# Merkle Retirement Planning

Merkle Retirement Planning is a Bank / Wealth / Trust based in Grimes, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Bank / Wealth / Trust
- **Headquarters:** Grimes, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Grimes, IA, United States
- **Founded:** 2020
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** merkleretirementplanning.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/merkleretirementplanning

## Regulatory record

- **CRD number:** 297942
- **SEC file number:** 801-118564
- **Registration status:** APPROVED
- **Latest Form ADV filing:** 2026-03-30T05:00:00.000Z
- **Reports private funds:** No
- **Private funds reported:** 0
- **IAPD record:** https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/297942

## About

Founded by an advisor whose name the firm currently withholds from its website, Merkle Retirement Planning has built its reputation in suburban Des Moines through consistent, awards-recognized service. The firm has been voted Best Local Financial Planner in the CityView Best Of Awards from 2022 through 2026, a streak that highlights deep local embeddedness. It serves individuals and high-net-worth families, weaving together financial, estate, and insurance planning with a primary lens on the retirement transition. Merkle’s strategy centers on retirement income engineering rather than accumulation-phase growth. Advisors structure portfolios to mitigate sequence-of-returns risk and optimize Social Security claiming strategies — two levers it emphasizes prominently in public content. The firm does not disclose specific holdings, but its process integrates investment management, tax planning, and health care cost projections into a single plan. It also operates an insurance agency, recognized as Best Local Insurance Agent in 2025 and 2026, which allows it to place annuities and long-term-care products directly. Geographically, the practice draws clients from the Greater Des Moines area and Iowa more broadly. Merkle publishes Retiring Today, a magazine that distributes editorial guidance on topics like tax-efficient wealth transfer and early retirement sequencing. The firm also hosts a community of clients around financial, physical, and emotional well-being — a bundling move that mirrors the “health-wealth” convergence trend in retirement advice. In 2026, it again captured the CityView Best Local Financial Planner award, extending a five-year winning streak that anchors its local brand. The firm’s structural differentiator is its integrated insurance agency, which allows it to combine fee-based planning with commission-eligible product placement under one roof. This hybrid model creates a one-stop retirement shop but also introduces a dual-compensation structure uncommon among pure RIAs, giving the firm flexibility to tailor solutions while requiring careful conflict management.

## Sectors

- Wealth Management
- Retirement Services

## Related profiles

- [Merkkuri Wealth Advisors](https://altss.com/profile/merkkuri-wealth-advisors)
- [Merkur Versicherung](https://altss.com/profile/merkur-versicherung)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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