Founder & CEO, Dovetail Financial
Creator of Human-First Financial Guidance®
Creator of Human-First Financial Guidance®
Retirement planning should start with you
Fiduciary retirement and financial planning for people nearing or living in retirement
One retirement question often leads to another.
Can we retire now? If we spend more, what changes later? Should income, taxes, or Medicare be reviewed at the same time?
Dovetail helps you see what a decision touches before you answer it too narrowly. Through Human-First Financial Guidance®, we begin with your life, your priorities, and what is changing. Then we connect the financial decisions around the life your wealth is meant to support.
Dovetail Financial operates under a fiduciary standard of care. Our role is to help you make decisions in your best interest, with a clearer view of what can be used, what should remain available, and what may need review.
Start with the person, then connect the numbers
The numbers matter because they show what a decision may change.
They can help clarify what can be used now, what should stay available later, and what may need review if life or markets change.
Every household arrives at retirement with its own history, responsibilities, and relationships. We begin by understanding what matters, where uncertainty shows up, and what you want your resources to support.
Life and Wealth Fit Together
A decision about retirement income may start with a simple question: where will the money come from each month?
That answer may also affect taxes, Medicare costs, or what should be available later.
We help you see how those pieces fit together, so the decision in front of you is not answered too narrowly.
What Changed, What Still Holds, and What Needs Attention Next
Retirement keeps unfolding after the first plan is built.
Markets change. Health or family needs can change. Tax rules can change too.
Review helps you see what changed, what still holds, and what deserves a closer look. That keeps the plan connected to life as retirement unfolds.
Retirement Planning Services
Retirement planning should help you understand the decisions in front of you, not just name the services involved.
A decision about income can affect taxes. A portfolio decision can affect what happens if markets are down when money is needed.
Our work helps you see which decisions are connected, what needs attention now, and what can be reviewed later.
Retirement Income Planning
See where income may come from in retirement, how withdrawals could be used, and what should stay available if something changes.
Investment Management
Shape the portfolio around the income, flexibility, and lifestyle it needs to support, including what to do if markets are down when money is needed.
Healthcare & Longevity
Look ahead to health changes, longer life, and the possibility that one of you may need care.
The planning question is: what should remain available if that happens?
Legacy and Family Support
Clarify what a gift, a legacy plan, or a family support decision is meant to make possible, while keeping your own retirement needs in mind.
Retirement Tax Planning
Review withdrawals, Social Security, and investment income with tax timing in mind.
The goal is to see what the timing may change now and later in retirement.
Good retirement planning helps these decisions work together over time.
Start with Retirement Planning if you want to understand our process. Visit Who We Work With if you are deciding whether Dovetail fits your situation. Go to the Retirement Decisions Hub if you already have a specific question in mind.
Explore Retirement Planning Who We Work With Retirement Decisions Hub
Dovetail Financial is based in Wilmington, NC, serving southeast North Carolina, metro Atlanta, and clients across the U.S.
Our Team
Chief Operating Officer
Certified Financial Planner
Financial Planner
Financial Advisor
Client Services
Chief Financial & Compliance Officer
Client Services Assistant
A Book by Ross Marino and Susan Bradley
Shaping Change: How to Respond When Life Disrupts Your Retirement Plan
Retirement and life transitions can change what needs attention next. In Shaping Change: How to Respond When Life Disrupts Your Retirement Plan, Ross Marino and Susan Bradley explore how people can recognize what changed, what still holds, and what deserves a closer look.
The book reflects the same planning idea Dovetail Financial uses with clients: understand what changed first, then shape financial decisions around the life they are meant to support.
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