Daniel Brookfield, CFP®
Certified Financial Planner
Daniel Brookfield is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®) who advises people on retirement planning, Social Security, and turning a lifetime of saving into income. He’s the one who checks Brightcom Retirement Planning for accuracy.
He makes sure the site has the rules right, how 401(k)s and IRAs work, the tax treatment, the contribution and distribution limits, Social Security claiming, and Medicare, all current with the IRS, the Social Security Administration, and Medicare.
What he’s vouching for is the facts, not a plan for you. Nothing on the site is personalized financial advice; for your own situation, talk to a fiduciary financial advisor and lean on the free official tools at SSA.gov, Medicare.gov, and Investor.gov.
Articles reviewed by Daniel Brookfield
- 401(k) Rollovers: What to Do With an Old 401(k) When You Leave a Job
- Accessing Your Retirement Savings: The 10% Penalty, the Exceptions, and Withdrawal Order
- Annuities Explained: Trading a Lump Sum for Guaranteed Income for Life
- Budgeting in Retirement: Turning a Nest Egg Into Your Own Paycheck
- 401(k) Plans Explained: The Match, Vesting, and 2026 Contribution Limits
- Annuity vs Drawdown: Guaranteed Income or Staying Invested?
- Choosing a Financial Advisor: Fiduciary Duty, Fees, and How to Check One
- Avoiding Retirement Scams: Warning Signs, Checking Credentials, and Reporting
- Finding Lost Retirement Accounts: How to Track Down Old 401(k)s and Pensions
- Dividing Retirement Accounts in Divorce: QDROs, IRA Transfers, and Social Security
- How Much Do I Need to Retire? The Replacement Ratio, the 25x Rule, and Savings by Age
- How Retirement Accounts Are Invested: Funds, Target-Date Funds, Risk, and Fees
- How Much to Save for Retirement: The 15% Rule, the Match, and Savings by Age
- Health Savings Accounts (HSAs): The Stealth Retirement Account
- How to Start Saving for Retirement: The Order of Operations
- Inflation and Retirement: Protecting a 30-Year Income
- Inherited Retirement Accounts: Beneficiaries, the 10-Year Rule, and Inherited IRAs
- Long-Term Care Costs: How to Pay for Care in Retirement
- Making Your Money Last: How to Not Run Out in Retirement
- IRA Accounts Explained: Traditional vs Roth, 2026 Limits, and How to Open One
- Phased Retirement: Easing Out of Work by Cutting Back Your Hours
- IRMAA: How Medicare's Income Surcharge Works and the Two-Year Lookback That Catches People
- My First Year of Retirement: A Real, Season-by-Season Account
- Medicare Explained: Parts A, B, C, and D for Retirement
- Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs): When They Start, How They're Calculated, and the Penalty
- Retirement Account Fees: Expense Ratios, Advisory Fees, and Why 1% Matters
- Retirement Contribution Limits 2026: 401(k), IRA, and Catch-Up Amounts
- Retirement Plans for the Self-Employed: SEP-IRA, Solo 401(k), and SIMPLE IRA
- Retirement Planning: How 401(k)s, IRAs, and Social Security Fit Together
- Retirement Withdrawal Strategies: How to Draw Income From Your Nest Egg
- Retiring Early: What It Really Takes to Stop Work Before 65
- Reviewing Your Retirement Plan: An Annual Checkup
- Social Security Explained: How Benefits, Credits, and Claiming Work
- Social Security Spousal and Survivor Benefits: How They Work
- Taxes in Retirement: How Your Retirement Income Is Taxed
- The Emotional Side of Retiring: Identity, Purpose, and the Adjustment
- Traditional Pensions Explained: Defined Benefit Plans, Lump Sum vs Monthly, and PBGC Insurance
- Types of Retirement Accounts: 401(k)s, IRAs, Pensions, and HSAs Explained
- When Can I Retire? The Key Ages: 59½, 62, 65, 67, and 70
- Traditional vs Roth: The Tax Decision Behind Every Retirement Account
- When to Claim Social Security: 62 vs Full Retirement Age vs 70
- Working in Retirement: The Social Security Earnings Test, Taxes, and Your Benefits
- Your Social Security Statement: How to Read It and Check It for Errors