About Proper Retirement
What you can expect from Proper Retirement? A full-service team of financial and retirement planning veterans that know how to navigate today’s shifting economic landscape.
Recognize
Highlighting the positives in your current retirement plan and uncovering issues and challenges that may be ahead.
Educate
Simplifying the complex as we unify resources into one complete plan.
Advocate
Challenging and supporting people to reach the outcomes they deserve. We stand by your side and guide you through everything retirement might throw your way.
Resilience
Creating defenses so you can weather market fluctuations and uncertainties.
About Us
Proper Retirement
At our core, we understand that shifting into retirement is a journey filled with challenges and complexities—some are familiar, but others unknown. Our mission is centered on illuminating the pitfalls and speed bumps of retirement so you can avoid them.
No matter what the future holds, we help you navigate the way toward thinking bigger and differently about what’s possible with retirement, leveraging the most effective tax and saving tools available, all while ensuring your investments are aligned with your retirement plan.
Ready for a conversation? Contact us anytime for a workshop or a complimentary planning session. We’d be happy to help you forge a fulfilling retirement.
Erik Schuster
Managing Partner, CFP®, MBA
Erik Schuster
Managing Partner, CFP®, MBA
Erik Schuster is the founder of Proper Retirement, based in Wayne, PA. Our comprehensive financial services firm helps families understand how taxes affect their retirement. A financial planner and tax strategist since 2013, Erik uses his natural skill set in math and numbers to build a holistic plan for hardworking people to enjoy a well-deserved retirement. Driven to better the entire retirement industry and have a positive impact on his clients’ lives, he thrives off seeing them realize lifelong goals and gain the time and financial freedom to grow personally.
Prior to creating his own firm, Erik gained industry experience at The Vanguard Group and Thrive Capital Management in the areas of high-net-worth financial planning, tax strategies, and estate management.
He holds a bachelor’s degree from West Chester University, an MBA from St. Joseph’s University, and the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation. Upholding the standards of CFP® professionals, Erik embraces an unwavering commitment to prioritize clients’ investment well-being.
In 2023, he received a Wealth Management Industry Award as a rising star honoree (1 of 13) and was added to AdvisorHub’s “100 Registered Investment Advisors” to watch (#59).
Outside the realm of financial planning, Erik teaches a Retirement Planning and Preparedness course at Temple University’s Olli program, actively contributes on the Board of Directors for the nonprofit Family Services of Montgomery County, and owns a rental real estate company with his wife, Laura. When he’s not working, Erik finds solace in the company of his beloved wife and their three children, Beau, Brett, and Ellie. In the small amount of available time outside of family, he enjoys golfing, skiing, snowboarding, traveling, and working out. To learn more about Erik, connect with him on LinkedIn.
Grant Frederick
Partner
Grant Frederick
Partner
Grant Frederick is a Retirement and Tax Planner at Proper Retirement with over two decades of experience. Since 1998, he has dedicated his career to helping clients achieve their financial goals and secure a comfortable retirement. His hands-on approach to wealth management allows him to build personalized strategies tailored to each client’s unique financial situation and life aspirations, earning him a reputation for excellence and integrity in the industry.
Prior to Proper Retirement, Grant served as a consultant for some of the largest money managers in the country, including Fisher Investments, Prudential, and Mercer Advisors. This experience provided him with valuable insights into the various business models that exist within the financial services industry, allowing him to gain a broad perspective on wealth management and refine his expertise in serving his clients. Throughout his career, Grant has received multiple awards and recognitions for his excellence in financial planning and has been invited to speak at numerous organizations to provide education on financial literacy.
Grant holds a degree in International Business from Gettysburg College and continuously works to stay ahead of industry trends and developments to provide the best possible service to his clients. Outside of his professional pursuits, Grant enjoys an active lifestyle and cherishes spending time with friends and family. Whether playing golf, tennis, fishing, or surfing, he embraces the importance of balance and wellness, which complements his dedication to holistic wealth management.
Andrew Stephens
Financial Planner
Andrew Stephens joined Proper Retirement in 2025 with a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) in Finance from the University of Houston. Bringing experience from both small business and big corporations, Andrew has been helping clients achieve their financial dreams for over a decade. Prior to Proper Retirement, Andrew grew his industry knowledge while at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and Thrive Capital Management where he began to connect the pieces of the puzzle that were often missed or forgotten.
Andrew works primarily with clients who have diligently saved for retirement and need help defining and transitioning into the next phase of life. He educates his clients on how and when to take Social Security, understands Medicare, and leads them through the complex challenges of strategically drawing down investments in the face of rising inflation, changing tax legislation, healthcare concerns, and uncertainty. As a fiduciary, Andrew uses a “tailored for you” approach to offer personalized guidance and financial advice and to help clients know that they are going to be OK in retirement.
Andrew lives in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania with his wife Stephanie, their daughter, Wrenley, and their rescue puppy, Cammie. When not at work, you can find Andrew on the golf course or anywhere outside being active with his family.