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A Florida firm built to do fewer things, more carefully, and the founder who built it.
You shouldn’t have to translate your own pension just to get good advice.
Independent, fee-only, and built for Florida’s public employees.
Meet DerrickFRS Planning
Understand the decisions that shape your Florida Retirement System benefit.
Understanding DROP
Pension vs. Investment Plan · Guide. FRS Retirement Calculator · Tool.
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The pieces that sit alongside your FRS benefit, and the timing decisions that come with them.
Leaving DROP: the decisions with a deadline.
Your DROP exit is a one-time decision. Make it with a plan, not a guess.
Read the DROP guideWho We Serve
Built for the people who built Florida: teachers, first responders, officers, state and county staff, and the retirees who already served.
FRS membership has more nuance than most people realize.
A short conversation usually clarifies what applies to you.
Start a ConversationGuides, webinars, checklists, and tools in plain English. Education first, no sales pitch.
Estimate your FRS retirement income in three short steps.
Pension, DROP, the Health Insurance Subsidy, and Social Security. No Social Security number, no FRS login.
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Short pieces on the decisions in front of FRS members, written by our adviser. Education first, no sales pitch.
An IRA, Individual Retirement Account, is a personal retirement savings account you open on your own that gives you special tax benefits to help your money grow for the future.
Read the articleA Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) is the smallest amount the IRS makes you withdraw each year from most pre-tax retirement accounts once you reach a certain age, so the taxes you put off finally get paid.
Read the articleAn ETF, exchange-traded fund, is a single investment that holds a basket of many investments inside it and trades on a stock exchange throughout the day, like a stock does.
Read the articleA bond is a loan you make to a government or company that generally pays you regular interest and aims to return your original money on a set date.
Read the articleShould you rent or buy a home in Florida in 2026? A clear framework, a worked Orlando example at 7% mortgage rates, and the questions that actually decide it.
Read the articleHow TIPS and I bonds protect against inflation, today's rates (I bonds 4.26%, 10-year TIPS about 2.8% real), limits, taxes, and how retirees use them.
Read the articleThere's no single "interest rate." How the Fed, the 10-year Treasury, and your credit score set what you pay on mortgages and cards and what your savings earn.
Read the articleBonds explained in plain English: yield, price, duration, credit risk, bond funds vs individual bonds, ladders, and what 2026's high yields mean for retirees.
Read the articleOil near $100 has pushed gas up 27% and inflation to 3.4%. How oil shocks ripple through inflation, rates, stocks, and budgets, and what history says to avoid.
Read the articleFlorida home insurance is finally easing. How to shop your policy, wind mitigation discounts, hurricane deductibles, roof rules, flood coverage, and Citizens.
Read the articleWhat actually moves your credit score, the myths that don't, how new mortgage scoring works in 2026, BNPL and medical debt changes, and how to protect your credit.
Read the articleChecking, HYSA, CDs, 457, 403(b), IRA, Roth, HSA, 529, Trump Accounts, and brokerage accounts explained: what each is for, 2026 limits, and how they fit.
Read the articleHow big your emergency fund should be, where to keep it, and why teachers, first responders, and retirees in Florida may need a different number than most.
Read the articleA DROP payout, inheritance, settlement, or home sale can change your life or disappear fast. A 90-day plan for taxes, safety, decisions, and avoiding mistakes.
Read the articleA step-by-step money checklist after a job loss or layoff: severance, health coverage, Florida reemployment assistance, budgets, retirement accounts, and taxes.
Read the articleAmericans reported $15.9 billion in fraud losses in 2025. The scams hitting retirees and public employees hardest, the warning signs, and what to do if targeted.
Read the articleInvestors earned 1.2 points a year less than their own funds over the last decade, per Morningstar. Why the behavior gap happens and the habits that help close it.
Read the articleIRMAA can add hundreds to Medicare premiums. 2026 brackets, the two-year lookback, the $1 cliffs, how DROP payouts and Roth conversions trigger it, and appeals.
Read the articleMedicare explained in plain English: Parts A, B, C, and D, when to enroll, the lifelong penalties to avoid, Medigap vs Medicare Advantage, and 2026-2027 costs.
Read the articleThis page is educational and is not individualized advice. Benowitz Wealth Management is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Florida Retirement System, the Florida Division of Retirement, or the State Board of Administration of Florida. Confirm the figures that apply to your own record at MyFRS.com or with the Division of Retirement.
If an article raises a question about your own record, you can talk it through.
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