How we work
One plan. One team. All year.
Retirement planning is not a document you get once. It is a set of decisions that keep coming.
Retirement planning, investment management, and tax planning all run through one plan and one team, on a calendar you can see a year ahead. Here is how it works, who does what, and how we are paid.
Getting started
Four meetings from first call to a running plan.
Qualifying call
20 minutes · Stacy
You describe where you are and what is ahead. We tell you honestly whether we are the right fit.
Discovery
60 minutes · Darren and Stacy
Beforehand you complete a short questionnaire and upload documents securely. In the meeting we map every decision between here and retirement.
Proposal
60 minutes · Darren and Stacy
We present the plan, the priorities in order, and the fee in writing. You decide.
Onboarding
60 minutes · Kylie
Accounts opened, transfers started, and your service calendar set. You will know every date for the year ahead.
The year-round process
What a year with us looks like.
Every client gets a service calendar for the year: scheduled planning reviews, tax planning built into each quarter, and the specific decisions that come due at each stage. Between meetings, Stacy and Kylie are your points of contact, and nothing waits for an annual review.
- Scheduled planning reviews with Stacy, with Darren joining for strategy decisions
- Quarterly tax planning, so the year-end picture is known in the fall, not in April
- Investment management with a disciplined, research-driven process and a written policy you understand
- Coordination with your attorney, CPA, or employer benefits team when a decision touches them
- A concierge who handles transfers, forms, beneficiary updates, and the follow-up
What is included
Three disciplines, one plan.
Most people get these from three different places. We run them together, because in the years around retirement every decision in one changes the other two.
Retirement planning
When to retire and what the number really is. Social Security and Medicare timing, pension and payout choices, employer stock, deferred compensation, business sale proceeds, and a withdrawal strategy built to last.
Investment management
A research-driven, disciplined process with a written investment policy. Portfolios are built around your income needs and your tax picture, with attention to concentration risk and after-tax results.
Tax planning
Built into the plan every quarter, not reviewed once a year. Roth conversions, withdrawal sequencing, capital gains, Medicare premium thresholds, and charitable giving, timed to the years they help most.
Why tax planning matters most now
The five years around retirement are the most tax-sensitive stretch of most people’s lives.
Income drops, then rises again when required distributions and Social Security start. Between those two points there is often a window where Roth conversions, gain harvesting, and account sequencing cost less than they will later.
We map that window before you retire, so the decisions are made on purpose instead of by default.
How we are paid
Fee-only. Fiduciary. No products.
We are paid by you and only by you. We do not sell insurance, annuities, or funds, and we do not take commissions from anyone. As a fiduciary, we are obligated to act in your best interest.
Our fee is based on the assets we manage for you, and it covers planning, tax planning, and investment management together. You will see the fee in writing in your proposal before you decide anything.
Wherever you are
A virtual team, serving clients nationwide.
We work with clients across the country by video, phone, and a secure client portal. You never need to drive to an office, and your team is the same whether you are at home or traveling.
Ready for the first call?
Twenty minutes with Stacy. No pitch, no obligation.
Start the ConversationFee-only fiduciary · No commissions · No products