Financial Planning in Sarasota
Fee-only fiduciary advisors serving the Gulf Coast. Your retirement income, tax, and estate strategy, coordinated for the decades ahead.
Fee-Only
Compensated solely by our clients. No commissions. No conflicts.
Serving Florida Since 1995
Three decades of fee-only fiduciary wealth management.
A 30-Year Retirement Requires a Plan That Lasts as Long as You Do
Your investments, tax strategy, and estate plan, coordinated within one framework. View our planning process
Retirement is not the end of financial complexity. It is the beginning of a different kind. Social Security timing decisions that lock in permanently. RMDs that push you into higher brackets whether you need the income or not. Roth conversion windows that close the moment Social Security begins. Long-term care costs that can consume a decade of savings in two years. And the transition that no one wants to plan for but everyone should: what happens to the surviving spouse's income, tax bracket, and estate plan when the first spouse dies.
Along the Gulf Coast, these questions define the financial planning conversation. Your FinancialTeam coordinates every dimension, not once at the start of retirement, but continuously as your circumstances, tax law, and markets evolve.
Your Sarasota FinancialTeam
William J. Kearney, Jr.
Bill serves as President and Business Manager of FirsTrust, overseeing the firm's day-to-day operations. He is often the first voice to welcome prospective clients to the firm.
Financial Planning Considerations for Gulf Coast Families
Retirement Income Optimization
Coordinating Social Security timing, pension benefits, RMDs, Roth conversions, and portfolio withdrawals to minimize lifetime tax and maximize sustainable income over a 30+ year horizon.
Surviving Spouse Transitions
When a spouse passes, financial restructuring is immediate: income sources change, tax filing status changes, estate documents need updating, and beneficiary designations must be reviewed. Your FinancialTeam provides structure during a difficult transition.
Long-Term Care Planning
Self-insuring versus long-term care insurance versus hybrid policies. Your plan models multiple scenarios including extended care costs at Sarasota's prevailing rates.
Philanthropic Integration
Sarasota's philanthropic culture (Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Sarasota Philanthropy Center) creates opportunities to coordinate giving with tax strategy through QCDs, CRTs, and donor-advised funds.
Communities We Serve from Sarasota
Communities
- Longboat Key
- Siesta Key
- Bird Key
- Lido Key/Lido Shores/St. Armands Circle
- Casey Key
- Harbor Acres
- The Oaks
- The Founders Club
- The Country Club of Sarasota
- Lakewood Ranch
- Palmer Ranch
- University Park
- Osprey
- Golden Gate Point
- The Concession
- Laurel Oak Estates
- Indian Beach/Sapphire Shores
- downtown Sarasota high-rises
Common Questions About Financial Planning in Sarasota
Start by establishing a clear picture of what you have and where it is located. Your FinancialTeam's first step is to connect every account, entity, and policy into one consolidated view through your Personal Financial Website. From there, we identify income sources (Social Security, pensions, RMDs, investment income), review beneficiary designations and account titling, coordinate with your CPA on tax filing status changes, and build a forward-looking plan that reflects your needs and goals. You do not need to understand everything at once. The structure your FinancialTeam provides is designed for exactly this situation. Learn more about our process
When a spouse passes, the surviving spouse is entitled to the higher of their own benefit or the deceased spouse's benefit (but not both). This change, combined with the shift from married-filing-jointly to single-filer tax brackets (which are narrower), can significantly increase the surviving spouse's tax burden. Your FinancialTeam models these transitions in advance, often recommending strategies during both spouses' lifetimes (such as Roth conversions or income acceleration) that reduce the surviving spouse's future tax exposure. Social Security rules are complex and depend on individual circumstances; benefits are determined by the Social Security Administration. Learn more about tax planning
Long-term care planning generally involves three approaches: self-insuring (setting aside assets to cover potential care costs), purchasing long-term care insurance (standalone policies or hybrid life/LTC policies), or relying on family and community resources. The right approach depends on your assets, income, family situation, and risk tolerance. Your financial plan models multiple scenarios, including extended care at Sarasota-area facilities, to test whether your portfolio can sustain these costs without jeopardizing your surviving spouse's financial security. Long-term care costs vary significantly by type of care and facility; projections are estimates based on current information and may not reflect future costs. Learn more about financial planning
Your financial plan models charitable giving as a specific goal alongside retirement income, healthcare, property costs, and other commitments. By stress-testing your plan against market downturns, inflation, and longevity scenarios, your FinancialTeam can identify a sustainable annual giving level and the most tax-efficient giving vehicles (QCDs, donor-advised funds, appreciated securities, charitable trusts). Giving capacity may fluctuate with market conditions and spending changes; your plan is reviewed regularly. Charitable deduction limits and rules depend on the type of asset donated and the type of recipient organization. Learn more about tax planning
A Qualified Charitable Distribution allows individuals aged 70½ or older to distribute up to $105,000 per year directly from an IRA to a qualifying public charity. The distribution is excluded from taxable income, counts toward Required Minimum Distributions (if applicable), and does not require itemizing deductions. For Sarasota retirees who give to organizations like the Community Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, or arts organizations, QCDs convert what would be a taxable RMD into a tax-free charitable transfer. QCDs cannot be directed to donor-advised funds or private foundations. Your FinancialTeam coordinates QCD timing with your RMD schedule and overall tax plan.