Tax preparation/retirement planning

I'm looking for someone to prepare my taxes and also someone to assist with retirement planning. Is it reasonable to expect one person to provide both services? Or are they separate specialties?

Probably not.  

You are asking about two types of service. One is tax preparation and involves knowledge of your income and tax laws. It is possible that a tax preparer offers both services but it is unusual.

The other requires knowledge your financial situation, your anticipated future situation and about investments. There is no sure way to anticipate the future in terms of the world of finance. In any case, you want the most conservative investments you can find. That may even be just U.S. Treasury Notes. The return is small but the investment is safe.

In any case, the newest advice is to stay far away from annuities.

If you need to be in the stock market, Vanguard funds may be the answer. Particularly a fund that invests in the Russell 2000 or at least the S & P 500.

I am putting these ideas out without knowledge of your financial situation.

If you haven't already done so, I hope you consult an Elder Law attorney.

I use a guy in Basking Ridge who is both an accountant and a financial planner. I find it helpful that he has access to all my account statements when it comes time to file taxes.
Greg Gonzalez, http://www.lgcpas.com/