Questions Are a Good Place to start

I work mainly with people who are approaching retirement, recently retired, or already retired and want help bringing the different parts of retirement together into a clear strategy.

Most of my ongoing wealth-management clients have at least $500,000 in investments. I also work with people who want a comprehensive retirement plan while continuing to manage their own investments.

The people I work best with value thoughtful guidance, clear communication, and a coordinated approach to retirement income, investments, Social Security, taxes, and the other decisions that can affect retirement.

Yes. I offer a comprehensive retirement-planning engagement for people who want a clear retirement strategy and specific recommendations without ongoing investment management.

The engagement covers areas such as retirement income, Social Security, taxes, healthcare, and investments. At the end of the process, you receive a written retirement strategy and prioritized action plan.

You remain responsible for implementing the recommendations and managing your investment accounts. I do not currently offer hourly financial planning.

Yes. Retirement planning is rarely just about one person. If you are married or in a long-term partnership, I generally want both of you included in the planning process.

That is especially important when making decisions about income, Social Security, pensions, investments, taxes, healthcare, and survivor planning.

The goal is to make sure both of you understand the plan, both of your concerns are heard, and the strategy reflects your shared goals.

Yes. I am set up to meet virtually and work with clients across the United States.

Many clients prefer virtual meetings, even if they live locally. Instead of driving to an office, we can meet by Zoom and review your plan, accounts, and questions from the comfort of your home.

For clients who prefer to meet in person, I also offer meetings at my Orange County office.

To get started, answer a few quick questions on the Get Started page. This helps me understand your situation, what you are looking for, and whether standalone retirement planning or an ongoing planning and investment-management relationship may be a fit.

If it looks like we may be a good fit, you’ll be able to schedule a 45-minute Retirement Strategy Call by Zoom or at my office in Orange County.

You do not need to prepare documents for the first conversation. We’ll talk through what is on your mind, answer your initial questions, and decide whether it makes sense to continue.

After the first call, I will send you a summary of the way or ways we could potentially work together based on what we discussed.

If you choose standalone retirement planning, you will complete an onboarding process before we begin the planning meetings.

If you choose ongoing retirement planning and investment management, the comprehensive planning work is included as part of that relationship, with no separate planning fee.

In either case, I will clearly explain the recommended scope, fee, process, and next steps before you decide whether to move forward.

Yes. As a CFP® professional and financial advisor, I am committed to acting in your best interest when providing financial advice.

That means recommendations should be based on what is appropriate for your situation, not what pays me the most or benefits a product provider.

I also believe potential conflicts of interest should be clearly disclosed. For example, if a recommendation involves compensation from an insurance company or another potential conflict, I want you to understand that before making a decision.

My goal is to give advice that is clear, transparent, and aligned with your retirement plan.

How I am compensated depends on the way we work together.

For standalone retirement planning, I charge a fixed fee based on the scope and complexity of the engagement.

For ongoing retirement planning and investment management, I am compensated through an advisory fee based on the investment assets I manage for you. The fee is deducted directly from the managed accounts according to the advisory agreement.

In either case, I will explain the fee and how it works before you decide whether to move forward.

Most of my compensation comes directly from clients through either a fixed fee for standalone retirement planning or an advisory fee for ongoing retirement planning and investment management.

In some cases, an insurance product such as life insurance, long-term care insurance, or an annuity may be appropriate as part of the plan. If you decide to move forward with an insurance product through me, I will receive compensation from the insurance company that provides the policy or contract.

I do not accept referral fees or hidden forms of compensation. My recommendations are based on what I believe is appropriate for your situation, and I believe you should clearly understand how I am paid before making a decision.

If there is a potential conflict of interest, I will disclose it so you can make an informed decision.

Yes. You are not required to continue working with me if the relationship is no longer the right fit.

For standalone retirement planning, you may end the engagement before the planning process is complete. Any remaining fee or refund would be handled according to the planning agreement and the work completed up to that point.

For ongoing retirement planning and investment management, you may end the advisory relationship and transfer your investment accounts to another advisor or firm. Your accounts remain in your name at an independent custodian, either Charles Schwab or Fidelity.

If you own an insurance policy or annuity, it is issued and administered by the insurance company and may remain in place even if we are no longer working together.

Communication depends on how we work together.

