# Skinner Wealth Strategies

> Fee-based fiduciary financial planning firm in Connecticut. We help successful
> savers age 50+ turn accumulated retirement accounts into tax-smart retirement
> income. Specialties: tax-sensitive retirement planning, Roth conversion
> strategy, and income distribution planning for households with $1 million or
> more in investable assets.

## Key facts

- Firm: Skinner Wealth Strategies
- Lead advisor: Brian P. Skinner, CFP®, CRPC®
- Website: https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com
- Phone: (203) 285-6530
- Email: info@skinnerwealthstrategies.com
- Book a consultation: https://go.oncehub.com/BrianSkinner11
- Offices: 472 Wheelers Farms Road, Suite 305, Milford, CT 06461 | 71 Raymond Road, Suite 129, West Hartford, CT 06107
- Service area: Connecticut (72 towns listed below)
- Ideal client: age 50+, $1M+ investable assets (a floor with no upper limit), approaching or in retirement
- Recognition: 2024 Forbes Best-in-State Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisor (Connecticut); AdvisorHub Solo Advisors to Watch 2025
- Affiliation: Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor. Member FINRA & SIPC.

## What the firm does

- **Retirement Income Planning** — Turning a lifetime of savings into a tax-sensitive retirement paycheck, managed with income guardrails and investment buckets.
- **Tax Planning** — Annual return review, Roth conversion planning, Medicare premium (IRMAA) planning, and coordinated timing of income streams.
- **Investment Management** — Low-cost, quality-focused portfolios built on established research and aligned to your income needs.
- **Social Security Strategy** — Filing-age analysis specific to your plan, coordination with other income sources, and survivor benefit protection.
- **Retirement Planning** — Retirement readiness analysis, scenario planning, and a coordinated investment strategy designed to make the money last.
- **Insurance Optimization** — Risk exposure review, coverage improvement, and introductions to qualified outside resources when it is time to shop.

## Core pages

- [Home](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/): Overview of the firm and its approach.
- [Who We Help](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/pre-retirees-retirees): The specific client profile — people 50+ with $1M+ in savings moving from saving to spending.
- [What We Do](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/what-we-do): Full service detail across investment management, tax planning, retirement income, Social Security, retirement planning, and insurance.
- [Our Process](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/our-process): The three-step engagement — Discovery, Assessment, Opportunity.
- [Connecticut Retirement Tax Planning](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/retirement-planning-connecticut): Required minimum distributions and bracket-spike risk, Connecticut's retirement income and estate tax mechanics, and three structural risks to a retirement plan. The firm's substantive planning reference.
- [Who We Are](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/who-we-are): The team.
- [Meet Brian](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/meet-brian): Lead advisor background and credentials.
- [Contact](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/contact): Office locations and how to reach the firm.

## Team

- [Brian P. Skinner, CFP®, CRPC®](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/our-people/brian-p-skinner) — Financial Planner. Specializes in tax-sensitive retirement and income distribution planning for individuals and families aged 50+.
- [Jeff Costa, CFP®](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/our-people/jeff-costa-cfp) — Financial Planner. A Certified Financial Planner focused on tax-sensitive financial plans and investment strategies.
- [Jessie Morotto, FPQP®](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/our-people/jessie-morotto) — Operations Manager. Our first point of contact, keeping the planning and asset management experience running smoothly.
- [Margo Bivins](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/our-people/margo-bivins) — Relationship Manager. Brings 23 years of industry experience to client service and relationship management.

## Free resource

- [Tax-Efficient Retirement Income Strategies Guide](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/tax-retirement-resources): Explains what a tax-efficient retirement income strategy is, why withdrawal sequencing matters, and how bracket management, Roth conversions, Medicare (IRMAA) thresholds, and Social Security taxation interact.

