What It’s Like to Work With a Virtual Retirement Planner
The way retirees get financial advice is changing.
For decades, “having an advisor” meant driving across town to sit in a conference room with coffee, a stack of papers, and a few investment statements. Today, that model is quickly being replaced by virtual retirement planners who serve clients nationwide offering more convenience, greater choice of specialization, and the same level of personalized guidance retirees have always valued.
At Next Adventure Financial, we’re based in Lafayette, IN but we work with retirees and pre-retirees locally in Lafayette, the Indianapolis area, and throughout the U.S. Our virtual model gives clients the freedom to work with a retirement specialist, not just whoever happens to have an office nearby.
Here’s what that experience looks like.
What Is a Virtual Retirement Planner?
A virtual retirement planner provides many of the same services as a traditional in-person advisor. However, the meetings, planning tools, and communication all take place securely online.
Instead of visiting an office, you meet through video calls, share documents through encrypted portals, and review your retirement plan on screen with your advisor.
But “virtual” doesn’t mean impersonal. In fact, we see much stronger communication as we can meet as often as needed, view the same screen (without having to huddle around a computer), and seamlessly share information. Our clients have found that they talk with us more often and feel more connected when meetings can happen from the comfort of their home.
Why Retirees Benefit From Working Virtually
Choosing to work with a virtual retirement planner is about receiving specialized expertise and making your retirement planning more efficient.
Here are some of the biggest benefits our clients experience:
1. You Can Work With the Right Specialist. Not Just the Closest One
You wouldn’t see a podiatrist if you needed glasses, and the same logic applies to financial advice. Retirement requires focused specialization covering areas like taxes, investments, and income planning. It’s difficult for a generalist advisor to develop deep specialization when they work with a broad range of clients in their 20s all the way to their 80s.
Working virtually allows you to choose an advisor who truly specializes in retirement planning for people just like you, not just someone located down the street.
Whether you live in Lafayette, Indianapolis, or anywhere else in the country, you can work directly with a professional focused on helping you lower taxes, invest smarter, and retire with confidence.
2. Convenience and Flexibility
In-person meetings are always enjoyable but the worst part is always fighting traffic, finding parking, and coordinating calendars. Virtual meetings fit easily into your day, whether you prefer mornings, afternoons, or evenings. Most of our clients appreciate being able to meet from home with their spouse present, especially when we’re reviewing important decisions like Social Security timing, investment withdrawals, or Roth conversions.
3. A Better Use of Your Time
A one-hour virtual meeting really is one hour. Once you disconnect, you can instantly get back to enjoying your day! There’s no wasted time commuting to an office, which means you get the same high-value discussions with less hassle.
4. More Transparency and Ongoing Communication
During meetings, you get to view the advisor’s screen in real time while you have a full discussion of your retirement plan.
Our clients also have 24/7 access to their plans and investments online. After each meeting, we provide written summaries and clear action steps so there’s never any confusion about what’s next.
How the Virtual Planning Process Works
Every relationship at Next Adventure Financial begins with our Free Retirement Review, which is a short process designed to answer all of your big retirement questions while helping you evaluate whether we’re the right advisor for you.
Step 1: The Introductory Call
This is a quick call to learn about your big retirement questions.
This call helps us make sure our expertise matches your situation. If so, we’ll schedule a brief strategy meeting next. Prior to the strategy meeting, you’ll have plenty of time to gather all relevant information to help us prepare a review of your current retirement plan.
Step 2: The Strategy Meeting
In this brief meeting, we’ll focus on the specifics of your situation. We’ll learn more about your goals, finances, and any other specific areas you’d like to address.
Step 3: The Retirement Review
In this final meeting, we’ll take ~1 hour to review our assessment of your retirement plan. We’ll discuss the ways you can improve your investments, lower your taxes, and optimize your retirement.
You’ll leave with answers to all your big retirement questions, see exactly how we work with clients and whether we’re the right advisor for you.
From Review to Onboarding: What Happens After You Become a Client
If you decide to move forward, the process is designed to be smooth, transparent, and fully supported by our team.
Here’s what happens next:
- Client Agreements & Account Setup: We’ll finalize the paperwork electronically and begin coordinating account transfers with your current custodian.
