A one-time, flat-fee plan from a CPA and CFP® professional. It answers two questions: can you retire and stay retired, and how to withdraw money from your accounts to lower your lifetime tax bill. Your accounts stay where they are.
Who it is for
You have a 401(k) or IRA, maybe a pension and Social Security, and you know the order you withdraw from them matters. You may already have an advisor, or manage your own money, and you do not want to move anything. You want the plan: which accounts to withdraw from, when to convert to a Roth, when to claim Social Security, and what it all means for your taxes.
It is not a pitch to manage your money. The written report is yours to keep, nothing moves, and you decide what happens next.
One-time or ongoing
The Retirement Tax & Income Review is a one-time engagement. You get the plan, we meet to go through it, and the engagement ends. It is built on your numbers and today's tax law, and it is yours to carry out, on your own or with your advisor. We do not manage your investments or revisit the plan as the years go by.
Wealth management is ongoing. It bundles investment management with everything else we do: choosing and managing your investments, retirement income planning, taxes, cash flow and budgeting, and the insurance and estate decisions around them. We meet every quarter, the plan is updated as your life and the tax rules change, and the Review and your personal tax return are included.
If you want the answer once, book the Review. If you want it handled year after year, start with wealth management, and if you begin with the Review and continue, the fee is credited toward it.
What you get
Your lifetime tax bill as things stand today, and with the plan, in dollars.
A year-by-year income map: how much to withdraw from each account, the Roth conversion amount by year, Social Security and pension timing, and the income lines to stay under for Medicare. Plus a tax projection for this year, built in our tax software.
A results meeting, in person or by video, and follow-up questions by email. The projections are estimates built on today's tax law, not guarantees.
01
A year-by-year cash-flow plan to age 95 or beyond, stress-tested against poor markets, higher inflation, and a long life.
02
The withdrawal order across taxable, tax-deferred, and Roth accounts, and what each order does to your taxes.
03
Conversion amounts by year that use your lower-income years on purpose and stay under the tax brackets that matter.
04
The claiming age for each spouse, including the survivor benefit, run alongside your tax plan instead of on its own.
05
Single life, joint and survivor, or a lump sum, compared on income and taxes together.
06
Medicare premiums go up when income crosses certain lines. The plan shows where those lines are for you and how to stay under them.
07
A current-year tax projection from your actual year-to-date numbers, so this year's conversion or withdrawal is sized exactly.
08
Your lifetime tax bill as things stand today versus with the plan, in dollars.
We confirm the Retirement Tax & Income Review fits your situation and quote the flat fee on the call. Nothing to prepare.
Sign the agreement, pay, and upload your documents from a short checklist. Most people finish in a week, and we follow up on anything missing.
Within a week of providing all documents: this year's tax projection, with the exact Roth conversion or withdrawal amount for the year, and the full written plan.
A results meeting, in person or by video, to go through the plan and what to do first, with follow-up questions by email included. The report is yours to keep. Choose ongoing wealth management later and the fee is credited toward it.
Don’t see your question? Call the office at 815-459-4300 or send us a message.
A flat fee, quoted on the first call once we know your situation. A business sale or an estate question can add to the scope, and you hear that up front. If you later move to wealth management, the fee is credited toward it.
Two to three weeks from the first call, and most of that is gathering documents. Once we have all of them, your plan is ready within a week. If you want a Roth conversion done before December 31, the sooner your documents are in, the better.
Two years of tax returns, a Social Security statement for each spouse, any pension estimate, current statements for every investment and retirement account, and a monthly spending number. You get a checklist and a secure upload link.
Yes. Nothing moves. Many people keep their advisor and take the report to them; others carry it out themselves. If you would rather have it all handled, wealth management includes the Review and your personal tax return.
No. It is a tax and income plan. It builds in whatever you decide to sell or hold, and money converted from an IRA is taxed the same whichever fund it comes from. Choosing investments is part of wealth management.
As an ongoing wealth management client, your Retirement Tax & Income Review and your personal tax return (Form 1040) are included with no separate fee. Business tax returns are billed separately.
A free 30-minute call. No prep needed, just bring your questions.
