396,000 client relationships†
Overseeing $9.1 billion†
$500K minimum to work with us
396,000 client relationships†
Overseeing $9.1 billion†
$500K minimum to work with us
Ritholtz Wealth Management: Wealth management for engineers and DIY investors
What you get before you hand over a single account:
A written second opinion on the portfolio and plan you built yourself
Every suggested fund change shown with its capital gains cost first
A withdrawal order across your workplace plan, IRA and brokerage accounts
Diversification choices based on long-term research, never market forecasts or tips
clients as of 10/12/2026,
evidence over forecasts†
- Clients
- 396,000
- Assets managed
- $9.1 billion
- Starting from
- $500K
- Services
- 6 focus areas
As of 10/12/2026.
Ritholtz Wealth Management: wealth management before retirement
Ritholtz Wealth Management is a wealth management firm that helps engineers and analytically minded do-it-yourself investors seeking a second opinion before retirement organize 401(k), IRA, and taxable-account choices.
You may have a capable spreadsheet, several accounts, and a nagging sense that each decision changes the others. Our work rests on long-term research and diversification, not market forecasts or hot tips, because retirement is a poor time to discover that a clever trade had a tax consequence.
What does Ritholtz Wealth Management wealth management cover?
Ritholtz Wealth Management wealth management brings your retirement accounts, tax-sensitive decisions, and planned spending into one working view, so you can test a choice before acting on it. The firm serves households with $500K or more in investable assets and works with people throughout the country by video conference and telephone.
The work can include a second-opinion plan review, retirement income planning, Roth conversion strategy, tax-efficient investing, Social Security claiming, and a 401(k) rollover to an IRA. Founded in 2013 by Barry Ritholtz and Josh Brown, the firm is headquartered in New York; team members are also known for investing blogs and podcasts for individual investors.
People often arrive with accounts that made sense one at a time. A 401(k) may hold the lowest-cost funds, an IRA may contain an old rollover, and a taxable account may carry concentrated shares. The useful starting point is to put the paperwork next to the spending plan and find the decisions that interact.
| Situation | Initial check |
|---|---|
| Old 401(k) | Read plan paperwork |
| Company-stock position | Measure stock concentration |
| Retiring within five years | Map monthly withdrawals |
| Roth conversion question | Estimate tax and Medicare effects |
A first conversation should produce a sequence, not a sales pitch
Ritholtz Wealth Management uses the first conversation to learn what decision is pressing, what accounts are involved, and whether the $500K minimum fits your situation; then the work proceeds in an order that makes the next decision easier to check. A rollover, for example, should not outrun the review of plan options, taxes, and cash needs.
A good process leaves a paper trail. You should know what was reviewed, what assumptions were used, and what remains open. That matters when a spouse asks six months later why a conversion was skipped or a stock position was reduced.
- First conversation: You describe the retirement date, account mix, and the decision you do not want to guess at.
- Paperwork review: We read statements, plan materials, tax items, and beneficiary details that bear on that decision.
- Written analysis: Ritholtz Wealth Management sets out assumptions, trade-offs, and actions worth considering.
- Ongoing reviews: The discussion returns to spending, taxes, account changes, and any decision that needs revisiting.
How does the evidence-based approach hold up in a bad market month?
Ritholtz Wealth Management separates next month’s spending from investments meant to last for years, then reviews the withdrawal source before reacting to a rough market. Selling every holding because the news is grim is usually an emotional response dressed up as a plan.
A useful shortcut is to compare the cash needed before the next review with the amount already set aside for near-term spending. If that reserve covers the planned withdrawal, a bad month does not automatically force a sale of the long-term allocation. If it does not, the conversation turns to which available account creates the least damage after taxes and portfolio concentration are considered.
No portfolio structure removes risk. Investments can decline, and you can lose some or all of the money put in, which is precisely why a withdrawal plan should not depend on a forecast being right.