- Information Gathering: You’ll securely upload key statements and documents through our encrypted system.
- Developing Your Retirement Plan: We’ll build a detailed strategy that integrates investments, income planning, and tax reduction opportunities.
We meet with clients twice per year, with additional meetings as needed for tax planning, Roth conversions, or major life events. Between meetings, we’re always available by phone or email if questions come up.
You can read more about our services here.
Security and Data Protection
A common question retirees ask is: “If everything’s virtual, how are my accounts kept safe?”
Even though our firm operates primarily virtually, your accounts are safely held with one of the largest custodians in the country. We never take custody of your funds, and all trading and account access occur directly through their secure platform.
In addition, all documents and account information are handled through encrypted, secure systems to ensure your personal and financial information stays safe and private.
For many retirees, this structure actually feels more secure than meeting in person. There’s no paper sitting on desks, no sensitive information exchanged over email, and no in-person transfers of checks or documents. Everything happens electronically, safely, and transparently.
What It’s Like Working With a Virtual Retirement Planner
Most clients describe the experience as comfortable, efficient, and personal.
Here’s what you can expect once we start working together:
- Face-to-Face Conversations: All meetings are done via secure Zoom video calls, so you’ll still see and speak directly with us, just as you would in person.
- Visual Planning: You’ll see your retirement plan in real time on screen making it easier to understand how everything fits together.
- Written Summaries After Each Meeting: After every call, we provide a clear summary of what we discussed and next steps.
- Easy Scheduling: You can book meetings directly on our calendar at times that work for you.
- Ongoing Communication: We send out a monthly client newsletter with helpful information on retirement, taxes, and investments. We also check in throughout the year, especially around tax season or when major market or policy changes occur.
Why Our Clients Choose a Specialist
Virtual or not, choosing an advisor comes down to fit and expertise.
Our clients typically:
- Are age 50+ and approaching or in retirement
- Want to lower taxes, improve investment efficiency, and create reliable income
- Value clear explanations and a coordinated plan that adapts over time
- Prefer to delegate their plan so they can focus on enjoying retirement
Retirement comes with its own set of challenges from taxes, investments, and income; it’s too important not to have someone who specializes in exactly that.
Bottom Line
Working virtually doesn’t complicate things. You still have a dedicated advisor who knows your goals, understands your plan, and is available when you need help.
Our goal is to make sure you always feel informed and confident and know exactly how your investments, taxes, and income plan will work together.
Whether you’re located in Lafayette, in the Indianapolis area, or elsewhere across the U.S., we’re here to help you retire with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Ready to See How Virtual Planning Works for You?
If you’ve never worked with a virtual financial advisor before, the best way to see how it feels is to experience it.
Here are some resources to get started:
- Start with our Free Retirement Review — a simple process that answers your big retirement questions while helping you decide if we’re the right advisor for you.
- You can also learn more about our Services & Fees here. And be sure to check out the rest of our blog here.
- We also have answers to a lot of common questions on our FAQ page here.
- Feel free to send us any questions or comments through our Contact page.
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Disclaimer: None of the information provided herein is intended as investment, tax, accounting or legal advice, as an offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or as an endorsement, of any company, security, fund, or other securities or non-securities offering. The information should not be relied upon for purposes of transacting securities or other investments. Your use of the information is at your sole risk. The content is provided ‘as is’ and without warranties, either expressed or implied. Next Adventure Financial LLC does not promise or guarantee any income or particular result from your use of the information contained herein. Under no circumstances will Next Adventure Financial LLC be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on the information contained herein. It is your responsibility to evaluate any information, opinion, or other content contained.
Welcome to the Next Adventure Financial blog, where we share insights for people 50+ who want to lower taxes, invest smarter, and retire confidently.
About the Author
Cody Lachner, CFP®, EA, is a fiduciary financial advisor & retirement planner and founder of Next Adventure Financial in Lafayette, Indiana. He specializes in helping people aged 50+ who want to lower taxes, invest smarter, and avoid costly mistakes in retirement. Cody works with clients virtually across the U.S. and is known for making complex topics like retirement planning, Social Security and tax planning easy to understand.
