As a fiduciary financial advisor in Summerville, Holland Capital helps couples marrying later in life combine their finances, keep each person’s retirement on track and protect what each of them plans to leave to their children. We work with clients in Summerville by video and phone, and meet in person by appointment at the Regus center at Nexton Square.
Two households. Two sets of children. One marriage.
Summerville is home to about 51,700 people (Census estimates, 2020 to 2024), and about 27% of its households receive retirement income.
If you are marrying again in your 50s or 60s, you each bring savings, a home, retirement accounts and plans for your own children. You also bring account forms and beneficiary choices from an earlier part of your life.
What you share and what you keep separate is your decision. The plan makes sure the paperwork matches it.
Before the Wedding
A prenuptial agreement is a legal document, and an attorney drafts it. Our part is the financial picture behind it: what each of you owns, what each of you earns and what you each want to happen to your money.
We put both sides on one page, so each attorney works from the same numbers.
Beneficiaries and Workplace Plans
Beneficiary forms on IRAs, workplace retirement plans and life insurance usually control who receives those assets, rather than your will. An old form can send money somewhere you no longer intend.
Most 401(k) plans pay the account to a surviving spouse unless that spouse properly consents to another beneficiary. A prenuptial agreement by itself may not meet the plan’s consent rules. After you marry, follow the plan’s own beneficiary and consent process.
We list every account and its beneficiary, then help you update each one.
Social Security and Earlier Marriages
If you receive Social Security based on a former spouse’s record, remarrying can change it. Survivor benefits based on a deceased spouse generally remain available if you remarry at age 60 or later. Benefits as a divorced spouse generally end when you remarry.
We check how remarriage affects each person’s benefits before the wedding.
One Plan for Two Families
Some couples combine everything. Others keep most assets separate and share the household costs. Either can work.
The plan shows your shared retirement income, what each of you leaves to your own children and how the surviving spouse is provided for.
With investment management, we manage joint and separate accounts under one plan, with each owner’s goals kept clear.
How We Work with Clients in Summerville
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 statement for each account you each own, the beneficiary forms you can find, your Social Security statements, recent tax returns and any existing wills, trusts or prenuptial drafts.
You receive a written plan showing your combined income, each person’s accounts and beneficiaries, and the steps to take before and after the wedding.
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 Summerville primarily by video or phone. When an in-person meeting makes sense, we meet by appointment at the Regus center at 700 Nexton Square in Summerville.
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 Mount Pleasant at 962 Houston Northcutt Boulevard.
We work with clients throughout South Carolina. You can see the other South 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
Should We Combine Our Accounts After We Marry?
Not necessarily. Retirement accounts stay in one person’s name. For other accounts, the right mix depends on what each of you wants for the other and for your children.
Why Bring a Fiduciary Into Planning a Later Marriage?
Holland Capital acts as a fiduciary when providing financial planning and investment advice. When two people marry later in life, that means advice that weighs both spouses and both families, with the same facts in front of everyone.
Our fee is set in writing before any work begins.
How Close Is the Meeting Room to Summerville?
A few minutes away. Meetings are by appointment at the Regus center at Nexton Square.
Video and phone work well for follow-ups.
Photo: Thunder60447 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0, cropped.
