Denver Retirement Planning

Financial Advisor for Retirees in Denver: Planning for Income, Investments, and Legacy

A specialized financial advisor for retirees denver coordinates wealth preservation, lifetime income generation, and legacy transfer, helping families transition smoothly into their next chapter. At The Stellarix Group, we bring a credentialed, collaborative approach to help retirees design durable financial plans that span generations.

Schedule a Consultation

Our Approach

How a Specialized Denver Retirement Advisor Shapes Your Future

Transitioning from accumulating wealth to distributing wealth requires a fundamental shift in strategy. Many pre-retirees and retirees in Colorado feel that their finances are fragmented across investments, taxes, insurance, and estate plans. Our fee-based planning approach is designed to unify these elements into a single cohesive strategy.

When searching for the best financial advisor in Denver to coordinate your retirement, it is essential to partner with professionals who understand retiree-specific challenges. This includes sustainable withdrawal rates, health care planning, and the coordination of estate documents to ensure your legacy is protected. However, every financial strategy carries risk; investment management involves potential market losses and no approach can guarantee specific outcomes.

Key Retirement Planning Objectives

Retirees face unique milestones that require proactive management to reduce unnecessary costs and maximize income efficiency.

Tax Optimization

Integrating federal and Colorado-specific tax subtractions to preserve your wealth.

Income Structuring

Creating a sustainable distribution sequence across traditional, Roth, and taxable accounts.

Legacy and Estate Coordination

Structuring assets to transfer smoothly to heirs or charitable causes in a tax-sensitive manner.

Tax Efficiency

Colorado Retirement Tax Planning and 2026 Limits

Optimizing taxes is a core part of our financial planning in Denver. Colorado offers specific tax advantages for retirees, but navigating them requires careful planning and coordination with your CPA. Below are key Colorado tax provisions and federal guidelines for the 2026 tax year.

Colorado State Subtractions for Pension and Annuity Income

As of August 25, 2026, Colorado allows retirees to subtract a portion of their qualifying pension or annuity income from their state taxable income, provided the income is included in federal taxable income. These subtractions are structured as follows:

1 Age 55 to 64: Retirees can subtract the lesser of $20,000 or their qualifying taxable retirement income. For joint filers, these limits apply separately to each spouse based on their individual income.
2 Age 65 or older: Retirees can subtract the lesser of $24,000 or their qualifying taxable pension income, allowing for greater state tax insulation as you age.
3 Social Security Exclusions: Taxpayers aged 65 or older can generally subtract all federally taxable Social Security benefits. Those aged 55 to 64 can subtract these benefits if their federal adjusted gross income is no more than $75,000 for single filers or $95,000 for joint filers.

Note: State and federal tax codes are highly complex. These provisions must be verified based on your specific filing status and adjusted gross income. For details, refer to the official Colorado Department of Revenue Pension Subtraction Guidelines.

2026 Federal and State Retirement Benchmarks

Planning Category	2026 Limit / Provision
Standard Deduction (Joint)	$32,200
Standard Deduction (Single)	$16,100
Traditional / Roth IRA Limit	$7,500 ($8,600 if age 50 or older)
401(k) Contribution Limit	$24,500
Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) Age	Age 73 (born 1951 to 1959) or Age 75 (born 1960 or later)
Colorado Pension Exclusion (Age 65+)	Up to $24,000 per eligible individual

Sources: Federal tax guidelines are sourced from the IRS 2026 Tax Inflation Adjustments and IRS 2026 Contribution Limits. Colorado exclusions are based on the Colorado Department of Revenue Information for Retirees (as of August 25, 2026).

Core Strategy

Three Pillars of Comprehensive Wealth Management for Retirees

Our specialized approach for retirees and pre-retirees addresses the multi-faceted complexities of life after work. We coordinate three core planning pillars to provide structural clarity and confidence.

We believe in building plans that are not only robust today but are designed to stand strong across generations. By aligning investments, income structures, and estate vehicles, we seek to protect what you have built.

Lifetime Income Distribution Structuring

Managing the withdrawal sequence across taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts to help minimize lifetime tax liability. This includes managing Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) starting at age 73 or 75, helping you avoid steep penalties while sustaining your lifestyle.

Dynamic and Risk-Aware Investment Management

Balancing the preservation of capital with the growth needed to outpace inflation. We design customized, fee-based portfolios aligned with your risk tolerance and long-term liquidity needs. All investing, however, involves risk, including the loss of principal.

Legacy and Multi-Generational Estate Planning

Ensuring your estate documents, trust structures, and beneficiary designations are fully aligned. We coordinate with your estate attorneys to streamline the transfer of wealth, establish donor-advised funds, and coordinate charitable trusts to amplify your philanthropic legacy.

Our Expertise

A Constellation of Credentials Dedicated to Your Peace of Mind

Retirement planning is not a generic service. It requires highly specialized knowledge across multiple disciplines. Our credentialed fiduciaries bring over a century of combined experience to help you navigate your journey.

