We specialize in serving individuals and couples who are nearing retirement or already retired. Our clients are hardworking people who have diligently saved and want to strive to have their money last throughout retirement. They value professional guidance to help them make informed decisions and gain confidence in their financial future.

While each client’s situation is unique, many of the people we work with are in their 50s and 60s, have accumulated $500,000 to $5 million in investable assets, and seek a trusted partner to help them navigate the complexities of retirement planning. Whatever your background, we’re here to understand your unique needs and create a tailored plan to help you pursue your goals with confidence.

At Tapparo Capital Management, we are dedicated to delivering a uniquely personal and comprehensive approach to retirement planning. We differentiate ourselves in several key ways:

First, we specialize in retirement planning. It’s all we do. By focusing exclusively on the needs of retirees and pre-retirees, we have developed deep proficiency in the unique challenges and opportunities our clients face. We don’t try to be all things to all people.

Second, we take the time to truly understand your goals, values, and concerns. We build deep, long-term relationships with our clients based on trust and personalized attention. We’re more than just investment managers; we’re your financial coach and advocate.

Third, we go beyond just managing your portfolio. We provide comprehensive retirement planning that addresses all aspects of your financial life, from income planning and tax strategies to healthcare and estate planning. We collaborate with your other advisors, such as your CPA and attorney, to fit all the pieces of your financial puzzle together seamlessly.

Finally, we are committed to providing objective, unbiased advice as a fee-only fiduciary. We don’t sell products or receive commissions. Instead, we are solely compensated by the fees our clients pay us, so you can trust our advice is always in your best interest.

At Tapparo Capital Management, we measure our success by the confidence and financial stability our clients experience. We strive to be the trusted partner you can count on to guide you through retirement with confidence. That’s our commitment to you.

This is a very common misconception! Actually, it is NOT too expensive to hire a financial advisor. As a matter of fact, going it alone without a financial advisor could be extremely costly to you and your financial future. Recently, a Vanguard study found that on average, their financial advisors add about 3% in net returns by determining a suitable asset allocation, controlling portfolio expenses, rebalancing, behavioral coaching, asset location, withdrawal strategy, and utilizing total-return versus income investing. This additional 3% far exceeds my annual asset management fee of 1%.

As a fee-only registered investment advisor, we are compensated solely by the fees our clients pay us. We do not receive commissions, referral fees, or any other compensation from third parties. This keeps our interests always aligned with our clients’ and our advice is objective and unbiased.

Our fees are based on a percentage of the assets we manage for you. We have a transparent fee schedule, so you’ll always know exactly what you’re paying. Our annual management fee starts at 1% for the first $1 million in assets under management and decreases for larger account balances. We do not charge any hidden fees or lock you into long-term contracts.

In addition to our management fee, clients incur the operating expenses of the exchange-traded funds (ETFs) used in their portfolios. However, we strive to minimize these costs by using low-cost investments and being tax-efficient in our portfolio rebalancing.

We believe our fees represent excellent value for the comprehensive retirement planning and investment management services we provide. Our goal is to deliver advice and service that far exceeds our costs.

When you work with a fee-only fiduciary advisor like Tapparo Capital Management, you can have confidence that your best interests will always come first. As a fiduciary, we are legally and ethically obligated to act in your best interests at all times. We must avoid conflicts of interest and always provide advice that we believe will best serve your needs.

In contrast, many other financial advisors operate under a suitability standard, which merely requires that their recommendations be suitable for clients, even if they’re not the best options available. These advisors may be incentivized to recommend products that pay them commissions or kickbacks, rather than what’s truly best for clients. 

By choosing to work with a fee-only fiduciary, you can trust that the advice you receive is objective and unbiased. You never have to wonder if your advisor is recommending something because it benefits them financially. Instead, you can focus on getting the best possible guidance to pursue your goals.

That is why, when Tapparo Capital Management was founded in 1997, we purposely chose to do business as an independent, fee-only, fiduciary firm. We pride ourselves on transparency, integrity, and always putting our clients’ interests first. It’s a standard we believe all investors deserve.

We understand that life happens. If you experience a significant change, such as a job change, inheritance, or discover a new goal, we reassess your financial plan and make necessary adjustments. Our proactive approach helps your plan remain effective and relevant.

