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Our clients are typically age 50+, planning to retire within the next 10 years, and have $2M+ saved, mostly in IRA and trust accounts. They’ve built real wealth and now they’re worried about how much of their retirement savings they’ll actually get to keep and enjoy. Most came to us after realizing their previous advisor was managing the investment portfolio but not the retirement tax bill. They are ready to work with an advisor that puts taxes first and builds a coordinated retirement plan around their specific situation.
To learn more about who we help, see About You.
We're an independent registered investment advisor and held to the fiduciary standard. Fiduciary is a fancy word with an important meaning: we don't get paid to steer you into overpriced investment products you don't want or need.
While we're headquartered in San Diego, CA, we work with clients across the country.
You can expect to meet with us multiple times as we get started, then at least twice a year for strategy visits. In between, you'll get monthly educational emails, videos, and touch points, so you're never left in the dark.
Your money is held at Charles Schwab or Altruist (your choice), two leading independent custodians. The accounts stay in your name, and we act as your advisor with limited authority to manage them on your behalf.
Transferring your investment accounts is simple and secure thanks to the ACAT system, which moves assets “in-kind”—meaning nothing is sold or changed during the transfer. Whether you’re moving an IRA or trust account, your investments stay exactly the same; the only difference is where you log in. If you already have your accounts at Charles Schwab or Altruist, we simply establish a Limited Power of Attorney (LPOA) so we may serve as the Investment Advisor to manage your accounts going forward.
Flat-fee advice for significant wealth. Most advisors become dramatically more expensive as your wealth and portfolio grows. Arcadia separates compensation from portfolio size. This is a huge windfall for clients who understand fee drag and is a large cost savings for families with investable assets of $2 million or more.
We focus on tax planning. Most firms market investment management first and rarely discuss taxes. We believe investment management is a tool inside a broader tax and financial strategy. We focus on lifetime tax minimization: retirement distribution strategy, withdrawal sequencing, Roth conversion strategy, and intergenerational planning.
Deliberately small, high-depth relationships. We value depth over scale and our clients favor direct access, low bureaucracy, consistency, and trust over large company clutter. We're attractive to clients who are tired of junior advisor delegation, turnover, & “relationship manager” structures at larger firms.
We build tax-first retirement plans for individuals and married couples with $2 million or more in investable assets. Every service connects to the plan. Nothing is managed in isolation. Our flat fee covers:
- Retirement Planning
- Tax Planning and Roth IRA Strategy
- Retirement Income Planning
- Investment Management
- Social Security Optimization
- RMD Planning
- Estate Plan Coordination
- Surviving Spouse Planning
When we manage investments for you, accounts are monitored and rebalanced periodically, especially focusing on opportunities such as tax loss harvesting and periods of high volatility.
Yes. Arcadia serves as a fiduciary to all clients, which means we are required to put client interests ahead of our own at all times. We only receive compensation from our clients. If a conflict of interest ever arises, we will notify you immediately and do everything possible to mitigate it.
Even if you don’t work with Arcadia, please ask any prospective wealth manager whether they serve as fiduciaries for all accounts, and will sign a binding contract to that effect (this language is included in every Arcadia client agreement).
We typically have two formal strategy meetings each year, one in the Spring and one in the Fall, along with a tax summary in January or February and check-ins as needed throughout the year. At the Spring meeting, we review your prior year's tax return and look for opportunities to act on before midyear. At the Fall meeting, we put those tax strategies in place before year-end and update your full financial plan and investment portfolio. Outside of these two formal sessions, we're always available by phone, email, or a quick call whenever something comes up.
Yes. We work with individuals and married couples across the country. All meetings can be conducted virtually, and our process is built to work remotely from start to finish.
Think of it like moving to a new house. We do all the heavy lifting. We bring the moving truck, load everything up, and move it to your new home. Nothing gets rearranged, sold, or changed until your Investment Policy is signed and you give us the go-ahead to begin trading the accounts.
Brokerage and IRA Accounts – Transferred securely through the ACAT system, which moves assets in-kind so your investments stay exactly as they are during the move.
401(k) Accounts – Most 401(k) transfers are handled over the phone through a three-way call with Arcadia Private Wealth leading the process.
Our flat fee covers an entire household (both spouses), and there are no limits on the number of accounts or the size of the portfolio. Our fee is billed quarterly ($4,500 per quarter). We don’t earn commissions, sell financial products, or receive incentives from third parties.
Most clients elect to have their fees deducted from their investment accounts at Charles Schwab. If you have multiple accounts, the fee is prorated based on the balances. For example, if you have a $1,000,000 IRA and a $3,000,000 trust account, $1,125 would be deducted from the IRA and $3,375 from the trust account. The process is automated, so you don’t have to worry about making manual payments.
You’ll receive a quarterly notice that transparently details the fee calculation, so you always know exactly what’s being deducted and from where.
It's really the simplest approach: One fee. No commissions. No percentages. No uncertainty about the incentives behind the advice.
It's a great value for larger portfolios: 1% might not seem like a lot, but it is for large portfolios. If you have a large portfolio ($2M+), that 1% charged is usually well above our $18,000 flat fee. See our pricing page for a comprehensive fee calculator to see what you are currently paying your advisor.
It's the fairest way with the most objectivity: Advisors stand to benefit from some recommendations when charging a percentage fee or working on commissions. A flat fee minimizes conflicts of interest, meaning our advice is tailored to you and only you.
It depends on your particular situation, but retirement planning is much more complex than saving for it. You’ll need to decide when to claim Social Security and Medicare, how much and which accounts to withdraw from tax-efficiently, whether Roth conversions make sense, how to make your money last 30+ years, and how to enjoy your money while leaving a legacy for your loved ones. A retirement-focused financial advisor can help you avoid costly mistakes that are difficult to come back from.
Grant Webster is 40 years old. Old enough to be experienced, and young enough to hopefully be around for decades to come!