The planning process begins with you scheduling a complimentary phone call to explore whether we might be a good fit to work with each other. (This call generally lasts 30-45 minutes.)
The following are a few things that are important in order for us to be a good fit:
- You’re comfortable communicating via email or scheduled calls.
- You are comfortable linking your accounts to financial planning software.
- You prefer an investment strategy akin to something you might find on the Bogleheads forum (e.g., a buy-and-hold approach with a few low-cost ETFs or index funds), and you have no interest in Bitcoin or other crypto-related assets.
- You are not looking for somebody to make predictions for you. (I cannot time the stock market, I cannot predict interest rate fluctuations, I cannot predict inflation, and I cannot predict what legislation our Congress will pass. My goal is to help you plan in spite of that uncertainty, rather than pretend that I know what will happen next.)
Prior to the initial call, I will need you to fill out a confidential questionnaire so that I know more about you and what you are seeking. I will also need you to provide a variety of documents (listed below). The questionnaire and documents are critical so that our time on the call is more productive.
- A pdf of your most recent tax return, including all forms and schedules that were filed.
- Copies of your most recent statements for all brokerage accounts and retirement accounts.
- Your earnings history from the Social Security website.
- Any other information that you think would likely be relevant to the topics we’ll be addressing — for instance if there is anything about your overall tax picture that you expect to change in the future (e.g., you expect a particular source of income to disappear, or you expect to inherit an IRA or sell a home).
Please do not send the above documents via email. Instead, I will provide an invitation to the client portal that I use, which will allow you to securely upload all of the above information. For reference, I am required by both federal law and state law to keep client information confidential. I take this responsibility seriously.
After that initial call, if this feels like a good fit, I will send you a formal engagement agreement. If the terms are suitable to you, you can e-sign that, and then we get started.