The Main Line, PA
Fee-Only, Flat-Fee Retirement Planner Serving the Main Line, PA
A retirement planner on the Main Line, PA coordinates financial planning, retirement planning, and investment management into one plan, rather than treating each as a separate service. That means Social Security timing, tax strategy, healthcare before Medicare, and your investment portfolio are all worked through together. Your Path Fi does this work for a single flat annual fee, not a percentage of your assets.
Sound familiar? You’ve saved diligently for decades, and retirement is getting closer. Now the decisions feel more complicated than anything you’ve managed before. When do you retire? Which accounts do you draw from first? What happens to taxes? What about healthcare before Medicare kicks in?
I’m Ryan Langan, CFP®. I’m based nearby in West Chester, PA, and I work with Main Line residents who are 2 to 5 years from retirement, or who have recently retired. I’m a fee-only planner specializing in retirement planning, not a generalist, and that focus is exactly why the flat fee works: retirement decisions like Social Security timing and tax sequencing take real, ongoing attention, not a one-time product sale. Your Path Fi is fee-only and independent, with no corporate parent and no commissions, so the advice isn’t shaped by what pays the most. The only fee you pay is one flat annual fee, rather than a percentage of everything you’ve saved.
A tax-friendly place to retire
How does Pennsylvania tax retirement income for Main Line residents?
Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security benefits, and for most retirees age 60 and older, it does not tax pension or retirement account income either, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. That is a real advantage for Main Line retirees, and it changes how a plan should sequence withdrawals across 401(k)s, IRAs, and taxable accounts. Retirement and 401k planning on the Main Line has to account for this state treatment alongside federal tax rules, which is part of what financial planning in this area actually involves.
Choosing a planner
What should you look for in a retirement planner on the Main Line?
Look for a planner who is fee-only, fiduciary, and independent, meaning no corporate parent, no commissions, and a legal duty to act in your interest rather than sell you a product. Look for retirement specialization specifically, not a generalist who lists retirement among a dozen other services. Look for a flat, transparent fee you can see in dollars, detailed on the flat-fee retirement planning pricing page, rather than a percentage of your assets that grows every year whether the work changes or not. And look for local knowledge of Pennsylvania’s retirement tax rules, since the state does not tax Social Security benefits or, for most retirees 60 and older, pension and retirement account income, which changes how a Main Line plan should sequence withdrawals. The full list of retirement planning services shows what should be included once you find a planner who checks all four boxes.
Where we work together
Which Main Line communities does Your Path Fi serve?
The firm is based nearby in West Chester, PA, and regularly works with people from across the Main Line, including Wayne, Devon, Berwyn, Radnor, Villanova, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford. Whether you are a few miles away or across the state, the planning process is fully virtual, so geography is never a barrier.
Your Path Fi also serves clients throughout Pennsylvania and nationwide, including retirement planning for Chester County residents. If retirement is on your horizon and you want a fiduciary working specifically on the decisions ahead of you, it does not matter where on the Main Line you live. Call it retirement planning or financial planning, Main Line residents get the same coordinated approach either way.
What you pay
How much does a flat-fee financial advisor cost on the Main Line?
Most financial advisors charge a percentage of your investment portfolio. Industry research from Kitces Research found that the typical AUM fee runs around 1% per year, which works out to $10,000 a year on a $1 million portfolio today, a dollar figure that rises as your account grows, whether the amount of work changes or not.
At Your Path Fi, the fee is $12,000 per year, flat. No AUM percentage. No commissions. No compensation from any product or investment. Your Path Fi is a fee-only, independent firm, which means the only person paying Ryan is you, so there is nothing to sell you, no corporate parent setting an agenda, and no product relationship that could color the advice. Because the practice is built around retirement planning specifically, the flat fee covers the depth those decisions need: the full plan, ongoing tax strategy, investment management, and everything in between.
You can see exactly what is included and how the fee compares to the traditional percentage model on the flat-fee retirement planning pricing page.
At a glance
What does a retirement planner on the Main Line help with?
| Service | How it helps Main Line residents |
|---|---|
| Social Security claiming strategy | Coordinating when you and your spouse claim benefits to support your lifetime income. |
| Tax planning (Roth conversions, RMDs) | Managing Roth conversions, RMD timing, and Pennsylvania's retirement income tax treatment. |
| Medicare and IRMAA planning | Choosing the right coverage and understanding how income affects Medicare costs. |
| Investment management | Building a portfolio aligned with your retirement timeline and cash flow needs. |
| Estate and legacy planning | Coordinating beneficiary designations and estate documents for Main Line families. |
| Pre-65 healthcare bridge | Weighing COBRA, ACA marketplace plans, and other options if you retire before Medicare eligibility. |
Every one of these areas is included in the single flat annual fee, not billed separately. See the full list of retirement planning services for more detail on each one.
Common questions
What do people ask about fee-only, flat-fee retirement planning on the Main Line?
Is there a fee-only, flat-fee financial advisor on the Main Line, PA?
Yes. Ryan Langan, CFP®, is a fee-only, flat-fee financial planner based in West Chester, PA, working with residents across the Main Line. Your Path Fi is a fee-only firm, no commissions, no compensation from product sales. The fee is a single flat annual fee of $12,000, with no percentage of your assets.
What towns on the Main Line do you serve?
The firm works with clients in Wayne, Devon, Berwyn, Radnor, Villanova, Bryn Mawr, and Haverford, along with the surrounding Main Line area. Because planning is done virtually, you can also work together from anywhere in the country.
How does Pennsylvania tax retirement income for Main Line residents?
Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security benefits, and it does not tax pension or retirement account income for most retirees who have reached their plan’s retirement age, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. Main Line residents still owe federal tax on this income and still pay local property taxes, but the state income tax picture is one of the more favorable in the country for retirees.
How much does a flat-fee retirement planner cost compared to a percentage-based advisor on the Main Line?
Many advisors charge a percentage of your investment portfolio each year, commonly around 1%, according to Kitces Research industry benchmarking. On $1 million, that is roughly $10,000 a year, and it rises as your portfolio grows. At Your Path Fi, the fee is a single flat annual fee of $12,000, regardless of your account size, so you can compare that dollar figure directly to what a percentage-based advisor would charge you.
What does a retirement plan from Your Path Fi actually include for Main Line clients?
A plan from Your Path Fi covers your full financial picture: income planning and withdrawal sequencing, tax strategy including Roth conversions and RMD timing, Social Security claiming, healthcare coverage before Medicare at 65, investment management, and the estate basics you need before you stop working. It is one plan, not a menu of separate services billed one at a time.
You deserve a real plan, not a sales pitch, not a template.
A free Strategy Session is a no-cost, no-pressure conversation about your financial situation. You will leave with more clarity than you came in with, regardless of whether we work together.
Free intro call. Based near West Chester, PA, serving the Main Line and clients nationwide.