# Sensible Money Sensible Money is a Bank / Wealth / Trust based in Scottsdale, United States. ## Overview - **Organization type:** Bank / Wealth / Trust - **Headquarters:** Scottsdale, United States - **Region:** North America - **Address:** Scottsdale, AZ, United States - **Founded:** 2011 - **Assets under management:** Undisclosed - **Website:** sensiblemoney.com - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/sensible-money ## Regulatory record - **CRD number:** 158641 - **SEC file number:** 801-110039 - **Registration status:** Registered - **Reports private funds:** No - **IAPD record:** https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/158641 ## About Sensible Money launched in 2011 in Scottsdale, Arizona, founded by Dana Anspach, a certified financial planner who previously worked at firms including Charles Schwab and Prudential Securities. The firm operates as a fee-only registered investment advisor with no brokerage affiliation, a structure Anspach adopted explicitly to eliminate the conflicts of commission-based advice. She is the author of "Control Your Retirement Destiny" and for years wrote the "Money Over 55" column for The Balance, establishing a content-driven client acquisition model that distinguishes the practice from local competitors. The firm's wealth origin is earned — Anspach built the book of business herself over two decades. The firm's investment approach centers on retirement-income planning rather than accumulation, deploying client assets across a mix of equities, fixed income, and alternative assets including real estate investment trusts. Sensible Money constructs portfolios using low-cost ETFs and index funds, tilting toward value and small-cap factors. Geographic focus remains overwhelmingly domestic, with US large-cap and municipal bond exposures dominating. The firm does not operate its own fund vehicles or serve as a GP — all assets sit in individually managed accounts at custodians such as Charles Schwab. As of 2024, Anspach has publicly noted the firm crossing the billion-dollar AUM threshold, which places it among the largest woman-founded solo-practitioner-turned-RIAs in Arizona. Sensible Money has grown organically without mergers or outside capital, employing a team of CFP professionals in its Scottsdale office. Team size is not publicly disclosed. The adjacent vehicle is Anspach's personal media footprint — her book, her column, and frequent conference appearances — which serve as the firm's primary marketing engine. In 2023, Anspach sold her retirement-planning education business, Sensible Money LLC's predecessor content platform, to a larger publisher, sharpening the focus back onto client-facing wealth management. No philanthropic foundation or family-office structure exists — this is a straightforward RIA serving mass-affluent and high-net-worth retirees. Structurally, Sensible Money differentiates via its single-focus mandate: retirement-income sequencing, tax-efficient distribution strategies, and Social Security optimization. This is not a firm chasing entrepreneurs or liquidity events. The entire service model targets the deaccumulation phase, which most advisors treat as an afterthought. Anspach's public-authority posture — writing the column, publishing the book — creates a self-selecting client funnel that lowers acquisition costs and matches the firm's narrow expertise, a model that is difficult for generalist RIAs to replicate. ## People - Dana Anspach — Founder and CEO ## Questions ### Who runs investment decisions at Sensible Money? Dana Anspach, the founder and CEO, sets the investment philosophy and portfolio construction framework. She operates with a team of CFP professionals but does not delegate asset-allocation strategy — the firm's retirement-income focus reflects her personal approach, outlined in her book "Control Your Retirement Destiny." No external investment committee or outsourced CIO is used. ### Does Sensible Money use proprietary funds or in-house products? No. Sensible Money constructs portfolios entirely from third-party ETFs, index funds, and individual bonds, custodied at Charles Schwab. The firm receives no revenue-sharing or product-kickback payments — its fee-only structure means the only compensation comes directly from client advisory fees. No proprietary mutual funds, SMA strategies, or in-house alternatives exist. ### What is Sensible Money's minimum account size or typical client profile? Sensible Money serves clients with roughly $500,000 to over $5 million in investable assets, per the firm's public communications. The typical client is within five years of retirement or already retired, requiring income planning and tax-efficient distribution strategies rather than wealth accumulation. The firm does not market to institutions, pensions, or ultra-high-net-worth families. ### How does Sensible Money source its clients? Founder Dana Anspach's public-authority role — authoring "Control Your Retirement Destiny," writing the "Money Over 55" column, and speaking at industry conferences — serves as the primary client-acquisition channel. This content-driven funnel brings in self-selecting retirees who have already absorbed Anspach's philosophy before the first meeting. The firm does not pay for lead generation, cold outreach, or referral partnerships in a material way. ## Related profiles - [Sensible Financial Planning](https://altss.com/profile/sensible-financial-planning-and-management) - [Sensible Portfolios](https://altss.com/profile/sensible-portfolios) --- Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/sensible-money Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology