Manhattan is a college town, an Army town and a small-business town all at once. Whether you're a K-State employee eyeing retirement, a military family leaving a job-based plan behind, or someone running your own business near Aggieville, Lucy can talk through your options with you from her Basehor office by phone or video.
Whitehead Financial helps Manhattan, KS residents with retirement planning, 401(k) rollovers and health insurance for the self-employed. Lucy Whitehead is an independent broker based in Basehor who has been helping people since 1995, and she works with Manhattan clients by phone and video. There's no charge for her services and no management fees.
Manhattan is home to about 54,673 people as of the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate, up from 54,100 in 2020 (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts). It's a young city: only 9.9% of residents are 65 or older (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts). That makes Manhattan a place where retirement planning often starts early, during working years, rather than at the last minute. Lucy is happy to have that first conversation with people who are still decades away from retiring, as well as with those getting close.
Kansas State University is listed as one of Riley County's major employers, alongside Ascension Via Christi Hospital (Kansas Department of Commerce). Visit Manhattan notes K-State was the first operational land-grant university in the United States (Visit Manhattan KS). For university and hospital employees who change jobs or retire, the question of what to do with an old workplace retirement plan comes up a lot. Lucy can walk through how your current plan works and what your choices are, in plain English, without any pressure.
Fort Riley sits nearby, with Manhattan named among the closest communities to the post. The Army says Fort Riley serves more than 67,000 people, including about 26,000 retirees and veterans, and is home to the 1st Infantry Division (U.S. Army Fort Riley). Manhattan itself counts 3,062 veterans (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts). Service members transitioning to civilian life, and the spouses who build businesses along the way, often have retirement and health insurance questions Lucy can help sort out.
Areas we serve in Manhattan: Aggieville, Downtown Manhattan, Westloop/Westside.
Retirement in Manhattan can look very different depending on whether you spent your career at the university, the hospital, Fort Riley or your own business. Lucy's job is to help you see the whole picture and talk through ways to turn savings into income.
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In a town with a major university, a regional hospital and a large Army post next door, people change jobs and move in and out often. That leaves a lot of old retirement accounts behind. Lucy helps you figure out what you have and what your choices are.
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From shops in Aggieville to freelancers working around the university calendar, plenty of Manhattan residents work for themselves. Without an employer plan, health insurance is on you. Lucy helps you understand what's available and how the pieces work.
Learn more →No. Lucy's office is in Basehor, Kansas. She serves Manhattan clients remotely by phone and video, so you don't need to drive anywhere to get started.
There's no charge for Lucy's services and no management fees. You can ask her directly how she's paid on any product you're considering.
Not at all. Many Manhattan residents are early in their careers, and a first conversation can simply be about understanding what you already have and what questions to keep in mind as your career moves along.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Manhattan city, Kansas · Kansas Department of Commerce DataView: Riley County · U.S. Army Fort Riley: About · Visit Manhattan KS · IRS: Rollovers of retirement plan and IRA distributions · HealthCare.gov: Health coverage for the self-employed
