As a fiduciary financial advisor in Cornelius, Holland Capital helps you turn savings into retirement income, decide which accounts to draw from first and when to claim Social Security, and manage the investments to pay for the years ahead. We work with clients in Cornelius by video and phone, and meet in person by appointment at the Regus center in the Griffin Building on West Catawba Avenue.
For thirty or forty years, the job was to put money away. Now the job is to take it out.
That turns out to be harder than it sounds. The paycheck stops, but the bills keep coming. Social Security has a start date, and you get to choose it. The IRA, the old 401(k) and the brokerage account each follow different tax rules when money leaves them.
You may have saved enough to have real choices. The question is how to use them.
Building a Paycheck from Your Savings
Retirement income rarely comes from one place. It may include Social Security, a pension, withdrawals from savings or some consulting or part-time work.
We start with what you spend, then decide which accounts and income sources should pay for it each year. Drawing from the taxable account first can leave the IRA to keep growing. Taking some IRA money before Social Security begins can reduce the required distributions that come later. A partial Roth conversion in a lower-income year can reduce the tax owed later by whoever inherits the account. Each of these choices changes the others.
North Carolina does not tax Social Security benefits, but it does tax IRA and 401(k) withdrawals at its flat income tax rate. That gap is part of deciding what to draw and when.
Our guides on retirement income planning and withdrawal strategy go further.
The House on the Lake
Your home may be the largest thing you own, but you may not think of it as part of the financial plan.
You might stay on the water for good. You might sell and buy something smaller, closer to family. You might plan to leave the house to your children. Each choice changes the rest of the plan. It affects what you spend on upkeep and insurance, how much cash a sale would free up and what tax the sale could create.
You do not have to decide now. It helps to know how each choice would affect the plan before you need to make it.
RETIREMENT ENGINEERING™
The Order Matters
Five retirement decisions and why timing matters.
Investing for the Years of Withdrawals
A portfolio you are withdrawing from has a different job from one you are still building. We write that job down as an investment policy statement: how much income it has to provide, how much the plan can stand to lose in a bad year and how each account is taxed.
The investments are managed to that statement. Withdrawals come from the accounts the plan calls for. Rebalancing can also help raise cash without selling an investment at a bad time.
We begin with what you already own. At Holland Capital, investment management for a retiree means managing withdrawals and investments together.
How We Work with Clients in Cornelius
Holland Capital Management is an independent registered investment adviser and a fiduciary. M. Chad Holland, CFA, CFP® works directly with clients and is responsible for the planning and advice.
For a first meeting, bring a statement from each account, your Social Security estimates and any pension paperwork. A rough idea of what you spend in a month helps too.
We will show you what your retirement income could look like, where taxes may matter most and which decisions are coming up.
The first conversation is free. If there is work worth doing after that, we will define the scope and cost before you decide whether to move forward.
Holland Capital is based in Charlotte. If you are looking for a fiduciary financial advisor in Cornelius, we meet by appointment at the Regus center in the Griffin Building, 19109 West Catawba Avenue, and handle shorter check-ins by video or phone. Holland Capital does not maintain a branch office in Cornelius.
We work with clients throughout North Carolina. You can see the other North Carolina communities we serve here.
Our what we do page explains how a planning engagement works.
RETIREMENT ENGINEERING™
The Order Matters
Five retirement decisions and why timing matters.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Does a Fiduciary Financial Advisor Owe Me Once I Am Retired?
The same duty applies after you retire. That includes advice on which accounts to draw from, when to claim Social Security, whether to convert part of an IRA and how the portfolio should be invested. Holland Capital acts as a fiduciary when providing financial planning and investment advice, and each of those recommendations has to be made in your interest.
If a recommendation would also increase our fee, such as moving an old 401(k) into an account we manage, we point that out before you decide.
When Should I Start Social Security If I Have Other Savings?
It depends on your health, your spouse’s benefit and the tax cost of using savings while you wait. Each year you wait past full retirement age, up to 70, the monthly benefit grows.
Savings can cover spending while you wait. Whether that trade makes sense depends on your numbers. Our guide on Social Security timing explains the trade-offs.
Where Would We Meet in Cornelius?
By appointment at the Regus center in the Griffin Building on West Catawba Avenue.
Retirement income reviews also work well by video or phone using your statements, tax return and Social Security record.
Photo: Dough4872 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.
