Lance Palmer, Ph.D., MBA, CFP®

A Distinguished Authority on Tax-Efficient Retirement Planning

Dr. Lance Palmer is widely recognized for his expertise in tax-efficient retirement planning and wealth management. Throughout his distinguished career as an advisor, educator, researcher, and nationally recognized scholar, he has helped thousands of families, financial planners, and organizations navigate the complex tax and retirement decisions that shape long-term financial success. His rare combination of technical expertise, academic scholarship, and decades of practical experience enables clients to make confident financial decisions while preserving more of the wealth they have worked so hard to build.

At Elwood & Goetz Wealth Advisory Group, Lance specializes in sophisticated tax planning, retirement income strategies, and wealth management for individuals and families seeking highly personalized, evidence-based financial advice. Lance also serves as Chief Growth Officer, helping attract exceptional talent while guiding the firm's continued growth and long-term strategic initiatives.

Helping Build One of America's Leading Financial Planning Programs

Prior to joining Elwood & Goetz full-time, Lance spent more than two decades on the faculty at the University of Georgia. As co-founder of both UGA's undergraduate and graduate financial planning programs, he helped build one of the nation's premier academic programs while educating over a thousand future financial planners and advancing the profession through research, innovation, and service.

His academic excellence earned him appointment as the Jeanette McGarity Barber Endowed Professor and later recognition as a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor, the University of Georgia's highest honor for sustained excellence in teaching.

Lance joined Elwood & Goetz full time to devote his experience directly to helping individuals and families navigate life's most important financial decisions while mentoring the next generation of advisors within the firm.

Transforming Financial Lives Through Service

Throughout his career, Lance has believed that financial planning should expand opportunity and improve lives—not only through individual client relationships, but also through education, public service, and professional leadership.

He revitalized and expanded the University of Georgia's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, transforming it into one of the country's most respected collegiate service-learning programs. Under his leadership, students provided IRS-certified tax preparation, financial education, and personalized financial guidance to more than 10,000 families, generating over $40 million in measurable economic benefit for Georgia families and communities.

Recognizing an opportunity to elevate VITA programs nationwide, Lance partnered with the Internal Revenue Service and the University of Puerto Rico to establish the VITA U Conference, a national forum dedicated to advancing research, collaboration, and best practices among collegiate VITA programs.

He also founded the Financial Resilience and Education Center at the University of Georgia, serving as its inaugural director and expanding access to high-quality financial education and outreach throughout the community.

Transforming Financial Lives Through Service

Throughout his career, Lance has believed that financial planning should expand opportunity and improve lives—not only through individual client relationships, but also through education, public service, and professional leadership.

He revitalized and expanded the University of Georgia's Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, transforming it into one of the country's most respected collegiate service-learning programs. Under his leadership, students provided IRS-certified tax preparation, financial education, and personalized financial guidance to more than 10,000 families, generating over $40 million in measurable economic benefit for Georgia families and communities.

Recognizing an opportunity to elevate VITA programs nationwide, Lance partnered with the Internal Revenue Service and the University of Puerto Rico to establish the VITA U Conference, a national forum dedicated to advancing research, collaboration, and best practices among collegiate VITA programs.

He also founded the Financial Resilience and Education Center at the University of Georgia, serving as its inaugural director and expanding access to high-quality financial education and outreach throughout the community.

As a principal investigator and project leader, he received support from the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Agriculture, and several other leading corporations and financial services organizations.

Advancing the Financial Planning Profession

Lance has been recognized nationally for his contributions to financial planning education, research, and public service. The CFP Board honored him for his leadership in pro bono financial planning, and he has received numerous awards recognizing excellence in teaching, scholarship, and community engagement.

Lance has authored more than 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and academic conference proceedings, contributed chapters to leading financial planning texts, and co-authored the widely used personal finance textbook Introduction to Personal Finance: Beginning Your Financial Journey. He has served on the editorial boards of Financial Planning Review, Financial Services Review, and the Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, helping shape the future of scholarship within the profession.

His research continues to influence how financial planners across the country approach retirement income, taxation, and consumer financial decision-making—insights he now applies directly in helping Elwood & Goetz clients make more informed financial decisions.

Education & Professional Background

Before entering academia, Lance began his career with KPMG, where he developed expertise in accounting that continues to inform his practical approach to helping clients today.

He earned bachelor's and MBA degrees from the University of Utah and a doctorate from Utah State University. Lance currently holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® designation and remains active in numerous national professional organizations dedicated to advancing the financial planning profession and consumer financial well-being.

Whether advising clients, mentoring future financial planners, or contributing to the profession, Lance remains committed to a simple philosophy: thoughtful financial planning has the power to improve lives and strengthen communities. He considers it both a privilege and a responsibility to help clients make confident financial decisions that create lasting security for the people they love.