Financial planning with investment management that aligns with your life.
Best-thinking portfolios tailored for your personal needs.
FINANCIAL PLANNING AND Investment Management
THE PROCESSFinancial planning first. Investment management is how we execute it.
Your portfolio should carry out a plan that’s designed around your life, not exist in isolation.
One-size portfolios miss this. They're built for generic timelines and generic tax situations. Yours aren't generic so don’t settle.
THE GAP BETWEEN A PORTFOLIO AND YOUR ACTUAL LIFEYou pick a risk profile (aggressive / moderate / conservative), receive a model portfolio, and assume it'll work. Until the market drops 30%. Then the portfolio that looked fine on paper feels catastrophic in reality. You panic. You sell. You lock in losses. The model was right; your behavior was the problem.
Most people get this wrong:
Your risk tolerance isn't a number. It's a combination of your time horizon, your income stability, your cash flow needs, and your actual behavior during downturns. Most advisors measure one and ignore the other three. We do both. We stress-test your plan so you can walk into a downturn knowing whether you should stay invested or whether you have the cash flow to rebalance.
The first problems is risk.
Your portfolio generates returns. Taxes eat a percentage of those returns every year. Most advisors treat tax efficiency as a feature. We treat it as a strategy. That means tax-loss harvesting isn't a box we check. It's an ongoing practice. It means we sequence withdrawals to minimize your tax bill. It means we coordinate with your CPA so your portfolio doesn't sabotage your tax plan, and your tax plan doesn't sabotage your portfolio.
The second problem is taxes.
The third problem is coordination.
You have a CPA. You might have an estate planning attorney. You might have a business advisor. Most wealth managers ignore this and try to be everything. We do the opposite. We coordinate across these relationships, so everyone is working toward the same goal and no one is creating unintended consequences. Your CPA shouldn't be surprised by a withdrawal strategy we implemented. Your attorney shouldn't find out about a concentrated position during estate planning.
This only works if the investment manager is willing to not consolidate everything. Most aren't.
INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT FEES Investment Management Fee-Schedule
ASSET TIER * ANNUAL RATEFirst $1,000,000 0.90%
Next $4,000,000 0.70%
$5,000,000 and above 0.50%
How this works:
A $10M relationship would pay a total annual investment fee of $62,000.
$1M × 0.90% = $9,000
$4M × 0.70% = $28,000
$5M × 0.50% = $25,000
Total: $62,000 annually
*This fee covers investment management only. Financial planning is a separate engagement, priced based on the complexity of your situation.
Different lives need different portfolios. If you got here from a search, one of these probably describes your situation. Your situation shapes your strategy. A generic portfolio doesn't account for that difference. We build one that does.
Your Situation, Your Investment Strategy
Tech Professionals
You have equity compensation (RSUs, ISOs, ESPPs) vesting over years. Your net worth is concentrated in company stock. You need a diversification timeline—not "diversify everything tomorrow" or "hold it forever," but a tax-aware plan that accounts for vesting schedules, tax brackets, and market conditions.
Growing Family
You're building wealth alongside raising kids. Your time horizon is 18+ years (at minimum). Your cash flow changes annually. Your portfolio can be growth-focused because you have time, but it needs guardrails because you also have dependents.
Inherited Wealth
You received a lump sum from an inheritance. The timing of entry matters. The tax basis of the assets matters. Your portfolio needs a sequencing strategy so you're not dumping $2M into the market on day one and then panic-selling when it drops.
Business Owner
You have a concentrated position in a business you built or co-own. This asset is likely your largest financial asset and your most illiquid one. Your portfolio strategy needs to coordinate with your CPA and your business attorney.
WHAT WE HELP WITH Investment discipline that makes the process different than anywhere else.
Tax-Efficient Diversification
For equity compensation and concentrated positions, we build a diversification plan, not a portfolio. That plan accounts for vesting schedules, tax brackets, market conditions, and your cash flow needs. We harvest losses year-round. We time exercises and diversifications to minimize your tax bill. We keep your CPA in the loop so tax planning and portfolio strategy are in sync.
Result: you pay less in taxes, you build a real portfolio, you don't panic during the process.
Risk Alignment
We stress-test your portfolio against your actual behavior. That means running scenarios: "If the portfolio drops 30% next year, do you have the cash flow to weather it? Or will you sell? If you'll sell, your portfolio is too aggressive right now." This conversation happens before we implement, not after. It means your portfolio might be more conservative than you think it "should" be, but it's a portfolio you can actually hold.
Sequencing and Withdrawal Strategy
The order you withdraw money from your accounts (taxable, traditional IRA, Roth IRA, etc.) matters. The timing of those withdrawals (before or after a market drop, in which calendar year) matters. We coordinate this with your tax plan so you're not leaving money on the table.
Coordination Across Advisors
Your portfolio is part of a larger plan. Your CPA handles taxes. Your attorney handles estate and legal. Your insurance advisor handles risk transfer. We make sure these aren't pulling in opposite directions. You don't have to translate between professionals; we do that work.
Rebalancing That Makes Sense
Most advisors rebalance on a schedule (quarterly, annually). We rebalance when it makes sense relative to your tax situation, your cash flow needs, and market conditions. Sometimes that means waiting. Sometimes it means acting immediately. The portfolio adjusts to your life, not the calendar.
WHY ITS DIFFERENTI believe you deserve a better option. When others are focused on scaling and cost savings. I believe in doing what’s best for my clients.
Not a robo advisor.
