Answers Before You Ask

Tiverton Wealth is a flat-fee, fee-only financial planning and investment management firm based in The Woodlands, Texas, serving individuals and families preparing for retirement or already enjoying retirement.

We believe your investments, retirement income, taxes, insurance, and estate planning should all work together. Rather than focusing on just your investment portfolio, we take a comprehensive approach to your entire financial life.

Our financial planning and wealth management services include:

Investment Management

• Portfolio Construction & Management
• Asset Allocation & Diversification
• Tax-Efficient Investment Strategies
• Investment Tax Optimization
• Portfolio Reviews & Second Opinions

Tax Planning & Tax Preparation

• Year-Round Tax Planning
• Individual Income Tax Preparation through Tiverton Tax, LLC
• Roth Conversion Planning
• Capital Gains Tax Planning
• Tax-Efficient Retirement Withdrawals
• Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) Planning
• Investment Asset Location Strategies

Retirement Planning

• Retirement Readiness Assessments
• Retirement Goal Setting & Financial Projections
• Social Security Claiming Strategies
• Medicare & IRMAA Planning
• Pension & Retirement Benefit Analysis
• Healthcare Expense Planning
• Long-Term Care Planning

Retirement Income Planning

• Retirement Income & Cash Flow Planning
• Tax-Efficient Withdrawal Strategies
• Retirement Income Sustainability Analysis
• Inflation & Longevity Planning
• Cash Flow & Budget Planning
• Social Security, Pension & Investment Income Coordination

Estate & Legacy Planning

• Estate Planning Strategy & Coordination
• Beneficiary & Inheritance Planning
• Wealth Transfer Planning
• Charitable Giving Strategies
• Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) Planning
• Estate Tax Planning Considerations

Insurance & Risk Management

• Life Insurance Needs Analysis
• Existing Insurance Policy Reviews
• Long-Term Care Insurance Planning
• Disability Insurance Needs Analysis
• Liability & Umbrella Insurance Reviews
• Retirement Risk Management

What Makes Our Approach Different?

At Tiverton Wealth, we believe financial planning and tax planning should be part of the same conversation. Through our affiliated firm, Tiverton Tax, LLC, we can coordinate the tax strategies we recommend throughout the year with the preparation of your annual tax return.

We also believe you should know exactly what you are paying your financial advisor. That is why we use an agreed-upon flat fee rather than charging a percentage of your investments.

Not every client needs every service listed above. We focus on the areas that matter most to your financial situation and build a plan around your goals.

Investment advisory and financial planning services are provided by Tiverton Wealth, LLC. Tax preparation and tax-related services are provided by Tiverton Tax, LLC, a separate affiliated business, under its own engagement agreement. Tax preparation is included for eligible clients under their agreed-upon service arrangements. Insurance and estate planning services involve analysis and coordination, not the sale of insurance products or the practice of law. All services and recommendations depend on each client’s individual circumstances.

We generally work with two groups. The first is individuals and families who are approaching retirement or already retired. These clients often need help coordinating multiple areas of their financial lives, including investments, retirement income planning, tax planning strategies, estate planning, and Social Security decisions. Our goal is to help bring those moving pieces into a more organized planning process and, when appropriate, coordinate with a client’s other professional advisors.

The second is self-employed and 1099 professionals, including sales professionals, whose income and tax situations may be more complex than those of traditional W-2 employees. These clients often benefit from advice around cash flow, tax planning strategies, retirement savings, and long-term wealth planning.

If you fall into either of those categories and are looking for ongoing wealth management or financial planning, Tiverton may be an appropriate fit.

There is no formal investment minimum to work with Tiverton Wealth.

Because we charge a flat fee rather than a percentage of assets, we do not think of clients as “small” or “large” based on the size of their investment accounts. We do not determine the level of service solely by the size of a client’s investment accounts; the scope of each engagement is based on the client’s circumstances and agreed-upon services.

That said, our flat-fee model tends to make the most economic sense for households with roughly $650,000 or more saved for retirement. The right fit ultimately depends on the complexity of your financial situation and the type of planning help you need.

If you are near that level, or expect to be in the future, it may make sense to have a conversation to determine whether our services are appropriate for your needs.

Tiverton Wealth may not be the right fit for everyone.

For example, if you are primarily looking for basic portfolio management without broader financial planning, there may be other firms that are better aligned with that approach.

Our firm focuses on comprehensive planning. While investments are an important part of what we do, we also spend significant time on areas such as tax planning strategies, cash flow planning, estate planning, and coordination with other professionals. Clients who are not interested in that broader planning process may not fully benefit from the scope of our services.

We also tend to work best with clients who are engaged in the planning process. That does not mean you need to have everything figured out, but rather that you are open to ongoing conversations and collaboration around your financial goals.

If that approach resonates with you, it may be worth having a conversation to see if Tiverton is an appropriate fit.

Yes. Tiverton Wealth works with clients both within Texas and in other locations, subject to applicable registration and regulatory requirements.

Many of our client relationships are conducted virtually through video meetings and other digital tools, which allows for flexibility in how we meet and communicate.

For clients who are local to The Woodlands area, we also offer in-person meetings.

Regardless of location, our goal is to provide a consistent planning experience and maintain ongoing communication tailored to each client’s needs.

Tiverton Wealth is a fee-only firm. We are compensated directly by our clients for advisory services, and we do not earn commissions from the sale of investment or insurance products.

“Fee-based” describes something different. A fee-based advisor may charge fees but can also earn commissions on certain products or transactions. The two terms sound similar and are often used interchangeably in marketing, but they describe different compensation models.

We also operate on a flat-fee model, charging a stated fee for our financial planning services rather than a percentage of your investments.

This structure is designed to reduce many of the conflicts that can exist in other compensation models. If you have questions about how any advisor is compensated, it is always appropriate to ask for that answer in writing.

