management, and retirement advice. Comparable fee-based model and Michigan geographic footprint; RIS COO Amy Holzer previously spent 17 years at Sigma Financial.

Direct peers

• Edelman Financial Services: National fee-only RIA providing wealth management, retirement income planning, and tax-efficient strategies to HNW households. Direct comparable service offering including decumulation and Roth conversion strategies; relevant comp on scale and growth trajectory for RIS.
• Beacon Investment Company: Ann Arbor-area independent RIA also serving the Michigan university-employee market with active wealth management and financial planning. Highly comparable to RIS: Karen Chapell, now RIS Managing Partner, spent 2007-2012 there, evidencing direct overlap in clientele, fee model, and product mix.
• Diamant Asset Management: Independent RIA serving HNW individuals and families with active wealth management and retirement planning. Direct comparable firm in size and service scope; Lyn Breen, now RIS VP & Wealth Advisor, previously spent 2016-2025 at Diamant Asset Management, evidencing operational and client-model overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/RETIREMENTINCOMESOLUTIONSINC

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Income Solutions