Got a lot of great information over the hour I spent with Mr Carey. The program is of impressive utility with all the data it provides. I am a Luddite and newbie and look forward to learning more. The session was well worth it and I recommend without reservation.

I came in with a deliberately messy case: a dual-physician household, ~20 accounts across a half-dozen custodians, a seven-figure Roth-conversion question, a state pension, and an inheritance mid-transfer. One hour with Doug gave me more clarity than I've gotten from any advisor I've paid.

He didn't sell me anything. He opened the plan, checked the settings line by line, and went straight at the things that actually move the needle:

Spending guardrails. He modeled the obvious truth that we'd trim discretionary spending in a bad market — Monte Carlo went from 91% to 96%. Realistic, not a gimmick.
He caught my mistakes in real time — a double-counted IRMAA line (the software already computes it from income) and an inherited trust account I'd over-counted because I only own part of it.
Roth conversions — where he earned the hour twice over. He ran the optimization, explained filling to the top of the 32% bracket, and framed conversions as insurance against the survivor's tax cliff when one spouse dies. "Roth conversions are tax insurance." That reframed the whole decision.
He knows the tool and the tax code cold — per-account asset location instead of blended averages, RMD math, VRS hybrid-pension specifics, a Solo 401(k) for my consulting income, and a push to consolidate accounts.
He recorded the session, sent it over, and by the end I could drive the software myself instead of depending on him — which most advisors avoid.

Easily the most high-value hour I've spent with any financial consultant. If your situation is genuinely complex and you want substance over a sales pitch, talk to Doug.

I came in with a deliberately messy case: a dual-physician household, ~20 accounts across a half-dozen custodians, a seven-figure Roth-conversion question, a state pension, and an inheritance mid-transfer. One hour with Doug gave me more clarity than I've gotten from any advisor I've paid.

He didn't sell me anything. He opened the plan, checked the settings line by line, and went straight at the things that actually move the needle:

Spending guardrails. He modeled the obvious truth that we'd trim discretionary spending in a bad market — Monte Carlo went from 91% to 96%. Realistic, not a gimmick.
He caught my mistakes in real time — a double-counted IRMAA line (the software already computes it from income) and an inherited trust account I'd over-counted because I only own part of it.
Roth conversions — where he earned the hour twice over. He ran the optimization, explained filling to the top of the 32% bracket, and framed conversions as insurance against the survivor's tax cliff when one spouse dies. "Roth conversions are tax insurance." That reframed the whole decision.
He knows the tool and the tax code cold — per-account asset location instead of blended averages, RMD math, VRS hybrid-pension specifics, a Solo 401(k) for my consulting income, and a push to consolidate accounts.
He recorded the session, sent it over, and by the end I could drive the software myself instead of depending on him — which most advisors avoid.

Easily the most high-value hour I've spent with any financial consultant. If your situation is genuinely complex and you want substance over a sales pitch, talk to Doug.