Get Your Free Personalized Retirement Map | A Real-World Financial Planning Framework That Actually Works
This free personalized retirement map shows how your retirement income, investments, and legacy planning work together in real life.
After 25+ years in the financial industry, I’ve learned that most families misunderstand what a real plan looks like. Many assume it’s just picking the right mutual fund—but I've seen firsthand that you need more than a portfolio.
True financial security comes from getting four key areas working together:
- Retirement Income - Making your money last when paychecks stop
- Investment Management - Building portfolios without the sales pitch
- Retirement Planning - Preparing for the transition that actually works
- Estate & Legacy - Getting your house in order to protect your family
You need clarity about what you're building and confidence in your decisions. This retirement map helps you visualize how those areas interact so you can make confident, coordinated decisions that work in real life.
Part 1: Retirement Income in a Real-World Financial Planning Framework
Goal: Create multiple income streams that grow over time, not shrink with inflation.
Here's where theory meets reality: retirement becomes all about income when the paychecks stop. I've managed institutional portfolios, but helping a retired couple figure out how to pay their bills from their savings? That's a different kind of math, and it matters more.
Our Income Strategy:
- It starts with your spending plan and defines annual cash flow targets—checking, savings, and emergency reserves—so we know exactly how much income you need each year.
- Identifies your income gap between guaranteed sources (Social Security, pensions) and estimated expenses. Any shortfall gets filled through smart portfolio withdrawals.
- Uses withdrawal sequencing and tax strategies. Which accounts should be tapped first, and how much should be withdrawn safely when RMDs kick in? We plan these moves years in advance.
- Builds income you can count on. I focus on dividend growth investing because rising dividends help keep up with inflation. After 25+ years, I’ve seen what works for reliable retirement income.
- Plans for inflation protection with strategies that have historically outpaced rising costs. However, this isn’t about chasing the latest investment fad—it’s about proven approaches that work over decades.
Every portfolio gets a written Investment Policy Statement because when markets get scary (and they will), you need to remember why you made the decisions you made.
Real Example: See how a $500,000 dividend portfolio can grow from $15,000 to $110,000+ in annual income over 20 years.
Part 2: Investment Management in a Real-World Financial Planning Framework
Goal: Create a diversified portfolio that provides both protection and growth.
I don't sell products. Never have, never will. With a quarter-century of experience, I can tell you that most investment problems aren't solved by finding the "perfect" investment—they're solved by having a clear purpose and sticking to a sensible plan.
Our Investment Approach:
- Customized to your situation
Your Investment Policy Statement reflects your goals, timeline, and risk tolerance, not what you think you can handle.
- Customized to your situation
- Portfolio allocation that serves a purpose
Every account—taxable brokerage, Roth IRA, 401(k)/403(b), 529 plans—is positioned for your income needs and tax situation.
- Portfolio allocation that serves a purpose
- Protection through diversification
Diversify across multiple strategies, including dividend growth, bonds, and buffer funds. However, diversification isn’t just about owning different things—it’s about owning things that respond differently to market conditions.
- Protection through diversification
- Asset location strategy
Where you hold investments matters: Taxable for flexibility, tax-deferred for growth, Roth for tax-free income—each serves your withdrawal sequence.
- Asset location strategy
- Fee-only structure
There are no commissions, kickbacks, or product sales. My interests align with yours because I only succeed when you do.
- Fee-only structure
- Focus on what you can control
We can't control returns, but we can control costs, tax efficiency, and allocation. That's where we focus our energy.
- Focus on what you can control
I've experienced multiple market crashes, bubbles, and "once-in-a-lifetime" events. The families that did best weren't the ones chasing performance—they were the ones who had a plan and stuck to it.
Track Record: A diversified model portfolio can outperform traditional 60/40 strategies over the years and multiple market cycles:
Part 3: Retirement Planning In A Real-World Financial Planning Framework
Goal: Optimize all aspects of your retirement transition and ongoing management.
Retirement planning isn't about hitting some magic number you saw in a magazine. It's about preparing for a major life transition, and I've helped enough families through this to know what really matters in a real-world financial planning framework.
Our Retirement Strategy:
- Social Security optimization
Optimize your Social Security claiming strategy. We calculate your Full Retirement Benefit amount first, then determine optimal timing. This can mean a difference of tens of thousands of dollars over your lifetime.
- Social Security optimization
- Medicare maze navigation
Plan for healthcare costs, including Medicare supplements and long-term care. Parts A, B, C, and D, plus IRMAA thresholds, supplements, and drug plans—I help clients navigate this before open enrollment panic sets in.
- Medicare maze navigation
- Healthcare cost reality
HSAs offer triple tax advantages if you're eligible, but most people use them wrong. We also evaluate long-term care options before you need them.
- Healthcare cost reality
- Risk management that makes sense
Life insurance, long-term care, and disability coverage are tools to protect your plan, not products to sell. We determine what coverage fits your situation.
- Risk management that makes sense
This isn't about following someone else's retirement template. It's about building a plan that fits your life and your family's needs.
Part 4: Estate & Legacy Planning in a Real-World Financial Planning Framework
Goal: Protect your assets and ensure your wishes are carried out efficiently.
Let me be direct: estate planning isn't about how much money you have. It's about avoiding the nightmare scenarios I've watched families go through when someone gets sick or passes away without a clear plan.
I've seen too many situations where adult children can't access accounts, spouses discover beneficiaries were never updated after a divorce, or families end up in court because documents don't match. These aren't "wealthy people's problems"—they happen to working families every day.
- Coordinating your accounts with your intentions
Investment accounts need to match your will and trusts. This sounds basic, but you'd be surprised how often they don't.
- Coordinating your accounts with your intentions
- Annual beneficiary checkups
Life changes constantly. We review beneficiaries every year because outdated designations cause more problems than market crashes.
- Annual beneficiary checkups
- Essential documents in order
Keep wills, POAs, and healthcare directives up to date and accessible. Write copies for yourself, your attorney, and key family members who know where everything is stored.
- Essential documents in order
- Trust strategies when appropriate
Revocable living trusts, charitable trusts, and special needs trusts serve specific legacy goals. We determine if they make sense for your situation.
- Trust strategies when appropriate
- Working with your estate attorney
I have coordinated with estate attorneys for decades. Your investment strategy should support what your legal documents accomplish.
- Working with your estate attorney
The goal isn't perfection—it's preventing the preventable problems that make difficult times even harder for the people you care about.
Keeping Your Plan On Track: Annual Reviews & Ongoing Coordination
Having a plan is one thing. Keeping it on track is another. Even the best real-world financial planning framework needs attention, alignment, and updates.
Ongoing Management Includes:
- Annual plan reviews
We meet annually to ensure that your plan still fits your life. Goals, laws, and families change, and your plan should change with them. - Secure document storage and version control
All your important documents—wills, trusts, beneficiary forms, investment policies—are stored securely with proper version control. No more digging through file cabinets during emergencies. - Coordination with tax, legal, and insurance professionals
I work regularly with tax professionals, estate attorneys, and insurance specialists. Your financial strategy should support your tax planning and estate design, not work against them. - Straight guidance, no agenda
Every recommendation I make is in your best interest because that's literally my legal obligation as a fiduciary. No quotas, no pressure to buy products, no conflicts of interest.
The families that succeed long-term aren't necessarily the ones that start with the most money. They're the ones who get organized, consistently make good decisions, and adjust when life throws them curveballs.
