Retirement planning services
near you. Chicago, Evanston,
and the Northern Suburbs.
If you searched retirement planning services near mefrom anywhere in Chicago or its Northern Suburbs, you’re in our service area. We're an independent, family-owned financial advisory firm based in Evanston, Illinois, five minutes from the Metra and serving thirty Cook County and Lake County communities since 1977. We build complete retirement plans for families who want one place to coordinate income, taxes, healthcare, and estate.
What we do for clients in Chicago.
Six things you can expect on the first call. The plan goes deeper from there.
Build a written retirement income plan that coordinates Social Security, pensions, IRAs, and taxable accounts into one paycheck-replacement schedule.
Model Roth conversions, withdrawal sequencing, and Qualified Charitable Distributions against your federal and Illinois tax brackets.
Plan the cost of care, long-term care insurance, hybrid policies, annuity riders, and home-care funding, before it's needed.
Coordinate Illinois estate tax exposure ($4M exemption, non-portable) with your estate attorney's trust strategy.
Evaluate whether annuities, life insurance, gold, or precious metals fit your specific plan, and tell you when they don't.
For business owners: plan the 12-24 months before a sale, the tax structure of the deal, and the post-sale income plan.
Thirty communities.
One Evanston office.
we serve families across thirty Cook County and Lake County communities in Chicago’s Northern Suburbs from our Evanston, Illinois office. Most clients meet us in the Evanston office; we also meet at your home or by video call.
What people ask before they call.
How do I find a retirement planner near me in Chicago?
Start with two filters: independent and transparent. An independent firm has no parent brokerage above it dictating products or sales quotas. A transparent firm can articulate exactly how it's paid before recommending anything. we're independent and family-owned, based in Evanston since 1977.
How much money do I need to retire in Chicago's Northern Suburbs?
More than national retirement calculators suggest, typically $200,000 to $400,000 more than the same lifestyle in a lower-cost state. The drivers are Cook and Lake County property taxes (often $15,000-$30,000 per year on Northern Suburbs homes), above-average healthcare costs, and a higher cost of living. The tradeoff is access to world-class healthcare, cultural amenities, and Illinois's genuinely favorable treatment of retirement income. Social Security, IRA distributions, and pensions are state-tax-free.
Are you independent of a parent brokerage?
Yes. is family-owned and has no parent brokerage above the firm dictating product menus or sales quotas. We don't sell proprietary products. Every recommendation is independent of any single carrier. The same family has served Northern Suburbs clients since 1977, three generations under one name.
Do you only work with people in Evanston, or can you help if I live elsewhere in Chicago?
We serve thirty communities across Cook and Lake Counties, including Chicago itself, Wilmette, Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Northbrook, Glenview, Skokie, Deerfield, and twenty more. Most clients meet us in our Evanston office, five minutes from the downtown Metra. We also meet at your kitchen table or by video call, your preference.
How much does it cost to work with a Chicago retirement planner?
We're paid through commissions on the insurance and annuity products we place. When we place an annuity or a life insurance policy, we tell you what the carrier pays us and explain why that product fits your situation. We don't sell proprietary products. Every recommendation is independent of any single carrier.
Verifiable, on the record.
Independent, family-owned
Founded 1977. Three generations. No parent brokerage. No proprietary products.
Commissions disclosed
When we place an annuity or a life insurance policy, we tell you what the carrier pays us and explain why that product fits your situation.
Perry · Vice President
Illinois Life & Health Insurance License.
Perry · President
Illinois Life & Health Insurance License.
Single office
909 Davis Street, Suite 500, Evanston, IL 60201. The same family every meeting.
Ready to talk?
One free conversation, no sales pitch. Tell us where you are, where you want to be, and we’ll tell you whether we’re a fit. If we’re not the right firm, we’ll tell you and recommend who is.