# RCS Financial Planning RCS Financial Planning is a Bank / Wealth / Trust based in Annapolis, United States. ## Overview - **Organization type:** Bank / Wealth / Trust - **Headquarters:** Annapolis, United States - **Region:** North America - **Address:** Annapolis, MD, United States - **Founded:** 2017 - **Assets under management:** $240m+ (per firm website, accessed 2026) - **Website:** rcsplanning.com - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/rcs-financial-planning-adviser-near-me ## Regulatory record - **CRD number:** 291678 - **SEC file number:** 801-112282 - **Registration status:** APPROVED - **Latest Form ADV filing:** 2026-03-19T05:00:00.000Z - **Reports private funds:** No - **Private funds reported:** 0 - **IAPD record:** https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/291678 ## About RCS Financial Planning was founded in 2017 by Ted Toal, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ with more than 25 years in financial services. The firm emerged from Toal's conviction that retirement income is a process problem, not a product problem — a belief sharpened during his earlier career inside mainstream brokerages. The practice serves over 200 clients from its Annapolis, Maryland base, operating as a fee-only fiduciary with no commissions and no sales agenda. The firm's strategy rests on tax-coordinated retirement-income planning rather than portfolio performance alone. It constructs spending guardrails — not single-number withdrawal rates — and sequences withdrawals across IRAs, Roth accounts, brokerage accounts, pensions, and Social Security to manage lifetime tax liability. Named federal employer systems CSRS and FERS form a distinct practice vertical, coordinating TSP withdrawals, FEHB decisions, and survivor benefit elections. The firm serves couples approaching or in retirement, women navigating single-filer retirement, and federal employees, typically those with $1 million or more in investable assets. Geographic reach extends from Maryland and the DMV region to clients served virtually nationwide. RCS Financial Planning manages over $240 million in client assets (per the firm's website, accessed 2026). The leadership team includes Amanda Clouser, a dual CFP® and CFA charterholder who joined after corporate roles at S&P, ING Direct, and TIAA. The advisor headcount remains small by design, supporting a process built around semi-annual income-plan recalibration — incorporating actual spending, actual returns, current tax law, and life changes — rather than annual performance reports. No adjacent foundations, club memberships, or separate investment vehicles are disclosed. RCS operates as an extremely narrow specialist: a pure retirement-income fiduciary for a specific demographic cluster. That focus creates a structural differentiator distinct from generalist RIAs. The firm's intellectual property is a repeatable decision process that answers the question "How much can I confidently spend this year and twenty years from now?" rather than a portfolio-management playbook. ## Sectors - Wealth Management - Retirement Planning - Tax Planning ## People - Ted Toal — Founder, CFP® - Amanda Clouser — CFP®, CFA ## Questions ### How does RCS Financial Planning differ from a standard investment manager? RCS is a fee-only fiduciary that treats retirement income as a process, not a product. Most advisors deliver a portfolio, a Monte Carlo probability, and a recommendation; RCS builds tax-aware spending guardrails that adjust to actual portfolio performance, current tax law, and life changes. The firm does not sell annuities, dividend strategies, or any commissioned products. Its output is an actionable annual income plan, not a performance report. ### Who runs investment and planning decisions at RCS? Founder Ted Toal, CFP®, leads the firm's retirement-income process and client relationships. Amanda Clouser, CFP®, CFA, joined after institutional roles at S&P, ING Direct, and TIAA, and works directly with clients on complex financial puzzles. The firm's small team structure means principals personally construct and monitor each income plan. ### What is RCS's expertise with federal employee benefits? The firm has a dedicated practice for CSRS and FERS retirees, coordinating federal annuities, TSP withdrawals, FEHB elections, and survivor benefit decisions into a single tax-efficient income plan. That specificity — understanding how federal benefits interact with Social Security and Medicare IRMAA surcharges — is a core differentiator from generalist retirement advisors. ### Does RCS take on clients who already have an advisor? Yes. The firm explicitly offers a no-cost second-opinion service for people who want a focused retirement-income and tax perspective, even if they maintain an existing advisory relationship. That engagement is structured as a one-time conversation, not an asset grab. ### How does RCS charge for its services? RCS operates on a fee-only basis, meaning it earns no commissions and sells no financial products. The firm's compensation comes directly from client advisory fees, aligning its incentive with the quality of the retirement-income plan rather than product distribution. ### Does RCS serve clients outside of Maryland? Yes. While most of its clients are in Maryland and the broader DMV area, RCS works with clients across the country virtually. Its planning process is designed to function seamlessly over video, and the firm reports many clients prefer that arrangement. ## Related profiles - [RCP Equity](https://altss.com/profile/rcp-equity) - [R Cubed Global Capital](https://altss.com/profile/r-cubed-global-capital) --- Last updated: 2026-08-11T02:43:31.692Z Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/rcs-financial-planning Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology