FAQs

Yes! I’m proud to serve Dayton & Southwest, Ohio as a fiduciary and I can’t sell products or earn commissions. The only way I get paid is directly by you, as a percentage of the assets I manage. Stage Ready Financial Planning was built to provide retirement and investment advice that’s always in your best interest. Click here to view the current transparent cost for Wealth Management.

I’m a huge believer that a successful retirement is built on evidence and precision, not predictions. My goal is to make sure that every investment you own serves a purpose in your overall plan.

Experience retirement in perfect harmony

 Plan-driven portfolios. Your professionally managed portfolio will be built to stay in tune with the income you need in retirement.
 The power of indexing. Rather than picking individual stocks, your strategy will use low-cost index ETFs that capture market growth without the guesswork.
 Income guardrails and buffer. Dynamic spending rules and a bond buffer will help you enjoy your money with a plan to make it last.

My investment standards

Annual tax planning is a core part of ongoing wealth management. Rather than just looking back at what you owed last year, I’ll work with your tax professional to look forward and identify opportunities to lower your lifetime tax bill. This includes managing your tax brackets, proactively planning tax-efficient income to avoid Medicare IRMAA, and exploring potential Roth conversions to reduce the long-term impact of Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs). For your taxable investments, I’ll leverage advanced technology through our custodian, Altruist, to implement ongoing tax-loss harvesting where it makes sense. This allow me to scan your accounts for opportunities to realize losses that can offset capital gains, turning market volatility into potential tax savings.

I’m not an elder law attorney and don’t provide legal advice, but part of the risk management planning we’ll do is dedicated to protecting your hard earned savings from the rising costs of long-term care. With private nursing home stays in Southwest Ohio often exceeding $10,000 per month, many of my clients are worried about having to spend down everything they saved to pay for a nursing home or assisted living facility.

I’ll help you navigate this by first putting a long-term care plan in place by documenting where you’d like to receive care, who you want to provide it, and how you’d prefer to pay for it. Together, we’ll evaluate the most effective funding strategy, whether that involves insurance or a dedicated self-funding plan. And I’ll coordinate with your attorney to make sure your estate plan is aligned to protect your home and your savings.

Stage Ready Financial Planning provides ongoing financial planning, investment management and implementation. I’ll proactively coordinate with your tax and legal professionals to make sure your estate plan and tax returns are in sync with your retirement plan.

Yes. Wealth Management features both investment management and ongoing financial planning and is built for retirees and savers over 50 with $750,000+ invested for retirement. Stage Ready Financial planning was built to help you orchestrate your ideal retirement, create lasting and predictable income, arrange your investments to match your goals, reduce the noise of unnecessary taxes, and more.

Not at this time. I strongly believe that planning is an iterative process instead of a one-and-done event. Life, the markets, and tax laws are constantly changing. It’s important that your retirement plan and investments stay in sync as things change. If you’re looking for a financial planner that offers limited engagements like hourly advice, let me know and I’ll be happy to connect you with some incredible colleagues that I trust!

No. While most of my clients partner with me for the duration of their retirement, you’re never locked into a long-term contract. You have the total freedom to end our partnership at any time for any reason. To make things as fair as possible, I bill my fees in arrears (after the service has been provided), and I typically waive any final prorated bill for clients who choose to move on as a demonstration of good faith. My goal is to earn your trust every single day.

I have a formal Business Continuity Plan in place designed to protect your interests and provide a clear path forward:

• Secure Custody: Your investments are held at Altruist, an independent third-party custodian (Member SIPC). Altruist provides institutional-grade security for your assets, which are held in your name. I have the authority to manage your portfolio, but I never have physical possession of your money.
• Formal Continuity: Stage Ready Financial Planning has a documented plan to ensure a smooth transition in the unlikely event I’m unable to serve you. My estate and professional network are prepared to facilitate the transition of your accounts.
• Control and Portability: Your investment accounts are fully portable. If something ever happens to me, you maintain total control to move your money to any advisor of your choosing or manage them independently.

That’s a great question, and the jargon in our industry can be confusing. I like to think of a financial advisor as a generalist investment professional who'll occasionally help you with other planning related questions. A wealth manager and financial planner, act as the quarterback for your retirement plan and your entire financial life. The Stage Ready Financial Planning wealth management service offers the powerful combination of ongoing financial planning and professional investment management. For clients in Southwestern Ohio, this means I'm constantly monitoring your financial goals and making sure all your money is working in sync. Let me handle the heavy lifting, so you can enjoy a confident retirement!