Yes. Tiverton Wealth operates on a flat-fee model only. We do not charge a percentage of assets under management.

Our fee structure is published on the How We Get Paid page of this website. We put it there on purpose, because we think you should be able to see how your advisor is compensated before you ever speak to one.

Fees may vary based on the complexity of your financial situation, the scope of services provided, and other individual circumstances. All fees are discussed and agreed upon in writing before an engagement begins, and our advisory fees are also described in our Form ADV Part 2A.

The best way to determine what makes sense for you is a conversation. We will walk you through the options, answer your questions, and make sure you understand the cost and the scope before anything is signed.

Tiverton Wealth is primarily a financial planning firm, not solely an investment manager. We do provide investment advice and manage client portfolios, but if you are only looking for investment management without broader planning, we may not be the best fit.

Your flat fee covers comprehensive planning across our six pillars: income, insurance, tax, investments, retirement, and estate planning.

In practice that includes proactive tax planning strategies, cash flow and retirement income modeling, insurance reviews, investment strategy and portfolio management, Social Security planning, retirement planning, and estate planning coordination.

The goal is to help you manage your entire financial life, not just your investment portfolio. We meet throughout the year so the plan can account for changes in your circumstances, in tax law, in the markets, and in your long-term goals.

At Tiverton Wealth, we believe you should know exactly what you are paying for financial planning and investment management. That is why we charge a simple, agreed-upon flat fee rather than a percentage of your investments.

Your total annual cost generally consists of our flat financial planning fee, the underlying expenses of your investments, and any applicable third-party fees.

Our flat financial planning fee: We charge an agreed-upon flat fee based on the services provided and the complexity of your financial situation. If you choose to have us manage your investments, investment management is included in your agreed-upon services. For eligible clients in our ongoing planning relationship, annual income tax return preparation through our affiliated firm, Tiverton Tax, LLC, is also included rather than billed as a separate fee. We do not charge an additional percentage of your investment portfolio just because your account balance grows. Current fee ranges are published on our How We Get Paid page.

New clients generally begin with a one-time Initial Planning Engagement, which is separate from the ongoing monthly fee and is also described on our How We Get Paid page. The example below shows ongoing annual costs only.

Charles Schwab custody and trading fees: If you choose to have us manage your investments, we use Charles Schwab as our custodian. Standard Schwab brokerage and IRA accounts generally have no annual account maintenance fees, and the U.S. exchange-listed ETFs we typically use can be bought and sold electronically without trading commissions. Schwab sets its own pricing, which can change.

Underlying investment expenses: While ETFs generally do not have trading commissions at Schwab, they do have internal operating expenses, known as expense ratios. These vary depending on the investments we select for your portfolio. Our goal is to keep these expenses low while building a diversified investment portfolio that aligns with your goals, risk tolerance, and financial plan.

One important distinction is that ETF expense ratios are not charged directly to your account as a separate cash payment. Instead, these expenses are built into the ETF itself and are reflected in its performance and share value. You will not see a separate withdrawal from your Schwab account to pay an ETF’s expense ratio.

Other potential fees: Occasionally, there may be additional charges, such as outgoing wire transfer fees, transaction fees for certain investments, or annual custody fees for certain non-publicly traded investments. These are not typically part of a standard ETF portfolio, but we want you to understand when they might apply.

What does this look like in real dollars?

Let’s say you are paying Tiverton Wealth $500 per month for comprehensive financial planning and investment management, and you have a $1 million investment portfolio with a weighted average ETF expense ratio of 0.20%.

Your estimated annual costs would look like this:

In this hypothetical example, you would pay Tiverton Wealth $6,000 in advisory fees over the year. The estimated $2,000 in ETF operating expenses would not be withdrawn separately from your investment account. Those expenses are already reflected in the ETFs’ performance.

The combined estimated cost would be $8,000 annually, or 0.80% of the illustrated $1 million portfolio. However, our flat fee is not based on your portfolio value. The ETF expense estimate assumes a constant $1 million invested throughout the year, and your actual costs will depend on your agreed-upon planning fee and the investments held.

Our goal is simple: keep your financial planning and investment costs transparent, reasonable, and easy to understand. We want you to know exactly what you are paying us, what expenses are built into your investments, and whether there are any additional charges to consider before moving forward.

No. Our compensation does not increase or decrease based on investment performance, or on whether a portfolio outperforms a benchmark.

We are paid a flat fee for the comprehensive planning services we provide. Our planning process is built around six pillars, and investments are only one of them.

We do monitor client portfolios against appropriate benchmarks. That monitoring exists to evaluate the strategy and help confirm it remains aligned with your overall financial plan — not to determine what we are paid.

No. Tiverton Wealth does not receive commissions, 12b-1 fees, revenue sharing, finders’ fees, or any other compensation for recommending specific financial or insurance products.

As a fee-only firm, our compensation comes directly from our clients. Material conflicts of interest that do exist are identified and disclosed in our Form ADV Part 2A.

No. Tiverton Wealth does not sell insurance products, and we do not receive commissions, referral fees, or any other compensation related to them.

That does not mean we ignore insurance. Coverage is often an important part of a financial plan, and we help clients evaluate their needs across auto, homeowners, umbrella, life, disability, long-term care, annuities, and Medicare.

When it makes sense to shop the market, we coordinate with an independent insurance broker. We currently work with BC Brokerage, a firm that specializes in supporting fee-only planning firms. If you purchase a policy, the broker may be compensated by the insurance carrier that issues it. Tiverton Wealth does not receive any portion of that compensation.

You are free to work with any insurance agent or provider you choose. For clients in our ongoing planning relationship, we can also review coverage as policies renew and coordinate with the broker to evaluate whether better pricing or coverage may be available.

