Key takeaways:
- Retirable is a retirement-income platform, with a core focus to help retirees and near-retirees plan retirement income from their savings
- Dynamic retirement income planning is one of its most distinctive features
- Its investment approach is built around retirement needs
- It may be narrower than a full-service traditional advisor
- The fee is clear but not low-cost; new clients pay 1.00% per year, billed monthly, with an annual cap of $10,000
What does Retirable do?
Retirable is a retirement-focused investment adviser designed for people who are retired or preparing to retire.
It is not a conventional financial advisor or a pure robo-advisor. It combines advisor-guided retirement planning, discretionary ETF portfolio management, and retirement income support through Retirable’s online tools, advisor communications, and the Altruist investment platform.
Its advisors focus on retirement-related areas such as income, healthcare, housing, Social Security, taxes, legacy goals, and lifestyle planning.
Retirable is an SEC-registered investment adviser based in New York. The firm was founded in 2020 by R. Tyler End, CFP, and managed about $300 million in discretionary regulatory assets under management as of February 27, 2026.
What is Retirable’s investment philosophy?
Its investment philosophy is retirement-specific. It’s a bucket-style approach using:
- Cash for immediate spending needs
- Stability assets for medium-term needs
- Growth assets for longer-term retirement goals
Portfolios are generally built with publicly traded ETFs and may include cash holdings, fixed-maturity fixed-income ETFs, and equity and fixed-income ETFs.
How Retirable works
The process starts with information gathering. Clients provide details about their retirement goals, financial situation, risk tolerance, income needs, and distribution timing through online tools, questionnaires, and conversations with advisors. Based on this information, Retirable may create a retirement plan that estimates future assets and retirement income over the client’s projected lifetime.
For investment clients, Retirable then works with the client to choose an investment strategy and target asset allocation. The agreed recommendation is summarized in an investment policy statement. After that, Retirable manages the account through Altruist, mainly using ETFs and cash or cash-equivalent holdings.
Retirable also provides ongoing oversight. Accounts are reviewed for rebalancing opportunities at least quarterly, and financial plans, investment strategies, and target allocations are reviewed with clients at least annually or when requested.
Retirable vs. traditional financial advisors and robo-advisors
Feature | Retirable | Traditional financial advisor | Robo-advisor |
|---|---|---|---|
Main focus | Retirement planning, investing, and income support | Broader wealth management and financial planning | Automated portfolio management |
Human advisor | Advisor-led service | Usually yes | Limited or optional |
Retirement income support | Core part of the service | May be available, depending on the advisor | Usually limited |
Investment approach | ETF portfolios, cash or cash equivalents, and retirement-focused allocation | Often more customized, depending on the firm | Model portfolios or algorithm-based allocation |
Fee structure | 1.00% annually for new clients, capped at $10,000 per year | Varies by advisor and service model | Usually designed as a lower-cost digital option |
Portfolio customization | Limited | Usually more flexible | Usually limited |
In-person service | Not emphasized | Often available | Usually not available |
Best fit | Retirees and near-retirees | Clients needing broader, more customized planning | DIY-oriented investors |
Main limitation | Narrower than full-service wealth management | Can be more expensive and less digital | May not provide enough retirement-income guidance |
What are the pros and cons of Retirable?
Here is a look at the pros and cons of Retirable.
Pros of Retirable:
- Retirement-income focus: Retirable is designed for retirees and near-retirees who need help converting assets into spending income.
- Advisor-led but digital-first: Clients receive advisor support while using an online planning, investing, and spending platform.
- Fee cap: New clients pay 1.00% annually, with the advisory fee capped at $10,000.
- Dynamic income planning: Retirable helps clients convert savings into monthly retirement income through a customized plan.
Cons of Retirable:
- Altruist account required: Clients must maintain a brokerage account at Altruist Financial to use Retirable’s asset management service.
- Limited portfolio customization: Clients may choose a portfolio not recommended by Retirable, but they cannot change the asset allocation within each portfolio.
- Potential annuity compensation conflict: Some Retirable investment adviser representatives are also licensed insurance agents and may receive commission-based compensation if a client purchases a fixed annuity.
Retirable fees: How much does Retirable cost?
Fee type | Cost |
|---|---|
Investment advisory fee for new clients | 1.00% per year |
Annual advisory fee cap | $10,000 |
Altruist model portfolio fee | 0% to 0.12% per year |
General financial planning | $500 per year |
Performance-based fee | None |
Who should choose Retirable?
Retirable works well for:
- People close to retirement who need a clearer income and spending plan
- Retirees who want help with withdrawals, monthly income, and safe-to-spend decisions
- Investors who are comfortable with ETF-based portfolios and remote advisor communication
Who might not benefit as much:
- DIY investors who can manage withdrawals, rebalancing, and spending decisions on their own
- Users who only want low-cost automated ETF management
- Clients who need complex tax, estate, legal, or business-owner planning
Retirable: Is it secure?
Retirable is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Client assets are held at Altruist Financial LLC, which is an unaffiliated SEC-registered self-clearing broker-dealer and FINRA/SIPC member.
It is not an FDIC-insured bank; banking services are provided by Thread Bank, member FDIC, and deposits may qualify for up to $3 million in FDIC insurance through a sweep program, subject to conditions.
The company follows security measures that comply with federal and state laws, including protecting devices, securing files and buildings, monitoring third-party providers, and, as required by law, notifying users of any data breach.
Retirable: Customer service
Retirable’s customer service model is advisor-centered.
The clients work with a dedicated US-based licensed fiduciary advisor and can contact the advisor by phone, text message, video, or email.
Retirable also provides an online FAQ page covering basic questions.
Retirable reviews: What real customers are saying?
Discussions mainly focus on Retirable’s advisor support, customer service, ease of onboarding, communication quality, retirement-planning explanations, and account setup or transfer experience.
Its review summary says customers often praise Retirable’s staff, customer service, user experience, and response time, while some reviews mention initial account setup difficulties, transfer issues, and unclear expectations during early calls.
One user said, “explained everything as we went,” another said, “quick replies that answer all my questions.”
However, some more cautious reviews point to account setup, transfer friction, and the fact that some customer experiences are still early-stage. One user said, “It took a while to get things straight,” while another said, “Way too long! Every time I call, there is a Zoom meeting required.”
Retirable: Mobile App
Retirable has an official mobile app called Retirable. The app is positioned as part of Retirable’s retirement planning, investing, spending, and saving platform rather than as a standalone robo-advisor app.
The app supports planning around social security, pensions, lifestyle, healthcare, tax-efficient investing, safe-to-spend guidance, retirement income, a cash-management account, and a debit card.
Is Retirable worth it?
Retirable may be worth evaluating for retirees and near-retirees. Its main strengths are advisor-led retirement planning, dynamic income and spending guidance, ETF-based portfolio management, and tools designed around monthly retirement cash flow.
The main trade-offs are its 1.00% annual advisory fee and limited portfolio customization.
For users who mainly need decumulation planning and retirement paycheck support, Retirable offers a more focused model than a basic robo-advisor.
For users who need broad in-person wealth management, complex tax planning, or estate planning, Retirable’s disclosed services may need to be supplemented by other professionals.
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