Your free financial checkup.

Only by our clients — a flat percentage of the assets we manage, fully disclosed up front. No commissions, no product sales, no kickbacks. The advice you get isn't shaped by what someone gets paid to sell you.

A fiduciary is legally required to put your interests first, always. Many advisors only have to meet a looser "suitability" bar, which allows recommending products that are merely acceptable — even when a better, cheaper option exists. We're a fiduciary, all of the time.

Your 403(b) gives you both TIAA and Fidelity, and TIAA Traditional has guarantees and withdrawal rules most people never read. Add phased retirement, New York's pension-income tax treatment, and Social Security timing, and there are real, coordinated decisions to make. Helping faculty make them is a big part of what we do.

It depends on your time horizon, how much guaranteed income you want, and the rest of your portfolio. TIAA Traditional can act like a high-quality bond substitute with a guaranteed floor; low-cost Fidelity index funds give you growth. For most faculty the answer is a deliberate blend — not all of one.

It comes down to your spending, not a magic number. The checkup above estimates a target from your expenses, inflation, and Social Security. Ithaca's cost of living runs a bit above the national average, so the details matter — a conversation can pressure-test the estimate.

There's no universal answer — it depends on your health, your other income, and how long you expect to live. Claiming early locks in a smaller check; waiting grows it. The Social Security optimizer in the checkup shows your break-even age and the lifetime trade-off.

No. We have no account minimums. We believe everyone deserves a fiduciary in their corner — especially people still early in the climb.