As a fiduciary financial advisor in Dunwoody, Holland Capital helps empty-nest couples decide whether the family home still belongs in the retirement plan, and how selling, moving or staying would change the numbers. Meetings are by video, by phone or in person at an office in Perimeter Center, by appointment.
The children have moved out. The house is still here.
Homes in Dunwoody hold real value. The median owner-occupied home is worth about $603,000, and about one in three owner-occupied homes has no mortgage. Nearly a third of households have incomes of $200,000 or more.
With grown children, you may be asking whether you still need the extra bedrooms and the yard. The answer touches your taxes, your monthly costs and how much of your wealth sits in one asset.
Whoever helps you with that decision should be a fiduciary, and you should know how they are paid.
What the House Means in Your Plan
For some couples, the home is the largest thing they own. It does not pay an income, but it does cost money to keep: property tax, insurance and upkeep.
We put the home in the plan as both an asset and an expense. Then we compare three paths: staying, selling and buying smaller nearby, or selling and moving farther away.
Taxes When You Sell a Home
A married couple filing jointly may be able to exclude up to $500,000 of gain from the sale of a main home. In general, they must meet the IRS ownership and use tests during the five years before the sale. A gain above that amount can be taxable.
We estimate your gain using your tax basis, including qualifying improvements, so records of past projects matter. Our page on capital gains tax planning explains how gains are taxed.
Investing the Proceeds
A sale can bring a large amount of cash at once. We decide how much goes toward the next home, how much stays in reserve and how much is invested for later years.
At Holland Capital, investment management then follows that plan, so the money is invested on a schedule you understand.
If You Decide to Stay
Staying can be the right answer. We plan for the larger repairs an older house can need, and we check how the home fits with your wills and beneficiaries.
Georgia has statewide homestead rules, and local governments can offer additional exemptions. Some depend on age or income. We note the ones that apply to your home.
How We Work with Clients in Dunwoody
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.
Bring a recent mortgage statement if you still have one, your property tax bill, your investment and retirement statements, and last year’s return.
You receive a written comparison of staying and selling, with the after-tax money each path leaves you.
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.
Our offices are in Charlotte, North Carolina and Winter Park, Florida. We work with clients in Dunwoody primarily by video or phone. When an in-person meeting makes sense, we meet by appointment at the Regus center at 303 Perimeter Center North in Perimeter Center.
For clients whose investments we manage, accounts are held directly at Charles Schwab in the client’s own name. Holland Capital manages the investments but does not take custody of client assets. If a client ever needs in-person assistance from Schwab, the closest branch is in Sandy Springs at 1105 Hammond Drive.
We work with clients throughout Georgia. You can see the other Georgia 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
How Is Holland Capital Paid?
We offer financial planning on a fixed-fee basis, subject to the scope of the engagement. Investment management is offered on a fee basis, generally calculated as a percentage of the assets we manage. When providing financial planning and investment advisory services, we act as a fiduciary. Holland Capital Management may also receive commissions when clients buy insurance through the firm. Those commissions create a conflict of interest, which we disclose in our Form ADV.
Why Use a Fiduciary Financial Advisor for a Home Decision?
Holland Capital acts as a fiduciary when providing financial planning and investment advice. For a Dunwoody couple, that means weighing the house, your savings and your taxes together, even though we do not manage the home.
We are not paid on a home sale. If sale proceeds are invested in an account we manage, our fee would increase, and we tell you that first.
Is There a Place to Meet Near Dunwoody?
Yes. We meet by appointment at a Regus office on Perimeter Center North.
Quick questions are easy to cover by phone or video.
Photo: Mmann1988 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped.
