Financial Planning
No asset management fees. No commissions. No products to sell.
Let us help reduce the taxes you’ll pay in retirement.
From a Fiduciary firm that’s only focused on what’s
best for YOU.
Minimize your total lifetime income taxes
Avoid taxation of future deferred compounded growth
Minimize or eliminate required minimum distributions
Possibly reduce your Medicare premiums
WHAT MAKES US DIFFERENT
Why choose Q3 Advisors?
We take Fiduciary to the
next level.
Our advisors are Certified Financial Planners® and seasoned experts. We’re all Fiduciaries focused on ONLY what’s best for YOU.
We make sure ALL of your
finances are working together.
Our custom comprehensive plans cover your entire financial picture and ensure all of the pieces are working in harmony toward your financial goals.
We don’t sell
financial products.
There are no conflicts of interest here. We don’t earn commissions and we don’t sell products. Our recommendations are based purely on what’s best for YOU.
Does This Sound Familiar?
Worried you’re not
on track?
Are you SURE you’re in the best position possible to achieve your financial goals?
We’ll help you evaluate where you are now, and develop a plan to get you to where you want to be.
Looking for an unbiased
expert for guidance?
You don’t want to work with someone concentrated on meeting quotas or selling products.
All of our advisors are experienced Certified Financial Planners® with only one concern: YOU.
Want to make sure you’re not
missing opportunities?
It’s hard to see the full picture from inside. And if you’re not a financial expert, you may be missing opportunities.
We’ll help you evaluate your options and choose the best strategies to reach your financial goals.
I used the financial planning services from Craig Wear and his team and am very happy with the plans and results provided…My overall expectation is that this plan will provide me and my wife with a better financial outcome in the coming years. The overall planning process was very simple and easy to execute on from the customer perspective and would recommend it to anyone thinking of utilizing this planning activity.
Ready to get the answers to the questions that keep you up at night?
- Find out if you’re a good fit
- Learn how it works
- Ask us anything
A PAINLESS PROCESS
Working with us: What to Expect
Discovery Consult
We’ll explain how it works and answer any questions you might have. We’ll get to know a little about your situation to determine if you’re a good candidate for our Roth conversion services.
Data Gathering
We’ll dig in to better understand your financial situation and retirement objectives.
Preliminary Analysis
After spending several hours in analysis, your Certified Financial Planner® will present their initial ideas and recommendations that form the framework of your plan.
Personalized Financial Plan
Once an optimal strategy has been crafted, your CFP® will finalize your custom plan – including the steps needed to succeed.
Implementation
Your CFP® will offer recommendations and assistance with completing the steps needed to put your personalized game plan into action.
Services
Investment Portfolio Evaluation
To provide the client with objective, unbiased and meaningful input regarding their existing investment portfolio’s performance, management and fee structure. And to give them actionable steps if changes are needed to provide for their future, reduce risk or mitigate fees.
Retirement Planning
To aid clients in understanding the trade offs they can make with their retirement time horizon, by illustrating the impact of various levers like annual expenses, the timing of income streams, and changes in assumed investment returns. Q3 aims to help clients feel educated about their retirement options, so they can make suitable decisions based on the life they want to live.
Tax Planning
To help clients minimize current and future tax liabilities while optimizing their financial plan. By integrating tax-efficient approaches into overall financial strategies, Q3 ensures clients retain more of their wealth, achieve sustainable cash flow, and
position their assets to support both short- and long-term goals.
Estate Planning
To provide a detailed analysis of your current plan, ensure readiness for potential scenarios, and address tax implications related to your estate. Create a robust and efficient estate strategy while safeguarding their legacy and minimizing complications for their loved ones. Address key components of estate planning, Q3 ensures that clients are well-prepared to safeguard their legacy and minimize complications for their loved ones.
Employee Benefits Optimization
To assist clients in understanding how best to optimize their available benefits while working, to support their overall goals. By educating clients on their benefits, our aim is to provide clients with the knowledge necessary to make the most suitable decisions to best utilize available resources.
Risk Management
To evaluate the potential risks to your savings and assets and to determine whether or not the Client is insured properly or over or under insured. And to evaluate whether it makes sense to self
insure various risks.
Gifting Strategies: Charitable and Other
To help clients imagine what is possible for them to make a difference in the lives of their family and others. Whether it be causes they care about or people they want to help, giving strategies should be woven into the fabric of a coordinated plan. We want to help our clients formalize their thoughts and actions around giving in ways that are most financially and tax advantageous.
Investment Portfolio Evaluation
Evaluate overall required ROI for lifestyle needs and wants
- Basic planning projections
- Alternative ROl scenarios
- Monte Carlo
Present comparative models
- Vanguard standard models
- Various stock indices
Analyze existing portfolio
- Risk Tolerance consistency
- Asset allocation and tax efficiency analysis
- Manager’s effectiveness
- Fee impact
- Use alternate standard models to compare
Make macro recommendations
- Is the manager adding value?