The answer to this question is less about a specific number and more about the complexity of your financial life. I've found that the families who benefit most from wealth management have at least $750,000 invested for retirement. At this point, you're likely thinking about tax-efficient withdrawals and required minimum distributions (RMDs), coordinating with your estate planning attorney, and making sure your retirement plan is rock solid. You're not just accumulating money anymore, and instead making sure that your wealth is managed effectively so you can enjoy spending it. Working with a wealth manager can be extremely helpful if you're over 50 and want to protect your life's savings in retirement.

Stage Ready Financial Planning's pricing is completely transparent and client-friendly. As a fee-only financial advisor, I'm legally bound to never sell products with commissions or sales charges. As a wealth management client, you pay me directly with a simple asset-based fee, which means it’s a percentage of the money I manage for you. This fee covers everything, including ongoing financial planning and professional investment management, so there are no separate costs to worry about. You can find our full fee schedule published directly on this services page.

Choosing a wealth manager to help you with your retirement and life savings is a big decision. It's incredibly important to find someone you can trust with your life's savings. Here are a few things that I strongly recommend looking for:

• A Fiduciary Standard: Look for a true fiduciary financial advisor. This means they're legally and ethically obligated to act in your best interest. Financial Advisors associated with organizations like: NAPFA, The CFP® Board, and the XY Planning Network are required to be fiduciaries of the highest standard.
• A Defined Process: Find out if they have a clear, step-by-step defined process. A good wealth manager will walk you through exactly how they approach financial planning, from discovery to implementation and ongoing support.
• Local Roots and Expertise: The right wealth manager should understand the financial goals, lifestyle costs, and values of families here in Southwestern Ohio. Even though Stage Ready Financial Planning operates virtually, my specialty is serving clients in the Dayton area, allowing me to have a deep understanding of what it means to be apart of our local community.
• Fee Transparency: A trusted wealth manager should be completely upfront about their fees and how they get paid.

Yes, absolutely! Stage Ready Financial Planning is fully virtual but specializes in serving retirement savers and families throughout the greater Dayton and Southwestern Ohio area. This includes communities like Centerville, Kettering, Beavercreek, Oakwood, Springboro, and Fairborn, and more. The benefit of being virtual is that I can work with you no matter where you are in the region, or even if life moves you to a new town or state in retirement. My goal is to be your go-to wealth management resource in the region, whether you're planning for or are currently in retirement.

The Stage Ready Financial Planning wealth management service takes a hands on and comprehensive approach to your retirement. You can read a full listing of what's included above on this service page. For Southwestern Ohio clients close to or in retirement, I put special focus on a few important topics to make sure your money is fully aligned with your goals:

• Retirement Planning: I'll help you answer the big questions like, "Can I retire comfortably?" and "How much money can I spend safely without running out of money?" My job is to help you create a sustainable retirement plan that allows you to live the life you've imagined.
• Investment Management: You'll receive a professionally built and managed personalized investment portfolio that's in sync with your financial plan and risk tolerance. I'll make sure your investments are arranged correctly for retirement.
• Tax-Efficient Strategies: We can't control the market but we can reduce taxes and expenses. I'll work with you and your tax advisor to find smart ways to potentially reduce your lifetime tax burden.
• Risk Management: We'll continuously review your insurances and risks, like the cost of long-term care, to make sure your financial plan is protected from the unexpected.
• Estate & Legacy Planning: With help from your estate planning attorney, I'll make sure your wishes are carried out and your loved ones are protected when you're no longer here.

Definitely! Retirement planning is one of the most important parts of wealth management. In fact, it's the foundation of everything I do. My clients are usually focused on the question, "How can I retire comfortably and successfully?" and my entire process is built to help them answer that. We’ll work together to create a detailed retirement plan that covers everything from your spending needs, to your investment and tax strategies. A good wealth manager doesn't just manage your investments, they help you navigate retirement with confidence.

As a Dayton fiduciary financial advisor, my sole commitment is to you. This is more than just a promise, it's my legal and ethical responsibility. I'm required to always act in your best interest when providing you financial planning advice and investment management. I use a defined process that puts your retirement goals front and center. We'll start by getting to know you, your family, your values, and your vision for retirement. From there, we'll work to build your customized retirement plan and investment strategy. I'll help you implement your plan, and then provide ongoing support to keep things on track. The Stage Ready Financial Planning partnership is built on trust, transparency, and the goal of helping you achieve a successful retirement.