One might state a few nuances between Holistic Financial Planning and Retirement Planning, but they are essentially the same thing. The real question is, why would you exclude the other aspects of financial planning from retirement planning? We would hope that you would want to stay tax efficient, optimize your employer benefits, make sure your estate is in order, while making sure you are properly insured. Holistic Financial Planning and Retirement Planning really have the same goal in mind: accomplish your goals without running out of money!