Robo advisors optimize for cost and scale. They don't know about your RSU vesting schedule. They can't account for your inherited basis. They can't coordinate with your CPA. They're software solving a generic problem. Your problem isn't generic.
Not a consolidation-focused AUM manager.
Most wealth managers only take you as a client if you move everything under their roof. They want to own the relationship, the portfolio, the tax planning, all of it. We're the opposite. We're happy to manage your core portfolio while you keep your CPA, your attorney, your accountant. We coordinate with them, not compete with them. This is actually harder, but it's the right model if you already have trusted advisors.
Not a generic financial planner who treats investment management as an add-on.
Some advisors build a financial plan, then hand you off to an investment manager who doesn't know the plan whether you realize it or not. We do both. The plan informs the portfolio. The portfolio executes the plan.
Fee-only.
No commissions. No incentive to move money around. No pressure to sell you products. You know exactly what you're paying, and you know it's because you hired us, not because we're chasing a sale.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What does an investment manager do?
An investment manager builds and runs your portfolio. That includes choosing investments, rebalancing, and managing taxes. At Dynamic Financial Planning, we focus on three things most portfolios miss. First, risk that matches how you'll actually behave in a downturn. Second, taxes managed as an ongoing strategy. Third, coordination with your CPA, attorney, and other advisors.
How much does investment management cost?
Most advisors charge a percentage of the assets they manage. Fees commonly range from 0.50% to 1.50% a year. Many require minimums of $250k to $1M. Robo advisors typically charge 0.25% to 0.50%. Our fee is tiered. We charge 0.90% on the first $1M, 0.70% on the next $4M, and 0.50% above $5M. A $2M portfolio pays $16,000 a year. That's a blended 0.80%. We have no minimums and no commissions. The funds we use carry their own expense ratios. We keep them low and show you up front.
Is a 1% advisory fee worth it?
It isn't if you're paying for a model portfolio you could buy yourself. The value usually shows up in three places. 1)Tax management. 2)Coordination with your other advisors or other parts of your financial life. 3) Proper risk assessment so you have a portfolio you can actually hold when markets drop. If your situation is simple, one or two low-cost index funds may be enough.
Does investment management include financial planning?
Not at Dynamic Financial Planning. Our investment management fee covers your portfolio. That means how it's built, taxed, rebalanced, and coordinated with your other advisors. Financial planning is a separate engagement. It's priced on the complexity of your situation. The two are designed to work together. The plan informs the portfolio. The portfolio carries out the plan. Many clients use both.
What does fee-only mean? How is it different from fee-based?
A fee-only advisor is paid only by clients. There are no commissions. A fee-based advisor charges fees but can also earn commissions on products. That creates competing incentives. Dynamic Financial Planning is fee-only.
How much money do I need to hire an investment manager?
Many firms require $250k to $1M. Dynamic Financial Planning has no investment minimums. Complexity matters more than account size. Equity compensation, a concentrated position, an inheritance, or a business stake can all make professional management worthwhile. That's true at $500k or $25M net worth.
Is a robo advisor better than a human financial advisor?
Robo advisors can be a low-cost choice for simple situations. But they don't know your RSU vesting schedule. They can't account for inherited basis. They can't coordinate with your CPA. A human advisor earns the fee when your situation needs real judgment.
What should I ask my current investment manager?
Start with six questions. How do you measure my performance, and against what benchmark? What happens to my portfolio in a major market drop? Who actually manages my portfolio? How much proprietary product do I own? What am I paying in total, including fund expenses? Why did each trade in my account happen? Clear answers are a good sign. Vague answers tell you something too. [Read the full guide to how to evaluate your investment manager.]
Who manages my portfolio at Dynamic Financial Planning?
Anthony Syracuse, CFP®, builds and manages every portfolio directly. We don't hand portfolios to outside managers and we don't use proprietary products. The person who knows your plan is the person managing your money.
Do I have to move all my accounts to you?
No. We can comfortably manage everything. We're also comfortable managing your core portfolio while you keep your CPA, attorney, and other advisors. What matters is coordination, not consolidation.
How do you decide how much risk my portfolio should take?
We look at four things before we invest. Your time horizon. Your income stability. Your cash flow needs. Your goals. We run scenarios, like a 30% market drop, and talk through how you'd respond. The goal is a portfolio you can actually hold. Sometimes it’s not what you expected, but it’s worth getting it right before the market moves.
How do you manage concentrated stock or equity compensation?
We build a diversification timeline for RSUs, ISOs, ESPPs, and other concentrated positions. It accounts for your vesting schedule, tax bracket, other assets, and market conditions. That way the tax impact is planned, not a surprise.
How do you manage an inherited portfolio?
We start by reviewing what you inherited. That includes the account types and the tax basis of each holding. Then we build a sequencing strategy for how and when the money is invested. We integrate the inheritance into your overall plan.
Do you do tax-loss harvesting?
Yes. Tax-loss harvesting means selling investments at a loss to offset gains elsewhere, then reinvesting so the portfolio stays on track. We do it year-round, not as a year-end checkbox.
How often do you rebalance?
We don't rebalance on a fixed calendar. We rebalance when it makes sense for your taxes, cash flow, and market conditions. Sometimes that means waiting. Sometimes it means acting right away. The portfolio adjusts to your life, not the calendar.
Do you manage withdrawals from my accounts?
Yes. When you need cash from your portfolio, we decide which accounts and holdings to draw from. We coordinate those decisions with your CPA and your tax plan. We also consider timing, including the calendar year and current market conditions.
HOW THIS USUALLY STARTSI’ll ask about your current situation, what you're trying to build, and whether this approach makes sense for you. No pitch.