Tiverton does not accept gifts, entertainment, travel, or other benefits that could influence—or reasonably appear to influence—our advice or decision-making. Our Compliance Manual permits limited nominal gifts and reasonable business entertainment subject to defined limits, reporting requirements, and CCO oversight.

We do not accept compensation or incentives from product providers for recommending their products.

No. We do not pay or receive referral fees from CPAs, attorneys, insurance professionals, or other advisors for sending business back and forth.

When we recommend another professional, the goal is to connect you with someone we believe is qualified to help — not to be compensated for the introduction.

From time to time we may pay third-party marketing or lead generation services to introduce prospective clients to the firm. Those arrangements are separate from professional referral relationships and, where required, are disclosed in accordance with applicable regulations.

Yes. We are a fiduciary 100% of the time.

Being a fiduciary means we are legally required to act in our clients’ best interests when providing investment advisory services, and to identify and disclose material conflicts of interest.

As a Registered Investment Adviser, Tiverton Wealth is held to that standard across the advisory services we provide. We are not registered as a broker-dealer and we do not sell commission-based products, so there is no separate side of the business operating under a different standard.

It is worth understanding that different types of financial professionals may be held to different regulatory standards. Some operate under standards that require a recommendation to be suitable, or in the client’s best interest at the moment it is made, rather than throughout an ongoing advisory relationship.

Being a fiduciary does not mean conflicts can never exist. It means we are required to identify them, disclose them, and manage them in your interest. Ours are described in our Form ADV Part 2A.

Yes. Our fiduciary commitment appears on the first page of our new client onboarding paperwork, and we are glad to provide it in writing before you decide whether to work with us.

Read and download our signed Fiduciary Oath (PDF).

No. Tiverton Wealth is a fee-only firm, and we do not sell investment or insurance products for a commission.

A dually registered advisor may also be licensed as a broker and can receive commissions on certain product sales. Advisors can also hold separate insurance licenses and receive commissions on insurance products even when they are not registered as brokers.

Our structure means we do not receive commissions, sales incentives, or other product-based compensation. We are compensated directly by our clients for the planning and advisory services we provide.

Tiverton Wealth is 100% independently owned. We are not owned by, or affiliated with, a bank, insurance company, broker-dealer, or private equity group, and we have no plans to sell the firm.

Ownership matters because it shapes incentives. Ours is straightforward: we are paid by our clients, and our advice is not influenced by a parent company’s product lineup, sales targets, or growth expectations.

Financial credentials can be confusing, so it is worth understanding what they represent. Alex Bridges holds the CFP®, EA, ChFC®, and RICP® designations, and each is currently in good standing with its respective governing organization.

The CFP® (CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™) certification requires coursework across the major areas of financial planning, a comprehensive examination, an experience requirement, and ongoing continuing education and ethics standards. CFP® professionals are required to act as fiduciaries when providing financial advice.

The EA (Enrolled Agent) credential is granted by the IRS and represents federally authorized authority to represent taxpayers before the IRS. The ChFC® (Chartered Financial Consultant®) covers advanced financial planning coursework, and the RICP® (Retirement Income Certified Professional®) focuses specifically on retirement income planning.

You can verify Alex’s CFP® certification directly through CFP Board and see his Enrolled Agent listing in the NAEA directory. FINRA also publishes independent summaries of the ChFC® and RICP® requirements.

Credentials are one factor in evaluating a financial professional, but only one. Experience, communication, and the overall approach to planning matter as well. You can read more about each designation on our Our Designations page.

At Tiverton Wealth, I believe staying current on changes in tax laws, financial planning strategies, and investment research is one of the most important parts of being a financial advisor. Tax laws change, retirement planning strategies evolve, and new investment research comes out regularly. I want to make sure the advice I give my clients reflects the most current information available.

I’m Alex Bridges, founder of Tiverton Wealth in The Woodlands, Texas, and of its affiliated tax firm, Tiverton Tax, LLC. I hold four professional credentials, each with ongoing continuing education requirements:

• CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®): Currently requires 30 hours of continuing education every two years, including two hours focused on ethics. CFP Board has announced that the requirement will increase to 40 hours for renewal cycles that begin after its 2027 effective date.
• Enrolled Agent (EA): The IRS requires 72 hours of continuing education every three years, with at least 16 hours completed annually, including two hours of ethics each year. This education focuses on federal tax laws, tax updates, and professional responsibilities.
• Chartered Financial Consultant® (ChFC®): The American College of Financial Services requires 30 hours of continuing education every two years for client-facing professionals, including one hour of ethics, as part of its Professional Recertification Program.
• Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®): This designation is also maintained through The American College’s Professional Recertification Program, with the same 30-hour continuing education requirement every two years for client-facing professionals. The education helps maintain knowledge relevant to retirement income planning and financial advice.

Many approved continuing education courses can count toward multiple designations, but maintaining these credentials means I have an ongoing responsibility to continue learning.

I also believe continuing education should go well beyond what is required.

I regularly listen to industry podcasts, including Michael Kitces’ Financial Advisor Success Podcast, where financial advisors and industry professionals discuss planning strategies, research, technology, and ways to better serve clients. I also make an effort to follow developments in tax legislation, retirement planning, and investment management.

The goal isn’t simply to maintain my professional designations. It’s to continue improving as a financial planner and tax professional.

For my clients, that means I’m continually evaluating how changes in tax laws, retirement rules, and investment strategies could affect their financial plans. Whether it’s a new tax provision, a change to retirement account rules, or new research on retirement income, I want to understand what has changed and whether we should consider adjusting their plan.

My interest in financial planning started early, well before I entered the industry professionally. I earned my college degree in Personal Financial Planning and formally entered the financial services industry in January 2017.