For standalone retirement planning, we will meet throughout the planning process, and you may reach out with questions related to the engagement without an additional charge.

For ongoing retirement planning and investment management, we meet and check in throughout the year based on your needs and what is happening in your financial life. This may include tax planning, income needs, portfolio reviews, RMDs, Social Security, healthcare changes, or major life events.

There is no separate charge when questions come up as part of the ongoing relationship. You may reach out by phone, email, or Zoom.

I do not build portfolios around trying to time the market, chase trends, or predict what will happen next. Instead, I focus on creating a diversified investment strategy that supports your retirement income plan, risk tolerance, time horizon, and long-term goals.

For ongoing investment-management clients, I manage and monitor the portfolio and make adjustments as appropriate.

For standalone retirement-planning clients, I provide investment recommendations as part of the plan, but you remain responsible for implementing them and managing your accounts.

The goal is to balance growth, income, and stability in a way that fits your retirement strategy and gives you a disciplined approach through different market environments.

It is true that you can buy ETFs on your own. If your only interest is picking investments, you may not need an advisor.

Where I add value is in helping bring the pieces of your retirement plan together. That includes your income strategy, investments, Social Security, pensions, withdrawal planning, taxes, healthcare considerations, and survivor planning.

Retirement decisions are connected. A withdrawal decision can affect your taxes, Medicare premiums, portfolio allocation, and future income plan. A Social Security decision can affect cash flow, taxes, and survivor income. Investment decisions need to support the income you may need from the portfolio.

My role is to help you make those decisions in a coordinated way, adjust the plan as life changes, and give you a clear process for navigating retirement without having to figure everything out on your own.

Market declines are a normal part of investing. While they never feel good, they are not a reason to panic or abandon a well-built retirement plan.

I do not believe in trying to time the market or react emotionally to headlines. Instead, the focus is on building a diversified portfolio that fits your retirement income plan, risk tolerance, time horizon, and need for stability.

For ongoing clients, I also use a guardrails framework to monitor the plan over time. Most of the time, the right approach is to stay disciplined. But if markets, spending, or other changes push the plan outside of certain guardrails, we revisit the strategy and make thoughtful adjustments.

For standalone planning clients, the plan will include guidance on how to respond to market declines, but ongoing monitoring and future adjustments are not included after the engagement ends.

The goal is to help you stay informed, avoid emotional decisions, and keep your retirement plan aligned with your income needs through different market environments.

Tax planning can affect many retirement decisions, including which accounts to draw from, whether Roth conversions make sense, how investments are positioned across accounts, and when to claim Social Security.

I look at these decisions through a tax-aware lens because withdrawals, investment income, Social Security, RMDs, and Medicare IRMAA thresholds can all affect your overall retirement plan.

I do not prepare tax returns, but I do provide tax-aware retirement planning. With your permission, I can also coordinate with your CPA or tax professional so your retirement income strategy, investment plan, and tax planning are working from the same information.

No. I do not prepare tax returns or draft legal documents.

I provide tax-aware retirement planning, including withdrawal strategy, Roth conversion analysis when appropriate, Social Security tax considerations, RMD planning, and Medicare IRMAA awareness.

With your permission, I can also coordinate with your CPA or attorney so your retirement plan, tax planning, and estate planning are working from the same information.

There is no single best age to start Social Security because the right time to claim depends on your overall retirement plan.

When I review Social Security, I look at how it fits with your income needs, spouse or survivor benefits, pensions, portfolio withdrawals, taxes, Medicare premiums, and possible Roth conversions.

The goal is not just to choose the highest monthly benefit. It is to choose a claiming strategy that fits with the rest of your retirement income plan.

As part of the planning process, I can compare different Social Security claiming options and show how each one may affect your income, taxes, and broader retirement strategy.

There is no single withdrawal order that works for everyone. The right approach depends on your income needs, tax situation, Social Security timing, pensions, RMDs, Roth accounts, taxable accounts, and long-term goals.

Some retirees may benefit from using taxable accounts first. Others may need IRA withdrawals before RMDs begin. In some cases, Roth conversions, capital gains planning, or Medicare IRMAA thresholds may affect which accounts are used and when.

My role is to help coordinate those decisions so your withdrawals are not looked at in isolation. The goal is to create an income strategy that supports your spending needs while being thoughtful about taxes, investment allocation, and future flexibility.

