Long advisory relationships rest on calm communication when markets are volatile and clear answers before a major transition. Here are six letters from retirees, executives and business owners, each printed in full with its service and date. There is no average and no star summary, because six letters cannot honestly produce one.
01
Theo R.
We manage our own index funds and mean to keep doing so for now, but five years out from retiring early we wanted an objective CFP® second opinion. The flat-fee plan stress-tested how we would pay for healthcare before Medicare, found an out-of-date beneficiary designation on an old rollover IRA, and ended with a plain action checklist. Nobody asked us to move an account, and there was no sales pitch at the end.
02
Simone H.
Before I retired from medical practice we had six scattered 403(b), IRA and brokerage accounts at two large firms, paying more than 1.4% in layered fund fees with no real tax plan. Eleanor and Curtis consolidated them, brought the underlying fund costs down sharply, mapped a six-year Roth conversion window ahead of age 73 and set up a monthly retirement deposit. Market headlines no longer keep us awake.
03
Elliot E.
Our previous bank adviser kept pitching structured notes and variable annuities we did not understand. Here the portfolio is built from low-cost institutional ETFs, losses were harvested for tax during last autumn’s dip, and two planning reviews a year keep the children’s 529 plans and our retirement on course. Seeing the advisory fee in plain dollars, with no commission anywhere behind it, is what lets us relax.
04
Rosa P.
When a regional buyer approached our distribution business, I had no idea whether the offer would fund thirty years of retirement for my husband and me. Eleanor modelled three deal structures side by side with our deal attorney, helped us set up a Cash Balance plan before closing and placed the proceeds gradually through a phased Treasury ladder. Knowing our after-tax number six months before the sale changed how we negotiated.
05
Jonah J.
More than seventy per cent of our household net worth had built up in my employer’s stock, and I froze at every trading window because I could not work out how AMT and capital gains interacted. Curtis built a share-lot divestment calendar with our CPA and paired charitable gifts of stock into a donor-advised fund. Four years of vested RSUs and ISOs became a diversified portfolio without a surprise April tax bill.
06
Camille S.
My late husband had always handled our investments, and facing custodial paperwork and tax deadlines alone felt overwhelming. Naomi and Julian sat beside me at every step, worked directly with my estate attorney to update the trust registrations, and set up Qualified Charitable Distributions to the local non-profits we support. Every account, RMD and trust title was put in order with real patience.
It carries no charge, and it ends either with a written proposal and fee worth agreeing or a clear statement that none of the six mandates fits.