How it works
The retirement strategy session
Handing your life savings to someone is a large decision, and you should not make it on the strength of a website. I do the analysis first, so you see the real work on your own numbers before you decide anything. Four steps, and you can stop after any of them.
01
The intro call
30 minutes, by phone
A conversation to find out whether your situation is the kind of thing I am good at.
You tell me what is on your mind and what you are trying to sort out, with a rough sense of what you have saved and where it sits. I tell you straight whether I can help. No paperwork, no pitch. If I am not the right fit, I will point you toward someone who is, and that happens often enough that I mean it.
You walk away withA straight answer about whether to keep talking.
02
The discovery meeting
About 90 minutes, in person or virtual
The long conversation about your money, your family, and what you want this to look like.
Ahead of this one I will ask for some statements and your last tax return. We go through what you own, what you spend, and what you are worried about. Most of this meeting is me asking questions, including a few nobody has asked you before.
You walk away withA clear picture of where you stand, and what to dig into.
03
The retirement strategy session
I do the work, you go about your life
I build the analysis and come back with what I found, whether or not you hire me.
This is where I run the multi-year tax projection, model your Social Security options, and stress-test the withdrawal plan against what you already own. You keep the findings whether you hire me or not. Most people expect to pay for that analysis, and I would rather you see the work before you decide.
You walk away withAnswers to three questions: are you on track, where is your tax bill leaking, and what should change about your investments.
04
The decision
Take as long as you need
We both decide, without pressure, whether to work together for the long haul.
I lay out what ongoing work looks like and exactly what it costs. Then you go home and think. Choosing who handles your life savings is not a same-day decision, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling. I will follow up in a week. Either answer is fine.
You walk away withA mutual yes, or a friendly no with useful advice either way.
What you can expect
Three promises about how this goes
No cost until you decide
You get the full analysis before you pay me anything. I would rather show you what the work looks like than describe it.
Advice you can use either way
If we part ways after step three, you still leave with the findings and a list of things worth doing. That has happened plenty of times and it is fine.
The fee, in plain numbers
Before any decision, you will know exactly what you would pay and exactly what it covers. You will not find a surprise at signing.
Questions worth asking yourself
Before you decide, sit with these. If any answer is no, tell me. Raising a hesitation now is worth more to both of us than a client relationship that stops working in year two.
- Do I trust and respect this person?
- Will what he does for us be worth more than what he charges?
- Do I understand and agree with how he thinks about money?
- Did his recommendations make sense to me, in plain English?
- Would I be comfortable calling him with a question I think is stupid?
What happens once we start
We build the plan, open accounts where they need to be opened, and set the first year of decisions in motion. After that, we meet a few times a year and talk whenever something comes up. There is no meeting quota and no charge for a phone call.
Every fall we run the tax numbers again and decide on that year’s conversion before December closes the window. Every year the plan changes a little, because your life does.
Let's find out if I can help.
The first conversation is 30 minutes on the phone, and you bring nothing to it. You describe what you are trying to sort out, and I tell you straight whether this is the kind of work I do well.