# American Retirement Advisors

> American Retirement Advisors (ARA) is a boutique retirement planning firm serving high-net-worth households with $1M or more in investable assets across Arizona and Nevada since 2001. ARA delivers comprehensive planning across the three pillars of retirement, income, inheritance, and healthcare, all under one roof. As an independent firm, ARA works for the client, not for one carrier or product. Every client has a dedicated advisor backed by a full planning team.

## About

American Retirement Advisors was founded in 2001 by David P. Schaeffer and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, with additional offices in Mesa, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada. ARA serves high-net-worth retirees and pre-retirees, households with $1M or more in investable assets, and meets clients in person or by video consultation. The firm is built around one idea, that retirement income, inheritance, and healthcare should be planned together rather than in separate silos. Because ARA is independent, advisors recommend what fits the client rather than what a single carrier sells.

## What ARA Does

- Retirement income planning, turning savings into dependable lifetime income and protecting it against longevity and market risk.
- Inheritance and legacy planning, coordinating beneficiaries, trusts, the family home, and the transfer of wealth to the next generation.
- Healthcare and Medicare guidance, helping clients navigate Medicare, coverage choices, and the cost of care in retirement.
- Annuity strategy and placement, selecting fixed, fixed-indexed, and MYGA solutions from top-rated carriers where they fit the plan.
- Investment and portfolio oversight, managing IRAs, rollovers, and retirement portfolios with ongoing reviews.
- Ongoing relationship management, structured annual and semi-annual reviews so the plan keeps pace with the client's life.

## What Makes ARA Different

- Boutique and independent, personal attention from a dedicated advisor who works for the client, not for one carrier.
- Comprehensive under one roof, income, inheritance, and healthcare handled together, no referral runaround.
- Focused on high-net-worth households, built for the complexity that comes with $1M or more in investable assets.
- Arizona and Nevada expertise since 2001, deep local knowledge of Maricopa County and Clark County retirees.
- Proactive, structured reviews and outreach before issues become emergencies.


## Watch, Read, and Listen (the ARA Library)

- [Retirement Insights](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/insights/): ARA's series library. Four ongoing series — Both Ends of the Table (high-net-worth inheritance, 7 episodes), More Than a Death Benefit (life insurance in retirement, 7 episodes), The Gap Years (the low-tax window between retirement and RMDs, 4 episodes), and Passing It On (estate conversations, 3 episodes). Every episode pairs a plain-English article with a companion podcast episode.
- [The Podcast](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/podcast/): The American Retirement Advisor podcast — real retirement questions answered in plain English, new episodes weekdays, with show notes and companion articles.
- [YouTube Channels](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/youtube/): All ARA channels — American Retirement Advisors (flagship), Fiscal Footnotes (the history of money with David Schaeffer), Retirement Roundup (downsizing and real estate with Marc & Jacquie), and Beyond One Generation (business-owner succession).
- [Fiscal Fridays](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/fiscal-fridays/): David Schaeffer's live weekly retirement show from the ARA Scottsdale studio.
- [Free Guides Library](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/guideposts/): Downloadable guideposts on Medicare, retirement income, long-term care, and legacy planning — plus the series library.
- [News & Articles](https://news.americanretirementadvisors.com): Daily plain-English retirement writing from the ARA team.
- [Inheritance Planning Workshop](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/inheritance-planning-workshop/): A no-cost online workshop: "Do you actually need a trust?" with an estate attorney.

## Core Pages

- [Homepage](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/): Who ARA is and how the firm helps high-net-worth households retire with confidence.
- [About Us](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/about-us/): The ARA story, founding in 2001, and the team behind the firm.
- [Services](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/services/): Comprehensive planning across retirement income, inheritance, and healthcare.
- [Contact Us](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/contact-us/): Offices, phone numbers, and how to reach an advisor.
- [Book a Consultation](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/book-consultation/): Schedule a no cost retirement discovery session with an ARA advisor.

## Guideposts (Answer Content)

Plain-English answers to the questions real retirees ask. This is ARA's pillar education content.

- [Guideposts Library](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/guideposts/): The full hub of ARA retirement planning guides and answer content.
- [Annuity Types Explained](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/guideposts/annuity-types/): How fixed, fixed-indexed, and MYGA annuities differ and where each one fits.
- [What Changed About Retirement](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/guideposts/what-changed-about-retirement/): How longevity, income, and healthcare costs reshaped retirement for today's retirees.
- [Required Minimum Distributions](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/guideposts/required-minimum-distributions/): When withdrawals from retirement accounts become mandatory and how to plan ahead.
- [How Much of Your Social Security You Keep](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/guideposts/social-security-taxation/): What determines how much of your Social Security benefit stays in your pocket.
- [Your Home, Your Legacy](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/guideposts/your-home-your-legacy/): How the family home fits into an inheritance and legacy plan.
- [The First 90 Days of Retirement](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/guideposts/first-90-days/): What to line up in the opening months after you stop working.
- [Bucket List Planning](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/guideposts/bucket-list-planning/): Funding the travel and experiences you retired for without derailing your income.
- [The IRMAA Trap](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/guideposts/irmaa-trap/): How income from two years back can raise Medicare premiums, and how to avoid the surcharge.
- [Long-Term Care Planning](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/guideposts/ltc-planning/): Options for covering the cost of care and protecting a spouse.
- [Roth Conversion Playbook](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/guideposts/roth-conversion-playbook/): Using lower-income years to convert retirement accounts on your terms.
- [Social Security and the Earnings Limit](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/guideposts/social-security-earnings/): How working before full retirement age affects your benefit.

## Workshops and Reviews

- [Inheritance Planning Workshop](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/inheritance-planning-workshop/): On-demand workshop on trusts, beneficiaries, and passing wealth to the next generation.
- [Life Insurance Review](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/life-insurance-review/): A no cost review of older policies to see whether newer, more efficient coverage fits.

## Compare

- [ARA vs Trajan Wealth](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/compare/trajan-wealth/): How ARA's boutique, comprehensive, independent approach compares to Trajan Wealth.

## Content Hubs

- [Blog](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/blog/): Articles on retirement income, inheritance, and healthcare planning.
- [Podcast](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/podcast/): Short episodes on real retirement decisions. The hub links to individual episode pages.

## Team

- [David Schaeffer](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/team-david-schaeffer/): Founder of ARA (2001) and retirement advisor.
- [Marc Frye](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/team-marc-frye/): Retirement advisor at ARA.
- [Kyle Jacobs](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/team-kyle-jacobs/): Retirement advisor at ARA.
- [David Edge](https://americanretirementadvisors.com/team-david-edge/): Retirement advisor at ARA.

## Service Area

- In person: Scottsdale, Arizona (headquarters), Mesa, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada.
- By video: serving high-net-worth households across Arizona and Nevada.
- Local depth in Maricopa County, Arizona (Scottsdale, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Sun City, Surprise) and Clark County, Nevada (Las Vegas, Henderson, Summerlin).

## Contact

- Arizona: (602) 281-3898
- Nevada: (702) 852-1417
- Nationwide: (877) 220-1089
- Book a consultation: https://americanretirementadvisors.com/book-consultation/

## Related

- [BettySaidSo.com](https://www.bettysaidso.com): Retirement planning education for women 55 and older, by 123Easy Studios in partnership with ARA.

*Updated July 6, 2026.*