Most people who reach retirement have done everything right. They saved, they planned, they worked hard for decades. And yet many arrive at the finish line unsure whether they can actually relax and enjoy what they built. That uncertainty is the problem Randy Smith has spent his career solving.
Randy is the Owner and CEO of Fairway Financial, where he advises retirees, people within five years of retirement, and business owners preparing to exit in the next three to five years. He helps them turn their savings into reliable income, reduce unnecessary taxes, and make confident decisions as they move into and through retirement.
With nearly 30 years in financial planning, Randy has seen what works and what leaves people anxious. He co-founded an independent firm built around retirees, which he sold in 2006, then spent eight years at Prudential teaching advisors across the country on how to guide their clients through retirement. He holds the CFP®, CIMA®, CEPA®, AIF®, and RLP® designations.
Along the way, Randy noticed that most retirement plans are built backwards. They start with the numbers instead of the life those numbers are meant to support. That belief led him to the Kinder Institute, where he trained in life planning and began bringing a purpose-driven process into his work with clients.
In 2015, he acquired Fairway Financial with a clear purpose: to build the firm he wished his grandparents had found. He watched them spend their final years guarding every dollar despite having more than enough to live comfortably, choosing fear over the life their hard work had made possible. Fairway exists so that no client experiences that same outcome. Today, through the firm's Pathway to Purpose™ process, Randy helps clients define a clear vision for their next chapter and then builds the financial structure to support it.
Outside the office, Randy lives the same philosophy he brings to his clients. He and his wife Susie spend their time traveling, exploring new places with their daughter Molly, and prioritizing what matters most, whether that is a football game, a day on the water, or time outdoors with their Maltese, Daisy.