Over the course of my career I have worked in a variety of environments, including large insurance-affiliated firms, wirehouses, and independent practices. Each provided a different perspective on how financial advice is structured, delivered, and paid for. Before founding Tiverton Wealth, I served as Chief Strategy Officer for a large advisory practice, where I gained insight into both the client experience and the operational side of the business.

By my own estimate, I have participated in roughly 5,000 client meetings. Today I work primarily with clients who are within about five years of retirement or already retired, along with self-employed professionals. Our focus is tax-efficient retirement planning: retirement income, taxes, investments, Social Security, Medicare, and estate coordination.

Those experiences led me to establish Tiverton Wealth as a fee-only registered investment adviser, compensated directly by clients rather than through product-based compensation.

You can also read feedback from current clients on our Fiduciary Check profile.

Tiverton Wealth is currently a Texas state-registered investment adviser, regulated by the Texas State Securities Board. Our firm CRD number is 339410.

You can independently verify our registration, review our Form ADV, and see other regulatory information through the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.

To go straight to our record, view Tiverton Wealth on Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (CRD 339410).

No. Neither the firm nor its principal has been the subject of a regulatory disciplinary action, a client arbitration, or a lawsuit.

You do not have to take our word for it. Regulatory and disciplinary history for any adviser is publicly available through the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website, and we encourage you to check ours — and the record of any advisor you are considering.

You can read reviews, though we do not share current clients’ names or contact information. We understand that choosing a financial advisor is a big decision, and we encourage you to do your research before deciding who to trust with your financial future.

Protecting our clients’ privacy and personal information is extremely important to us. For that reason, we don’t provide prospective clients with the names or contact information of our existing clients for references.

However, you can read reviews from clients who have chosen to share their experiences working with us. We feature client reviews on the homepage of our website, and you can also visit our profile on Fiduciary Check, a third-party platform that collects and verifies financial advisor reviews.

Read Tiverton Wealth Client Reviews on Fiduciary Check

These reviews can give you insight into what clients have experienced working with Alex Bridges and Tiverton Wealth, including our approach to financial planning, retirement planning, tax planning, investment management, and ongoing communication.

We encourage you to read those experiences, explore our website, and schedule an introductory conversation if you have additional questions.

Our goal is for you to feel comfortable and informed before making any decision about working with us.

Yes, and you do not need to ask. You can download our Form ADV Part 2A and Part 2B directly.

Form ADV describes our services, fee structure, business practices, conflicts of interest, disciplinary history, and professional background. It is also available at any time through the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure website.

That is an important question, particularly when working with a solo practitioner.

I have no plans to retire or sell the firm. That said, Tiverton Wealth maintains a continuity agreement with Wealth & Plan, another fee-only financial planning firm. If I were to become disabled or pass away, that agreement provides a process for another qualified adviser to step in so clients are not left without support.

That does not obligate you to continue with Wealth & Plan. You would still choose whether to work with them or select another adviser. They do not currently have access to your personal or financial information; the continuity agreement would first need to be activated, and any transition would be handled in accordance with the agreement and applicable privacy and regulatory requirements.

Your investment assets are also held at Charles Schwab, not at Tiverton Wealth. If you needed immediate access to your accounts, you could contact Schwab directly.

The first 90 days can vary depending on how you choose to work with us, but for most new clients it begins with a flat-fee financial planning engagement.

We start by gathering the information needed to understand your full financial picture: income, investments, taxes, insurance, retirement benefits, estate documents, and other relevant details. From there we build the plan, identify planning opportunities, and walk through our recommendations with you.

The goal in those first few months is to move from information gathering to a clear, actionable financial plan, so you understand where you stand, what needs attention, and what the next steps are.

Our Our Process page walks through each step in more detail.

For clients in our ongoing planning relationship, we generally hold two formal planning meetings each year — typically a mid-year check-in and an end-of-year review.

Many clients meet more often, often two to four times annually, depending on what is happening in their lives: job changes, major financial decisions, tax events, or market developments. Others prefer a single formal annual review. We tailor the cadence to your situation.

Planning also happens between meetings. We frequently make smaller updates or recommendations as circumstances change without scheduling a formal meeting, and clients are welcome to email questions as they arise.

We also reach out when we believe a conversation would be useful, based on changes in your situation or in broader financial and tax conditions.

Retirement planning doesn’t stop the day you retire. In many ways, that’s when some of the most important planning begins.

At Tiverton Wealth, we want to be involved in your financial life throughout the year, not just when it’s time to review your investments.

Every December, we conduct an annual tax planning review. We look at your income, investment gains, retirement account withdrawals, and potential tax planning opportunities before the year ends. This may include Roth conversions, charitable giving strategies, and making sure you are prepared for any required minimum distributions.

We also prepare your annual income tax return through our affiliated tax firm, Tiverton Tax, as part of eligible ongoing planning relationships. This allows us to connect the tax strategies we discuss throughout the year with the actual preparation of your return.

Throughout the year, we manage your investments, monitor your portfolio, and make adjustments when appropriate. We generally schedule two formal planning meetings each year to review your retirement income, spending, investments, taxes, and any changes in your life.

We can also help you review your home and auto insurance when your policies are up for renewal, evaluate healthcare and Medicare decisions, and coordinate with your estate attorney when changes are needed.

And of course, life doesn’t always happen on a schedule. If you’re thinking about buying a new house, helping a family member, making a large purchase, or have a question about your finances, we’re here to help you think through those decisions.

My goal is to give you one place to turn when you have a financial question, rather than having to figure everything out on your own.

You will work directly with me. Tiverton Wealth is intentionally structured to serve a limited number of clients so I can stay closely involved in each relationship and provide more in-depth planning.

I personally review your financial statements, tax returns, investment accounts, and other planning documents, and I handle the core analysis myself. That level of involvement matters, because it helps me understand the full picture and catch details that can be missed when too much of the planning process is delegated.

