What to Expect

How We Begin Working Together

When you choose to partner with Watson Financial Planning, we enter into a clear and supportive three-month planning engagement. This time frame gives us space to explore your goals, evaluate your full financial picture, and build a personalized plan you can rely on with confidence.

Your comprehensive plan is offered at a flat fee of $5,500. Half of this fee is collected when you begin the engagement, and the remaining half is due at the conclusion of the planning process, when your completed plan is presented. This structure keeps everything simple and transparent from the start.

As an advice-only financial planner, I do not sell products, earn commissions, or require you to move your accounts. My role is to provide clear, objective guidance based solely on your goals and best interests.

What the Three-Month Engagement Looks Like

Over the course of three months, we work together in a structured yet flexible process. You’ll receive clear guidance, regular communication, and a thoughtful plan that reflects both your financial reality and the goals you care about most. This includes deep dives into your income, spending, investments, retirement readiness, taxes, insurance, and long-term priorities, all organized into an actionable strategy.

The goal is to simplify your financial life, help you understand your options, and give you a roadmap that feels realistic and reassuring—not overwhelming or rigid.

Support Beyond Your Initial Plan

Once your plan is complete, you may choose to return for updates or additional guidance as life evolves—major purchases, job changes, retirement decisions, or anything else that affects your financial direction. Follow-up support is available on an as-needed basis at a rate of $250 per hour, giving you the flexibility to check in whenever questions arise.

What is Included

Your financial life has many moving parts, and a truly effective plan brings all of them together. During our three-month engagement, we take a thorough look at each of the following areas and connect them in a way that reflects your goals, values, and long-term priorities.

Cash Flow & Debt Management

We organize your income, expenses, and debt responsibilities so you can see where your money is going and identify opportunities to strengthen your financial foundation.

Education Planning

We review options for saving and paying for education costs, including 529 plans, financial aid considerations, and strategies that support your family’s educational goals.

Employee Benefits

From health insurance to retirement plans, employer matches, HSAs, FSAs, and leave programs, we evaluate the benefits available to you and how to use them effectively.

Estate Planning

Your plan includes a review of wills, powers of attorney, beneficiary designations, and legacy goals to help ensure your wishes are honored and your family is protected.

Income Tax Planning

Your plan includes tax-aware strategies to help you reduce unnecessary taxation today and prepare for future liabilities, ensuring your decisions fit within your overall financial picture.

Investments

You’ll receive a clear, objective review of your current investment approach, along with recommendations that align with your goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon—without product sales or asset management fees.

Major Lifestyle Decisions

Whether you’re considering a home purchase, job change, business start-up, relocation, or other major life transition, we evaluate the financial impact and help you make informed choices.

Retirement Planning

We look at your retirement timeline, projected income, savings strategy, pension options, social security timing, and long-term sustainability so you can plan with confidence.

Risk Management

We review insurance coverage—life, disability, home, auto, and more—to help ensure that you and your family are protected from unexpected financial loss.