What is coordinated financial planning — and do you need it?

The problem: good advice, in separate rooms

Most successful business owners and executives already have smart people around them. A CPA files the taxes. An attorney drafted the estate documents. An insurance agent sold a policy years ago. A payroll company runs the 401(k). A brokerage holds the investments.

Each of them may do excellent work. But each one sees only their piece — and the most expensive mistakes tend to happen in the gaps between them. For example:

• A business sale lands in the same year as a large bonus, and no one planned the timing.
• Beneficiary designations on retirement accounts don't match what the estate plan intends.
• Life and disability coverage was sized for the business you had ten years ago, not the one you have today.
• The company retirement plan and your personal savings are managed as if they belong to two different people.
• Most of your net worth is tied up in one business, and there's no plan for what happens if it changes hands — or if you can't run it.

None of these are failures of any one professional. They're coordination failures.

What coordinated planning covers

A coordinated plan brings six areas into one strategy:

1. 01
   Cash flow & savings — where your money goes, and how much you can comfortably put to work.
2. 02
   Retirement — when you can step back, and what it takes to get there.
3. 03
   Tax-aware planning — structuring decisions with taxes in mind, alongside your CPA.
4. 04
   Business & exit planning — the value of your business, succession, and preparing years ahead of a sale.
5. 05
   Protection & insurance — life, disability, and long-term care sized to your plan.
6. 06
   Estate & legacy — making sure accounts, titling, and beneficiaries match your wishes, alongside your attorney.

Does it replace my CPA and attorney?

No. Your CPA and attorney remain essential, and I don't provide tax or legal advice. My role is to coordinate: I bring your plan to them, ask the questions that connect their work to the rest of your finances, and follow through so recommendations actually get implemented. Think of it as having one person responsible for the whole picture.

Signs you may need coordinated planning

• You own a business, and much of your net worth is tied to it.
• You're a high earner with equity compensation, deferred pay, or a complicated tax picture.
• You have several advisors, and none of them talk to each other.
• You're thinking about selling your business or retiring in the next 5–10 years.
• Your estate documents or insurance haven't been reviewed in years.
• You're not sure whether all the pieces add up to a plan.

What it costs

Financial planning is a flat fee of $1,250, billed quarterly. If you'd also like me to manage your investments, that's fee-based — 0.25% to 1.00% of the assets I manage annually, depending on account size. Any insurance products pay a commission from the insurance company, which I'll always disclose before you decide. See the FAQ for details.

Questions to ask any advisor

Whoever you work with, these questions will tell you whether you're getting coordinated planning or a single service:

• Will you work directly with my CPA and estate attorney?
• How does my business fit into my plan — including a future sale?
• How often will we review the whole plan, not just the portfolio?
• How exactly are you paid, in dollars?

About the author

Chris Tomolonis founded Tomolonis Financial in 2014 after more than a decade on Wall Street. He works with established business owners and high-earning executives nationwide, bringing their financial lives into one coordinated strategy. More about Chris →

This article is for general information only and is not tax, legal, or individualized investment advice. Chris Tomolonis is an Investment Adviser Representative of Woodstock Wealth Management, Inc., an SEC-registered investment adviser. Woodstock Wealth Management, Inc. and Tomolonis Financial LLC are unrelated entities.