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Dave Grant, CFP®

Retirement planning, specializing in AbbVie executives

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Retirement Matters Dave Grant, CFP®
Barrington, IL

Serving Clients Nationwide

Retirement planning, specializing in AbbVie executives

11 Certified Advisor Reviews™
Rate this Advisor

847-558-6991

Website

Areas of Focus

  • Estate Planning
  • Financial Life Planning
  • Inherited Wealth
  • Investing
  • Investment Management
  • Retirement Planning
  • Social Security

About Me

Through my work at Retirement Matters, I help AbbVie executives transition into a well-designed retirement. My ideal clients have diligently saved throughout their career and want to live meaningful lives. I help them do this by confirming what they want life to look like, and bringing financial planning strategies to the table for discussion.

The goals involved in living a "meaningful life" are different for everyone, and everyone deserves the undivided attention of a financial professional to help them get there. By being a Fee-Only, fiduciary financial planner, my clients tell me their dreams and concerns and worry about how to pay for them. To this I respond, "Let me worry about that for you." They continue living their life, while I strategize solutions to get them to their ideal life - before and after retirement.

Together, my clients and I develop comprehensive plans that address their financial concerns while ensuring their days are emotionally fulfilling - now and in retirement. While I specialize in working with AbbVie executives, I also have a deep knowledge of the Illinois TRS system. With my wife as a Tier 1 TRS-covered teacher in Libertyville, this knowledge is key to our own financial plan.

When I'm not working with financial planning clients, I enjoy writing, making my flowers look their best, mowing criss-cross patterns in my yard, and cheering my kids in their seemingly-endless sports seasons. My freelance writing work has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune. As part of my professional writing, I "retired" in 2020 from a bi-monthly column in Financial Planning magazine read by over 150,000 professionals. I am on the Board of Directors for YMCA Camp Duncan in Fox Lake, IL and Treasurer of the local swim team.

Professional Designations

  • CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional

Affiliations

  • CFP Board

Primary Location

777 N Lake Zurich Rd suite 125d, Barrington, IL 60010, USA

Additional Locations

📍 Illinois Office: 777 N. Lake Zurich Rd, Suite 125D, Barrington IL 60010

📍 Mesa Office: 2929 N. Power Rd, #101, Mesa, AZ 85215

Meeting Options

  • Video Conference
  • In-Person
  • Phone
Book Intro Call

Compensation Methods

  • Fee Only
  • Flat Fee
  • Percentage of Assets Managed

What to expect in the first meeting

Click the 'Book Intro Call' button above to schedule a free 30-minute introductory call. During the call, we'll accomplish 3 things. 1) Understand your current financial situation and goals. 2) Identify problem areas in which you would like guidance. 3) Discuss how I work with clients, what service option would be best for you, and a timeline for working together if it's a good fit.

Offers Investment Management

Yes

Offers Tax Preparation

Yes

About our Firm

Retirement Matters provides specific, plain-English financial advice for AbbVie executives. We offer one-time consultations, ongoing financial planning, and investment management. Our main goal is to take the anxiety out of personal finances and help clients build the life they desire.

✅ Retirement, Simplified

We design and manage customized financial plans for AbbVie executives. Retirement income and tax review/preparation services are available for Wealth Management clients. We serve a limited number of families to ensure a high quality of service.

Retirement Matters best serves clients who want to devote time to understanding how best to prepare for retirement, both emotionally and financially. This is typically an individual five years (or less) from retirement, have a household income of over $300,000, and be consistently saving to increase their net worth.

Retiree clients have over $1,500,000 in investable assets that are managed by Retirement Matters. A typical client will be excited about planning their next steps, looking forward to receiving financial guidance and implementing suggestions, and have saved diligently throughout their career.

We might be a good fit to work together if:

✅ You understand that you need assistance managing your finances and need the guidance of a professional.

✅ You want to transfer the burden of managing your finances to someone else so you can enjoy more time pursuing the things you enjoy.

✅ You are prepared to devote the time needed to have an impactful conversation about your financial life

Our typical client is over the age of 55.

