My process for working with clients reflects my consulting background. I first develop a deep understanding of your situation before moving into specific advice and action items. I actively follow up to ensure execution of the advice, since the best strategy means nothing without implementation.

If I’m to act as a fiduciary who works in your best interest, I need to know your financial situation broadly and deeply. So, before I will take on a client, I require a “financial health check” meeting, a two-hour, situation assessment where we capture your financial values, goals and data. I provide a comprehensive written analysis that identifies up to a dozen action items that address common mistakes made by investors and other financial advisors.

The analysis includes several projections of sustainable retirement income, so you can understand how you are tracking toward a secure retirement. For clients who have saved a lot in tax-deferred accounts (i.e., are sitting on a potential tax bomb), I analyze exposure to taxes and Medicare means testing surcharges in retirement and suggest mitigation strategies. This analysis typically takes 10–15 hours for me to produce, but I find it is essential to giving good, fiduciary advice (there is no charge for this consult).

Much of my advice is very tactical in nature, answering questions such as:

• How much cash should you hold and how do you maximize yield?
• Should you pay down bad debt or use cash for other goals?
• How much should you be saving for retirement and how should you prioritize saving in various accounts (e.g., HSA, Roth, pre-tax, taxable) to minimize lifetime taxes and build wealth?
• If you are self-employed, how can you access retirement accounts like a Solo 401(k)?
• How should you save for your children’s college expenses?