Financial planning is a collaborative process to build an adaptable roadmap for you and your money.
Comprehensive financial planning: A comprehensive financial plan covers it all. We go through the major areas of your finances to evaluate where you are, where you want to go, and how to get there. We typically work together over 3-5 meetings.
Abacus Financial Planning conducts a thorough review of your current investments, analyzing the fit to your goals and risk tolerance. The analysis includes recommendations about your investments, such as asset allocation, asset location (high-level tax implications), diversification (by asset class and by US/global), and fees.
We determine a “base case” for retirement based on your expected income, expenses, and investments. We then look at variations—what if you spend more each year, or what if you need long-term care, etc.?
We build a plan for your stock options, RSUs, ESPP, and/or ESOP that is grounded in your priorities. Equity comp planning is often closely tied to tax planning.
Tax planning involves looking at your current tax situation and considering options to strategically realize income. For retirees with assets in multiple tax buckets (such as a taxable brokerage account, traditional IRAs, and Roth IRAs), this often involves developing a withdrawal strategy.
Abacus Financial Planning conducts a review of your current insurance policies and makes recommendations for keeping or changing policies, including auto, homeowner, umbrella, and life insurance. For clients 50+, this review often includes long-term care insurance.
Cash flow planning typically results in a multi-year plan for your cash. This is especially relevant when there is an expected change in income or expenses or when there is a large windfall.
A budgeting conversation can be as detailed as you want it to be. With some clients, we use Budgeting Blocks to move the conversation out of a spreadsheet. We typically recommend a reverse budget, where you decide what expenses to track and what not to track.
Always work with an attorney to create your legal documents. From the financial planning perspective, we review accounts to make sure they are consistent with your wishes. We look at the potential estate tax impact and consider alternate strategies.
For clients who would like to pay for education expenses, we recommend a saving and gifting strategy.
We review your benefits to help you use them effectively. The review includes health benefits, retirement savings, and additional employer-specific options.
Hourly services: In some cases, an hourly engagement may be an option. An initial engagement for a new client typically requires a minimum of 10 hours and is invoiced based on actual hours. We can discuss the expected minimum in an introductory call (there is no charge for an introductory call).
Comprehensive financial plan: $6,480 – $11,880
Hourly: $360/hour
Implementing an investment plan takes time and careful consideration. After completing a financial plan, it may be an option for Abacus Financial Planning to provide ongoing investment management support.
The Abacus Financial Planning investment philosophy is guided by these ideas:
Each client’s portfolio is created to fit their willingness, ability, and need to take risk. Abacus Financial Planning focuses on what we can control, such as determining the right asset allocation.
Fees: 1% up to $2,000,000, then 0.40% on the balance over $2,000,000
The first step is to get on the phone. The first meeting helps me understand what you’re looking for. I can share about Abacus Financial Planning and provide open space for you to ask questions.