Education

University of the West of England, Bachelor of Science, Psychology (with Honors)

Volunteer Experience

Board of Directors for YMCA Camp Duncan in Fox Lake, IL

Badges

Hobbies and Interests

  • Church
  • Family
  • Gardening
  • Movies
  • Reading
  • Traveling
  • Video Games
  • Volunteering
  • Walking

SEC Lookup

View Disclosure

Who We Serve

  • Baby Boomers
  • Corporate Executives
  • Couples
  • Dual Income Family
  • Gen X
  • Investors
  • Living in Retirement
  • Single Women
  • Technology Professionals
  • Widow
  • Women in Transition
  • Women Professionals

To make Wealthtender free for readers, we earn a nominal monthly fee from financial advisors and firms in exchange for marketing services (including being featured on this profile page), subject to terms of use. This compensation creates a natural conflict of interest when we favor their promotion over others. Wealthtender is not a client of these advisors or firms. Testimonials may not be representative of other clients’ experiences and do not guarantee future performance or success.

Write a Review


By clicking submit, you acknowledge this review is based on your own experience and reflects your genuine opinion. You also agree to our review policy, privacy policy, and terms and conditions, and give this financial advisor permission to publicly display your review on their website.

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Jun 15, 2022
I randomly came across Dave about seven years ago while looking for someone to take a look at our entire (somewhat complicated) financial situation and advise us on how to make sure we were set for retirement in a few years. I'm a teacher and I particularly liked that he was familiar with the nuances of teacher retirement. I won't lie - getting together all the forms, invoices and information that he needed was a huge task but so worth it! He put together an extremely comprehensive plan and made solid recommendations for us, not only on purely financial issues but things like insurance, creating a trust, etc. It was such a relief when we saw the final plan and realized that our goals were very achievable. We followed through on his recommendations over the years and his plan was spot-on. My husband and I just retired with EXACTLY what Dave had projected in the plan. We recently had him redo our plan and have now signed on to have him manage our finances and investments on an ongoing basis. Two other things that I want to point out about Dave are that as a certified financial planner, he is ONLY looking out for our interests - he is not getting commissions, etc. from the investments he recommends. The other thing I wanted to mention is that he is also a great guy - extremely personable, always available and willing to answer questions (no matter how stupid they may be!) and does a great job of explaining things in a way that a non-financial savvy person can understand. I highly recommend him and have recommended him to friends and coworkers.
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Lisa Werhane
Lisa Werhane

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Jul 24, 2021
I found Dave and Retirement Matters during a difficult transition in my life. Dave responded with perception and empathy and charted a path forward that I am truly comfortable with. Having a fiduciary who not only has my best interests in mind, but presents information in a thorough and comprehensive manner. and generously answers my questions is, well, it's priceless.
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Susan Weimer
Susan Weimer

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Jul 8, 2021
My wife and I were looking for a fee based financial planner and were connected to Dave through a neighbor that was also a client. Based on that feedback we wanted to meet Dave. He was exactly what we were looking for in a financial advisor - thoughtful, patient, thorough and insightful. My wife and I were very pleased with his process. We would recommend Dave to anyone.
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Former Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Lee Black
Lee Black

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Jun 27, 2021
I learned early in life the importance of surrounding oneself by those who make one’s life better. Dave Grant does just that. In fact, he is the epitome of such a concept. As a highly intelligent, extraordinarily dedicated, and tremendously invested financial advisor, Dave has strategically guided me, and subsequently my partner, into a very comfortable and masterfully planned retirement. Dave’s personal oversight and keen attention to detail has transformed our financial portfolio beyond imagination. Having worked with advisors in the past, none have compared to the one-on-one attention provided, given such immediate response to questions asked, or regularly shared such overall guidance and support. Sessions with Dave are always enlightening and highly informative. Not only a financial mentor, guide, and counselor, he is an educator at heart. Throughout the years of investing, managing, short and long range designing and empowering, I have learned a great deal from Dave. And, to top it off, he has never once winced or made me feel less at what may appear an incessantly enquiring tone or idealistically inquisitive style. On the contrary, like a great educator, he relishes questions, encourages understanding, responds with fact and thorough intellectual insight, warmly welcoming the knowledge and growth of his client. Highly trusted and emphatically recommended, Dave Grant is viewed as one of the most important assets in my life, I knew when we met, Dave would make my life better. I simply didn’t realize how much. Guy Schumacher, Ed.D. Retired School Superintendent
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Guy Schumacher
Guy Schumacher