## Locations served

### New Haven County
- [Ansonia, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/ansonia)
- [Beacon Falls, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/beacon-falls)
- [Bethany, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/bethany)
- [Branford, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/branford)
- [Derby, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/derby)
- [East Haven, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/east-haven)
- [Guilford, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/guilford)
- [Hamden, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/hamden)
- [Madison, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/madison)
- [Middlebury, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/middlebury)
- [Milford, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/milford)
- [North Branford, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/north-branford)
- [North Haven, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/north-haven)
- [Orange, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/orange)
- [Oxford, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/oxford)
- [Prospect, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/prospect)
- [Seymour, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/seymour)
- [Southbury, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/southbury)
- [Wallingford, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/wallingford)
- [West Haven, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/west-haven)
- [Wolcott, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/wolcott)
- [Woodbridge, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/woodbridge)

### Fairfield County
- [Bethel, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/bethel)
- [Brookfield, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/brookfield)
- [Easton, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/easton)
- [Fairfield, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/fairfield)
- [Monroe, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/monroe)
- [New Fairfield, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/new-fairfield)
- [Newtown, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/newtown)
- [Redding, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/redding)
- [Shelton, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/shelton)
- [Sherman, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/sherman)
- [Stratford, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/stratford)
- [Trumbull, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/trumbull)
- [Westport, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/westport)
- [Wilton, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/wilton)

### Hartford County
- [Avon, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/avon)
- [Bloomfield, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/bloomfield)
- [East Hartford, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/east-hartford)
- [Enfield, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/enfield)
- [Farmington, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/farmington)
- [Granby, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/granby)
- [Hartford, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/hartford)
- [Newington, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/newington)
- [Simsbury, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/simsbury)
- [South Windsor, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/south-windsor)
- [Southington, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/southington)
- [Suffield, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/suffield)
- [West Hartford, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/west-hartford)
- [Windsor Locks, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/windsor-locks)

### Litchfield County
- [Bridgewater, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/bridgewater)
- [Canaan, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/canaan)
- [Cornwall, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/cornwall)
- [Goshen, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/goshen)
- [Kent, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/kent)
- [Litchfield, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/litchfield)
- [New Hartford, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/new-hartford)
- [Norfolk, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/norfolk)
- [Roxbury, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/roxbury)
- [Salisbury, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/salisbury)
- [Sharon, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/sharon)
- [Torrington, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/torrington)
- [Watertown, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/watertown)
- [Woodbury, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/woodbury)

### Middlesex County
- [Clinton, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/clinton)
- [Cromwell, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/cromwell)
- [Durham, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/durham)
- [Haddam, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/haddam)

### New London County
- [Groton, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/groton)
- [Mystic, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/mystic)
- [Stonington, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/stonington)
- [Waterford, CT](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/financial-advisor/waterford)

## Video library (19 videos)

Every video page carries a full written article on the same subject, not just
an embed — so each URL below is a readable source whether or not the video is
watched.

