FAQ

We start with a complimentary 45-minute Getting to Know You Session where we learn about you, your financial situation, and what matters most. During this time, we will share more about our firm and answer your initial questions.

Using that information, we create a Personalized One-Page Plan, which we will walk through together in a follow up complimentary 60-minute presentation. This plan ensures value alignment and highlights key opportunities to strengthen your retirement strategy, lower taxes, and optimize your investments.

If, after that meeting, we both agree it feels like a good fit, we complete the onboarding process with a Get Organized meeting, a Goal Exploration meeting, and a Plan Review meeting.

Once your plan is in place, we continue to stay proactive and engaged with semi-annual meetings, monthly Financial Wellness Audits, and additional meetings at your request. Our goal is to keep your plan balanced and working for you.

Clients come to us because they realize retirement is one of the most complex and consequential life transitions, and they want a fiduciary partner, not just an advisor. When working with us, you benefit from:

• Turning your savings into a steady, lasting retirement income
• Tax reduction strategies so you retain more of what you've earned
• Evidence based investment philosophy aimed at growing wealth while managing risk
• Time and mental bandwidth freed up so you can focus on the life you want, not the volatility or paperwork
• Continuity of professional relationship, directly with Eric and Rachael

There are four foundational distinctions at Equilibrium:

1. Narrow, deep specialization: We focus exclusively on clients in or approaching retirement and place tax-aware income planning at our core. Our niche allows us to refine expertise and stay current in the tax planning that matters most during this life stage.
2. Selective client intake: We intentionally limit new clients each quarter so we can deliver a high-touch, thoughtful onboarding experience and maintain excellent service for everyone already under our care.
3. Consistency: We are intentionally small by design. When you work with Equilibrium, you work directly with Eric and Rachael, not a rotating team. That consistency means your advisors truly know you, your family, and your goals, and you can rely on that trusted relationship year after year.
4. Convenience: We meet you wherever you're most comfortable: at your home, a favorite coffee shop, or another convenient location. This personalized approach means financial planning integrates smoothly into your life, eliminating unnecessary travel and hassle.

We charge a flat annual advisory fee expressed as a percentage of assets we manage. This covers all the core services you receive: retirement/tax planning, account monitoring, investment adjustments, income strategy, and more.

For a balance of $800,000, the quarterly fee would be $2,500.00 based on the following calculation: ($800,000 x 1.25%) / 4 = $2,500.00.
We do not accept sales commissions, referral compensation, or product kickbacks. There are no hidden revenue streams. Our only compensation is what you pay us.

Because we believe the cost must be justified, we offer a complimentary tax & investment assessment. That helps you see whether the value we deliver (in tax savings, better allocation, risk avoidance, time saved, and peace of mind) justifies your decision.

For your safety and convenience, Equilibrium Financial Planning uses Charles Schwab as a third-party custodian for our client investment and retirement accounts. Schwab administers more than $11.2 trillion in assets for more than 40 million retirement savers. As a trusted custodian, Schwab safely holds your investment accounts and provides annual reporting to you and the IRS. Your accounts can be viewed at any time at www.schwab.com.

The best time to start planning is immediately upon entering the workforce, but the second best time is today! Retirement consists of a multitude of decisions that come together to form your individualized plan. Regardless of your level of wealth, we can optimize your positions to meet your goals. Our job is to guide you in a way that maximizes your comfort and understanding throughout the journey.

CFP® or CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ is a designation educating its holders in many areas of financial planning, including general principles (ethics, behavioral finance, education planning), investments, income tax, retirement, estate, and insurance. Individuals holding the CFP® designation have promised to act as a fiduciary at all times when providing financial advice or financial planning. This is to say that CFP® practitioners are required to place your interests above their own.

While everyone can benefit from a professional review of their entire financial life, some will desire the stability and continuity of an ongoing planning relationship. If you are comfortable handling all of your financial affairs, you may only want a snapshot analysis to ensure you are on the right track.

Individuals in this stage have complex, interesting situations, particularly as they relate to tax planning, which is a primary focus of our firm. Frankly, we want to help people when they need it the most. We find it deeply satisfying and fulfilling. Social security elections, Roth conversion ladders, sequence of returns risk, Medicare, estate planning, lump sum vs. annuity considerations, tax avoidance (not to be confused with tax evasion), and a plethora of other daunting topics uniquely impact those entering retirement.

No! In fact, we meet with all of our clients remotely via Google Meets unless the client prefers in-person. We are happy to connect at your preferred venue, including your home or office space in the New Orleans metropolitan area.