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Jun 25, 2021
We've been with Dave for quite a few years and have not regretted it for a single minute. We started with him when he worked with "teachers only" and then when he became "Retirement Matters", and have only great things to say about our experience. The thing about Dave and his business we love is the fact that he is honest and responds very quickly. Plus, there are no dumb questions to Dave. He is patient with us and understands that we do not do this for a living and he is willing to explain things to us so we can understand it. He will advise us on what he believes we should do but ultimately he tells us it is our decision on what we will do with our finances. The bottom line for us though is, we TRUST Dave and that is why we have been with him for so long and will be in the future. Linda & Brian
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for L. Evans
L. Evans

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Jun 23, 2021
Dave was recommend to me by a colleague. Even though my husband and I are 15+ years away from retirement, we wanted to meet with a financial planner to ensure we were making smart financial decisions NOW that will help in the future when we near retirement. Upon initial contact, Dave described his services and asked us some basic questions about our goals. Once we decided to hire him, he collected more information from us in order to help us meet our personal financial goals. Not only did Dave provide us with insight on how to appropriately allocate our finances, he also helped refer us to take care of life insurance as well as an estate plan/living will, something that wasn’t even on our radar. Dave’s services are worth the investment. We look forward to working with him again in the future when we are even closer to retirement.
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Former Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Natalie Hornik
Natalie Hornik

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Jun 22, 2021
As an insurance specialist, I work with many advisors. I have known Dave for years and have watched him evolve into a retirement specialist. His in-depth process, personal service and expertise is rare in today’s planning world. If you need help planning for retirement, give Dave a call!
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current insurance broker
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Robert Barnes
Robert Barnes

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Jun 20, 2021
As I near retirement age - I was in search of a financial planner that I not only trusted but also felt connected to. I had spent over a decade with a larger firm that proved I was one fish in a pond of many. Retirement Matters / Dave Grant provides it all... amazing portfolio insight, financial and market trend expertise, availability, excellent continued communication and more. And even more importantly - Dave creates a connection which gives a huge sense of peace of mind with something so important. What a great company to work with.
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Addie Smits
Addie Smits

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Jan 9, 2020
We hired Dave Grant to help us achieve tax efficiency, reduce our risk in the market, preserve capital, and restructure our portfolio for retirement. This required expertise that exceeded our ability. Dave is a fee-based CFP who has accomplished all that for us plus given us a great plan for the future. Most importantly he has given us peace of mind regarding our finances. Dave is an intelligent, caring and trustworthy Financial Planner/Math Geek. He responds quickly, is always transparent, and does not push product on us (for commission). We tried two other financial planners but none have the caliber of Dave Grant. We highly recommend him and Retirement Matters.
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Cara Kretz
Cara Kretz

4 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Feb 20, 2018
Dave provided sound and extremely helpful advice. His services were well worth the money. He is quick to follow up and resolve any difficulties or provide guidance.
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Former Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Sarah Brown
Sarah Brown

5 Stars

✅ Wealthtender Certified Advisor Review™
Feb 17, 2018
After years of going it alone and then finally deciding I could use objective, professional advice as I neared retirement, I started looking at independent financial planners - someone who did not stand to gain from my savings. I tried a referral from a trusted friend. That was a disaster. Finally I did my own homework, narrowed it down and interviewed several before making my decision. I couldn't be happier with Dave's services. He is super smart, object, professional, non-judgmental, and keeps his promises. Most importantly, I'm comfortable and confident in my retirement plans. Dave keeps me on track and is always available when I have questions. I couldn't be happier and highly recommend him!
Relationship to Financial Advisor: Current Client
Compensation: This reviewer received no compensation for this review.
Conflicts of Interest: There are no material conflicts of interest.
Avatar for Susan Bender
Susan Bender
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