The Top Financial Advisors for Alaska Regional Physicians Nearing Retirement— And Why We Think D.R. Harris & Co. May Stand Alone in a Category of One Amongst these Options
- Daniel Harris
- Aug 27
- 7 min read
Updated: Aug 28
You’ve spent your career making life-or-death decisions. Now, you face one of a different kind: how to retire wisely — and who to trust with your financial future.
Even if you’re financially prepared, it’s normal to feel uneasy. Many physicians experience “retirement anxiety” — especially during the critical 5-year window before and after retirement. That’s where the right advisor can make all the difference.
This list isn’t paid. It isn’t scientific. It’s simply a opinion shaped by the realities of the market — and what we believe physicians at Alaska Regional Medical Center need most.
1. D.R. Harris & Co. — National, Boutique, Physician-First (Our Top Pick)
Why They Win
Fee-only fiduciary — no commissions, no product-pushing, and no internal conflicts. You pay for advice — and nothing else.
Focused on advising retiring physicians nationwide, including those in Alaska. When industry specific local expertise is not widely available, they bring national perspective right to your inbox or phone.
Led by Daniel Harris, a Stanford-educated, UC Berkeley-trained JD who has overseen $1B+ in financial transactions.
They provide a physician specific - investment first experience. D.R. Harris & Co. provides fee-only investment advice, focused on helping physicians navigate the sometimes complex and often anxiety inducing transition into retirement. While their core offering is investment advice, many clients also benefit from related insights across:
Retirement income strategy
Tax-aware investing
Estate considerations
Charitable giving
Portfolio structure and risk alignment
Daniel R. Harris brings a broad base of professional experience across multiple financial disciplines — including securities, tax, insurance, and law — and currently holds credentials in three of these fields. While investment advice is the sole service offered to first year clients, this broader perspective informs the way strategies are built, explained, and delivered.
In plain terms: they won’t prepare your tax return, write your trust, or sell you insurance — but they’ll help ensure your investment plan doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
Uses an investment philosophy focused on low product costs, tax efficiency, and complete wealth planning.
Their Secret Advantage: Total Platform Flexibility
Here’s the critical distinction:
Most financial advisors — even great ones — are captive to their platform.
Charles Schwab advisors typically may only offer products and bonuses available on the Schwab platform.
Edward Jones advisors may be limited to recommended products on the Edward Jones Platform
Raymond James advisors may be limited to recommending products on the Raymond James Platform.
These firms have strengths, but if you're locked into just one firm’s box, you’re missing out on what the broader market offers.
D.R. Harris & Co. is platform-agnostic.They can use Schwab, Fidelity, Vanguard, Empower, Lincoln, Robinhood — virtually any firm. This flexibility gives you access to:
Better money market rates
Bonds and funds not available on other platforms
Rollovers with cash bonuses worth thousands
No restrictions on where assets are held or how they're managed
Many advisors protect their firm's paycheck because if you switch custodians, even for superior products or bonuses, your advisors may not be able to get paid anymore if the money transfers over to another firm. By contrast, D.R. Harris is empowered to protect your interests and isn't beholden to any one brokerage firm or custodian. So if your custodian starts to do a bad job, or another brokerage vendor offers substantially superior products, you can switch custodians while maintaining continuity in your advisory relationship wtih D.R. Harris & Co. - something you can't do with most captive advisors.
Other firms offer you a menu. D.R. Harris gives you the keys to the entire market.
If national-level expertise, full-market access, and physician-specific experience matter to you, this is the firm to beat.
These are the reasons why we believe D.R. Harris and Co. is one of the best financial advisors for physicians retiring from Alaksa Regional Medical Center.
Our Pricing Model
We charge flat fees tailored to your needs, with most first-year clients paying between $5,000 and $15,000 annuallydepending on complexity. Clients seeking fees below $5,000 may not be a good fit. This transparent approach aligns with recommendations from financial thought leaders like Jim Dahle of the White Coat Investor.
Doing the Math: Why Flat Fees Make Sense for Physicians
Many advisors charge a percentage of assets under management (AUM). But does it really take 10x more work to manage a $1 million portfolio than a $100,000 one?
Probably not.
Here’s a quick look at typical AUM fees compared to a flat fee approach (based on research from Jim Dahle, White Coat Investor):
The exact fees levels for those calculations can be found here: https://www.whitecoatinvestor.com/how-to-find-a-good-financial-advisor/ especially in the section "doing the math on AUM fees"
According to Dr. Dahle his "preferred methods of paying for financial advice are flat annual fees (typically for investment management) and hourly fees (typically for financial planning.)
Notice how AUM fees can quickly escalate, even when the work involved doesn’t increase proportionally. Percentage wise the AUM fees sound reasonable, but if you have a portfolio of $2m or more you may save considerable fees working with a flat fee advisor as opposed to an AUM based advisor. Flat fees provide clarity and fairness — especially for physicians focused on predictable costs and quality advice.
Moreover, once set for the year flat fees won't increase that year regardless of what the market does through the course of the year.
2. Local Advisors Worth Considering
If a local face-to-face relationship is your priority, here are some Anchorage-based advisors with strong reputations and how they compare to D.R. Harris & Co.
Prefer a Local Advisor?
If national specialization isn’t what you’re after and you’d rather work with someone down the road, here are a few local standouts worth considering:
Who Is a Good Fit for D.R. Harris & Co.?
We primarily work with physicians who:
Have at least $1.5 million in investible assets,
Are approaching retirement (plan to retire within the next 5 years or have retired in the last 5 years)
Prefer a relationship-oriented, collaborative advisory experience,
Value fee transparency and a fiduciary who puts their interests first,
Are pleasant, engaged clients (niceness counts).
Who Might Not Be a Good Fit?
We are not a good fit for clients who:
Expect fees below $5,000 per year,
Want their advisor to prepare tax returns instead of just review them and wants their advisor provide legal services (we aren’t licensed to do this in Alaska),
Seek to purchase insurance directly through their advisor (we currently don’t sell insurance or collect commissions but we do facilitate insurance purchases where appropriate through excellent unaffiliated insurance agents),
Prefer a strictly local face-to-face advisor regardless of broader expertise.
We can, however, provide education on tax, legal, and insurance topics to complement your other trusted professionals.
Final Word: Trust, Then Verify
Choosing a financial advisor is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as you near retirement. Whether you prioritize local, face-to-face service or national-level specialization and platform flexibility, it’s essential to understand the trade-offs.
If you want:
The widest range of investment options,
Complete platform flexibility,
A fiduciary who works for you — not a brokerage firm,
Then we believe D.R. Harris & Co. stands apart.
Ready to Learn More?
Schedule a free, no-pressure 10-minute discovery call with us. No sales pitch — just honest answers to help you make the best financial decisions as you approach or enter retirement.
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Disclaimer: This article reflects our firms opinions only, these are not facts, and you should do all of your own diligence before selecting a financial advisor. The advisors on this list were lightly vetted and we mention their names only as a starting point or first step. Full diligence on an advisor must always be done by the client themselves and we can't and don't guarantee the quality of any other professional's work. But we do think each of these firms and advisors has something potentially valuable to offer as financial advisors for physicians retiring from Alaska Regional Medical Center. Additionally reasonable efforts were made to ascertain the standard fees for the various forms written about in these articles but you should confirm with the advisor and the firm itself what the fee schedule may be. While we believe the infromation on this page is accurate we make no warranties or guaranties as to its actual accuracy and you should repeat all your own research or contact your own advisor to confirm any information you read about in this article.
