A practicing professional who helps individuals prepare a retirement plan. A retirement planner identifies sources of income, estimates expenses, implements a savings program and helps manage assets. Estimating future cash flows and assets is also a central part of a retirement planner's work. He or she may use a web-based calculator or software program that will predict future cash flows and assets based on the data entered.

Although most retirement planners deal with the financial aspects of planning for retirement, some planners also deal with the non-financial aspects, including how to spend one's time in retirement, where to live and when to quit work, to name just a few.

Today, retirement planners rely heavily on web-based calculators and retirement-planning software, but, like any kind of forecast, the information produced is only as good as the data used. The plan created by a retirement planner is in no way a complete predictor of retirement spending or income needs, but it is a good starting point.