Retirement Strategy

CFP® and ChFC Professional Guidance

Advisors like Ryan Griffin (CFP®), Haley Gray (CFP®, AIF®), and Tom Mueller (ChFC) deliver comprehensive planning. They look at your entire financial horizon to coordinate income, investments, and risk mitigation.

Asset Management

CFA and CIMA® Portfolio Direction

Our investment direction, led by Bryan Andersen (CFA) and Tom Moody (MBA, CIMA®), focuses on constructing risk-managed portfolios. We employ disciplined, fee-based management designed to preserve capital and capture opportunities.

Risk & Care Planning

CLTC® and ChSNC Expertise

Managing partners Joy Avedesian (CLTC®) and Melissa Lang (CLU, ChSNC, CLTC) specialize in long-term care strategy and special needs planning, helping families protect dependents and guard against health care disruptions.

Addressing Your Questions: Transparent Advisory Operations

How do we manage potential conflicts of interest?

As a firm affiliated with MML Investors Services, LLC, we offer fee-based financial planning. While we have access to proprietary solutions from MassMutual, our advisory services are delivered under a fiduciary standard of care. This means we are legally bound to act in your best interest. We also provide access to a wide array of non-proprietary institutional options to match your goals. We disclose all fee structures and potential conflicts clearly upfront; we do not claim to be conflict-free, but we actively work to manage and mitigate them.

Do you have institutional scale?

Yes. Through our broker-dealer and investment advisory platform, MMLIS, our clients are supported by an organization managing over $2.5 billion in advisory assets and serving more than 35,000 clients nationwide. This provides our Denver-rooted team with robust institutional infrastructure, advanced technology platforms, and deep specialist access. For business owners, we coordinate retirement goals with dedicated business planning in Denver to facilitate smooth transitions.

Your Roadmap

A Step-by-Step Retirement Readiness Checklist

Preparation is key to a smooth transition. Use this checklist as a starting point to assess your current retirement posture.

Determine Your Sustainable Income Target

Analyze your current monthly expenses and estimate future healthcare, travel, and leisure costs to establish an annual income goal in retirement.

Evaluate Social Security Optimization

Model claiming options between age 62 and 70 to maximize cumulative lifetime benefits, coordinating dates with your spouse to protect survivor benefits.

Build an Account-By-Account Withdrawal Strategy

Sequence distributions from traditional IRAs, Roth accounts, and taxable accounts to help control your annual federal tax bracket and manage Medicare premium thresholds.

Address Long-Term Care Exposure

Assess insurance options, custom hybrid strategies, or self-funding models to defend your assets against sudden healthcare or nursing care costs.

Plan for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs)

Prepare for mandatory withdrawals starting at age 73 or 75, coordinating charitable distributions to help lower your adjusted gross income.

Align Wills, Trusts, and Beneficiaries

Coordinate with legal counsel to draft or refresh estate documents, ensuring beneficiary forms on retirement accounts match your overall transfer intent.

Answering Your Concerns

Frequently Asked Questions About Retirement Planning

Clear guidance is the cornerstone of our approach. Below are answers to common questions about navigating retirement planning with a financial advisor.

Should retirees have a financial advisor?

Retirees should work with a financial advisor if they coordinate assets across multiple traditional, Roth, and brokerage accounts, or need to plan for Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) and legacy transfers. An advisor helps structure an efficient decumulation sequence, managing your income needs while seeking to control your overall tax bracket. For complex circumstances, professional guidance can reduce the risk of structural mistakes.

What type of financial advisor is best for retirement?

The best financial advisor for retirement is a credentialed professional, such as a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) or Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC), who specializes in retirement distribution, lifetime tax mitigation, and estate planning. They should act as a fiduciary for advisory services, ensuring they are legally bound to act in your best interest. Fee-based planning structures help align recommendations with your broader life goals.

How much does it cost to talk to a financial advisor about retirement?

Initial exploratory conversations with our team at The Stellarix Group are conducted at no fee. This initial consultation allows us to review your financial situation and determine if our services align with your needs. If we choose to partner together, advisory fees, planning fees, or management costs are detailed in writing, with no hidden structures or surprise costs.

What is a red flag for a financial advisor?

A major red flag is any advisor who guarantees specific investment returns or promises that a strategy has no risk of loss. Other warning signs include a refusal to sign a fiduciary oath on advisory accounts, high-pressure product sales, or a lack of clear documentation on how they are compensated. Professional advisors emphasize transparency, present benefits alongside potential risks, and focus on your long-term plan rather than short-term market trends.

Should you see a financial advisor when you retire?

Yes, the transition into retirement is one of the most critical times to partner with an advisor. Decumulating assets requires a completely different strategy than accumulating them. An advisor helps you establish a structural plan to manage market fluctuations, structure a withdrawal sequence, time your Social Security claims, and protect your loved ones from long-term care costs.

Chart Your Course

Let Us Guide Your Financial Journey

In a vast universe of financial opportunities, let our dedicated team serve as the single star that guides your way. We offer Denver retirees and their families a clear path toward preservation, growth, and multi-generational impact.