Planning for your retirement is harder than it used to be.
Juggling retirement, aging parents, and college costs? Book a free 15-minute call with a CFP® professional. We’ll listen, offer real guidance — no sales pitch, no obligation.
We won’t pitch you on managing your money.
How to start with a CFP® professional.
No call centers, no rotating reps — you’ll work directly with the same CFP® professional from your first call onward.
Unlike most retirement planning firms, you’ll work directly with a CFP® professional from day one—no long-term commitment required. With our initial assessments, you receive a practical, actionable report to use immediately, allowing you to experience our expertise and guidance before any discussion of an ongoing relationship. Review the chart below to see how our process works. If you already know you want ongoing investment management, membership, or another service, you can skip the assessment—just let us know during our call.
Cost
Duration
Who you talk to
What you get
Commitment required
Step 1:
Discovery Call
Free
15 minutes
A CFP® professional
Recommendation for which assessment fits.
None
Step 2: Initial Assessment
$295 or $590
About 2 weeks
A CFP® professional
Second Opinion ($295) or Am I on Track ($590). A planning deliverable you keep regardless.
None
Step 3: Ongoing Services
Varies by service
Ongoing or annual
Members of our team, including CFP® professionals
Ongoing financial guidance
None
At most retirement firms, “free planning” meetings are actually sales pitches—aimed at getting you to move your money by the end of the conversation. We do things differently. Our discovery call is genuinely free, because getting started shouldn’t cost you anything. The assessment is paid because it involves real planning work—and even if you choose not to continue with us, you’ll walk away with real value. That’s the whole point.
Most people start with one of two assessments:
Second Opinion or “Am I on Track?”
A $295 investment second opinion or a $590 retirement readiness assessment — we'll help you pick on the call.
Ideal for
DIY investors who want an objective second look at their portfolio — or people already working with an advisor who want an unbiased professional review.
Price
$295
What you get
A CFP® professional reviews your portfolio's risks, returns, and what it's costing you in investment fees — delivered as a personalized report you keep.
Timeline
About two weeks
Option #1
Second Opinion
Option #2
“Am I on Track?”
Ideal for
You want a clear, confident answer to the question your retirement keeps raising — am I actually on track to live the retirement I want?
Price
$590
What you get
Everything in Second Opinion, plus a Social Security claiming strategy, a personalized 0–100 retirement readiness score, and a complete retirement roadmap tailored to your goals.
Timeline
About two weeks
The Second Opinion assessment includes:
Investment portfolio analysis
Our investment review includes identifying your risk score and delivering a comparison of your current investment allocation versus your ideal allocation—arming you with the knowledge you need to make changes, accordingly.
The “Am I on Track?” assessment includes everything above, plus:
Tax return review
We’ll identify gaps or missed opportunities in your tax return and offer advice on tax-smart investing, wealth-building strategies, and how to maximize charitable giving.
The Social Security optimizer
We’ll determine your optimal Social Security filing date, helping you maximize your benefits and retire with greater confidence.
The gap plan
We’ll assess whether you’re on track to meet your financial goals by conducting a thorough cash flow analysis—examining how money moves in and out of your accounts. This part of the assessment includes personalized income projections and clear, actionable recommendations to help you move confidently toward a comfortable retirement.
Personal scorecard
This document provides a visual snapshot of your net worth and acts as a baseline to track your progress moving forward.
The 0–100 score
We’ll provide a clear, easy-to-understand score (0–100) showing exactly how likely you are to reach your retirement goals so you can finally know (not guess) whether you’re A-OK.
We work with the generation that has to fund retirement, college, and elder care — all at the same time.
Most retirement advice was designed for a different era. Previous generations didn’t face $80,000 annual college costs, the burden of funding parents’ memory care, or the loss of reliable pensions. You do. We recognize these realities and tailor our planning to meet them.
The kid in college.
Your daughter is a sophomore. Each August, you write a $40K check. You hesitate to touch the 529 plan, but you’re also wary of depleting your brokerage account.
The parent in care.
Your dad just moved into assisted living. The financial reality feels overwhelming. You’re weighing whether you, your siblings, or a spend-down strategy will cover the costs, but the right answer remains unclear.
Your retirement date.
You once said 62. Then you reconsidered—maybe 65. Now, 67 feels like the more realistic answer. Every market correction makes you rethink your timeline.
Find out where you stand
Already at Fidelity? There’s no need to move your money.
Your money can stay at Fidelity. We manage Fidelity accounts directly — 401(k) rollovers, brokerage accounts, IRAs. No transfer paperwork. No 30-day move. No tax surprises. You get fiduciary, advice-first guidance from a dedicated CFP® professional who knows you — backed by an independent boutique firm that doesn't sell proprietary products. (We can do the same with accounts at LPL Financial.)
Independent, fiduciary RIA in Ridgewood, NJ.
As an independent Registered Investment Advisor in Ridgewood, NJ, every Vision Retirement advisor is a CFP® professional and fiduciary—paid by you, always acting in your best interest. And unlike advisors at big firms who may push their own funds, we have the freedom to choose from all available investments.
Fiduciary RIA
Fidelity & LPL custodians
CFP® professionals
We coordinate your entire financial picture—not just investments.
Your retirement plan spans your CPA, estate attorney, insurance agent, and your lifelong accounts. We act as your financial quarterback—coordinating with your team so tax moves, estate planning, and investment strategy work together. When professionals don’t communicate, it can cost you—like missed Roth conversions or unfunded trusts. We make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
If you prefer, we handle tax preparation in-house through our sister company, Advisor Tax Prep—bringing planning and filing together under one roof.
Already know which retirement planning service you need?
Some visitors arrive having already decided they want ongoing work. That’s fine — you can skip the assessment and head straight to the right page.
Not ready to talk yet?
Try the free Retirement Readiness Quiz.
Ten questions. Three minutes. We’ll give you a directional retirement readiness score and a sense of which assessment would likely fit — then you can decide whether to book a discovery call. No commitment. No sales follow-up.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Spend 15 minutes (longer, depending on your needs) with a CFP® professional who listens to your goals, concerns, and current situation—no sales pitch. At the end, we’ll recommend the best fit: Second Opinion ($295), Am I on Track ($590), or, if you’re ready, we’ll schedule ongoing support. The choice is always yours.
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Absolutely. While most people benefit from the assessment, if you know you want investment management, tax preparation, or membership, we can skip straight to onboarding after your discovery call. Just let us know, and we'll handle the rest—no assessment needed.
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No. The assessment stands alone. Sometimes clients take the assessment and go, and that’s exactly how we designed it.
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You could — and many do. But we're an independent boutique retirement planning firm that works directly with Fidelity to manage your accounts there. Your money stays at Fidelity and you don't have to move anything to work with us. We don't sell proprietary products, and you get a dedicated CFP® professional who knows you and acts in your best interest.
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While each of our solutions is geared toward specific needs and circumstances, investment minimums or net worth prerequisites are not required to sign on with us as a client.
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Absolutely! We’re licensed in numerous states, so you can become a client no matter where you live.
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An RIA (registered investment advisor) is a firm or person who offers investment advice and is licensed by the SEC or a similar state office. More importantly, RIAs are fiduciaries: meaning they are legally required to put your interests above their own at all times during the relationship.
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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 "suitability standard”—meaning they must recommend products that are appropriate for a client’s needs—a fiduciary is held to a higher standard of care.
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The CFP® designation is the most 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.
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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.
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We’re based in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and we work with many clients across New Jersey, the New York City metro area, and the broader tri-state region. Most engagements run virtually; in-person meetings at our Ridgewood and Poughkeepsie offices are available for clients who want them.