How much communication should you expect after the initial review?
Communication at Ritholtz Wealth Management is built around decisions and changes in your accounts, not a ceremonial check-in that says little. Reviews can be held by video conference or telephone, and the frequency should be discussed around the issues that matter, such as a retirement date, a stock sale, or a planned Roth conversion.
The firm does not publish a promised report format or a fixed review calendar on this page, so ask about both in the first conversation. A useful written recap identifies the account action, the reason for it, the assumptions behind it, and the item to revisit later. That is more useful than a glossy chart with no connection to your next withdrawal.
- Contact method: Video conference and telephone support households beyond the office location.
- Review record: Ask for a written recap of decisions and open items.
- Account change: Raise a job change, inheritance, stock sale, or retirement-date shift promptly.
A hypothetical engineer with $900K and a retirement date
Hypothetical example: Maya is 62, plans to stop working in three years, and has $600K in a 401(k), $200K in an IRA, and $100K in a taxable account. She expects to spend about $4K a month from her portfolio before other income begins, but she is tempted to sell investments after a market slide.
Ritholtz Wealth Management would first test the account mix, tax basis in the taxable account, plan choices inside the 401(k), and the date each income source begins. For illustration, 18 months of planned portfolio withdrawals equals $4K a month × 18 months = $72K. Setting aside that amount from suitable available assets would leave $828K invested, without making a prediction about where markets go next.
That calculation does not tell Maya to hold cash forever. Cash can lag investments over long stretches, and moving money may create taxes or change portfolio risk. It does give her a specific question to examine: is the $72K reserve enough for the spending window she wants to protect, and what account should supply it?
When do you see the fee terms?
Ritholtz Wealth Management discusses the fee openly during the first conversation, once the scope of work and account situation are understood. The terms are then provided in writing for review before any work begins. That gives you room to read the details without trying to absorb them while discussing a retirement date.
If the fit is right, use the request form to describe the decision on your mind. Households nationwide can work remotely, and the office is at 305 West Lincoln Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, United States.
Ritholtz Wealth Management serves clients nationwide; most meetings happen by video. Our office: 305 West Lincoln Street, Phoenix, AZ 85003, United States. Let's Talk →
Ritholtz Wealth Management services
Second-opinion plan review
A written review of the portfolio and plan you built, with each fix ranked by impact.
Second-opinion plan review →Retirement income planning
A month-by-month paycheck plan showing which account pays, in what order, and why.
Retirement income planning →Roth conversion strategy
Year-by-year conversion amounts sized to your tax bracket, IRMAA tiers and RMD age.
Roth conversion strategy →Tax-efficient investing
Holdings placed by account type, with the capital gains cost shown before any sale.
Tax-efficient investing →Social Security claiming
Claiming ages for you and your spouse tested against your savings and longevity.
Social Security claiming →401(k) rollover to an IRA
A rollover checklist covering cost basis, employer stock and the custodian's paperwork.
401(k) rollover to an IRA →Recent articles
- The Ritholtz Wealth Management Guide to Index Funds vs. a Financial Advisor
- Advisory fee on $1 million: put $833 a month to the test
- Is the 4 percent rule safe for engineers about to retire?
- How does Ritholtz Wealth Management view sequence of returns risk in retirement?
- How to set asset allocation at age 60 before paychecks stop
- The mistake of thinking more funds means better diversification
Your questions about Ritholtz Wealth Management, answered
It's worth it when the review changes a decision larger than the fee itself. Ritholtz Wealth Management walks through its fee in the first conversation and confirms it in writing before any work begins. For scale, any 1% fee on $800K is $8K a year, so ask which of your decisions the review would actually change.
Yes, the $500K minimum counts investable assets across all of those accounts added together. Ritholtz Wealth Management totals workplace plans, IRAs and taxable brokerage balances; home equity usually isn't part of the count. If you're close to the line, say so on the request form and we'll talk it through.