Some firms emphasize the size of their team. My approach is different: I want to know what is happening in each client’s financial life and remain directly accountable for the advice we provide.

The transition process is often more straightforward than many clients expect, though the experience can vary depending on the specific accounts and circumstances involved.

In most cases, account transfers are handled directly between your current custodian and Schwab. You may not need to communicate directly with your current advisor to complete the transfer, although in some situations it may be necessary. If you are paying a separate planning or retainer fee at your current firm, you may need to contact them directly to cancel that service.

Transfers typically take one to two weeks, depending on the type of account. Your current advisor or custodian may charge a transfer fee, which is often in the range of $50 to a few hundred dollars per account.

From a tax perspective, certain transfers — such as custodian-to-custodian IRA transfers — are generally not taxable when completed properly. For taxable accounts, we review the potential tax implications of existing holdings before making any recommendations, with the goal of helping clients make informed decisions.

All transfers require your authorization, and nothing moves without your approval. Throughout the process, we aim to provide guidance and support to help make the transition as smooth as possible.

That is a fair question, and one worth understanding.

Many clients who come to us are looking for a more comprehensive approach to financial planning. In some cases, they are seeking more frequent communication, greater clarity around fees, or a broader focus that extends beyond investment performance alone.

Tiverton Wealth is structured as a comprehensive planning practice. While investment management is an important component, we also focus on areas such as tax planning strategies, cash flow planning, retirement planning, and coordination with other professionals when appropriate.

Our goal is to provide advice tailored to each client’s individual goals, timeline, and circumstances, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all approach. We also work to provide transparency around fees and services, so clients understand what they are paying for and how we are compensated.

In certain cases, we coordinate with tax and estate planning professionals, or assist clients in organizing those areas as part of their overall financial plan.

Yes. We are glad to share a sample plan so you can see the level of detail and the types of recommendations we provide. You can view one here.

Every situation is different, so the sample is illustrative only and does not represent a recommendation, projection, or guarantee of results. Your actual plan would be built around your goals, income, tax situation, investments, retirement needs, insurance coverage, estate planning, and other relevant factors.

One example was a client who was convinced that Bitcoin needed to be a meaningful part of his portfolio around the time spot Bitcoin ETFs were becoming available. I did not believe it belonged as a core holding in his retirement portfolio, so I told him no.

My job is not to agree with every idea a client brings me. It is to give advice based on the role an investment should play in the broader plan, the risks involved, and whether it actually improves the probability of reaching that client’s goals.

There have been plenty of other situations where I recommended against a strategy a client wanted to pursue. Sometimes the most valuable advice is simply saying “I don’t think this is a good idea,” and explaining why.

This example describes one client’s circumstances and is not a recommendation for or against any particular investment. What is appropriate depends on the individual situation.

If you decide you no longer want to work with us, let us know in writing. We will stop future billing, terminate our advisory access to your accounts, and work to make the transition as clean as possible.

If you cancel in the middle of a billing period, fees are generally prorated for that period based on the terms of your advisory agreement.

There is no separate termination fee for ending the relationship. The exact timing depends on what services are being transitioned, but we work to remove our access and complete the termination promptly.

We believe investments should support your financial plan, not the other way around.

Our approach generally focuses on building diversified portfolios using low-cost investments, primarily exchange-traded funds, or ETFs. We look at your retirement timeline, income needs, risk tolerance, and tax situation before determining how your money should be invested.

We are not trying to predict which stock or sector will outperform next year. Instead, we focus on building a portfolio that gives you exposure to different parts of the market while managing risk and keeping investment expenses in mind.

As you approach retirement, we also pay close attention to how much of your portfolio may be needed for income in the coming years. That can influence how we balance stocks, bonds, cash, and other investments.

We review portfolios and make adjustments when appropriate, but we do not believe making frequent changes simply because the market moves is a sound investment strategy.

Every portfolio carries risk, and diversification does not eliminate the possibility of losses. Our goal is to build an investment strategy that makes sense for your financial situation and helps support your long-term goals.

We do not believe every investment belongs in every type of account.

Different accounts have different tax rules, and where you hold an investment can sometimes be just as important as which investment you own. This is commonly called asset location.

For example, certain investments that generate a significant amount of taxable income may be better suited for retirement accounts, while more tax-efficient investments may make sense in a taxable brokerage account.

We also look at how Roth accounts fit into your long-term retirement and estate planning strategy, since qualified Roth withdrawals can be tax-free.

Our approach is to look at your investments across all of your accounts rather than treating each account as a separate portfolio.

The goal is to build an appropriate overall investment allocation while being mindful of taxes, investment costs, withdrawal needs, and your long-term financial plan.

Your investment assets are held at Charles Schwab, not by Tiverton Wealth. Tiverton does not physically hold client securities or funds. For regulatory purposes, Tiverton may be deemed to have limited custody solely because of its authority to deduct authorized advisory fees from certain client accounts.

Schwab is a registered broker-dealer and member of SIPC. SIPC provides limited protection against the loss of securities in the event of firm insolvency, but it does not protect against market losses.

You receive account statements directly from Schwab, in addition to any reporting we provide, so you can review your accounts independently at any time.

No. Tiverton Wealth does not manufacture, own, or offer proprietary investment funds or products.

When we recommend investments, we primarily use third-party vehicles such as ETFs, including funds from providers like BlackRock’s iShares. That allows us to build diversified portfolios using widely available, low-cost investments without having a financial incentive to recommend something we own or manufacture.

We are not limited to a proprietary product lineup and can recommend investments from a broad range of third-party providers based on what we believe is appropriate for each client.

