Frequently Asked Questions
General Financial Planning
What does a financial advisor do?
How do you get paid?
For most advisory relationships, I’m compensated based on a percentage of the assets I manage.
Not every asset necessarily belongs in an advisory account. For example, I may use a brokerage account for significant cash holdings or legacy investments with large unrealized gains that we expect to hold. I’ll walk you through the costs upfront so you understand what you’re paying and why.
Why is working with a CFP® professional important?
Financial decisions rarely happen in isolation. Investments, taxes, retirement, Social Security, insurance, and estate planning can all affect one another.
As a CFP® professional, I take a comprehensive approach, helping you understand how those pieces work together so you can make more informed financial decisions.
Who do you typically work with?
I work with individuals, couples, and families looking for comprehensive financial advice and a long-term relationship with an advisor.
Many of my clients are approaching retirement, navigating a major life transition, managing accumulated wealth, or simply looking for a more coordinated approach to their finances.
What can I expect from the financial planning process?
We start with you, not your portfolio.
We'll talk about your goals, finances, family, career, and priorities. From there, we'll identify the areas that deserve attention and develop an actionable plan that evolves as your life changes.
LGBTQ+ Financial Planning
What financial planning issues are especially important for LGBTQ+ individuals and couples?
The fundamentals of good financial planning are universal, but LGBTQ+ individuals and couples may have additional considerations around marriage, unmarried partnerships, estate planning, beneficiaries, retirement benefits, family dynamics, and legacy.
The goal is to create a plan that reflects your life, your relationships, and what matters to you.
What should unmarried couples consider when planning together?
Unmarried couples may not have all of the same legal and financial protections as married spouses, making thoughtful planning especially important.
We can look at how assets are owned, beneficiary designations, shared expenses, insurance, retirement accounts, and estate documents to help ensure your financial lives work together the way you intend.
How should we think about account ownership and beneficiary designations?
How an account is owned and who is named as beneficiary can have a significant impact on how assets ultimately transfer.
We'll review account titling and beneficiary designations together and make sure they remain consistent with your intentions and broader estate plan.
How can we make sure our estate plan reflects our wishes?
A thoughtful estate plan helps ensure your assets go where you want them to go and identifies the people you trust to make financial or healthcare decisions on your behalf.
I help coordinate your financial plan, investment accounts, and beneficiary designations with the estate plan established with your attorney. For unmarried couples and nontraditional families, that coordination can be especially important.
If we don't have children or traditional heirs, how should we think about our wealth?
The conversation can shift from "How much should we leave?" to "What do we want our money to accomplish during our lifetime?"
That might mean traveling more, helping family or friends, giving to charity, or simply enjoying more of what you've accumulated. We can build a strategy that balances enjoying your wealth today with maintaining financial security for the future.
What should we consider, financially, before getting married?
Marriage can affect taxes, Social Security, retirement benefits, health insurance, estate planning, property ownership, and beneficiary rights.
We can evaluate those considerations together so you understand how getting married, or remaining unmarried, may affect your specific financial picture.
How can charitable giving fit into our legacy plan?
Charitable giving can be a meaningful way to support the organizations and causes you care about.
Depending on your goals, we can explore lifetime giving, charitable gifts through your estate, donor-advised funds, and other strategies to make philanthropy an intentional part of your financial plan.
Why might working with an advisor familiar with LGBTQ+ planning be helpful?
Financial planning is personal. You should feel comfortable talking openly about your relationship, family, goals, and concerns without having to explain or justify what your family looks like.
My goal is to understand what's important to you and create a financial plan around your life, your relationships, and your definition of family.