Recent statements for every account, your latest tax return and your Social Security estimate cover most of it. If you hold company stock or RSUs, add the vesting schedule and cost basis. Ritholtz Wealth Management uses this paperwork to test the inputs of your own spreadsheet, so nothing is rebuilt from scratch.
You'll talk with an advisor about your accounts and your plan, by video conference or telephone. Expect questions about withdrawal assumptions, taxes and how concentrated your holdings are. Nobody will offer a market prediction or a hot fund. Bring the questions your own spreadsheet couldn't answer, because those make the best use of the hour.
Yes. Ritholtz Wealth Management can review how a 401(k), IRA, and taxable account fit together before retirement, including investment overlap, cash needs, rollover choices, and taxable-account gains. The review is most useful when you bring plan paperwork and a rough estimate of the spending your portfolio may need to cover.
An old 401(k) does not automatically belong in an IRA. Compare the plan’s investment menu, expenses, withdrawal features, creditor protections, company-stock issues, and the tax treatment of any move before acting. A 401(k) rollover to an IRA can simplify accounts, but simplicity is not the only criterion.
Wealth management can put a Social Security claim beside pension income, portfolio withdrawals, taxes, and the survivor-income question. Ritholtz Wealth Management examines the timing choices as part of the spending plan, not as a stand-alone claiming trick. The better filing date depends on your household’s income needs and the choices available to each spouse.
The firm reviews the planned withdrawal date, the funds available for near-term spending, and whether the portfolio still reflects your intended risk level. A market decline alone is not a reason to abandon diversification. The immediate concern is avoiding a forced sale for spending when another reasonable source is available.
It could. A Roth conversion adds taxable income for the conversion year, and Medicare income-related premiums can be based on income from an earlier tax return. Ritholtz Wealth Management reviews the conversion amount alongside other taxable income and expected retirement spending, so the tax result is not treated as an afterthought.
What makes Ritholtz Wealth Management different for DIY investors?
You won't hear a market forecast in a review. Before Ritholtz Wealth Management suggests selling a fund you picked, the advisor works out the capital gains it would trigger and shows how many years of lower costs it takes to earn that back. After each review you get a short written note: what changed, what we left alone and why. Members of the team also publish investing blogs and podcasts, so the reasoning is out in public.
Who we are and what we do
Ritholtz Wealth Management serves 396,000 clients† and manages $9.1 billion† in client assets.
†Client count and assets under management (396,000; $9.1 billion) are as of 10/12/2026.
Why spreadsheet-minded investors work with Ritholtz Wealth Management
You've run the retirement spreadsheet more than once. The math probably holds, but a few inputs are guesses: your Social Security claiming age, the order you'll tap accounts, what a Roth conversion costs now versus after RMDs begin at age 75. Ritholtz Wealth Management checks those assumptions against long-term research and your actual paperwork, then tells you which ones move the result and which barely matter. Plenty of DIY plans need only small fixes.
If your plan already holds up, you'll hear that plainly, along with the two or three numbers worth watching.
Where Ritholtz Wealth Management spends the planning hours
Second-opinion plan review
A written review of the portfolio and plan you built, with each fix ranked by impact.
Retirement income planning
A month-by-month paycheck plan showing which account pays, in what order, and why.
Roth conversion strategy
Year-by-year conversion amounts sized to your tax bracket, IRMAA tiers and RMD age.
Tax-efficient investing
Holdings placed by account type, with the capital gains cost shown before any sale.
Second-opinion plan review
A written review of the portfolio and plan you built, with each fix ranked by impact.
Retirement income planning
A month-by-month paycheck plan showing which account pays, in what order, and why.
Roth conversion strategy
Year-by-year conversion amounts sized to your tax bracket, IRMAA tiers and RMD age.
Tax-efficient investing
Holdings placed by account type, with the capital gains cost shown before any sale.
Get in touch with Ritholtz Wealth Management
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