In practice, we often favor investments that can be purchased without transaction fees at Charles Schwab, because we want to keep client costs as low as reasonably possible. Schwab’s no-transaction-fee platform is broad and includes many of the ETFs we commonly use.

Our focus is on finding investments that fit your financial plan, risk profile, tax situation, and overall goals, while remaining mindful of cost and implementation.

Tax preparation looks at what happened last year. Tax planning looks at what we can do today to potentially save you money on taxes in the future.

Both are important, but they serve different purposes. Preparing your return makes sure your income, deductions, and other tax information are reported correctly. Tax planning helps us make decisions throughout the year that could improve your overall tax situation.

At Tiverton Wealth, we believe the two should work together. There is not much value in developing a tax strategy if it never gets carried through to your actual tax return. That is why we coordinate financial planning and tax preparation through Tiverton Wealth and our affiliated tax firm, Tiverton Tax.

Yes, tax return preparation is available through our affiliated firm, Tiverton Tax, LLC.

One of the reasons we created Tiverton Wealth and Tiverton Tax was to bring financial planning and tax preparation together. We often see advisors recommend tax strategies throughout the year, only to send their clients somewhere else when it is time to prepare the actual return.

We wanted a more coordinated approach.

For eligible clients in our ongoing planning relationship, annual income tax return preparation is included in their agreed-upon services. Tax preparation is provided through Tiverton Tax, LLC, a separate affiliated business, under its own engagement agreement.

You are never required to use Tiverton Tax and are welcome to work with another tax professional if you prefer. Our goal is to make sure your financial planning and tax preparation are working together, regardless of who prepares your return.

Yes. This is one of the things that makes our process different. For clients in our ongoing subscription plan, we do not just review your tax return — we prepare and file it for you each year.

Because we are directly involved in the preparation process, we have a detailed view of your income, deductions, capital gains, retirement distributions, and other tax items. That gives us the opportunity to identify planning strategies throughout the year rather than waiting until tax season.

The goal is to connect tax preparation with proactive financial planning, so we can look for opportunities to reduce taxes over time rather than simply filing the return and moving on.

Our goal is not simply to reduce your taxes this year. It is to look for opportunities to reduce the total amount of taxes you may pay throughout retirement.

We look at where your retirement income will come from, which accounts you should withdraw from, when Roth conversions might make sense, and how Social Security and Required Minimum Distributions could affect your taxes.

Sometimes that means intentionally paying more taxes today to potentially pay less in the future. Other times, it means spreading income across multiple years to avoid unnecessarily high tax brackets.

There is no single tax strategy that works for everyone. We build recommendations around your individual situation and revisit them as your income, investments, and tax laws change. While we cannot guarantee tax savings, we believe taxes should be considered in nearly every major retirement decision.

Yes. Tax planning is a core part of what we do, and Roth conversions and RMDs are often major planning considerations in retirement.

We first project your future RMDs to see whether they could create a tax problem later in retirement. If so, we evaluate strategies that may help reduce that impact, such as Roth conversions, Qualified Charitable Distributions, and other tax planning opportunities.

We also perform an annual Roth conversion analysis to determine whether converting part of your IRA makes sense that year and, if so, how much may be appropriate.

The goal is to balance your current tax bill against your long-term tax picture, and to look for opportunities to reduce taxes over your lifetime rather than in a single year.

We start by looking at your current tax situation and comparing it with what your taxes might look like later in retirement.

A Roth conversion generally means moving money from a traditional retirement account into a Roth IRA and paying income taxes on the taxable amount converted today. In exchange, future qualified Roth IRA withdrawals can be tax-free.

Each year, we review your projected income, tax brackets, future Required Minimum Distributions, Medicare premiums, and other factors to determine whether a conversion makes sense.

For some clients, converting enough to fill a certain tax bracket may be appropriate. For others, a smaller conversion or no conversion at all may be the better decision.

We also consider where the money to pay the conversion taxes will come from. The goal is not to convert as much as possible. It is to determine whether converting today could put you in a better financial position over time.

State and local taxes can be an important part of a relocation decision, and we look beyond the headline income tax rate.

For example, Texas has no state individual income tax, but property taxes can be relatively high. Another state may have an income tax and significantly lower property taxes. Depending on your retirement income, home value, and spending needs, the total tax cost could still be lower after a move.

If you are considering relocating, we can compare the states side by side using the tax rules in effect at that time — state income taxes, property taxes, how retirement income is taxed, and other relevant costs — to estimate the overall impact on your plan.

The goal is not to find the state with the lowest income tax rate. It is to understand what the move would mean for your total financial picture.

We start by looking at what you have saved, what you own, what you owe, and how much money you need to live comfortably in retirement. From there, we dig into your spending habits, retirement goals, income sources, and overall tolerance for investment risk.

Once we understand your financial picture, we build a retirement plan that helps you see how different decisions could affect your future. We look at things like when to claim Social Security, how to withdraw money from your retirement accounts, how taxes could change, what healthcare might cost, and how your investments could hold up during a market downturn.

We also run different scenarios. What happens if you retire a year earlier? What if you spend more on travel? What if the stock market has a few bad years right after you stop working? What if you live longer than expected?

My goal is not simply to tell you whether you can retire. I want you to understand the pros and cons of the decisions ahead of you so that when you do retire, you feel confident about the plan and know what to expect.

The biggest reason I would recommend delaying retirement is simple. If the numbers don’t support the lifestyle you want, we need to have that conversation.

My job is not to tell you what you want to hear. It’s to help you make good decisions, even when those decisions might not be what you were hoping for.

Sometimes delaying retirement doesn’t mean working another five years. I’ve had situations where waiting just three months made sense because someone had a bonus coming in March. If you can work a few extra months, collect that bonus, and put yourself in a better financial position, why wouldn’t we at least consider it?