- Are you getting value for the fees paid?
- What will be the impact of fees on future values?
- Is the overall strategy in line with your stated needs wants?
Retirement Planning
Big-Picture Retirement Dreaming
- What variables should we plan for: target age, target spending, lifestyle expenses, gifting, LTC, etc.
- Review health of portfolio based on Dream scenario
- Provide alternative scenarios if necessary or possible
Optimization decisions
- Social Security / pension timing
- How various levels of risk/reward impact portfolio sustainability
Education
- How will Medicare and Long Term Care impact your plan
- Pros and cons of different drawdown strategies
- What tax implications to consider
Tax Planning
Post-Retirement Impact of Spending and Tax
- Analyze how different spending levels in retirement affect your overall tax liability and available income, both in the current tax year and for the life of your financial plan.
- Evaluate the tax impact of withdrawing funds from taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts.
- Address potential tax liabilities from non-qualified investments, including capital gains taxes on mutual funds and dividends, and explore strategies to reduce high interest on cash holdings or maximize tax efficiency in asset allocation.
Cash Flow Analysis
- Assess your income sources, such as pensions, Social Security, and investments, to create a clear picture of cash flow. We want to make sure your retirement has the proper liquidity.
- Identify opportunities to reallocate spending or adjust income sources for greater tax efficiency.
- Implement a bucket strategy to segment your assets into short-term, mid-term, and long-term needs, ensuring liquidity for immediate expenses while preserving long-term growth potential.
- Develop a proper cash management strategy to ensure there is a plan for large (expected & unexpected), one-time expenses by incorporating them into your financial plan to minimize tax surprises and maintain cash flow stability.
Roth Conversion Analysis (for clients with less than $750,000 of total pre-tax funds; IRAs, 401ks, etc…)
- Provide tailored Roth conversion strategies using our proprietary analysis to optimize lifetime tax savings based on your current and projected tax brackets.
- Evaluate the impact of Roth conversions on your Medicare premiums (IRMAA) and other income-based costs.
- Model multiple scenarios to determine the most tax-efficient timing and amounts for Roth conversions.
- Recommend ways to fund the taxes on conversions to minimize the impact on your overall financial plan.
Estate Planning
Current Estate Plan Analysis and Probate Implications
- Assess the adequacy of your existing estate plan, including reviewing wills, trusts, and other legal documents.
- Discuss the potential implications of probate and strategies to minimize delays and administrative burdens for heirs.
- Provide an overview of how your estate assets are likely to be distributed under the current plan, with a focus on identifying gaps or potential risks.
Essential Estate Document Checklist and Beneficiary Check
- Provide a comprehensive checklist of critical estate documents, including wills, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and living wills.
- Ensure that all beneficiary designations on financial accounts, retirement accounts, and insurance policies are accurate and aligned with your wishes.
- Discuss and evaluate the importance of naming contingent beneficiaries and updating designations as life circumstances change.
Tax and Fee Analysis + Free Consultation with Executor
- Offer a complimentary consultation with your chosen executor to ensure they understand their responsibilities and are prepared to handle your estate efficiently.
- Analyze potential estate taxes and administrative fees, offering strategies to reduce costs where possible.
- Collaborate with estate attorneys or other professionals to align your plan with state-specific regulations and ensure smooth execution.
Employee Benefits Optimization
Insurance options
- Health insurance plan comparison
- Analysis of life and disability insurance coverage
Equity compensation
- Review and education of stock options
- Discussion around how to implement that value into your plan, based on your goals
- High-level tax considerations
Retirement plan optimization
- Based on available programs and plans, how should you maximize your benefits to support retirement
- Small business owners – what types of plans make the most sense for your business?
Risk Management
LTC needs / recommendations
- Assess risk of LTC event on overall plan, and determine proper steps to mitigate risk
Life Insurance
- Analyze existing policies to determine benefits of maintaining coverage or adding coverage where appropriate
PC review (limits, umbrella, deductibles)
- Ensure coverage is sufficient for assets
- Determine if premium paid is worth the current coverage in comparison to state averages
Gifting Strategies: Charitable and Other
Determine giving capacity and learn about your goals for giving
- Protect longevity of your retirement
- Assess your priorities in giving
Evaluate assets available for giving
- Consider different cost bases
- Analyze tax impact of various asset classes
Present giving alternatives
- Affirm amounts desired as feasible
- Recommend any particular strategies that will help accomplish your personal and financial objectives
- Recommend assets to consider for gifting
Illustrate projected outcomes of giving
- See impact on income taxes and net worth
- See any estate impact
Assist with implementation of the giving plan
What Does It Cost?
