A robo-advisor — algorithmic portfolio management for self-directed investors — works well for straightforward situations where cost and hands-off management are the priorities.

Vision Retirement actually offers a robo option as part of our investment menu: our Automated Investing w/Guidance service is built on the Betterment platform, with a CFP® professional available to consult whenever you have questions.

So if a robo-advisor is what you're after, the question isn't "Vision or a robo" — it's whether you want robo management on its own, the same management with a CFP® professional you can call, or something more involved like our Membership or Fiduciary Investment Management. On a discovery call, we can help you figure out which fits.

Large firms like Vanguard and Schwab offer advisor services backed by national brand recognition and scale, often at very competitive fees. The structural differences with Vision Retirement come down to three things: we're an independent RIA (no affiliated broker-dealer product menu), we don't sell proprietary funds, and every client works with a dedicated CFP® professional from their first call onward. We're also smaller, which means lower advisor-to-client ratios and more direct access. The right choice depends on whether you value the scale and lower fees of a national platform or the boutique service and integrated tax/estate coordination of an independent RIA.

Both Vision Retirement and Facet are fee-based fiduciaries. The main differences are structure and approach. Facet is a subscription-based, virtual-only firm with a national footprint and a larger client base per advisor. Vision is a boutique RIA based in Ridgewood, NJ, offering both virtual and in-person service, a smaller advisor-to-client ratio, and additional services (investment management, integrated tax preparation through our sister company Advisor Tax Prep). The right fit depends on whether you value scale and lower fees or boutique service and integration.

Some people do, and for simple situations, that can work. Where the math starts to favor working with a CFP® professional is when the decisions are irreversible or interconnected — when to claim Social Security, how to sequence withdrawals, whether to do a Roth conversion, how to plan for healthcare costs. The cost of getting any one of those wrong can exceed the cost of working with an advisor for years.

A fiduciary financial advisor is a financial professional who is legally and ethically bound to always act in the best interests of clients. Unlike other financial advisors who may operate under a 'Best Interest' standard (Reg BI)—meaning they must recommend products that are appropriate for a client’s needs—a fiduciary is held to a higher standard of care.

The CFP® designation is a widely recognized credential.

Regulated by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, CFPs® must pass a difficult exam and meet strict standards with respect to education and work experience. Better yet, CFPs® are held, by law, to a fiduciary standard: meaning they’ll always put your best interests above their own.

A financial custodian is a specialized institution or entity responsible for safeguarding a client’s financial assets, such as stocks, bonds, or cash. Vision Retirement works directly with two custodians: LPL and Fidelity.