I have been licensed in California for more than 25 years and also hold insurance licenses in several other states. This allows me to help clients evaluate products such as life insurance, long-term care insurance, and annuities when they are appropriate.

Insurance is not the starting point. The process begins with the financial plan. If the plan reveals a gap that insurance may help address, such as a need for lifetime income, long-term care protection, or survivor protection, then we can evaluate the available options.

If a policy is put in place through me, I am compensated by the insurance company, and I will explain how that compensation works before you make a decision.

In short, insurance is only recommended when it serves a clear purpose in your overall retirement strategy, not as a product to be sold for its own sake.

Annuities can be helpful for some people and unnecessary for others. They have a place in certain retirement plans, but like many financial products, they are often complex and heavily marketed.

The main advantage of an annuity is the ability to provide guaranteed income you cannot outlive. In some cases, I may recommend one as an alternative to part of a fixed income portfolio, especially for clients who value the peace of mind of a steady paycheck in retirement.

The challenge is that not all annuities are the same. Some are straightforward and useful, while others are expensive and overly complicated. My role is to help you evaluate whether an annuity makes sense for your specific situation, and if so, whether it fits with your broader retirement income plan.

Not necessarily. It depends on how we work together.

For standalone retirement planning, you keep your accounts where they are and remain responsible for managing them and implementing the recommendations.

For ongoing retirement planning and investment management, the investment accounts I manage are held with an independent custodian, either Charles Schwab or Fidelity. Not every account necessarily needs to move. Employer retirement plans, pensions, bank accounts, fixed annuities, and other assets may remain where they are.

Any accounts held with Schwab or Fidelity remain in your name, and you continue to receive statements and online access directly from the custodian. Before any transfer or new account is opened, I will explain what is involved.

For ongoing retirement planning and investment management, there are three key parties involved:

1. The Advisor

That is me. I am the person you work with directly. I help develop your retirement plan, provide recommendations, manage the investment strategy, and guide you through retirement decisions over time.

2. Brookstone Capital Management

I provide investment advisory services through my affiliation with Brookstone Capital Management, a registered investment adviser. Brookstone provides compliance oversight, investment research, technology, and back-office support.

3. The Custodian

Accounts I manage are held with an independent custodian, either Charles Schwab or Fidelity. The custodian holds the account assets, provides account statements and online access, processes transactions, and helps safeguard the accounts.

Neither I nor Brookstone take custody of your assets. This structure helps keep investment advice, account custody, reporting, and oversight separate and transparent.

For ongoing investment-management clients, your accounts remain in your name and are held with an independent custodian, either Charles Schwab or Fidelity. I do not hold your money directly.

Through my affiliation with Brookstone Capital Management, I provide investment advice and manage the investment strategy. The custodian holds the account assets, processes transactions, and provides statements and online access directly to you.

If your plan includes an insurance product, the policy or contract is issued and administered by the insurance company.

This separation of roles helps keep account ownership, custody, investment management, and reporting distinct and transparent.

For ongoing investment-management clients, you will have direct access to your accounts through the custodian, either Charles Schwab or Fidelity.

Each custodian provides secure online access where you can view balances, holdings, transactions, performance information, and account statements.

You can log in from your computer or mobile device, and you will also receive account statements directly from the custodian. This gives you an independent way to monitor your accounts, separate from any reports or updates you receive from me.

I use a combination of technology platforms for financial planning, secure document sharing, account access, and ongoing communication. These tools are designed to make the process easier for you and help keep important information organized.

When sensitive documents are needed, I use secure systems rather than asking clients to send private financial information through regular email whenever possible.

The platforms I use include security features such as encrypted data transmission, password-protected access, and other safeguards designed to protect client information. I also encourage clients to use strong passwords, enable multi-factor authentication when available, and avoid sending sensitive information through unsecured channels.

I encourage open collaboration with your other professional advisors, such as your CPA or attorney. With your permission, I can communicate directly with them so everyone is working from the same information.

This can be especially helpful when coordinating tax-aware withdrawal planning, Roth conversions, estate planning considerations, beneficiary decisions, and other issues that affect your broader retirement plan.

The goal is to reduce the chance of something being overlooked and help your financial, tax, and legal professionals stay aligned where their work overlaps.