The process
How financial planning with me works
Before you hire me
1. Intro call
A short call to see if we're a good fit, both ways. You tell me what's going on, and I tell you how I might help.
2. A deeper conversation
We meet again to talk through your situation in more detail. I review your most recent tax return and share some first observations.
3. A proposal
I send you an email that lays out how I see us working together and what it costs. No pressure, and no "this offer expires Friday."
Your first three to six months
If you say yes, we start onboarding: usually four to six meetings that cover every area of planning.
- A meeting
- A meeting some clients need
- A quarterly check-in
- A quarterly check-in plus your annual planning meeting
- 1
Initial meeting
We go over your background and confirm your data.
- 2
Accounts, if I'm managing your investments
I help you open accounts and start transfers.
- 3
Planning meeting 1: cash flow, budgeting, and savings
Where the money comes from, where it goes, and how much you're setting aside.
- 4
Planning meeting 2: retirement and other goals
When you want work to be optional, and what else you're saving for.
- 5
Planning meeting 3: investments
How your money is invested, in which accounts, and why.
- 6
Planning meeting 4: taxes, estate planning, and insurance
Your tax picture, your documents and beneficiaries, and your coverage.
If something can't wait
When you're in the middle of a change with a deadline, we deal with that first. Once the urgent issue is handled, we work through the rest of the planning topics.
After the first six months
Once we've covered everything, we usually move to quarterly check-ins. Between them, you can reach out when something comes up. That's the phone-a-friend part.
What usually changes in the first 90 days
You relax, because someone has your back and you have a safe place to ask questions.
You start to trust me and the process.
You start to believe you can get through whatever is changing, and that your future can be what you make of it.
Usually three to six months, with four to six meetings. If something urgent is going on, we change the order to handle it first.
Your most recent tax return helps a lot. It shows me your income, your savings, your deductions, and the opportunities that are easy to miss.
Usually quarterly, plus whenever something comes up.