Complimentary Resources
Do your homework before you hire anyone. Including us.
Everything on this page is complimentary. Use the tools, read the cornerstone pieces, and review the regulatory documents before you hire any adviser. If the work convinces you a conversation is worth having, we are easy to reach.
Planning tools
Each tool takes ten to twenty minutes and produces something concrete: a gap, a number, a next question. Start with the one closest to your current problem.
The Retirement Checkup scores where you stand today. The Tax Planning Review looks for money left on the table in your bracket, your account mix, and your withdrawal order. The RSU Planner maps vesting schedules against tax years. The Social Security Optimizer compares claiming ages using your actual earnings record. The Retirement Calculator tests whether your savings support your spending. The Portfolio Review checks cost, overlap, and tax location. The Advisor Rating helps you grade any adviser, including us, on fees, fiduciary status, and conflicts.
Related: Retirement Checkup · Tax Planning Review · RSU Planner · Social Security Optimizer · Retirement Calculator · Portfolio Review · Advisor Rating
Cornerstone reading
The blog runs long on mechanics and short on predictions. Six places to start:
The IRMAA Cliff Explained, because a single extra dollar of income can raise your Medicare premiums for a full year. You're Paying More in Taxes Than You Think, because for most high earners the tax bill is the largest annual expense and the least examined. Backdoor Roth IRA and Roth Conversions, because the pro rata rule catches people who skip the mechanics.
The 10 Biggest Mistakes in Retirement Planning, because most of the damage we see is self-inflicted and avoidable. Selling Your Business, because tax-efficient exit structures run on a multi-year clock. Retirement Isn't an Age, because cash flow, not a birthday, decides when work becomes optional.
Related: The IRMAA Cliff Explained · You're Paying More in Taxes Than You Think · Backdoor Roth IRA and Roth Conversions · The 10 Biggest Mistakes in Retirement Planning · Selling Your Business · Retirement Isn't an Age
The Compound Effect newsletter
The Compound Effect is our newsletter. Short issues, plain language, one idea at a time: tax changes that actually matter, sequencing decisions, the occasional dissent from industry consensus. No product pitches. Unsubscribe any time.
Read these before hiring any adviser
Before you hire any adviser, ours included, read two disclosure documents any adviser should put in front of you. Form CRS is the short relationship summary: services, fees, and conflicts in a few pages. Form ADV Part 2A is the full brochure: how the firm is paid, how it invests, and where its conflicts of interest sit.
Then check the firm on adviserinfo.sec.gov, the SEC's public database of registered advisers. It shows registration status and disciplinary history for the firm and its people. Compound Advisory is CRD 334484. Any adviser who discourages this homework has answered your question for you.