Other times, we might look at working part-time, adjusting your spending, paying off certain debts, or changing the timing of Social Security. There are usually several options worth exploring before we decide that retirement needs to be pushed back.

But there is another side of retirement planning that I think gets overlooked. What are you actually going to do when you retire?

I don’t particularly care what the answer is. You might want to travel, play golf, volunteer, spend more time with your grandchildren, start a small business, or just spend more time doing the things you enjoy. But I do think it’s important to have something you’re looking forward to.

I’ve seen people retire with plenty of money but without much of a plan for how they’re going to spend their time. After a few months, they start to realize that retirement isn’t quite what they expected.

That’s why I believe a good retirement plan needs to address more than just your investments and income. We need to make sure you’re financially prepared, but I also want you to have a reason to get out of bed in the morning and enjoy the retirement you’ve worked for.

One of the first things we look at is how all your different income sources will affect your taxes. Social Security, pensions, traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, and taxable investment accounts can all be taxed differently. The order in which you use them can make a big difference over the course of retirement.

We also look at your life expectancy, family history, health, spending needs, and whether you are married. All of these things help us decide when it makes sense to start certain income sources and which accounts we should draw from first.

Social Security is a great example. I don’t believe everyone should automatically wait until age 70 to claim benefits. Sometimes waiting makes sense, especially when we are trying to maximize a surviving spouse’s future benefit. Other times, claiming earlier can be the better choice based on your health, other income sources, taxes, and overall retirement plan.

The same thought process applies to pensions and retirement accounts. Should you take a lump sum or monthly pension if both are available? Should we withdraw from your IRA or taxable investments first? Would a Roth conversion today help reduce taxes later? How will required minimum distributions affect your income?

We look at all these decisions together rather than treating each account separately. The goal is to create a retirement income plan that supports your lifestyle, manages taxes over time, and adapts as your needs change.

When you retire, the goal is not just to generate enough income. It is to make sure you have enough money available to actually spend after taxes.

We start by understanding how much you want to spend each month and identifying your available income sources, including Social Security, pensions, investments, and retirement accounts.

From there, we look at which accounts to withdraw from and when. Taking money from a traditional IRA, a Roth IRA, or a taxable investment account can have very different tax consequences.

We also consider how those decisions could affect your Social Security benefits, Medicare premiums, and taxes later in retirement.

The result is a retirement income strategy designed around your spending needs, tax situation, and long-term goals. We continue reviewing that strategy throughout retirement because your needs and tax circumstances will change.

We like clients to have tax diversification across pre-tax, Roth, and after-tax accounts, because it gives us more flexibility when creating retirement income.

In many cases we look to balance withdrawals from pre-tax and after-tax accounts in a way that helps manage your tax bracket each year. We often try to preserve Roth assets for later, because qualified Roth withdrawals are tax-free and those accounts can be especially valuable later in retirement.

That said, there is no single withdrawal order that works for everyone. Each year we look at income needs, tax bracket, capital gains, RMDs, Social Security, Medicare IRMAA exposure, and the long-term tax picture to determine which accounts should be used and in what order.

We look at several factors when helping a client decide when to claim Social Security. You may read that waiting until age 70 is always the best strategy. Sometimes it is, but not in every case.

The right claiming age can depend on life expectancy, marital status, retirement income needs, taxes, portfolio size, and how much you may need to withdraw from investments before Social Security begins.

We model different claiming and withdrawal strategies, show you how the options compare, and then make a recommendation based on what we believe best fits your overall retirement plan.

Retirement is a major financial transition, so we start by understanding how much you actually want and need to spend each year. From there we model whether your portfolio and other income sources can support that lifestyle over time, including the impact of inflation.

If the initial plan does not look sustainable, we evaluate what adjustments may help. That could include changing the timing or amount of withdrawals, adjusting the investment strategy, increasing income from interest or dividends where appropriate, or revisiting other parts of the retirement plan.

There are general rules of thumb, such as the 4% withdrawal rule, but we do not believe one percentage works for everyone. A sustainable withdrawal rate should reflect your specific spending needs, age, portfolio, income sources, taxes, time horizon, and goals.

No planning process can guarantee that assets will last for any particular period. Modeling is based on assumptions that will change over time, which is why we revisit the plan regularly.

When we build a retirement plan, we have to make assumptions about how long you might live, how much your investments could earn, how inflation may affect your spending, and what unexpected expenses could come up.

As a starting point, we generally plan through age 90 for men and age 95 for women. Those are planning assumptions, not predictions about how long someone will live. If you have a family history of living into your late 90s or beyond, we may extend those ages. We also consider your current health, your spouse’s age, and other circumstances that could affect the plan.

We don’t assume the stock market will go up by the same amount every year. Markets have good years and bad years, and the timing of those returns matters, especially when you’re withdrawing money in retirement. We use different market scenarios to help understand how your plan might hold up.

We also account for inflation because $10,000 a month today will not buy the same amount 20 years from now. Some expenses may increase faster than others, particularly healthcare.

No financial plan can predict the future perfectly. That’s why I believe retirement planning should be an ongoing process. We review your plan regularly, update our assumptions as your life changes, and make adjustments when needed rather than assuming a plan we built today will still be the right plan years from now.

One of the biggest challenges in retirement is making sure your money can support you for the rest of your life, especially when the cost of living continues to rise.

We build inflation assumptions into your retirement plan so we can estimate how your expenses may increase over time. We also run retirement projections using different market return scenarios to see how your plan might hold up under both favorable and unfavorable conditions.

If the initial results show that your spending may be difficult to sustain, we look at possible adjustments. That could mean changing your investment allocation, adjusting when you claim Social Security, or building some flexibility into your spending.

We also review the plan as you move through retirement. A plan that looks appropriate at age 65 may need adjustments at age 75.

