Advice-Only Declarations: 57 Predictions for the Future of Fiduciary Advice
With these 57 Advice-Only Declarations, we celebrate the 57 years since the founding of the financial planning profession. A brief history of the financial planning profession. The modern financial planning profession is widely traced to December 12, 1969, when Loren Dunton convened the First Conference on Financial Planning in Chicago—leading to the IAFP and the […]
Active vs. Passive Investing: Finding the Right Strategy for Your Financial Plan
When it comes to Active vs. Passive Investing, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The real question isn’t whether active or passive investing is “better”—it’s which approach fits you: your goals, your timeline, your preferences, and your broader financial plan. As a financial advisor, I help clients cut through the noise and build strategies that serve their […]
Advice-Only Financial Planning Services | Advice Only™
Advice-Only® offers 40+ financial planning services delivered through the Advice-Only™ methodology—objective, transparent, and free from sales or solicitor referrals. Our standardized process creates an objective environment and keeps your interests first. 🎥 Guide to Financial Planning Services (YouTube) Core Advice-Only® Financial Planning Build a strong foundation. These core services help organize your finances, manage debt, […]
Financial Planning Topics for Retiring Californians (2025)
California, the “Golden State,” is among the best places in the world to live. For California’s economic, governmental, and public system to function, its citizens and businesses need financial support.
What’s My Perfect Retirement Plan?
The “perfect” plan is what the individual client says it is. That’s because the individual has a vested interest in the outcomes of the financial decisions. The individual attempts to do what’s best for themselves, their family, and loved ones. Ideally, this is in context with all available knowledge and information. Can there ever be […]
Secure Act 2.0: What Matters to Retirees?
The Secure Act 2.0 overhauls, pioneers, and expands upon many new rules for retirement savers. But what are key provisions that new retirees should be aware of? The full text of the Omnibus bill text is here. What are the important retirement provisions? Section 107: Increases to RMD ages for some retirees Effective immediately, certain […]
Simplifying Your Relationship With Stock Options
Stock options can be among the most confusing aspects of the financial planning process. The subjectivity built into these programs will consider personal preferences, planning timing tactics, diversification, and tax efficiency. What kind of options do you have? The first step is identifying what type of option you have. It may be a good idea […]
How Much of a Guarantee Do I Actually Need?
Guaranteed income offers all kinds of benefits to a financial plan but also comes with tradeoffs, namely growth, and cost. Finding the “sweet spot” for a guarantee in a financial plan is tricky and not always readily apparent. Furthermore, differences in opinion within a family unit can cause disagreement about the “perfect” design. When referring […]
Are Retirees Being Real?
The annual Retirement Confidence Survey consistently shows retirees’ expectations pre, and post-retirement may not always be realistic for specific areas of retirement planning. A realistic financial plan will consider all variables and any high-risk scenarios. Being real with expenses Expenses are one of the most disliked aspects of developing a financial plan. It’s impossible to determine the […]
Planning a Sustainable Withdrawal Strategy for Retirement
Planning a sustainable withdrawal strategy is one of the most overlooked areas of financial planning. A clear and coordinated withdrawal strategy is crucial because it will ultimately determine how an individual will create sustainable income throughout retirement. Successfully navigating retirement Sequence risk is the risk in the timing of withdrawals from a market portfolio occurring […]