Fee-only planning in Charleston since 2009

Plan the ten years before you retire.

We're a four-person fiduciary firm for families getting close to retirement and for people who own a small business. One flat fee covers the plan, the investments and every question in between.

Retirement plan
$4,500
Ongoing advice
$450/mo
Commissions
$0
A page from a planExample household

Where each month's $8,200 comes from.

Stop working
62
Claim Social Security
67
Monthly income
$8,200

Who we work with

Two kinds of clients, one way of working.

Most of the people we plan for are in their fifties and early sixties. About a third of them also own the business that pays for everything.

An older couple talking over drinks at a wooden tableUsually 5 to 10 years out

Families ten years out

You've saved well and you're not sure it's enough. We set a real date, build the paycheck you'll live on, and time Social Security and Medicare around it.

How we plan for families
A shop owner standing in the doorway of her flower shopTrades, shops, practices

Small business owners

Your business is your biggest asset and your retirement plan. We work out what you pay yourself, set up the right plan for the company, and map a sale or handoff years ahead.

How we plan for owners

What the flat fee covers

Everything in the plan. Nothing sold on the side.

  1. 01

    Retirement income

    A date, a monthly paycheck and the order you draw from each account.

  2. 02

    Social Security and Medicare

    When to claim, for both spouses, and which coverage fits.

  3. 03

    Tax planning

    Roth conversions, account order and a yearly check-in with your CPA.

  4. 04

    Investments

    Low-cost portfolios we manage for you, included in ongoing advice.

  5. 05

    Business exit

    Owner pay, company retirement plans, and a sale or succession timeline.

  6. 06

    Insurance and estate

    Coverage reviewed with nothing to sell, and beneficiaries kept current with your attorney.

Your retirement runway

What lands in your next ten years.

Slide to your age. The gold band is the decade ahead, and every milestone inside it is something we plan around.

56your age
9years to Medicare
4milestones in your window
45505560657075Next 10 years505559½60 to 636265677075

Planning work at 56

Set the target. What retirement will cost you, and the savings rate that gets you there on time.

Use the catch-up room, check the tax mix of your accounts, and stress-test the date you have in mind.

Pick a retirement date range, plan the first paycheck from savings, and line up health coverage until 65.

Decide when to claim Social Security, use low-tax years for Roth conversions, and price out Medicare.

Turn savings into a monthly paycheck, set the order you draw from accounts, and keep your tax bracket level.

Plan for required withdrawals, giving and estate updates, and keep the plan current as life changes.

  • 59½IRA money without the 10% penalty
  • 60 to 63Larger 401(k) catch-up
  • 62Earliest Social Security
  • 65Medicare enrollment

Why a flat fee

What advice costs a year, side by side.

Many advisers charge a percentage of what you have invested, often around 1%. As your savings grow, so does the bill. Ours stays the same.

Yearly costA 1% asset feeCorbel ongoing advice

$750Kinvested

$7,500
$5,400

$1.5Minvested

$15,000
$5,400

$3Minvested

$30,000
$5,400

An illustration, not a quote from any firm. Many advisers lower their rate above $1M, so ask anyone you're comparing for their full fee schedule. Try your own number

How it works

From first call to a plan in about six weeks.

No forms to fill out before we talk. Bring your questions and a rough idea of what you have.

  1. 1Week 0, free

    Intro call

    Thirty minutes to see if we fit. You'll hear the fee before we hang up.

  2. 2Weeks 1 to 2

    Discovery

    We gather accounts, tax returns, benefits and what you want the next decade to look like.

  3. 3Weeks 3 to 6

    Your plan

    Two meetings: the numbers first, then the decisions, with a written plan you keep.

  4. 4After that

    Ongoing advice

    Quarterly check-ins, investments managed, and a tax season review every spring.

Tap a step to jump to it
Planning since
2009
Households we work with
150
People on the team
4
Commissions taken
$0

We came in thinking we needed a better fund. We left with a plan for selling the company and for the first year after. The fee was on the first page, which is more than our last adviser ever showed us.

Owner of a heating and air company, Summerville, SCA current client. Not paid or otherwise compensated for this statement, and no other conflicts of interest. One client's experience, which may not be representative of others'.

Start with a conversation

Thirty minutes, no cost, and you'll know the fee before we hang up.

Meet us on Church Street or by video. If we aren't the right fit, we'll tell you who might be.

Dana, Marcus, Priya and Lena. The four people you'll actually talk to. Meet the team
A downtown Charleston street lined with palmettos and old storefronts, a steeple at the far end
A short walk from our Church Street office