No financial plan can eliminate the risk of running out of money or guarantee future investment results. Our goal is to help you understand those risks, prepare for them, and make informed decisions as your circumstances change.

We start by understanding exactly how the pension works, including the lump sum value, the monthly income options, survivor benefits, cost-of-living adjustments, and the age at which payments begin.

From there we compare the pension to the alternatives. That includes your risk tolerance, life expectancy, other retirement income, tax situation, and whether you place more value on guaranteed income or on flexibility and control over the assets.

If a lump sum option is available, we may also compare the pension’s implied payout to what could potentially be created with other retirement income strategies, including commercially available annuities.

The goal is not simply to choose the option with the highest initial payout. It is to determine which choice provides the best combination of income, flexibility, survivor protection, and long-term value within your retirement plan.

A major market decline right around retirement is one of the biggest risks we plan for, because taking withdrawals while a portfolio is down can do lasting damage to a retirement plan.

The goal is to prepare for that risk before retirement begins. In the years leading up to it, we generally start reducing the risk tied to money you may need in the near term. That does not mean moving everything to cash. It means building a portfolio with enough liquidity, fixed income, and lower-volatility assets that you are not forced to sell stocks after a major decline just to fund your lifestyle.

If the stock market falls 30%, a diversified retirement portfolio would not necessarily fall by the same amount. We also model retirement plans under poor market conditions so we can see how much flexibility the plan has before a downturn ever happens.

If a significant decline does occur, we reassess withdrawals, cash reserves, portfolio positioning, and discretionary spending to determine whether adjustments are needed. The objective is to give the portfolio time to recover rather than being forced to sell depressed investments at the worst possible time.

All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss.

This is something we believe every married couple should consider before retirement, not after one spouse passes away.

When a spouse passes away, the surviving spouse may lose part of the household’s Social Security or pension income. At the same time, many household expenses do not decrease by the same amount.

Taxes can also change significantly. The surviving spouse may eventually file taxes as a single taxpayer instead of married filing jointly, which can result in higher tax rates on the same amount of taxable income. Medicare premiums can also be affected.

We look at these possibilities when building your retirement plan and evaluate whether the surviving spouse would still have enough income to maintain their lifestyle.

We also review beneficiary designations, life insurance, pension survivor options, and estate planning considerations. The goal is to help both spouses understand what their financial situation could look like if one of them is no longer there.

Yes. Medicare premiums are an important part of our retirement and tax planning process.

Many retirees are surprised to learn that their Medicare Part B and Part D costs can increase based on their income. These additional charges are called Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amounts, or IRMAA.

Medicare generally uses tax return information from two years earlier to determine whether these additional premiums apply. That means decisions involving Roth conversions, capital gains, or retirement withdrawals today could affect your Medicare costs in the future.

We review these potential costs when evaluating tax strategies and look for opportunities to manage your taxable income when appropriate.

We can also help you evaluate whether you qualify to request a reduction in IRMAA after certain life changes, such as retirement or the death of a spouse, using Social Security’s appeal process.

Not every additional Medicare premium can or should be avoided. Our goal is to understand the costs before making a decision rather than being surprised by them later.

We monitor IRMAA proactively, because retirement income decisions can directly affect Medicare premiums. Roth conversions, capital gains, pension income, and other sources of income can all push a client into a higher IRMAA bracket.

In some cases, IRMAA can be reduced or avoided through careful tax and income planning. In others, a client simply needs a certain level of income to support their lifestyle, which makes a higher Medicare premium unavoidable.

Our goal is to understand the impact in advance, evaluate whether there are ways to manage it, and make sure any additional Medicare cost is built into the overall retirement plan.

Healthcare is one of the expenses we believe should be addressed before someone retires.

We start by understanding your current coverage, when you expect to retire, and how you plan to pay for health insurance before and after becoming eligible for Medicare.

We then include estimated premiums, out-of-pocket medical expenses, and healthcare inflation in your retirement projections.

Long-term care is another important consideration. We discuss what could happen if you or your spouse eventually need help with daily activities, whether at home, in an assisted living facility, or in a nursing home.

Depending on your financial situation, we may evaluate whether it makes sense to self-fund those costs, consider long-term care insurance, or use a combination of strategies.

We do not believe everyone needs to purchase long-term care insurance. What matters is understanding the financial risk and making an informed decision about how you want to handle it.

Estate planning is a major part of what we do. We help clients balance enjoying retirement today with being intentional about what they may eventually leave behind.

Every client has a different goal. Some want to spend down most of their assets during their lifetime; others want to leave a specific amount to children, grandchildren, charities, or other beneficiaries.

We incorporate those goals into the financial plan and coordinate around estate documents, beneficiary designations, gifting strategies, tax considerations, and the overall structure of the estate. We do not draft legal documents, but we work alongside your attorney so the plan and the documents stay aligned.

The goal is to help you use your money in a way that supports the life you want to live while also creating the legacy that matters to you.

If you are charitably inclined and have money in a traditional IRA, a Qualified Charitable Distribution, or QCD, may be a useful tax planning strategy.

Once you reach age 70½, IRS rules generally allow you to make eligible charitable contributions directly from your IRA to a qualifying charity without including the qualifying distribution in your taxable income.

For example, if you normally donate to a charity each year, it may make more sense to give directly from your IRA rather than withdrawing the money, paying taxes on the distribution, and then making the donation.

A QCD can also count toward your Required Minimum Distribution for the year, if you are required to take one. This can be particularly valuable for retirees who do not itemize deductions.

We review charitable giving as part of your overall tax and retirement strategy to determine whether a QCD could be beneficial.

There are specific IRS requirements, including rules about eligible charities and how the funds must be transferred. You also cannot claim a separate charitable deduction for an amount excluded from income as a QCD. We help evaluate those requirements before recommending a distribution.