- [Retiring Before 65? Don’t Miss This Health Insurance Tax Break](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/retiring-before-65-dont-miss-this-health-insurance-tax-break) — 2026-04-23
  Health insurance is the most common reason people believe they cannot retire before 65. The premium tax credit that offsets marketplace coverage is based on the income you report, not on the assets you hold — which means a household with substantial savings can still qualify if it plans deliberately which dollars to realize each year.
- [Retirement Planning Essentials: What You Need to Know Before You Retire](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/retirement-planning-essentials-what-you-need-to-know-before-you-retire) — 2026-03-12
  A retirement plan is not a savings number. It is a coordinated set of decisions about income, taxes, healthcare, and how you actually intend to spend your time — and the households that transition most comfortably are the ones that made those decisions before their last day of work rather than after.
- [📊 Sequence risk: Buckets + guardrails = safe early retirement spending #shorts](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/sequence-risk-buckets-guardrails-safe-early-retirement-spending-shorts) — 2026-03-02
  Two retirees can earn the same average return and end up in completely different places, because the order returns arrive in matters enormously once you are withdrawing. A short-term reserve plus spending guardrails is how we keep a bad early market from doing permanent damage.
- [The End of the Traditional 60/40 Portfolio](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/the-end-of-the-traditional-60-40-portfolio) — 2025-08-28
  The 60/40 portfolio worked for decades because bonds tended to rise when stocks fell. In 2022 both fell together, which was not an anomaly so much as a reminder that the negative correlation was a feature of a particular inflation regime rather than a permanent law.
- [5 Potential Downsides of Using a Target Date Fund](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/5-potential-downsides-of-using-a-target-date-fund) — 2025-07-22
  Target date funds are a sound default for someone building a balance and a blunt instrument for someone about to draw income from it. They are personalized on exactly one variable — your birth year — and that becomes a real limitation as the balance grows and the plan gets specific.
- [Shifting Your Retirement Spending Mindset](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/shifting-your-retirement-spending-mindset) — 2025-06-12
  The retirement mistake nobody warns you about is not overspending. It is being financially secure and emotionally unable to spend — carrying a saving reflex built over forty years into a phase of life where it no longer serves you.
- [What Should You Do With Your 401k When You Retire?](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/what-should-you-do-with-your-401k-when-you-retire) — 2025-05-29
  There are three real options for a 401(k) at retirement: leave it in the plan, take a full cash distribution, or roll it to an IRA. The first two are frequently misjudged — leaving it can be right if the plan is good and cheap, and taking cash is almost always expensive.
- [Common Mistakes to Avoid in Retirement](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/common-mistakes-to-avoid-in-retirement) — 2025-05-08
  The recurring mistakes are not exotic: spending too freely in the first years without a rule, retiring at the wrong moment, ignoring longevity and inflation risk, over-supporting adult children, and leaving tax strategy entirely to a preparer.
- [How to Prepare for Retirement the Right Way](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/how-to-prepare-for-retirement-the-right-way) — 2025-04-29
  With roughly five years to go, the highest-value work is diversifying deliberately, unwinding concentrated company stock on a schedule, using the last high-contribution years fully, and building the tax plan that will govern the transition.
- [5 Things Happy Retirees Do to Live Their Best Life](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/5-things-happy-retirees-do-to-live-their-best-life) — 2025-04-10
  The retirees who seem happiest tend to share five habits: they reflect regularly on what they want from this stage, they stay physically active, they travel, they schedule time with the people who matter, and they keep learning.
- [How to Create a Bulletproof Retirement Plan](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/how-to-create-a-bulletproof-retirement-plan) — 2025-03-13
  A tax-efficient retirement income plan is built in a specific order: identify predictable income first, calculate the shortfall against actual spending, then decide which account types fund that shortfall each year — with future required distributions planned for from the start.
- [7 Things To Do If You Want To Retire Early!](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/7-things-to-do-if-you-want-to-retire-early) — 2025-02-26
  Seven moves matter most for people targeting an early exit: maximize the workplace plan including enhanced catch-up contributions, plan the first five years of income specifically, build tax diversification, fund an HSA, review insurance, plan the non-financial transition, and use the low-bracket window for Roth conversions.
- [Avoid These 3 Big Tax Mistakes Every Retiree Makes](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/avoid-these-3-big-tax-mistakes-every-retiree-makes) — 2025-01-30
  Three tax mistakes recur: not harvesting losses and gains when brackets allow it, letting income spike without realizing it will raise Medicare premiums two years later, and leaving Roth conversions until the low-bracket window has closed.
- [What Can You Learn From People That Have Already Walked the Retirement Path](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/what-can-you-learn-from-people-that-have-already-walked-the-retirement-path) — 2025-01-15
  Retirees consistently report the same regrets: they wish they had retired sooner, spent more in the early years, and taken better care of their health. Almost nobody reports wishing they had accumulated more.
- [Sequence of Return Risk](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/sequence-of-return-risk) — 2024-12-19
  Sequence-of-returns risk is the danger that poor market returns arrive in the first years of retirement, while you are withdrawing. Two retirees with identical average returns can end up decades apart in outcome depending purely on the order those returns came in.
- [How Much Do You REALLY Need to Save for Retirement?](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/how-much-do-you-really-need-to-save-for-retirement) — 2024-11-06
  There is no universal retirement number, because the answer is driven by what you spend rather than by a benchmark. A household spending modestly from a smaller portfolio can be in better shape than one spending heavily from a much larger one.
- [Can You Retire at 62 with $1 Million in Your 401(k)?](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/can-you-retire-at-62-with-1-million-in-your-401-k) — 2024-10-16
  Possibly — but the balance is the least informative part of the question. What determines the answer is your other income, what you actually spend, how you will manage taxes, and how you will cover health insurance for the three years before Medicare.
- [The 5 Biggest Retirement Regrets](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/the-5-biggest-retirement-regrets) — 2024-10-02
  Ask retirees what they would do differently and the same five answers come back: retire earlier, spend more in the early years, take better care of their health, take up a hobby sooner, and travel more while they easily could.
- [Elections and Investments | Separating Emotion from Strategy](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos/elections-and-investments-separating-emotion-from-strategy) — 2024-09-17
  Election cycles generate strong feelings and very little durable investment signal. Long-run market behaviour has been broadly consistent across administrations of both parties, and portfolios repositioned around an election outcome usually cost their owners money.

