By answering questions such as:
Do I have enough?
How do I invest my nest egg?
When should I file for Social Security?
Am I paying more taxes than I have to?
How do I navigate health insurance until I'm 65?
How do I turn my investments into an ongoing paycheck?
Over time, I've found that I best serve those navigating Social Security, Medicare, investment management, and creating tax-efficient retirement income:
You’re 50+ and considering retirement in the next 5-10 years
You have saved $750,000 or more in your 401(k), IRA, and other investments
You’re wondering when you’ll be able to retire and how to know when you have enough saved
You want a clear, personalized plan to maximize Social Security, navigate Medicare decisions, know how to invest your assets, pay less in taxes, and reliably create consistent retirement income.
You’ve already left the workforce or are working part-time in retirement
You have $1M or more invested and want to ensure your money lasts
You’re looking for tax-smart withdrawal strategies to maximize retirement income while managing the market ups and downs
You want to simplify financial decisions so you can focus on enjoying retirement
Complimentary introductory call (virtual or in-person in Northwest Indiana) to explore what's on your mind and ensure our expertise matches your needs. By the end of our conversation, we'll know if we're a good fit, and if not, we'll point you in the right direction. If time allows, we will incorporate Step #2 into this first meeting.
To help align your financial life with your vision of retirement, we'll seek to understand you and what's important to you. We'll discuss your previous experiences with investing, what about retirement keeps you up at night, and any other big-picture aspects of your life that would influence the financial plan.
Upon agreeing Dunes is a good fit, we'll provide you access to a secure online portal to upload documents or you can bring to us in person to be scanned into the portal. Upon receiving your documents we will build out your free Retirement Readiness Score.
We’ll walk through your Retirement Readiness Score to help you gain clarity on where you stand today versus your retirement vision. Then, we’ll present recommendations to show how we can turn that vision into reality.
After review, we’ll provide a client agreement for you to review and sign to begin implementation.
If we’ll be assisting with consolidating and managing your investments, we’ll also begin discussing which assets may be appropriate to transfer to Charles Schwab.
After working with hundreds of retirees and pre-retirees, we know time moves fast and life changes. We'll continue to review and update the plan with spring and fall meetings each year, allowing us to understand cash flow needs, develop tax strategies, manage investment changes, and ensure your wealth maintains alignment with what's most important to you.
In addition to the two-meeting service calendar, you have access to additional meetings and unlimited email communication with your advisor.
Dunes Financial, a fee-only advisory firm based in Valparaiso, Indiana, provides retirement planning and investment management for a flat fee to clients nationwide.
I built Dunes Financial around everything I believe about retirement planning—helping hardworking professionals 50+ turn their savings into a reliable income, optimize taxes & investments, and make confident financial decisions. My goal isn’t just to maximize dollars but to maximize life through those dollars.
From my investment philosophy to my planning approach to how I charge fees, everything is designed with your retirement in mind. More than anything, I believe your advisor’s #1 job is to listen—because without understanding what truly matters to you, there’s no way to build a plan that gives you the confidence to enjoy retirement on your terms.
Specialize in retirement income planning
Provide ongoing tax planning
Transparent flat-fee pricing
Fee-only, Fiduciary
Credentialed: CFP®, CPA
Regular meetings & access
Generalist
No tax planning
Commissions, percentages & tiers
Fee-based, non-fiduciary
Focused on investment management
Minimal contact & support