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
- Accessing Your Retirement Savings: The 10% Penalty, the Exceptions, and Withdrawal Order
- 401(k) Rollovers: What to Do With an Old 401(k) When You Leave a Job
- 403(b) Plans Explained: How the Teacher and Nonprofit Plan Differs From a 401(k)
- Annuities Explained: Trading a Lump Sum for Guaranteed Income for Life
- Budgeting in Retirement: Turning a Nest Egg Into Your Own Paycheck
- Avoiding Retirement Scams: Warning Signs, Checking Credentials, and Reporting
- 401(k) Plans Explained: The Match, Vesting, and 2026 Contribution Limits
- Choosing a Financial Advisor: Fiduciary Duty, Fees, and How to Check One
- Annuity vs Drawdown: Guaranteed Income or Staying Invested?
- Dividing Retirement Accounts in Divorce: QDROs, IRA Transfers, and Social Security
- Finding Lost Retirement Accounts: How to Track Down Old 401(k)s and Pensions
- Health Insurance Before Medicare: Bridging the Gap to 65
- 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 to Start Saving for Retirement: The Order of Operations
- Inherited Retirement Accounts: Beneficiaries, the 10-Year Rule, and Inherited IRAs
- Inflation and Retirement: Protecting a 30-Year Income
- IRA Accounts Explained: Traditional vs Roth, 2026 Limits, and How to Open One
- How Retirement Accounts Are Invested: Funds, Target-Date Funds, Risk, and Fees
- Making Your Money Last: How to Not Run Out in Retirement
- IRMAA: How Medicare's Income Surcharge Works and the Two-Year Lookback That Catches People
- Phased Retirement: Easing Out of Work by Cutting Back Your Hours
- Long-Term Care Costs: How to Pay for Care in 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 Account Fees: Expense Ratios, Advisory Fees, and Why 1% Matters
- Retirement Contribution Limits 2026: 401(k), IRA, and Catch-Up Amounts
- Medicare Explained: Parts A, B, C, and D for Retirement
- 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
- Roth Conversions: Paying Tax Now to Take It Out Tax-Free Later
- Social Security Explained: How Benefits, Credits, and Claiming Work
- Social Security Spousal and Survivor Benefits: How They Work
- The Emotional Side of Retiring: Identity, Purpose, and the Adjustment
- Taxes in Retirement: How Your Retirement Income Is Taxed
- Traditional Pensions Explained: Defined Benefit Plans, Lump Sum vs Monthly, and PBGC Insurance
- When Can I Retire? The Key Ages: 59½, 62, 65, 67, and 70
- Types of Retirement Accounts: 401(k)s, IRAs, Pensions, and HSAs Explained
- Working in Retirement: The Social Security Earnings Test, Taxes, and Your Benefits
- Traditional vs Roth: The Tax Decision Behind Every Retirement Account
- When to Claim Social Security: 62 vs Full Retirement Age vs 70
- Your Social Security Statement: How to Read It and Check It for Errors