Financial Planning for the 10 Years Before Retirement — Without the Guesswork

We give you a clear, personalized answer based on your actual numbers — not a generic rule of thumb. We model your projected spending, expected income sources (Social Security, investments, pension if applicable), healthcare costs, and tax burden to calculate your retirement readiness with confidence. Most clients find they're closer than they think — or discover specific actions that close the gap.

Fee-only means we are paid exclusively by you — not by product manufacturers, insurance companies, or mutual fund companies. We earn no commissions, no referral fees, and no compensation tied to what we recommend. This eliminates the single biggest source of conflict in financial advice. You can trust that every recommendation we make is because it's in your best interest — not because it pays us more.

For most pre-retirees, the window between now and age 73 is the most valuable time to convert — while income may be temporarily lower (if you've reduced hours or retired early) and before Required Minimum Distributions force taxable withdrawals. The goal is to "fill up" lower tax brackets each year by converting just enough from your Traditional IRA to a Roth without bumping into higher brackets. We model this precisely for each client.

It depends on your health, your spouse's situation, and your other income sources — and the right answer is different for every person. Delaying from 62 to 70 can increase your monthly benefit by roughly 76%. But if you have significant pre-tax retirement savings, claiming early and doing Roth conversions can sometimes be the more tax-efficient path. We run the numbers both ways so you can see the tradeoffs clearly.

Our fees are transparent and based on assets under management or a flat planning fee — never commissions. We're happy to walk you through our exact pricing structure on our free discovery call. You can also visit our Pricing page for a full breakdown.

Our primary clients are in Raleigh and the Research Triangle area — including Cary, Durham, and Chapel Hill. We meet in our office at 7100 Six Forks Road or virtually via video conference. We also work with many clients outside the Triangle, particularly those with family or professional ties to the Raleigh area.