A retirement built to last on your terms

The best time to start is as early as possible, but it is never too late. Clients who begin planning 10–15 years before retirement have the most flexibility, particularly around Roth conversions and estate structuring. Clients who come to us already in retirement often still find meaningful tax savings, income optimization, and legacy improvements. Every year of planning has value.

During accumulation, you are growing assets, market risk is manageable because time absorbs volatility. During distribution, you're withdrawing from those same accounts while markets fluctuate. Sequence-of-returns risk can permanently reduce your income if withdrawals happen during a downturn. Distribution planning requires a fundamentally different strategy, one focused on guaranteed income floors, tax efficiency, and protecting principal, not just growth.

Indexed products, such as Fixed Indexed Annuities and Indexed Universal Life, link your growth to a market index like the S&P 500, but with a floor of 0%. You participate in market gains up to a cap or participation rate, and you never lose principal due to market declines. This makes them ideal in combination with other strategies. Especially during the distribution phase, where a single bad year can have an outsized impact on lifetime income.

A will is a public document that must pass through probate, a court process that can take years, cost thousands in fees, and expose your estate to challenges. A properly funded trust is private, avoids probate entirely, and transfers your assets exactly as you intended. The key word is funded: an unfunded trust is nearly worthless. Ascend's process ensures your trust is actually connected to your assets.

Unlike traditional advisors who focus primarily on managing a portfolio for a percentage fee, we view investments as just one part of a much larger strategy. Our approach integrates investment management with tax strategy, retirement income planning, and estate planning—because how your assets are structured and distributed often matters more than how they’re invested alone. We provide value by coordinating these areas into one cohesive plan, helping you reduce unnecessary taxes, avoid costly mistakes, and make more informed decisions across your entire financial picture.

Most people have a CPA, a financial advisor, and possibly an estate attorney, none of whom are talking to each other. Decisions made in isolation routinely create unnecessary taxes and missed opportunities. The Ascend Retirement Blueprint is explicitly designed to connect all six planning areas so that every decision is made with full awareness of its impact on every other. You work with one team that sees the whole picture.