Colin Brennan, CFP®
Partner & Wealth Advisor · Shoreline Financial Partners
"I grew up in Grayslake, Illinois. I met my wife there. And today, I live in the same house I grew up in — raising our family in the community that shaped mine."
When a client in Lake County asks me whether they're going to be okay in retirement, I'm thinking about their neighborhood, their property taxes, their kids' college, their aging parents — because these are my neighbors, and these are my concerns too.
Specialties
What I Focus On
My planning work centers on clients who have reached a stage in life where they need more help. Specifically, I spend a lot of my time on:
Roth Conversion Strategy
Identifying the right years, the right amounts, and the right tax brackets to convert before Required Minimum Distributions force the issue.
Medicare IRMAA Planning
Helping clients avoid costly Medicare surcharges that catch most retirees off guard because their advisor never flagged the 2-year income lookback rule.
Snowbird & Relocation Planning
Many of my clients are navigating the transition to a second home or a full move to a lower-tax state. I help evaluate state income tax implications across no-income-tax states like Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Tennessee; plan for the financial impact of purchasing a second or primary home; and coordinate the move with your broader retirement income and estate plan.
Retirement Income Planning
Turning accumulated savings into a coordinated income strategy that accounts for Social Security timing, portfolio withdrawals, and spending confidence.
Illinois Estate Tax Coordination
Modeling Credit Shelter Trust strategies and annual gifting plans for families with estates above the $4 million Illinois threshold.
Tax-Efficient Investing
Evaluating direct indexing and tax-loss harvesting for clients with significant taxable account balances. I also help clients with asset location — a strategy to ensure investments are placed in the most optimal accounts — and work through strategies to minimize the long-term tax impact of Required Minimum Distributions over a client's lifetime.
Experience
My Background
I've been in financial planning for over 10 years. Before co-founding Shoreline Financial Partners, I spent my career at Fidelity Investments. Over the years, I worked closely with hundreds of clients - and encountered thousands of clients - across nearly every financial situation imaginable. From young professionals to ultra high net worth families, I gained valuable experience providing financial planning in a fast paced environment. I earned my CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation at age 26, and have enjoyed expanding my network with other financial professionals in the Lake and Cook County area.
Our Story
Why I Started Shoreline
I co-founded Shoreline Financial Partners so that I could provide the full-service financial planning that clients are looking for. One of my favorite parts of this job is developing a deep relationship with my clients. Knowing their full situation requires me to be present at every step along the way, and Shoreline gives me the ability to provide the attention that clients deserve.
We built Shoreline around four CFP® partners, each bringing deep expertise and a fiduciary commitment to every client relationship. It's the kind of firm I always wanted to work for.
Community & Personal
Rooted in Lake County
I live in Grayslake with my wife in the house I grew up in — which tells you most of what you need to know about how I feel about this community. We are active members of St. Gilbert Parish, and I'm deeply connected to the fabric of northern Lake County — the schools, the neighborhoods, the organizations that make this area worth raising a family in.
My client base reflects the full Lake County corridor — from the North Shore communities of Highland Park, Lake Forest, and Deerfield, to the inland communities of Grayslake, Libertyville, Lake Zurich, and Mundelein. I genuinely enjoy working across this range because the planning conversations are rich on both ends — whether it's a Highland Park family navigating a complex estate or a Grayslake couple figuring out exactly when they can retire.
When I'm not working, I'm with my family, involved in the parish, and connected to the community that has been home my entire life.
Let's Connect
I work with clients from the North Shore — Highland Park, Lake Forest, Deerfield — to northern Lake County — Grayslake, Libertyville, Lake Zurich, Mundelein, Vernon Hills — and everywhere in between. If you want a real conversation about your financial plan, I'd love to connect.
Converting from a traditional IRA to a Roth IRA is a taxable event. A Roth IRA offers tax free withdrawals on taxable contributions. To qualify for the tax-free and penalty-free withdrawal or earnings, a Roth IRA must be in place for at least five tax years, and the distribution must take place after age 59 ½ or due to death, disability, or a first-time home purchase (up to a $10,000 lifetime maximum). Depending on state law, Roth IRA distributions may be subject to state taxes.