We understand that our clients lead busy lives or are enjoying a well-deserved retirement. That’s why we don’t force a rigid schedule of mandatory meetings. Instead, we tailor the frequency of our meetings to your individual needs and preferences.

We are always here for you, ready to meet whenever the need arises or whenever you desire. Whether you have a question, concern, or just want to check in on your retirement plan, we make ourselves available. We can meet in person, by phone, or video call—whatever works best for your schedule and communication style.

Some clients prefer quarterly check-ins to stay on top of their plan. Others are content with meeting once or twice a year. And some simply reach out whenever something comes up. There is no one-size-fits-all meeting cadence.

Our flexible approach allows you to meet with us on your terms, not based on some arbitrary schedule. We’re here to serve you and we want you to feel supported, not burdened by unnecessary meetings.

Of course, we do believe it’s valuable to connect at least annually to review your plan, discuss any life changes, and make strategic adjustments. But if you ever have any questions in between meetings, never hesitate to contact us. Your financial confidence is our top priority.

You certainly can. As a matter of fact, many of our current clients live nowhere near Topsfield, Massachusetts. Today’s technology has allowed us to be a virtual, location-independent firm. We can easily work with anyone with a web browser and an Internet connection. If you happen to live in the Boston area, we certainly can meet in person at your home or at our office. Whichever is most convenient for you. On the other hand, if the distance is too great, we can meet on the phone or over video call. Our clients know they can always reach us via email, even after hours and on weekends.

We have always strongly believed that it is critical for everyday people to have access to what is normally reserved for the ultra-wealthy. We believe everyone deserves access to an innovative balance of institutional investment options and unbiased planning advice. If you are committed to saving diligently and working together to develop a realistic financial plan, then it is less important how large your investment portfolio is and more important to get you on the path toward realizing your financial goals.

We believe that a disciplined, evidence-based approach is the best way to help our clients experience long-term success. Our investment philosophy is grounded in modern portfolio theory, which emphasizes the importance of diversification, asset allocation, and minimizing costs.

We don’t chase short-term fads or try to time the market. Instead, we focus on building globally diversified portfolios that are designed to capture market returns while managing risk efficiently. We use low-cost, tax-efficient investments such as exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to implement our strategies.

Our approach is guided by decades of academic research rather than speculation or hunches. We also recognize that each client’s risk tolerance and goals are different. That’s why we create personalized investment plans that align with your unique needs and preferences. Our aim is to deliver a consistent, reliable investment experience so you can focus on enjoying retirement.

Our investment philosophy is based on our belief that the most important investment decision an investor can make is not which investment to buy, but, rather, how assets should be allocated based upon the investor’s attitudes, objectives, circumstances, and risk-taking capacity. Many people assume that all they need to achieve their financial goals is good investment advice. While this is important, we believe good investment advice can only come from good investment planning. An investment plan creates a larger framework within which it becomes possible to make coordinated financial decisions that maximize the probability of reaching your goals. We do this by diversifying your portfolio to more efficiently pursue your goals and maintaining a long-term perspective.

Maximizing Social Security benefits and minimizing taxes are two of the most important strategies for making your money last in retirement. That’s why we take a proactive approach to integrating these strategies into your overall retirement plan.

When it comes to Social Security, we help you evaluate your claiming options and determine the optimal time to start benefits based on your unique circumstances. We analyze factors such as your age, health, marital status, and retirement goals to identify the claiming strategy that can maximize your lifetime benefits.

On the tax front, we look for opportunities to minimize your tax liability in retirement through strategic income planning and asset location. We help you understand how different types of income are taxed and develop a withdrawal strategy to make your portfolio as tax-efficient as possible.

This may include tactics such as prioritizing withdrawals from certain account types, leveraging Roth conversions, and using charitable giving strategies to reduce your tax burden. By proactively managing the tax impact of your investments and income, we can help you keep more of your hard-earned money and make it last longer in retirement.

At Tapparo Capital Management, tax planning and Social Security optimization are integral parts of the retirement plans we create. We believe these strategies are too important to overlook or leave to chance.

The first step is to get to know each other a little better. We can discuss your objectives, concerns, and goals. There is never any obligation or cost to do this. And you will never be pressured into utilizing our services. From there we can mutually decide on appropriate next steps. 

P.S. It’s okay if we are not the right financial planning firm for you—we can still be friends!