Retirement Planning Takeaways From Horizons 2026

With high expectations set by Horizons 2025, this year’s event had a lot to live up to. Fortunately, there was no sophomore slump in sight. The 2026 edition quickly sold out and delivered an epic retirement planning experience for all involved.

Dawn Benko, co-founder of Entirety Wealth Solutions, took to social media to say she “recommends this conference to anyone in the retirement planning space.” Benko said Horizons served as a “great reminder of how valuable it is to step away from the day-to-day and learn from others in the industry.”

Terrell Dinkins, MBA, ChFC®, RICP®, of The College’s FinServe Network described her time in Orlando as “three days of impactful learning and networking.” She called Horizons “an epic event.”

Key Retirement Planning Takeaways

Another member of the FinServe Network, Terry Parham, CFP®, EA®, RICP®, TPCP®, CEPA®, MFSP, shared some thoughts about Horizons. “I came back with pages of notes, but more importantly, I came back with clarity,” Parham said.

Parham shared with us some of his key takeaways from Horizons, which included:

• Retirement planning is growing in complexity. Lifespans are increasing; markets can be volatile; and using tax planning in retirement planning is more important than ever.
• Sequence of returns risk is real, and it can derail even the best savers. 
  When a person withdraws matters just as much as how much they saved.
• Tax efficiency is one of the most important aspects of retirement planning. It’s one of the components that allows for the most proactive moves for advisors and clients.
• Retirement is about goals, not spreadsheets and numbers. Soft skills like an advisor’s ability to talk to clients and understand their wants are just as important as building a comprehensive financial plan.

Why Retirement Planning Specialization is Important for Advisors

Horizons also featured several other major components that left Horizons “buzzing.” One of the major themes was the importance of planning specialization. The College’s CEO and president, George Nichols III, CAP®, spoke to this in his blog post from Horizons.  

“I hope you’ve had a chance to see our new consumer awareness campaign,” said Nichols. “It has been seen by 20 million viewers. Can’t believe it.”  

The campaign, which launched in fall of 2025, began phase two recently. It debuted a second advertisement emphasizing the importance of specialization, adding tax planning to retirement planning.

Specialization is really what Horizons is all about. Going beyond the surface level of financial planning and becoming a true expert allows advisors to offer clients improved outcomes, better planning conversations, and stronger relationships.

Our recent Advisor Expertise Study was also on display. Based on a survey of nearly 500 financial professionals in March 2026, the study found advisors report offering an average of five out of eight major planning services. When asked to identify their top three offerings, advisors most often cited general financial planning (69%), retirement income planning (66%), and portfolio management (54%). However, the study suggests that while retirement income planning is frequently offered, it is less often delivered at an advanced level.  

Our Advisor Expertise Index scores advisors on demonstrated skill level across eight planning categories, with possible scores ranging from 0 to 60 and segmented into basic, intermediate, and advanced expertise. The study found no relationship between years in the field and an advisor’s level of expertise. It also reveals that 51% of services are being delivered at only basic or intermediate levels, compared to 49% at an advanced level.  

The study found education to be a far more reliable indicator of expertise. This is exactly what Horizons offers to retirement planning advisors: in-depth knowledge delivered by top-level professionals who have real-world experience putting their methods to the test.
 

More on Retirement Planning

• Become a retirement planning expert with the RICP® Program
• Learn IRA and retirement tax strategies from Ed Slott
• Explore more retirement topics with the American College Center for Retirement Income