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) Plans Explained: The Match, Vesting, and 2026 Contribution Limits
- 401(k) Rollovers: What to Do With an Old 401(k) When You Leave a Job
- Annuities Explained: Trading a Lump Sum for Guaranteed Income for Life
- Accessing Your Retirement Savings: The 10% Penalty, the Exceptions, and Withdrawal Order
- Dividing Retirement Accounts in Divorce: QDROs, IRA Transfers, and Social Security
- Avoiding Retirement Scams: Warning Signs, Checking Credentials, and Reporting
- Annuity vs Drawdown: Guaranteed Income or Staying Invested?
- Budgeting in Retirement: Turning a Nest Egg Into Your Own Paycheck
- Finding Lost Retirement Accounts: How to Track Down Old 401(k)s and Pensions
- Choosing a Financial Advisor: Fiduciary Duty, Fees, and How to Check One
- Health Savings Accounts (HSAs): The Stealth Retirement Account
- How Much Do I Need to Retire? The Replacement Ratio, the 25x Rule, and Savings by Age
- How Much to Save for Retirement: The 15% Rule, the Match, and Savings by Age
- How Retirement Accounts Are Invested: Funds, Target-Date Funds, Risk, and Fees
- 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
- IRA Accounts Explained: Traditional vs Roth, 2026 Limits, and How to Open One
- Making Your Money Last: How to Not Run Out in Retirement
- Long-Term Care Costs: How to Pay for Care in Retirement
- Medicare Explained: Parts A, B, C, and D for Retirement
- My First Year of Retirement: A Real, Season-by-Season Account
- Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs): When They Start, How They're Calculated, and the Penalty
- Retirement Contribution Limits 2026: 401(k), IRA, and Catch-Up Amounts
- Retirement Account Fees: Expense Ratios, Advisory Fees, and Why 1% Matters
- Phased Retirement: Easing Out of Work by Cutting Back Your Hours
- Retirement Planning: How 401(k)s, IRAs, and Social Security Fit Together
- Retirement Plans for the Self-Employed: SEP-IRA, Solo 401(k), and SIMPLE IRA
- 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 Spousal and Survivor Benefits: How They Work
- Social Security Explained: How Benefits, Credits, and Claiming Work
- Taxes in Retirement: How Your Retirement Income Is Taxed
- The Emotional Side of Retiring: Identity, Purpose, and the Adjustment
- Traditional vs Roth: The Tax Decision Behind Every Retirement Account
- 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
- 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