Retire Blessed, Not Stressed

Our sweet spot is $150k–$3M saved and planning to retire within the next 1~10 years. Many of our Northlake neighbors fall in that range. If you’re close (maybe you’re a Pecan Square homeowner or local teacher with a solid start), let’s talk — no judgment, just honest guidance.

• Growth bucket: custom ETF + stock portfolios with dynamic guardrails.

• Income bucket: pensions, Social Security, + next-gen annuities if needed.

Guardrails throttle withdrawals when markets dip—no forced selling.

Both, when they solve a problem. We’re independent—no captive products. If an FIA with an income rider plugs an income gap, we’ll show you why and how.

Assets sit at Altruist (SIPC + excess coverage). We can view and trade; we can’t touch cash without your sign-off.

Absolutely. We already help clients manage held-away accounts like 401(k)s, 403(b)s, or TSPs while you’re still on the job. We’ll either use an in-plan brokerage window or other secure connections. One dashboard, one strategy – even if your 403(b) is with Northwest ISD or your 457 is through Denton County, we’ll incorporate it so your entire retirement gameplan is coordinated.

• Investments: 1.00 % on the first \$2 M, negotiated above—billed monthly.

• Insurance/Annuities: carrier-paid; no advisory fee, no surrender charges from us.

No hidden kickbacks—full transparency.

We tax-model every move before we make it. That means considering Uncle Sam and Austin – though Texas has no income tax, Northlake property taxes and federal taxes still impact your plan. We look at each withdrawal, trade, or Roth conversion and figure out the tax bite before we act.

Goal: legally keep your lifetime tax bill as low as possible (not just this year’s). For example, we might spread out a Roth conversion to avoid pushing you into a higher federal bracket or to keep property tax rebates in play

Absolutely—faith-aligned screens and impact funds available on request.

1️⃣ Explore – Start with a free 30‑min chat. We can meet virtually or at a local coffee spot in Northlake. I’ll gather some basics (or you can use our secure data vault) to understand your situation.

2️⃣ Clarify – Get your GRACE™ Retirement Blueprint. I’ll tailor a plan and present it for free – no obligation. This includes local insights (like timing your pension or optimizing taxes with Texas laws).

3️⃣ Commit – We decide to move forward together. When you’re ready and comfortable, you sign on as a client.

4️⃣ Craft & Deploy – We set everything up. I’ll help open accounts (with a Northlake touch – e.g. making sure your Denton County property tax plans or TRS rollover are handled). Guardrails are set on your investments, and any annuities or insurance we truly need get funded and integrated.

5️⃣ Guide – Ongoing partnership. Expect two check-ups a year (often in spring and fall) and proactive check-ins. Because I’m local, I’m only a phone call or a short drive away whenever questions come up. We might even bump into each other at Pecan Square events – I’m your neighbor as well as your advisor. 😉

Take the Free Retirement Assessment – it’s the easiest way to start. It’s just 6 quick multiple-choice questions about you and your goals. After that, you can book a call with me at a time that works for you. This initial process costs $0. No risk, no pressure – just a conversation with your local Northlake advisor to see if we’re the right fit.

Item descriptionTexas is great for retirees income-tax-wise, but Northlake property taxes (around 1.3% effective rate) can bite. We help you plan for those property taxes, utilize the over-65 exemption and even the property tax freeze available in Denton County, so you’re not caught off guard.

Northlake offers the small-town charm with big-city access. Pecan Square in particular has amenities like a community center, pools, events for families – an environment where neighbors know each other. Many of our retired clients love the sense of community and safety here. Plus, being in Denton County, you get relatively low city taxes and the benefit of Texas’s retiree-friendly policies.

IIn Texas, most school districts (including ours) don’t pay into Social Security. So when you retire with a TRS pension, you either won’t get Social Security or it’ll be reduced by rules like the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). We help Northlake-area teachers plan around this – for example, by timing a spouse’s Social Security or using investments to fill any income gap left by the pension. TRS is a great benefit, but you want to coordinate it with your other savings (403b, Roth IRA, etc.) for a secure retirement.

First responders often have a pension through programs like TMRS or a 457 deferred comp plan. In Northlake and surrounding areas, many police and fire personnel can retire young (50s) after 20–25 years of service. We help you answer big questions: Can you afford to retire when eligible? Should you enroll in the Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) if available? How do you handle insurance if you retire before Medicare? We’ve worked with local heroes to map out income from pensions, back-up savings for early retirement, and even second careers or businesses if you ‘retire’ from the force but want to keep working in the community.

Small-business owners in our area often have most of their wealth tied up in the business – whether it’s a local restaurant, farm, or tech startup. We help you set up tax-advantaged retirement plans (like a SEP-IRA or Solo 401k) to save beyond just building the business. We’ll also talk exit strategy: do you plan to sell your Northlake business or pass it on? If so, we coordinate that with your retirement timeline. Many local owners forget to pay themselves first – we make sure your retirement doesn’t get lost while you’re busy running the company.

Yes, a few! Denton County offers an additional homestead exemption for homeowners over 65 (currently $55,000 off your home’s taxable value, plus a tax ceiling on school taxes). Also, the Northlake area has perks like discounted trash services for seniors and free local events (for example, the Pecan Square community hosts social gatherings that retirees love). We keep tabs on these so you don’t miss out. Part of our service is ensuring you take advantage of every local break – whether it’s a tax exemption or a community program.