I’m excited to share that I’ve joined one of the fastest-growing, most forward-thinking independent financial planning firms in Upstate NY. Not just as an advisor, but as a partner, as an owner.  I’m happy to share that I’ve joined Rialto Wealth. I’m incredibly excited about the change. Rialto’s philosophy aligns perfectly with what I share with you every week. A focus on detailed, long-term retirement planning. Keeping investing simple and low-cost. Fiduciary and fee-only. Not only serving our clients, but educating them.  …but I’m anxious about the change, too. With two girls under two years old at home, this isn’t the simple path, per se. I’m making this big change, in large part, because my wife Kelly believes in me. She is not a mere “rockstar” or “hero,” but much more than that. Thank you, Kell!   Our elder daughter loving on Sadie. Why the Change?! Why the change, though? I have a few important reasons. Clients need to trust their advisor. Staying independent is important to me. Especially since that’s the commitment I’ve made to my clients for many years. Rialto Wealth has no shareholders, no private equity ownership. We are 100% employee-owned. There’s no incentive to push proprietary products, no far-away owners pressuring us on quotas. Financial planners can bring a lot of expertise to their clients – but that comes after a deliberate choice: putting service above sales. Complex investments sound sexy, I know. But did cigarettes (at least, for many decades). Not coincidentally, both have similar results: higher long-term costs and worse long-term outcomes. While some advisors push fancy, complex products on unsuspecting clients, the fact remains that simplicity beats complexity. I’d much rather follow Jason Zweig’s second way of making a living: “Tell the truth to those who want the truth.” (I’ll let you look up the first way.) I’m excited to keep my client count smaller, to focus more energy on each client. While working with hundreds of clients might increase profit margins, I’m fine with sacrificing some profit margin to better serve clients.  Rialto’s philosophy emphasizes our clients and our employees. Good things will follow. Who Makes a “Good” Client? Rialto isn’t a perfect fit for every potential client. Our ideal clients see their world this way: Retirement is the big, audacious goal. It might mean you’re retired. It might mean you hope to retire in 2 or 5 or 10 years. But retirement is the big goal you’re planning for. Investing and planning – both are vital. Retirement brings many interesting conversations about withdrawal strategies, income and tax planning, Social Security, healthcare and Medicare, IRMAA, and RMDs. If you have these questions, we’re a good fit. Our clients want an ongoing, year-over-year relationship. They are not looking for a one-time thought partner.  Our ideal clients buy into a low-cost, academically rigorous investment philosophy. If you want your advisor to beat the