Wealth Builder Planning
Wealth Builder Planning for Peak Earning Years
Planning for ages 35 to 55 focused on equity compensation, savings strategy, taxes, investing, and the decisions that compound through peak earning years.
Wealth Builder planning is for the household that is still 10 to 25 years from retirement but is already making the decisions that will define what retirement looks like. Equity compensation timing, savings strategy, asset location, mortgage decisions, and tax planning during peak earning years compound into very different outcomes by age 60.
We work with high-income professionals — tech, healthcare, law, consulting — and dual-earner households with significant equity compensation, RSU vesting schedules, ISO/NQSO exercises, deferred compensation, and complicated benefit packages.
The financial planning industry under-serves this household. Most wealth-management firms only engage at a $1M minimum and only really earn their fee at $5M+. Most robo-advisors do not handle equity compensation, AMT planning, mega backdoor Roth sequencing, or asset location at any depth. The right relationship for a household in this window is one that scales with the balance sheet, takes complex tax situations seriously, and starts coordinating planning decisions a decade or more before retirement is on the horizon.
What We Plan
- RSU vesting strategy and concentration management
- ISO and NQSO exercise timing and AMT planning
- Mega backdoor Roth and after-tax 401(k) contribution sequencing
- 529 and education funding strategy
- Mortgage, real estate, and balance-sheet decisions
- Long-term tax projection and asset location
Equity Compensation In Depth
Equity compensation is the most under-planned line item on the high-income household balance sheet. RSUs vest into ordinary income at a flat supplemental withholding rate that almost always undershoots the household's true marginal rate, leaving a tax-shortfall iceberg sitting under each April. ISOs trigger AMT exposure that has to be modeled before, not after, the exercise. NQSOs interact with cash-flow timing and concentration risk in ways that change the right strategy from year to year.
We model the full equity comp picture each year — vest schedule, projected ordinary income, AMT exposure, sell-at-vest discipline, diversification trajectory, and the interaction between equity income and every other tax decision the household is making.
Coordinated Savings Velocity
Peak earning years are when savings discipline matters most and when it gets the most complicated. The right contribution sequencing across 401(k), Roth 401(k), after-tax 401(k) with in-plan conversion (the mega backdoor), HSA, taxable brokerage, and 529 accounts depends on the household's income, tax bracket, time horizon, and goals. There is no universal formula — but there is a right answer for each household and we work it out explicitly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
I'm 40 and still building wealth — am I too early for Compound Advisory?
Not at all. The decisions you make in your 40s — about equity compensation, savings strategy, asset location, and tax planning — define what your 60s look like. Wealth Builder planning is built for that window.
Do you handle ISO and NQSO planning?
Yes. ISO exercises in particular require AMT modeling before the exercise, not after. We integrate equity comp planning into the household's multi-year tax projection so the timing decisions are made with the full picture in view.