When it comes to financial planning, a comprehensive approach ensures that every aspect of your financial life is aligned with your long-term goals. Rather than focusing on just one or two areas, our all-inclusive planning service provides a holistic review and strategy tailored to your unique situation. With this approach, we address tax strategies, retirement planning, estate considerations, and more—giving you confidence that every detail is optimized for your financial future.
Client Setup Fee
$3,500 to $6,000- This is a one-time fee for your initial analysis, comprehensive financial plan, and integration into our system.
- Clients who have been through our Roth Conversion services will likely have this fee waived unless their situations have dramatically changed.
Quarterly Planning Fee
$750 to $3,000+ per quarter- This is a ongoing fee for your initial analysis, comprehensive financial plan, and quarterly check-in meetings.
- Fees will be quoted based on complexity and time needed to adequately address the issues you desire assistance with.
- Save 25% on your ongoing planning fees when you choose to pay annually rather than quarterly.
Sometimes you don’t need everything reviewed and updated when it comes to your financial planning. Often, you just need some help with one, or a few parts of your plan. We’ve segmented planning into ‘Modules’ to allow you to just get information in the areas which are of most concern at the time. These are short term ‘projects’ where you get the advice you need in as short a time as possible.
Client Setup Fee
$2,000- This is a one-time fee for your initial analysis, comprehensive financial plan, and integration into our system.
- Clients who have been through our Roth Conversion services will likely have this fee waived unless their situations have dramatically changed.
First Module
$2,000- This is a one-time fee for your initial analysis, development of the plan, and subsequent meetings until the engagement is complete.
- Our Modules are as follows, Investment Portfolio Evaluation, Retirement Planning, Tax Planning, Estate Planning, Employee Benefits Optimization, Risk Management, and Gifting Strategies.
Each Additional (When Purchased At The Same Time)
$1,500Craig offered eye-opening information that was presented clearly and concisely. While all the “conventional wisdom” was pointing one way, Craig’s analysis clearly showed it was wrong. His straightforward plan will pay for itself a zillion times over in the tax savings generated.
We Can Help You Answer:
Am I on track for my
retirement goals?
Do I have the right insurance coverage?
Is my investment strategy optimized for my situation?
Will my family be okay if I pass unexpectedly?
Am I leaving the largest legacy possible?
How can I avoid higher taxes in retirement?
Am I making the best financial decisions?
Can I maintain my lifestyle through retirement?
Should I convert my IRAs to Roth IRAs?
Can I afford a second home or RV?
How much can I give to charity?
Can I send my grandchildren to college?
These are just SOME of the questions we answer.
FAQs
Financial Planning FAQs
Do you manage investments?
Nope. No way, don’t want to.
Craig did that for more than thirty years; and most of our team have been on that side of the industry in the past. But each of us have chosen this field because we ‘love’ planning and strategy. We have all gotten soured by the industry measuring our success by the amount of money we could ‘gather’.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing that. We really need great investment advisors, but it’s not our bag.
Do you sell products?
Nope. No way, don’t want to.
Craig did that for more than thirty years; and most of our team have been on that side of the industry in the past. But each of us have chosen this field because we ‘love’ planning and strategy. We have all gotten soured by the industry measuring our success by the amount of products we could sell.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing that. We really need great investment advisors, but it’s not our bag.
How does your firm make money?
Our firm operates on a transparent and straightforward fee structure. We charge a flat rate for our financial planning services, which covers a wide range of offerings tailored to meet your needs. Whether you are seeking a Roth conversion strategy or ongoing financial planning, our services are designed to provide you with the guidance and support necessary to achieve your financial goals. By eliminating commissions and hidden fees, we ensure our interests align with yours, focusing solely on delivering value and results for your financial well-being.
Are you a fiduciary?
Absolutely! In fact, we take our responsibility in that role as far as we know how. We don’t sell any financial products, nor do we manage investment portfolios. We’ve found that those activities, while still allowed by the regulators, provide too much incentive to give slanted advice.
We want you at the center of our advice; we like to refer to our role as being a ‘fid-YOU-ciary’.
What makes you different?
We like to think that we are not a typical know-it-all financial type, but that’s probably not our most endearing differentiation. Roth conversion and comprehensive financial planning are the only things we do. We eat, breathe and sleep ‘strategy’.
We serve one financial master; you. We don’t earn ongoing fees, whether your portfolio is up or down; nor do insurance companies pay us commissions to send business to them.
Ready to get the answers to the questions that keep you up at night?
- Find out if you’re a good fit
- Learn how it works
- Ask us anything
Combining a lifetime of experience as a financial advisor and carefully developed proprietary software, Craig Wear puts together all of the extremely complicated moving parts of issues related to Roth conversions…I now have a much better understanding both of how to think about these issues and exactly what to do ….and just as importantly, what NOT to do.