FAQ

If I hire you, what should I expect?

With a Juicing® Plan, expect a thorough retirement projection modeling process along with plenty of education. We use iterative projections to see the impact of decisions, such as varying retirement dates or how Roth conversions impact your plan. We deliver these iterations over a series of three or more meetings.

With our Juicing® Plus service, we work with you on an ongoing basis to structure your investments to align with the projections in your Juicing® Plan with the goal of helping you achieve a stress-free transition into retirement. With this service we provide portfolio management, update your planning projections each year to guide you in decision- making, and conduct annual tax reviews and projections. We are available to our Juicing® Plus clients for consultation on any topic that has a financial aspect such as moving, insurance decisions, refinancing, funding education for grandchildren, estate planning, and more.

Do you have to manage my investments for me to work with you?

Our clients begin by going through a comprehensive retirement income modeling process, which we call a Juicing® Plan. Investment management services are not included or required as part of this process.

The typical client who goes through a Juicing® Plan is looking for the right partner and would prefer to delegate investment management decisions. Through the planning process, if we mutually determine we are the right partner, then clients move into our Juicing® Plus service where Sensible Money provides ongoing oversight of investments, plan updates, tax planning, and coordinates the components involved in delivering the right amount of monthly cash flow in retirement.

How are your services priced?

Our Juicing planning service covers a series of strategy meetings and is typically priced at $6,900. Our Juicing Plus service covers ongoing planning and investment management, and is priced at 1.25% on the first $1 million. Lower rates apply to balances in excess of $1 million.

If I hire you, who will I work with?

You will have a primary advisor who is a Certified Financial Planner TM . If you are nearing retirement, your service team will also involve an advisor who holds their Retirement Management Advisor TM or equivalent retirement specialty designation. Although you have a primary advisor, we work as a team so we may best utilize each person’s specialized knowledge on your behalf.

How do I set a complementary introductory meeting?

You begin by filling out a set of Pre-Meeting Questions, which you’ll find on our website. On most pages of the site, you’ll see a “See if We’re a Good Fit” section where you’ll find a link to the questionnaire. These questions were intentionally designed so we ask only general information—for example we ask for your age, not your date of birth. They come to us securely and we do not share your information with any outside firms, nor do we add you to any mailing or marketing lists. Once we receive your completed questionnaire, someone on the team will email or call and start the process of scheduling an initial consultation with one of our planners, or if we aren’t the right fit, we try to direct you to other options.

Can you work with people in any state?

Yes. We have clients located in over 30 states and staff in five states. While our main office is in Scottsdale, AZ, with web meeting technology we work with families across the country. If you are looking for a financial advisor who specializes in retirement income planning, please reach out and start a conversation with us.

What types of things do you give advice on?
  • Exercising stock options
  • Deciding when and how to take pension benefits
  • Making deferred comp plan elections
  • Determining if Roth conversions make sense
  • Developing and implementing a plan to exit out of concentrated positions in company stock
  • Evaluating the value of an NUA distribution strategy for company stock in a retirement plan
  • Investing tax efficiently
  • Setting up a withdrawal plan, including tax withholding, direct deposits, and a monitoring system
  • Calculating quarterly tax payments needed once retired
  • Allocating 401(k) investments
  • Refinancing, using home equity lines of credit, and reverse mortgages
  • Using existing annuities and evaluating annuity products in context of an overarching plan
  • Purchasing or canceling life insurance products
What are the common industries and professions of Sensible Money clients?
  • Auto dealers
  • Attorneys
  • CPAs
  • Doctors & Surgeons
  • Insurance and advertising agency owners
  • Entrepreneurs who sold or are selling a business
  • Executives
  • Families with inherited funds
  • Project managers, engineers, and other professional staff from various private or publicly traded companies
Can you tell me what I should be investing in right now?

We believe the best investment you can make is hiring a good financial advisor. To determine what you should be investing in, first, we must know what you need your money to do for you, and when you need it to do this task. Then and only then can we begin to match investments to your needs. Overall, we believe that by consistently helping clients make wiser financial decisions, we can have a greater impact on their long-term wealth than we ever could by trying to pick stocks or guess the direction of the market.

Where do your drawings come from?

Many of the sketches used on Sensible Money were inspired by the work of Carl Richards. You can find his original work at BehaviorGap.com. In 2012, Dana asked Carl to draw up a few ideas she had. He responded that we should do our own as there was no copyright on a Sharpie and piece of paper! The team comes up with ideas, and Jody Hulsey, a long-term employee with excellent handwriting, makes them look pretty!

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