Susan Shoemaker is an institutional retirement plan advisor based in Southfield, MI.
Susan joined CAPTRUST in 2020 from Plante Moran—one of the nation’s largest certified public accounting, tax, consulting, and wealth management firms—where she served as partner and retirement plan investment specialist. Susan advised plan sponsors and offered retirement plan strategies designed to help plan participants achieve success in retirement.
As a principal and financial advisor at CAPTRUST, Susan draws upon her years of experience to assist organizations of all sizes to meet their fiduciary responsibilities related to providing an effective and meaningful benefit to participants. She recognizes that every organization has unique needs and every retirement plan should be designed with these goals in mind.
Around the office and within the community, Susan is known for thriving on challenge and her technical expertise. In addition to growing the firm’s retirement plan practice, she helped found the Detroit chapter of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries (ASPPA) Benefits Council (ABC) and is also a member of the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA).
Susan remains physically and mentally active. When she is not in the office, Susan can be found golfing, biking, or exercising. She also enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with her husband and their two grown sons.
Education
- Bachelor of Arts degree from Wayne State University
- Masters Business Administration degree from Wayne State University
Industry Designations
- CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®
Industry Involvement
- Speaker, NAPA
- Speaker, Michigan Association of CPAs
Memberships
- The National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA)
- ASPPA Benefits Council (ABC) of Detroit
- Co-Chair of the Michigan Chapter of Women in Pension Network
Awards & Recognition
- NAPA 2024 Top Women of Excellence
- Barron’s Top Institutional Consultants | 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 (Team Southfield & Grand Rapids)
- NAPA Top Women Advisor, Captains | 2023
- NAPA Top Women Advisor | 2018, 2019, and 2020
- NAPA Top DC Advisor Teams | 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024 (CAPTRUST South Michigan)
Disclosures
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on “NAPA’s 2026 Top DC Advisor Multi-Office Firms” list was based on defined contribution (DC) assets under advisement (AUA) as of Dec. 31, 2025. CAPTRUST is a paid member of The National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA).
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on “Barron’s 2024 Top RIAs list” was based on both qualitative and quantitative data, including assets managed, technology spending, and staff diversity, along with other metrics, as of June 30, 2024. CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Barron’s to obtain or use the ranking
- CAPTRUST teams named on the “Barron’s 2025 Top 100 Institutional Consulting Teams” ranking were evaluated using a proprietary formula including 1) assets, 2) revenue, and 3) quality of practice for the year ending December 31, 2024. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Barron’s to obtain or use the ranking. For more information on the methodology, please click here.
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on the “Financial Advisor magazine’s 2025 RIA Discretionary & Non-Discretionary ranking” was based on CAPTRUST’s total assets as of December 31, 2024. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Financial Advisor magazine to obtain the ranking, but does pay a licensing fee for the use of the award logo.
- CAPTRUST advisors named on the “PLANADVISER Magazine 2026 Top Retirement Plan Advisers list” were based on advisor assets among other quantitative metrics, as of Dec. 31, 2025. To be listed, advisors had to have a minimum requirement of 50 plan clients or retirement plan assets under advisement of $400 million or more. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to PlanAdviser to obtain or use the ranking.
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on “NAPA’s 2026 Top DC Advisor Multi-Office Firms” list was based on defined contribution (DC) assets under advisement (AUA) as of Dec. 31, 2025. CAPTRUST is a paid member of The National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA). Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) to obtain or use the ranking.
- CAPTRUST advisors named on the “NAPA’s 2026 Aces: Top 100 Retirement Plan Advisors Under 40 list” were based on a combination of data submitted by the nominees including the following: Plan size managed, advisor revenue percentage relative to total assets under advisement, total dollar value of defined contribution/defined benefit book of business managed, and other criteria as of October 2025. CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to the National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA) to obtain or use the ranking.
- CAPTRUST’s ranking on the “Best Investment Consultant – Service & Investment Counseling – Large Investment Consultants for Institutional Investors in the U.S.” by Crisil Coalition Greenwich for 2025 was based on interviews conducted between February and September 2024 by Crisil Coalition Greenwich. They held interviews with 699 individuals from 563 of the largest tax-exempt funds in the U.S. These U.S.-based institutional investors are corporate, public, union, and endowment and foundation funds with either pension or investment pool assets greater than $150 million. Study participants were asked to provide quantitative and qualitative evaluations of their asset management and investment consulting providers, including qualitative assessments of those firms soliciting their business and detailed information on important market trends. Neither CAPTRUST nor its advisors paid a fee to Crisil Coalition to obtain or use the ranking.