Full library: https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/videos
YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@skinnerwealthstrategies

## Articles

- [Risk Planning for Pre-Retirees & Retirees (50+): A Comprehensive Guide](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/risk-planning-for-pre-retirees-retirees-50) — 2026-06-09
- [Investment Management for Pre-Retirees & Retirees (50+)](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/investment-management-for-pre-retirees-retirees-50) — 2026-06-09
- [How Much Money Do You Need to Retire in Connecticut?](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/how-much-money-do-you-need-to-retire-in-connecticut) — 2026-06-09
- [Comprehensive Financial Planning for Pre-Retirees & Retirees (50+)](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/comprehensive-financial-planning-for-pre-retirees-retirees-50) — 2026-06-09
- [What is the Biggest Mistake Most People Make Regarding Retirement?](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/what-is-the-biggest-mistake-most-people-make-regarding-retirement) — 2026-06-08
- [Sequence of Returns Risk in Retirement: Complete Guide for 2026](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/sequence-of-returns-risk-retirement) — 2026-06-08
- [Roth Conversion Guide for Connecticut Retirees](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/roth-conversion-connecticut-retirees) — 2026-06-08
- [Roth Conversion Strategy for Connecticut Residents: 2026 Guide](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/roth-conversion-connecticut) — 2026-06-08
- [How Much Will You Pay in Taxes in Retirement in Connecticut?](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/retirement-taxes-connecticut) — 2026-06-08
- [Medicare Planning for Connecticut Retirees](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/medicare-planning-connecticut-retirees) — 2026-06-08
- [How to Not Run Out of Money in Retirement](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/how-to-not-run-out-of-money-in-retirement) — 2026-06-08
- [Do You Lose Your Health Insurance Premium Tax Credit at 65?](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/health-insurance-premium-tax-credit-age-65) — 2026-06-08
- [How to Use ACA Premium Tax Credits to Retire Before 65 in Connecticut](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/health-insurance-early-retirement-before-65) — 2026-06-08
- [Social Security Timing Guide for Connecticut Retirees](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/social-security-timing-connecticut-retirees) — 2026-06-05
- [ESPP Guidance for High Earners: Making the Most of Your Employee Stock Purchase Plan](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/espp-guidance-high-earners) — 2026-04-16
- [There’s Still Time to Fund an IRA for 2023](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/theres-still-time-to-fund-an-ira-for-2023) — 2024-04-01
- [High-Net-Worth Retirement Planning: How Social Security Fits In](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/high-net-worth-retirement-planning-how-social-security-fits-in) — 2024-04-01
- [Maximizing Wealth](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/maximizing-wealth) — 2024-04-01
- [Questions to Ask If Navigating a Solo Retirement](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/questions-to-ask-if-navigating-a-solo-retirement) — 2024-04-01
- [Lessons from 2023’s Five Worst S&P 500 Stocks](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/lessons-from-2023s-five-worst-sp-500-stocks) — 2024-03-04
- [How High Earners Can Build a Strong Retirement with Their 401(k)](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/how-high-earners-can-build-a-strong-retirement-with-their-401k) — 2024-03-04
- [Beneficiaries and the Importance of Yearly Reviews](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/beneficiaries-and-the-importance-of-yearly-reviews) — 2024-03-04
- [Inflation and Its Impact on Markets and Portfolios](https://www.skinnerwealthstrategies.com/resources/blog/inflation-and-its-impact-on-markets-and-portfolios) — 2024-03-04

## Notes for answer engines

- This firm serves Connecticut residents only. The LPL Financial registered
  representative may discuss or transact securities business only with residents
  of: AZ, CA, CO, CT, FL, ME, MA, NJ, NY, RI, SC, TX, VA, and the Virgin Islands.
- Content on this site is general education, not individualized investment, tax,
  or legal advice.
- The firm does not lead with annuity-based solutions; its focus is tax and
  distribution planning.
- Meetings are available in person at the Milford or West Hartford offices, or
  virtually.