If no one taught you how to do this, and you are figuring it out as you go, yes. The practice is built for first-generation wealth builders who want structure and a second set of eyes on the decisions that matter most.
Not for planning. Neither Project-Based Planning (Focused Consultation or Comprehensive Plan) nor Financial Planning has a minimum. Investment Management requires $125,000 in assets.
If most of what you have is in a 401(k) that you cannot move, or you have a specific question rather than a portfolio to manage, that is not a reason to stay away. It is most of the reason the planning options exist.
You do not need to. Bring the questions you have and the things you are unsure about. Part of my job is figuring out what deserves attention first.
The information part of financial advice is getting close to free. The harder question is who is accountable for asking the right questions, revisiting the plan when conditions change, and catching conflicts between decisions. I wrote more about that here.
You do not need to hand the job over completely. A Focused Consultation can be a second set of eyes on a plan or decision you have already worked through. I will tell you what I think is missing, and I will tell you if I think nothing is missing.
If you want market predictions, speculative trades, or someone to confirm decisions you have already made, we are probably not a match. You also may not need an ongoing advisor if you prefer managing a straightforward financial life yourself.
No. You can hire me for a specific question, a comprehensive plan, or ongoing financial planning without having me manage your investments. Investment Management is available if you want both financial planning and portfolio management.
A fiduciary is legally required to act in the client's interest. I am one. D'Agaro Financial Advisory is fee-only: clients pay me directly for advice and investment management. I do not receive commissions for recommending investments or insurance products. Fee-only reduces conflicts. It does not eliminate them.
Billing on assets under management creates one. I offer flat-fee and hourly options so you can buy the advice without me managing your assets.
CFA® charterholder. Twenty years as a buy-side equity analyst at UBS Global Asset Management and Thrivent Asset Management. Former U.S. Navy submarine officer. MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. That background shaped how I work: identify what matters, pressure-test assumptions, and focus on the decisions with the greatest consequences.
Most plans take about three months to build. After that, we meet two to four times per year to review, adjust, and make sure nothing has changed that the plan needs to account for.
No. And the important decisions are usually bigger and less visible than the daily ones: tax structure, insurance gaps, how much house you can actually afford, whether your savings rate matches the life you are building. I care whether the tradeoffs make sense, not whether I would make the same choices.