With USAA’s help, Rodriguez enrolled in a credit monitoring program, hired an accountant, set up education funds for her kids and reviewed insurance needs. Then it was on to estate planning issues, as she drew up wills and a medical power of attorney with her legal advisor. Next, she and her planner allotted funds to cover future income taxes and to pay off consumer debt.

She wanted to keep the money out of her pockets. So USAA helped her make conservative investments in certificates of deposit and other insured accounts, while creating a diversifi ed, long-term investment plan. “USAA is here to help her stay on course,” Murray says.

But you don’t have to win a game show to get an advisor’s help. A planner can help you with everything from mundane to major money matters. Read on to find out how.

But when one landed explaining USAA’s commission-free financial planning services, he took it as a sign and called. “I wish I had done it sooner,” he says.

After 27 years away, he returned to his hometown of Washington, D.C., to be near family. “It was time to come home, and I owe it all to Robert’s telling me, based on the retirement plan that he prepared for me, ‘You can do this.’”

For Steen, Gutierrez’s situation was a challenge. “I knew this wasn’t somebody who’s going to retire and sit on a rocking chair and watch traffi c go by,” he says. The two discussed Gutierrez’s vision of retirement, his passions and how he might spend retirement money.

Then Steen crunched the numbers and dissected the defi ned-pension and 401(k) plans that had accrued over 18 years with Kresge. He also analyzed Gutierrez’s real estate investments, as well as his tax situation, insurance coverage and possible additional sources of income from consulting jobs during retirement. Finally, Steen devised a strategy of short-run moves and put together a strategic portfolio that was not overly aggressive. The pension was put into a brokerage account, and the pair monitored his 401(k) account. And Gutierrez has had plenty to spend on the passions he discussed with Steen. Since retiring, he has hiked Corcovado, a 2,300-foot mountain above Rio de Janeiro, and cycled at Cape Point, South Africa.

Barborka and her husband both had savings and retirement accounts from time working in the private sector. “We had this onslaught of accounts that we were trying to manage,” she recalls. “Adam is a really smart guy, but he has zippo financial interest. With him coming and going with deployment, it kind of leaves me holding the bag.”

His deployments also create an uneven financial playing field. The couple makes more money when he’s gone — due to combat pay and tax-free income — and spends more when he’s home. Long-term goals of private school and college for the kids and retirement savings weighed on Barborka’s mind. “I told Adam, ‘Listen, if I’m going to do this, I need help.’”

The couple looked at other potential planners, but opted for USAA’s. “We knew USAA had a fee-based structure,” she recalls.

Walbert helped Barborka combine accounts, slashing the number from 13 to 6. She noted the couple had many key elements of a financial plan in place, but helped tweak it. “It’s refreshing to work with young people who have so much going for them,” Walbert says. “My job is to help Charlotte sort through options.”

“Picking investments is like putting you in a room with a thousand green shirts that all look exactly the same and asking you to choose the best one. How do you know?” Barborka says. “That’s where June comes in. She can tell me the options, the reasons why, and then I make my choice.”