Getting a Second Opinion on Your Financial Plan
You have a plan, or something that works like one. What you don't have is anyone outside of it telling you whether it holds up.
A second opinion from a financial advisor is an independent review of your retirement plan by someone who isn't managing it. Here's what a real one involves, what it should cost, and how to tell whether you need one.
Why people ask for one
You've had the same advisor for years and nobody else has ever looked. That's not a complaint. It's just that a plan nobody has questioned is a plan nobody has tested.
There's a decision coming that's hard to undo. When to claim Social Security. Pension or lump sum. Whether to pay off the house. These aren't reversible, and most people would rather not make them alone.
Something feels off and you can't name it. You're getting statements and returns but nobody's answered what you can actually spend. That's a common gap, and it's usually not a sign anything is wrong — just that nobody's done that part.
You built it yourself and you'd like someone to check the assumptions. You've done the reading. You'd still rather not be the only person who's looked at it.
None of these mean you're in trouble. Most of the plans we review are in reasonable shape.
What usually gets called a second opinion
A fifteen-minute call. Someone glances at a statement, makes a few observations about your allocation, mentions a fee you might not know you're paying, and asks when you'd like to get started.
It's not dishonest. It's just not an analysis. Nobody can look at a statement and tell you whether your retirement works, because the statement doesn't contain the information that determines the answer — what you plan to spend, when you're claiming, what your tax picture looks like in nine years, what happens if one of you dies first.
A second opinion worth having takes a couple of meetings and actual modeling. Anything faster is a sales call with a nicer name.
What a real second opinion looks at
Income. Where the paycheck comes from once the paycheck stops — and how much of it can be counted on regardless of what the market does.
Taxes. Which account you draw from first, whether conversions make sense and when, and how a withdrawal today changes your Medicare premium two years from now. This is where most plans have the most room.
A bad start. Your plan probably assumes an average return. Retirements don't deliver averages, and a rough first five years does damage a good average never undoes. We run yours against that.
Fees. What you're paying, all in — advisory fee, fund expenses, anything embedded in a product you own. Often the number is higher than people expect, and occasionally it's fine.
What's missing. Survivor income, beneficiary designations, the long-term care question, whether your estate documents match what you actually own.
The decisions in front of you. Whatever brought you here in the first place, answered.
Two ways this works
Which one applies to you depends on a single question: are you working with an advisor right now?
If you have an advisor — it's free
Two meetings, the full analysis above, and a straight answer at the end.
It's free because we're also using it to figure out whether we'd be a good fit for each other. You get an independent read on your plan; we get to know you. If it goes well, we'd talk about working together. If it doesn't, you've lost nothing.
See what working with us looks like →If you manage it yourself — it's $4,500
Same analysis, different arrangement, and we'd rather explain why than have you find out on a call.
When someone has an advisor, the review is the beginning of a conversation about a long relationship. When someone manages their own money and intends to keep doing it, there's no relationship on the other side — the analysis is the product. So it's priced like one.
See what's included →What if the answer is that you're fine?
Then we tell you that.
It happens more than you'd think, especially with people who've been careful for thirty years. Sometimes the honest answer is that the plan works, the fees are reasonable, and the thing you were worried about isn't the thing worth worrying about.
We'd rather say that than manufacture a problem. It's a small industry and you'll talk to other people.
Common questions
How long does it take?
Two meetings across about a month. The first is roughly an hour and mostly gathering. The second is longer and is where we walk through what we found.
What do I need to send you?
Account statements, your most recent tax return, your Social Security estimate, and any pension paperwork. We'll send a full checklist and help you track down anything you can't put your hands on.
Do I have to leave my current advisor?
No, and plenty of people don't. You'll have a clearer picture of what you're getting and what you're paying for it. What you do with that is your business.
Will my advisor find out?
Not from us.
Is this really free, or is there a catch?
It's free if you're currently working with an advisor. We're spending the time because a meaningful number of people who go through it decide to work with us. That's the whole economic model, and we'd rather say so plainly.
What if I'm not sure which of the two above I am?
Book a call and we'll sort it out in five minutes. Nobody's going to charge you for a conversation about which conversation to have.