A Higher Standard of Federal Retirement Planning
Fiduciary & fee-based guidance for feds who want more freedom, clarity & control. Work with a seasoned Federal Retirement Consultant℠ who architects sophisticated tax-efficient, values-aligned financial planning, tailored to your unique values and goals.
Better Planning. Better Investing. Better Retirement.
Request a ConsultationA Better Federal Retirement™ Starts Here
🧭 Clarity. Confidence. Control.
Step into a concierge-level planning experience built exclusively for federal employees. Your benefits are great. Your retirement should be too. Through fiduciary guidance, the RISA assessment, The Bucket Plan®, Family Estate Organizer, tax planning, and sophisticated investment solutions that reach far beyond the Thrift Plan, we help you protect income, reduce taxes, and invest with purpose. High-touch service, values-aligned strategy, and a plan that supports the life you want every single day of retirement.
Our Comprehensive Federal Retirement Planning Process
Retirement planning deserves more than guesswork and one-size-fits-all portfolios. We optimize every piece of your federal benefits while designing institutional-style investment strategies using Unified Managed Accounts (UMAs), ESG options, alternatives, and disciplined risk management. The result: income that lasts, taxes minimized, and a portfolio built bespoke for you. Everything works together through The Bucket Plan® so you can live retirement with clarity and conviction.
Fiduciary Rule Reset (as seen on FEDweek)
Retiring With a TSP Loan? A Simple Decision Framework to Avoid Costly Mistakes
What is a Safe Withdrawal Rate? Depends on Where Your Money Is Held (as featured on FedSmith)
Why Standard Social Security Optimization Fails Feds (as featured on FEDweek)
Roth Conversions Within the TSP? Not as Simple as It Sounds (Featured in FedSmith)
Why Your “Safe” Withdrawal Rate Depends on Taxes
2025 Delivered for Those Who Stayed in Their Seats
The 3 Retirement Income Strategies Every Federal Employee Should Understand (as seen on FEDweek)
Evidence-Based Investing
What is a Fiduciary’s Duty?
Why the Wealthy Need To Invest Differently
The Reality Behind TSP Roll-Over Pitches Targeting Federal Employees
Our Process-Driven Financial Planning Services
To help provide the guidance and blueprint you need, we offer a variety of tailored retirement planning services for federal employees.
Federal Employee Benefit Analysis
Retirement Income Style Awareness Profile (RISA™)
Better Federal Retirement Plan
Thrift Master Plan
Family Estate Organizer
Discover Your Retirement Income Style with RISA®
At Better Federal Retirement, we believe your retirement plan should align with your unique preferences and decision-making style.
That’s why we recommend taking the RISA® (Retirement Income Style Awareness) assessment. This insightful tool helps identify the retirement income strategies that resonate most with your personality, helping ensure a tailored plan that fits your vision for the future.
Learn More
Who We Are
Better Federal Retirement™ is an independent fiduciary firm led by Nigel Valdez, Certified Financial Fiduciary® and Federal Retirement Consultant®, serving a select group of federal employees who value thoughtful guidance and long-term partnership.
For more than two decades, Nigel has helped high-achieving public servants transform complex benefits into coordinated, purpose-driven wealth. His work blends precision analysis with a deep respect for each client’s life goals—because better planning leads to better investing, and ultimately, a Better Retirement.
Our Promise to You
Fiduciary, Independent, Uncompromising
We serve as true fiduciaries—adamantly independent, and devoted to a select number of clients. Every recommendation is grounded in research, transparency, and long-term alignment with your goals—not sales incentives or product quotas.
Expertise Beyond the Ordinary
Our planning integrates the intricate details of your federal benefits with the sophistication of private-wealth management. From UMAs to Roth conversions to values-aligned portfolios, we bring institutional-level strategy to the personal scale of your life.
A Partnership Build on Intention
You’ll work directly with Nigel Valdez, not a team of associates or call-center reps. We take on fewer relationships – so every client receives the time, clarity, and stewardship their wealth deserves.
Take a thoughtful first step toward clarity and confidence in your federal retirement.
Our discovery conversation is designed for federal employees seeking a more refined, fiduciary approach to wealth management. If you value thoughtful guidance and a lasting relationship, let’s start here.
