Frequently Asked Questions

While ThreeTrees Retirement Partners is a newer firm, it’s built on years of experience helping individuals and families navigate retirement — and it’s supported by an established Registered Investment Advisory firm overseeing approximately $100 million in assets. You get the focus and personal attention of a boutique practice, with the infrastructure and oversight of a much larger one behind it.

Yes — as an Investment Adviser Representative, we’re held to a fiduciary standard, which means we’re obligated to act in your best interest. Just as important, we’re planning-first, not product-first. We build the plan around your goals and your timeline, and any recommendation has to earn its place in that plan. You’ll never be sold something that doesn’t fit.

Two things. First, structure: we organize your money around when you’ll actually need it — what you need now, what you’ll need soon, and what you’ll need later — so your income today never depends on the market behaving on any given morning. Second, we plan for the whole retirement, not just the money. Stephanie’s work helps clients think through the life side — purpose, time, identity — because the people who retire well plan for more than their portfolio.

Most of our clients are approaching or already in retirement and want a real, durable plan for making their money last. They’ve usually saved diligently over a career and now want clarity and confidence about what comes next. More than any dollar figure, it comes down to fit — so the best way to know is a short, no-obligation conversation.

Not necessarily — but here’s how we’d encourage you to think about it. Consider your healthcare over a lifetime. As a child, you saw a pediatrician. As an adult, you settled in with a general practitioner who knew you well and handled most of what came up. But if something serious developed, you wouldn’t ask your GP to treat it alone — you’d want a specialist, someone who has gone deeper into that one challenge than a generalist ever could. Retirement is that kind of transition. The advisor who helped you build your savings over a career did important work. But turning a lifetime of savings into reliable, tax-efficient income that lasts — through market downturns, rising costs, and decades you can’t fully predict — is a different discipline. That’s the specialty ThreeTrees is built around. You’ve spent years with your general practitioner; now you’re entering a phase of life where it pays to see a specialist. For most people, the cleanest and most efficient path is one holistic plan under a single roof, where every piece is coordinated rather than managed in separate silos. That said, if there’s an advisor you value and want to keep, we can work alongside them — it simply takes more coordination to keep both sides aligned. Either way, the goal is the same: the right plan for this season of your life.

There’s no universal “right” age. The best filing strategy depends on your health, your other income sources, your tax picture, and — for married couples — how the two benefits coordinate over both lifetimes. Claiming early, claiming at full retirement age, and delaying each carry trade-offs, and over a long retirement the gap between a good decision and a poor one can be substantial. We model your specific situation so the timing decision is made with eyes open, not by rule of thumb.

Yes — tax awareness runs through everything we do, because how you draw your income can matter as much as how much you’ve saved. We look at the order you tap different accounts, how required distributions may land down the road, and whether moves like Roth conversions make sense for your situation — recognizing that what’s right for one household can be the wrong move for another. We don’t replace your CPA or prepare your taxes; we coordinate with the tax side so the plan works as a whole, and we revisit it as the rules and your circumstances change.

We don’t try to predict the market or chase the hot performer. Instead, we organize your money around when you’ll need it: money for today is kept stable and accessible, while money you won’t touch for years is positioned to grow over time. Each layer is matched to its job and to your comfort with risk. The aim isn’t to win a race in any given quarter — it’s dependable income now and lasting growth later, with fewer sleepless nights along the way.

The honest answer is: it depends on your situation — which is exactly why we walk through it together before you ever commit to anything. For the assets we manage on an ongoing basis, our advisory fee is a percentage of those assets, and that percentage steps down as your assets grow, so larger households pay a lower rate. We lay it all out plainly in a planning conversation, with no obligation. You’ll always know exactly what you’re paying, and why, before you decide anything. It’s also worth stepping back from the number itself. Most people are already paying fees — inside a 401(k), a current advisory account, or the funds they own — but those costs are often bundled, hard to see, or simply never explained. The real question isn’t whether there’s a fee; it’s what you receive in return for it. A fair fee paired with a coordinated plan — one that manages risk, keeps an eye on taxes, and is built to produce dependable income — can be worth far more than a “cheaper” arrangement that leaves those things to chance. Our job is to make the value clear and make sure it’s worth every dollar you pay.

Both. Our office is in Ann Arbor, and we welcome clients in for face-to-face planning. For those who prefer it — or who live outside the area — we also meet by secure video, so you can plan from wherever you are.

It’s a fair and important question — and the structure is built so that neither your money nor your plan ever depends on any one person. First, your money is never held by ThreeTrees or by me personally. Your accounts are custodied with an independent, third-party custodian, in your name, where you can see them at any time. We’re authorized to advise on and manage those accounts, but the assets themselves sit safely outside our walls — and nothing about that changes if something happens to me. Second, ThreeTrees operates under an established Registered Investment Advisory firm with the oversight and continuity infrastructure to keep your accounts serviced without interruption. And because this is a co-owned practice — Stephanie is co-owner and an active part of the firm — you’re never relying on a single individual to carry things forward. Finally, your plan lives in our records and systems, not in one person’s head. It’s documented, organized, and built to be picked up and carried forward, so the strategy you put in place keeps working for your family no matter what.

We believe money is a tool, not the point — it exists to fund a life of purpose, security, and generosity. We treat our clients’ savings the way we’d treat our own: carefully, honestly, and with the long view in mind. Our promise is simple — straight talk, no pressure, and a plan built to help you retire longer, not leaner.

The first conversation is relaxed and pressure-free — a chance for us to understand where you are, what you’re hoping for, and whether we’re a good fit for each other. There’s no cost and no obligation. When you’re ready, you can schedule directly from our site.