Tending your retirement finances can be a daunting do-it-yourself project. As employer pension and medical benefits shrink or disappear, the burden of paying for decades of retirement has gradually shifted to individuals.

For the well-to-do, this task hasn't been a problem, as they can choose from among many firms or individuals eager to manage their money. But those who don't have assets in the seven-digit range often have been priced out of the wealth-management market.

Now, however, a handful of financial-service companies are offering retirement-management programs to help retirees with comparatively modest assets. Their programs, described below, can help you determine how much you can safely withdraw from your retirement assets each year, how to allocate your money among different types of investments, and even whether you can afford to take that pricey vacation.

Fidelity Retirement Income Advantage

Unveiled in June, this program from Fidelity aims to offer a comprehensive service to those who want ongoing advice throughout their retirement years. The program's core is the Income Management Account, a special brokerage account designed to manage retirees' assets and spending levels.

To establish such an account with Fidelity, you must first develop a plan using the firm's Retirement Income Planner tool. (You can also do this in person at a Fidelity branch, via a phone or by mail.) After you provide information such as your age and the value of your assets, the planner helps you select variables such as how long you expect to live and when you want to start collecting social security. During the process, the planner offers suggestions -- for example, why you should manage your finances on the assumption that you'll live into your nineties. Reps do not work on commission, so you won't be pressured to buy Fidelity funds.

Once you've set your strategy, the planner will generate 250 potential market scenarios to give you a range of probabilities that your portfolio will last through the end of retirement. Generally, Fidelity's planning tool recommends that early retirees with decades of retirement ahead of them initially spend only about 4% of their portfolio a year.

After your plan is complete, you can open an Income Management Account. This account will keep track of all your assets -- including non-Fidelity accounts if you have the necessary financial data transmitted to Fidelity. In accordance with your plan, the service will alert you by phone or e-mail when you're overspending, warn you to mail in estimated-tax payments and calculate your mandatory IRA withdrawals.

Until the end of this year, anyone can enroll in Fidelity's plan free of charge. Thereafter, enrollment will cost $750 if you're not a Fidelity customer or have less than $100,000 at Fidelity. In addition, if you park less than $30,000 in assets at Fidelity, you must pay a $50 annual management fee; the firm waives the fee for larger accounts. Fidelity's mutual fund expenses average 1.36%. For more details, visit a Fidelity branch, call 800-903-6563, or go to Fidelity's online retirement center.